Any and all opinions wanted! ...

[pgsmith]

Hey y'all,
I'm in need of as many opinions as possible to help me make up my mind. I've recently moved onto 8 acres, with about 4 acres as field, the rest is lawn and trees along the creek and up the small hill. There's 40 years worth of the previous owner's junk that I need to clear out of one corner of the property since he used it as his own personal land fill. To me, this means that I'm going to need a good little tractor with a FEL to help get things under control. (woohoo, justification!) I read everything I could find about compact tractors, and now I'm trying to decide between these two:

The first is a Yanmar FX24D which was originally purchased from Stan Hoye. It has 1000 hours on it, has a Koyker 140 loader, and comes with a 5 ft King Kutter shredder and a box blade. Price is 8K. No ROPS, so I'll have to buy and install that.

The second tractor is a Kubota L2250 4X4 with 1200 hours on it. It has a BF400G loader, but no other implements. However, it is 1K less than the Yanmar.

From everything I've read, both are good quality little tractors. Price factor is about even since the Kubota costs less and it already has a ROPS. Both look (from their pictures) to be in pretty good shape and well cared for. Both are in my general vicinity so I could go and pick them up without any shipping costs. I haven't gone and actually driven either one yet.

So how about some unbiased (or biased) opinions from all you tractor afficionados out there!

 

[Sackett2]

I'd be leaning to the Kubota... 200 more hours are not much; would feel a bit more comfy with that name. Around my area, If it's not a JD, Kubota or the other major brands- good luck getting support.

 

[flusher]

Hey y'all,
I'm in need of as many opinions as possible to help me make up my mind. I've recently moved onto 8 acres, with about 4 acres as field, the rest is lawn and trees along the creek and up the small hill. There's 40 years worth of the previous owner's junk that I need to clear out of one corner of the property since he used it as his own personal land fill. To me, this means that I'm going to need a good little tractor with a FEL to help get things under control. (woohoo, justification!) I read everything I could find about compact tractors, and now I'm trying to decide between these two:

The first is a Yanmar FX24D which was originally purchased from Stan Hoye. It has 1000 hours on it, has a Koyker 140 loader, and comes with a 5 ft King Kutter shredder and a box blade. Price is 8K. No ROPS, so I'll have to buy and install that.

The second tractor is a Kubota L2250 4X4 with 1200 hours on it. It has a BF400G loader, but no other implements. However, it is 1K less than the Yanmar.

From everything I've read, both are good quality little tractors. Price factor is about even since the Kubota costs less and it already has a ROPS. Both look (from their pictures) to be in pretty good shape and well cared for. Both are in my general vicinity so I could go and pick them up without any shipping costs. I haven't gone and actually driven either one yet.

So how about some unbiased (or biased) opinions from all you tractor afficionados out there!

Before you spend hard earned $$$ on a used tractor, your first consideration should be--who will maintain it and who will repair it when it (inevitably) breaks. If the answer for both tasks is you, then either of those tractors would do for your use. If you need help with maintenance and/or repair, then you need to identify nearby dealers with decent repair capability or independent tractor repair shops that are able and willing to work on your tractor.

I've owned a new 2005 Kubota B7510HST with the LA302 FEL. Nice machine, excellent quality. I looked into used Yanmars before I bought the 7510 and decided my first tractor should be a new one. Right now I'm trying to talk one of my neighbors into giving me his beat up YM1300 (needs new front axle).

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would go with the Kubota also. That being said are you borrowing the money to buy it? If so look at a new Kioti. Good tractor and good financing which may make it about the same money.

Chris

 

[pgsmith]

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!

 

[Westendorf-RR]

Sounds like you have a lot of stuff to pick up. Is either FEL equipped with 3rd hydraulic function or does either tractor have extra ports at the rear to plug in extra hydraulic lines? A grapple would make your task much easier. Also, I'd look into each loader MFG's attachment line to see what your future options are for quick change implements.

 

[pgsmith]

Great ideas Westendorf! I will make a note to check that when I go look at them this weekend.

 

[jd2305cd]

I just went through this as well, went new.. The main reason is MFG warranty and cheap financing right now 0%-3% on new... It was s difference of 4-5g's but if it something your going to have for 10-20 years i would rather know it was treated good from the get go..

Now if your talking saving 10g's then yeah go USED!

Just my two cents..

 

[jd2305cd]

One more thing, either way you go make sure you have a great local dealer.. Its one of the big reasons I went with JD. Local dealer is great and 2 minutes down the road.

Kubota dealer rubbed me the wrong way and was 40 minutes away.. So I would atleast go check your dealers out and if they are a good dealer they will help with the pro's and con's of both.. Done rambling..

 

[EddieWalker]

Kubota is about the best brand out there. While others will argue that what they have is just as good, Kubota is the company that has set the bar that all the others are trying to achieve. Yanmar is very big overseas and they have a pretty good presence here in the commercial diesel market. They don't have much of a dealer support market and parts can be iffy. Depending on where you live, you might get lucky and have a guy who can get you parts for it, but you might not. Every Kubota dealer will have the parts for you. They are very, very professional. If you need it, they will either have it in stock, or be able to get it for you. There really isn't anything else more important that that when trying to decide on buying a tractor.

I don't own either brands, and don't have any brand loyalty. I'm a fan of Kubota because they have earned my respect. There are a few other brands out there that I am also a fan of, but since you mentioned two brands, those are the two that I'm comparing against each other.

Good luck,
Eddie