Orchardpete: BUD! reading the way you write sounds like you might by a Italian working for the A.C.spa. "I own myself a couple". Come on bud show photos of your machines!!
It well may be that orchards are going that way... Who would not want a machine that can do so much. BUT all brands show on Y-tube what their machines can do, A.C. does not.
Yes it turns out that;
1. ALL A. Carraro models (Mowers to heavier duty TRX) have the SAME castings for the transmission casings??!! These have already been thickened since issues started.. A third update is now rolling into Europe!!! So there is an issue with snapping castings.
2. Your understanding of FEL on the rear lacks understanding of oscillating machines (do you have one or one with a FEL?) You stated
"Also the rear lifting capacity has nothing to do with a lifting capacity of a front loader. That should be too obvious for anybody who's got at least some technical knowledge."
Well the lifting capacity might be the same. But, mounted on the rear all the FEL load and stresses remain in that half of the machine... (rigid machines distribute the load over the whole frame). The 100% stresses on half of the machine could be the down fall of this design. Where does the twist stress go with a full FEL load on uneven ground? To the castings.
By the way A.C. spa are trying to blame loaders and or operators. Rangerdave has a Sigma loader which is specified by A.C. spa and sold by the distributors. Now its Bonatti ( see the advert it lifts the machine off the ground with FEL and backhoe jacks!!). See A.C spa. magazines that others refer to and most countries have a FEL producer making FEL for A.C.spa like Burder in Australia which makes them for Kubota etc.
It all probably comes down to A.C. machines should not have FEL for any other task than moving mulch or sand. A.C.spa say " driving into the stockpile incorrectly will cause shock load!!" Buddy a TRX should be supplied with Bisalloy steel casings for slight cost increase and no problems would occur. There has been false advertising with the top of their range; TRX machines.
A load of B.S.
They are trying the ' divide and rule' between the operators with severe problems. The operators are loosing out! But a brand looses more by treating clients with contempt.
Happy 'picking' orchardpete.