Loader on a d17 or 180

I have had it both ways, after using a 180 with a loader you would not want to go back to a D17.  180 gets my vote!

I have loaded thousands of large round bales with a Series 1 D17 and a farm hand loader. The long handle on the clutch is great to sneak up to the trailer. Look after the front end and add some weight to the back end.

Not to be argumentative but I currently have a 417-loader mounted on a 180. Did not use sub frame with reservoir in the upright. Width is fine, but length wise it's tight. Not a heavy use unit no matter how you slice it. Put a skid steer quick coupler on it, gp bucket makes a great motorized wheel barrow, predominantly handles bale forks with 4x5 rd bales. I'd gladly give up the 417 for a different unit, what ever model that would fit better.

Right, very definitely not designed to 180/185s. Let me tell you. When I was looking for a loader for this particular tractor, this is what I came up with at that time. Pulled it out of the usable equipment area of an AC specific junk yard thats local here. Straight, not welded up or bent, needs paint. They told me it came in mounted on a 180 /85 that they parted. Mounted on my tractor with no adjustments. Axle brackets lined right up. Sub frame mounted, loader boom slid right in, no shoe horning it on. Things are square, parallel, looking factory. Now in this units history if someone did modify it to fit (not denying the possibility or probability that it did happen) they did a job good done well. You'd never know it to look at it, very much not cobbled together.