Kramer kt407 or Bobcat 38.70.

Massey mad

Member
Got it narrowed down to the 2 above both good machines, about the same price wise. What's peoples thoughts on both of these machines?
 

Heathland

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I've just bought a demo MF 8043,did price JCB/Kramer but this demo machine was such a good deal, plus it had a better warranty/finance package too.
So far so good,the only grip which is small, is the hydraulic pin release switch for the attachments, you have to keep pressed,I'm hoping to change it to one that latches.:bag:
The machine has incredibly fast hydraulics,it has very quick loading cycles times now that I've got comfortable with the transmission and is quiet,very quiet.
I've fitted a camera on the pickup hitch,a must.
The fuel tank is not the largest but I haven't run out.
I'm a bit of a clean freak, it tends to throw dirt up at the mirrors on the right side and up a the front window screen,especially if the roads are wet,it needs short mud guards mounting on the light brackets to stop that which I'll do.
Its a pretty simple machine which I like but the latest machines seem to have taken them to the next level,I did have the choice to wait for the latest model,but l had this machine on a long demo and I was happy enough to keep it.
20211214_141415.jpg

JCB really do hold their value
Pity they don't hold on too their paint! and yes I've owned a JCB.
 

aidan

Member
Location
Ireland
I've just bought a demo MF 8043,did price JCB/Kramer but this demo machine was such a good deal, plus it had a better warranty/finance package too.
So far so good,the only grip which is small, is the hydraulic pin release switch for the attachments, you have to keep pressed,I'm hoping to change it to one that latches.:bag:
The machine has incredibly fast hydraulics,it has very quick loading cycles times now that I've got comfortable with the transmission and is quiet,very quiet.
I've fitted a camera on the pickup hitch,a must.
The fuel tank is not the largest but I haven't run out.
I'm a bit of a clean freak, it tends to throw dirt up at the mirrors on the right side and up a the front window screen,especially if the roads are wet,it needs short mud guards mounting on the light brackets to stop that which I'll do.
Its a pretty simple machine which I like but the latest machines seem to have taken them to the next level,I did have the choice to wait for the latest model,but l had this machine on a long demo and I was happy enough to keep it.View attachment 1010877

Pity they don't hold on too their paint! and yes I've owned a JCB.


Looks good a smashing machine that, is it all bosch rexroth hydrostat and hydraulic pump
 

Runs Like a Deere

Member
Mixed Farmer
We have a 3060 Bobcat, very impressed with it so far, the warranty package is very comprehensive and so far service has been excellent. The performance of the machine is excellent too!

I haven't heard anything bad about either machine the OP has mentioned, I can't say the same about JCBs though.......
 

Lazy Eric

Member
When we change I’d seriously look at merlo, they seem to design machines with 3.5t 7m in a very compact looking size. Have always had to go for 2.7 t 6m because next size just to numb for some of our yards.
Olly blogs likes his , and he gives em some work💪
Kramer will be good I just think the bonnet is far too high for descent visibility.
 

Runs Like a Deere

Member
Mixed Farmer
When we change I’d seriously look at merlo, they seem to design machines with 3.5t 7m in a very compact looking size. Have always had to go for 2.7 t 6m because next size just to numb for some of our yards.
Olly blogs likes his , and he gives em some work💪
Kramer will be good I just think the bonnet is far too high for descent visibility.
I would seriously warn you against them, we have had 2 x 32.6s the first one was an 08 and was an alright machine but quality left a bit to be desired we did over 6000hrs with it and was beginning to need some serious work so we swapped it for a new one on a 15 plate and it was a total dog of a machine. It leaked like a sieve, from a combination of bad QC and also moving to push on couplings which once they were released or came lose once were never tight again easy fix you may think but majority of them are in seriously hard to get to places (easier to assemble in the factory due to limited access being the reason for merlo using them likely) we got to the point we were going through a 25 litre drum of Hydraulic oil a month maybe even more during busy seasons. Electrical gremlins were also a nightmare and ranged from it taking up to half an hour to get it to start (turn key in ignition, system beeps, starter doesn't turn, rinse and repeat until it did) to the boom and auxilary hydraulics working by themselves, scary and dangerous doesn't really go far enough to explain how bad that one was.

Maybe we were unlucky but we had terrible aftersales service from the dealer who was unable to fix the electrical issues and when we realised how much of a Dog the machine was becoming we asked them to go to Merlo UK for support or at least assistance to us in coving some of the bills, nothing was ever forth coming, whether the dealer went to Merlo or not is up for debate I don't know.

The conclusion to that was that after 12 years with Merlo we moved to a Bobcat machine and the reliability and service has been like night and day!

I know we are not the only ones locally who had a shocking time with Merlo machines. Maybe they are better now but I wouldn't be going back to one unless it had a very good warranty and a dealer able to back it up.
 

Lazy Eric

Member
I would seriously warn you against them, we have had 2 x 32.6s the first one was an 08 and was an alright machine but quality left a bit to be desired we did over 6000hrs with it and was beginning to need some serious work so we swapped it for a new one on a 15 plate and it was a total dog of a machine. It leaked like a sieve, from a combination of bad QC and also moving to push on couplings which once they were released or came lose once were never tight again easy fix you may think but majority of them are in seriously hard to get to places (easier to assemble in the factory due to limited access being the reason for merlo using them likely) we got to the point we were going through a 25 litre drum of Hydraulic oil a month maybe even more during busy seasons. Electrical gremlins were also a nightmare and ranged from it taking up to half an hour to get it to start (turn key in ignition, system beeps, starter doesn't turn, rinse and repeat until it did) to the boom and auxilary hydraulics working by themselves, scary and dangerous doesn't really go far enough to explain how bad that one was.

Maybe we were unlucky but we had terrible aftersales service from the dealer who was unable to fix the electrical issues and when we realised how much of a Dog the machine was becoming we asked them to go to Merlo UK for support or at least assistance to us in coving some of the bills, nothing was ever forth coming, whether the dealer went to Merlo or not is up for debate I don't know.

The conclusion to that was that after 12 years with Merlo we moved to a Bobcat machine and the reliability and service has been like night and day!

I know we are not the only ones locally who had a shocking time with Merlo machines. Maybe they are better now but I wouldn't be going back to one unless it had a very good warranty and a dealer able to back it up.
Thanks for your warning, there’s a few round our way. The trouble I’ve heard of is the front of the boom that connects to the head stock shearing clean off after about 4 years use.
Italian are they not? The electrics were shite on the old lancia delta cars.. fooking fast though.
I suppose all makes give trouble, it’s how the dealer/ manufacturers rectify the problem that counts .
 

Runs Like a Deere

Member
Mixed Farmer
Thanks for your warning, there’s a few round our way. The trouble I’ve heard of is the front of the boom that connects to the head stock shearing clean off after about 4 years use.
Italian are they not? The electrics were shite on the old lancia delta cars.. fooking fast though.
I suppose all makes give trouble, it’s how the dealer/ manufacturers rectify the problem that counts .
Haha I’d not heard of thatstructurally we never had any issues with ours I’d have said they were pretty tough. Yeah Italian, the most annoying thing was the first one we had wasn’t terrible and Yeah awesome performance but the second one was horrendous. I honestly can’t describe how annoying it was if you stalled it on the silage pit and then it played silly bug*ers rather than start.

The dealership actually changed while we had the first one. We thought the second dealer might be better, they had a reasonable reputation for the tractors they sold, than the first one but we were very very wrong. Ironically we bought the bobcat from the dealer that sold us our first merlo and they have been spot on again so far.

maybe too much electrics in machines now I don’t know, all i do know is the electrics on that machine were pants
 

spitfire

Member
Location
wales
I would seriously warn you against them, we have had 2 x 32.6s the first one was an 08 and was an alright machine but quality left a bit to be desired we did over 6000hrs with it and was beginning to need some serious work so we swapped it for a new one on a 15 plate and it was a total dog of a machine. It leaked like a sieve, from a combination of bad QC and also moving to push on couplings which once they were released or came lose once were never tight again easy fix you may think but majority of them are in seriously hard to get to places (easier to assemble in the factory due to limited access being the reason for merlo using them likely) we got to the point we were going through a 25 litre drum of Hydraulic oil a month maybe even more during busy seasons. Electrical gremlins were also a nightmare and ranged from it taking up to half an hour to get it to start (turn key in ignition, system beeps, starter doesn't turn, rinse and repeat until it did) to the boom and auxilary hydraulics working by themselves, scary and dangerous doesn't really go far enough to explain how bad that one was.

Maybe we were unlucky but we had terrible aftersales service from the dealer who was unable to fix the electrical issues and when we realised how much of a Dog the machine was becoming we asked them to go to Merlo UK for support or at least assistance to us in coving some of the bills, nothing was ever forth coming, whether the dealer went to Merlo or not is up for debate I don't know.

The conclusion to that was that after 12 years with Merlo we moved to a Bobcat machine and the reliability and service has been like night and day!

I know we are not the only ones locally who had a shocking time with Merlo machines. Maybe they are better now but I wouldn't be going back to one unless it had a very good warranty and a dealer able to back it up.
We had similar issues with a 41.7 really put us off them
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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