Kestrel has rebuilt the front end of its smallest tractor around a single question: how long does it take to get the loader off. The new CT35 answers in about 50 seconds, against two to five minutes of fiddling with pins and hoses on most machines in the class.
The loader drops onto integrated park stands that deploy from one lever, and the four hydraulic lines land in a single dry-break coupler block rather than individual quick-connects. Nothing needs to be depressurised first, which is where most of the time and most of the spilled oil usually go.
Built for the two-job week
Kestrel's own research found that owners in this class run the loader for roughly a third of their hours and a mower, box blade, or post-hole auger for the rest, and that a meaningful share simply leave the loader on because removing it is a chore. Carrying 400 kilograms of unused steel on the nose costs fuel, traction, and mower cut quality.
The rest of the machine is conventional: a 35-horsepower three-cylinder diesel, three-range hydrostatic transmission, and a 540 rear PTO. Deliveries start in January at a list price from $31,400 with the loader included.