Any and all opinions wanted! ...

[SPYDERLK]

I have a Kub L2550, the big brother of the 2250. The 2 speed PTO is a great feature. The tractor is bullet proof. The need for a good close dealer is debatable. When you look at the Kub tho, do observe the condition of the seat suspension system. I have never seen a company do any worse a job of designing a system that will last. If this assembly is in good shape on the one you see the tractor is either low hr, or used on smooth surfaces, or it has been replaced. You will need to make immediate simple modifications to prevent occurrence or recurrence or else spend $200 for new w/i a few hundred hrs. Beyond this the tractor and BF400G loader will present great reliability. I have the manual covering the 2250 thru 2850 series if you have spec questions.

Ido not know the Yanmar, but tractor power and loader capacity and lift height may shift in its favor. It will not be as reliable a tractor.
larry

 

[pat32rf]

We are on 80 acres of bush and our 30hp JD gets used for evrything from firewood, cleaning up to plowing snow and collecting sap. We are also about 1 hrs drive from ANY dealer so when something breaks, its nice (also crutial at times) to get parts the next day.
Also, since the tractor does so many different chores, the QD bucket gets QDed many times during the average summers week....

 

[pgsmith]

Thanks for all the opinions folks! It's good to just get other peoples views on things sometimes. Of course, I may just ignore everyone, but I can't say I didn't get warned one way or the other.

Got a little bit more information when I finally got to talk to the Kubota fellow. Seems to me that the seller of the kubota is not the original owner. When I talked to him, he said that the rear tires were new, and I had noticed in the pictures he sent that the front tires are really worn. I asked him a couple of times how he wore the tires down so much in just 1200 hours, and he kept quickly changing the subject. When I asked him how long he had owned the tractor, the subject quickly changed again. Sounds to me like there's something the fellow isn't telling me! Is it normal to be able to wear ag tires down that badly in just 1200 hours, or am I right to be concerned?

 

[SPYDERLK]

If used a lot in 4wd the front tires will wear out much faster than the back ones. No way the backs could have worn out. They may have been damaged badly by running over stobs and been replaced, either out of necessity or as a sales incentive. I cant understand why the guy would be evasive about time of ownership.
larry

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

If he's being evasive about the things you can see, what kinds of problems does the machine have that you can't see right away?
might not hurt to copy the serial number off the frame and ask your local dealer to check it against the national MIA (stolen) register.
even if it's not stolen, I would advise against buying that specific machine if only because the current owner is sounding less than honest.

good luck with your shopping - and remember - if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

[newbury]

Thanks for the feedback! Money for it is cash left from selling our other house. Didn't want to have to go into debt for it, which is why I was looking at used instead of new. New ones in the same power range were coming in at 12K to 16K. I can do the repair and maintenance on it myself, although I'd much prefer that I just didn't have to fix anything!

Any other thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

Just a word -
IF you go new or uaed and can get get one of those great financing deals, don't look down at it.
If you can "not spend" money thats in the bank look at taking the financing and putting the money in the bank on a deposit that makes has a higher interest rate then your loan.
For instance I put money in at 4.2% and financed at 3.75%.

 

[pgsmith]

Thanks for all the opinions guys, I finally decided on the Yanmar. Went out and looked at the Kubota. Turns out it was at a sales barn, and the salesman was pretty evasive about where it came from and past information on it. It looked pretty rough in person, and I got the impression from looking at it that it had been sitting for some time. Didn't see any evidence of leaks, but the machine was really clean, like it had been recently pressure washed. Had a little smoke for about a minute at start-up. The hydraulics all worked, but they seemed slow to me, and very loud. The whole deal just made me nervous.
Went out to look at the Yanmar on Sunday. It was a bit dirty. Needs a bath and a wax job, but overall in much better shape than the Kubota. Minor seepage in the loader hydraulics (you could tell because it needed a washing) but no bleedoff at all. Started right up, and everything seemed to work well, so I made the decision and brought it home with me.

Haven't had time to do any more than get it off the trailer and put it in the barn. I've ordered all new filters for it, and will try and change all the fluids this weekend. Anyone know what grade of engine and hydraulic oil I should get for it? Capacities would be good too.

The fellow that was selling it has some pictures up if anyone's interested ...
Side
Front
FX24D

Thanks again for thoughts y'all!

Paul

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

congrats!

 

[TerryJ]

Congrats on the new tractor! Hope you enjoy it.