The Carraro axle isnt that much of a problem... Its better than the light duty axle on the 5245... Its horses for courses, nothing wrong with Carraro axles that are used for the purpose they were designed for, i just dont like the new Major because its so cheap that they must have cut some corners (just like New Holland TD-D and other competitors in that class... When buying a new 230mm angle grinder, i asked the salesman for the one-but-cheapest Hitachi... He frowned upon me and asked why: I said that as a rule, to cut the last 15% of cost, you'll have to give up 40% of the durability, fancy angle grinders have soft start, vibro grip, whatever bells and whistles, but once you've stripped those features out, you'll have to meet the desired price level by picking smaller sized bearings and the such... But when you take a 10% smaller bearing, it will have a 30% shorter lifespan, so when cutting costs, at a given point it will exponentially worsen the price/performance ratio. So with angle grinders, i want the one-but-cheapest Hitachi because it doesnt have the bells and whistles, but it does have the basic durability. So no Major for me, i prefer the one-but-cheapest (Proxima) because i feel confident it wont break a halfshaft pulling the 12 ton dumptrailer like we did all day long with a 6718 and an 8011 today.... If you put the 3pt hitch loader counterweight i use behind my 5718 on a Major, it already exceeds the max allowable vehicle weight of a new Major... its just a hobby tractor like
Zetor never built before...
The biggest market for them is Poland, where farmers get 40% European subsidies to buy new tractors, where they replace an older Ursus C-355 witha Major 80, pulling the same old 2 furrow ploughs and 2 meter cultivators.... Oh, and of course its a great lawnmower for American landowners and hobby farmers.. Gimme a Proxima any day, with the good old UR1 based 6 speed, and enough torque to close the gap between gears.... Having a lot of gears is just a poor excuse for a declining torque curve...
AAAAAnyways.... I'm playing the same old song again...
lets move on:
The most important reason that parts for newer Zetors are more expensive is that parts wholesalers dont buy them by the Europallet because there is less demand for parts for these newer tractors. 95mm bore piston and liner kits are dirt cheap because many tractors of that age have clocked 15-20.000hrs and could use a new set. UR3 engine parts are a lot more expensive because there is hardly any demand, only a few of them have clocked those hours, and the ones that need new piston and liner kits have had a calamity such as a seizure due to low oil level or severe overheating, so not a big number.
Anyways, your
fuel consumption will go up with a heavier chassis and more sophisticated transmission of the UR3.
If you want more comfort, get a Super or a basic Proxima. The 8540 i drove with an empty dumper was a bit sluggish. Great tractor for heavy traction, but for general work a 7745, 6341 or 6441 will do the same work with 15% less fuel. My 3011 smokes like hell because i never tuned the pump back after replacement, i guess its putting out over 50hp because the clutch slips easily though there is plenty of friction material left, but no matter what you do, transporting sand with an 8ton trailer it just doesnt ever get over a consumption of 2 liter per hour, because its light and efficient (yet has plenty of ruggedness to take that load)
Only with the 10/12 ton tandem i pick the 5718 because the 2.5 ton drawbar load is too much for the 3011 rear tires and axle, and the tandem would steer my 3011, instead of vice versa.
