Suggestion for a newbie

[NIXON]

Well, last fall I was looking to buy a New tractor in the 20-30 hp range . As luck would have it I had to buy a new truck instead . But, now I'm back on schedule . The machines I'm looking at are ...MF 1433, 1230 . Mahindra 3510 . Kubota L2600, Kioti dk 3500. Century 2028.Landtrac 300. (a FEL is a must have)
I really can't afford to go with some of the other offerings .
My uses will be mainly maintaining a gravel drive , digging post holes,plowing snow on about 4.5 acres . I'm sure I'll find other uses as time goes on . Any informed opinions would be most welcomed ! As a matter of fact I have probably missed some very capable machines . Thanks in advance . John

 

[bigpete]

Given the limits you suggest, I like the Masseys or the Kubota. What about the "dealer factor?"

 

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
I really can't afford to go with some of the other offerings .
)</font>

John don't give up on the other ones because of money. I found when buying mine that New Holland was less expensive than all the other ones. My dealer had what I wanted in Stock but there was one at another dealers like I wanted that I could cheaper because of a program on that tractor. At least put your mind at ease and price it out. Now if the ones you listed are what you want, then go for it. The thing that is very important and many other prople will say the same, is which dealer you feel the most comfortable with.

Good luck in your purchase.

Murph

 

[gerard]

Can only speak from personal experience, have not owned/used green/blue/red or any other color but orange but I have an L2500 DT which is about the same as the L2600 DT you're looking at. Harv on this board also has the L2500DT. I bought it new, now have 360 hours, have done all maintenance myself which was VERY easy, and have not had any problem with it to date. If I could do it over again I would probably try and upgrade to a live PTO. That and not having a quick release bucket on the loader are the only two major improvements I could think of. Not having a live PTO means when you clutch the PTO stops turning. Not desirable when bushogging/snowblowing or using an implement when you may want to keep the pto turning but also want to stop the movement of the tractor.

 

[DK35vince]

John,
I live in Clarion, which is only about 50 minutes from you.
I got a Kioti DK 35 from a dealer about 1 hour from you that is very helpful and has great prices.
I have had my DK for about a year now, and 107 hours.
I am very happy with the tractor and the dealer.

 

[earthmaster1]

I like my Mahindra 2810, i would recomend them to anyone, ihave had no problems with mine so far. They have some pretty good finance programs too which make them pretty attractive too. Quality is great, definetley give them a good look and you also have to be happy with the dealer too, price should not be the only factor.

 

[Pacesetter300]

C, You don't exactly have a direct comparison. If looking at 35 HP machines, you should look at Century 2035 or 3035. For Kubota, at least the L3000 which does have a live PTO. The 1230 Massey is an old machine, being replaced by the 1400 series. I think the 1433V would be in this class. Massey makes a nice machine. I just think they are overpriced for what you get. The L3000 while a great machine, lacks features found with the Korean competition. As for Long, I just can't seem to cotton to purple. They might be fine, I personally can't get excited about them. The Mahindra and Kioti use the same engine, have great features and are very worthwhile checking out. Century is also right up there with quality and features. The smaller (if you call 3600 lbs. small) 35 hp 2035 in my experience has a price advantage over Mahindra and Kioti. The C-50 loader is as beefy as they come and has a quick attach bucket standard. In the case of the last three, which would be the ones I would personally focus on, I think the dealer and deal you get would be my deciding factor. Good Luck and have fun looking!
Pacesetter
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Remember men, we're all in this together! )</font>

 

[DavesTractor]

Branson and Century roll off the same assembly line, so check out a 3510 Branson if you have a dealer close by.

 

[Pacesetter300]

Dave's right, you didn't mention Branson, but they are the same as Century except fot the loader. Both are exceptional values. Just depends on the proximity of the dealer. Since you covered it pretty well, I assumed there wasn't one nearby. Sorry Dave /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Thing is you have to personally check them out. Sometimes it's a few seemingly small items like control placement or clutch heft that can turn you away from an otherwise promising machine. Personally, at one time, I thought I'd economize and look at the JD 790. It just didn't fit me. I couldn't imagine spending all day on it or getting on and off it. Once I looked at the GC 2300 Massey. For a small machine I thought it was really nice. I couldn't reach the park brake lock. My chin hit the steering wheel before I could reach it. Those are just a sample of two items that reading all the brochures and pouring over all the specs won't reveal. It brings up a universal issue you have to watch. These machines are designed by orientals. Most of them are 5' 5" and weigh 130#. We like our Big Macs and things that aren't an issue to them can be to us. Some manufacturers do a better job than others addressing this issue, but you have to be careful.
Have fun hunting
Pacesetter

 

[Justaplain]

For a lot of 4.5 Acres you are wasting money on anything bigger than 20 HP. For the difference in price you can buy alot of accesories. It has been pointed out that a 20 HP Sears mower is not to be compared to a 20 HPCUT. Whole different ball game. You are going to dig those post holes just once, so HP and speed is not a requirement ad a 20 will swing a 60" RFM, just mow it before it requires a baler /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. BCS