Buying Advice HELP! Buying new tractor, Massey, Deere, Kubota etc etc

[Isaac1]

Ok here goes a little more input,

1, I would never buy another Kubota tractor, they kill you on pricing for parts for older models, and I tend to keep things for a long time once I buy them (think $690 for a propritary PTO coupler fitting that I can hold in one hand, I would have thought $200 would be an insanely high price for that part, luckily the local dealer had one being scrapped out in their yard for used for $80), I could have probably had a replacement custom machined for less than Kubota wanted for that part.

2, I can't comment about mountains, or your market, but around here it is easy to find people selling low hour used 2 wheel drive 30-40 HP tractors, there are just so many that get bought by people with 15-40 acres that think they need a tractor, then realize later that it is overkill for 80% of their needs, so go buy a big riding lawnmower instead. Of the ones that use them, few put many hours on them, they sit up and get maybe an hour or two per month of use if there is not a big project going on.

3, on a tight budget there is a lot to be said for an older cheap basic tractor, there are plenty of 30-40 year old Fords, MF's out there that have a lot of life left in them, they may not have all the bells and whistles, may have levers to operate the front end loader instead of joysticks along with clutches and gear shifters, but they do work.

4, Out of the various small tractors I have used, my favorate by far is our little John Deere 990, with a 430 loader simple, reliable, not too many bells and whistles, will run a 5 or 6 ft bushhog, is big enough to run a small box blade for road grading ,etc. In modern tractors we also have a JD 6310 and an 7200, but for simple tasks the 990 is hard to beat. (it also gets used a lot for small jobs at various family properties as it is a lot easier to load up on a trailer)

 

[jenkinsph]

I have decided on the JD 4105 with loader and backhoe. I like the dealership and JD gives you a discounted price regardless if you take the free financing.

To address some of the appreciated advice I received in the post - The reason I do not want to step up to the 4120 for all the "nice features" is cost (5k), but mainly I do not want the eHydro. This means electric Hydro I guess. These are subject to tearing out unprotected wires and sensor if your in the woods with the tractor (I have been told). I often drive over mountain laurel and branches so this may be a problem. The 4105 is controlled with levers to the Hydro and not wires, I was told a non-issue. My backhoe work will be intermediate at best. I have 20 acres that I harvest firewood, make road, food plots etc. I also will be mowing a 3-4 acre field as well.

I originally wanted a gear tractor for cost and simplicity. For $700 you go from the 4005 to the 4105. This gives you a 300 pound more loader lift and a 200 more pound hitch lift, plus the Hydro. This is worth it to me. From all I read the 4105 is a simple bare bones tractor, perfect. I use it for my small farm, not as a living. It will be real "fancy" compared to my old Ford 1710 I'm sure.

The cost with the 72" heavy duty bucket, r4'S, ballast box, and the 375 backhoe is around $32,000 (plus tax). I'll take the financing and get a mower and extended warranty as well. I think that is a decent price, about 12% lower then MSRP on-line.

I am going to think about it for another day.

PLEASE, Any more input would be appreciated........

Nothing against your choice of the 4105 but I should mention that for working in heavy brush the 110 has a belly pan that protects the tractor very well. Most 110's I have seen have this option, I know mine does and it is well worth whatever I paid for it. The 110 with the optional hydraulics would be a good choice to use with a grappel too just plug and play. There are lots of little things that make a 110 a better tlb than the 4105 and I can say that after using mine for seven years it has everything you need for the work you describe.

 

[Martian]

I have decided on the JD 4105 with loader and backhoe. I like the dealership and JD gives you a discounted price regardless if you take the free financing.

To address some of the appreciated advice I received in the post - The reason I do not want to step up to the 4120 for all the "nice features" is cost (5k), but mainly I do not want the eHydro. This means electric Hydro I guess. These are subject to tearing out unprotected wires and sensor if your in the woods with the tractor (I have been told). I often drive over mountain laurel and branches so this may be a problem. The 4105 is controlled with levers to the Hydro and not wires, I was told a non-issue. My backhoe work will be intermediate at best. I have 20 acres that I harvest firewood, make road, food plots etc. I also will be mowing a 3-4 acre field as well.

I originally wanted a gear tractor for cost and simplicity. For $700 you go from the 4005 to the 4105. This gives you a 300 pound more loader lift and a 200 more pound hitch lift, plus the Hydro. This is worth it to me. From all I read the 4105 is a simple bare bones tractor, perfect. I use it for my small farm, not as a living. It will be real "fancy" compared to my old Ford 1710 I'm sure.

The cost with the 72" heavy duty bucket, r4'S, ballast box, and the 375 backhoe is around $32,000 (plus tax). I'll take the financing and get a mower and extended warranty as well. I think that is a decent price, about 12% lower then MSRP on-line.

I am going to think about it for another day.

PLEASE, Any more input would be appreciated........

The 4105 is a very nice tractor, congrats :thumbsup:

As far as the eHydro, I've never heard of it. I operate my tractor in the woods all the time and have no issues with the 110 or my old 3120. I still have to purchase the belly pan, but I'm just trying to get the cash to do it first. I would question who advised you on the wires being 'pulled out'.

 

[keegs]

Ok here goes a little more input,

1, I would never buy another Kubota tractor, they kill you on pricing for parts for older models, and I tend to keep things for a long time once I buy them (think $690 for a propritary PTO coupler fitting that I can hold in one hand, I would have thought $200 would be an insanely high price for that part, luckily the local dealer had one being scrapped out in their yard for used for $80), I could have probably had a replacement custom machined for less than Kubota wanted for that part.

2, I can't comment about mountains, or your market, but around here it is easy to find people selling low hour used 2 wheel drive 30-40 HP tractors, there are just so many that get bought by people with 15-40 acres that think they need a tractor, then realize later that it is overkill for 80% of their needs, so go buy a big riding lawnmower instead. Of the ones that use them, few put many hours on them, they sit up and get maybe an hour or two per month of use if there is not a big project going on.

3, on a tight budget there is a lot to be said for an older cheap basic tractor, there are plenty of 30-40 year old Fords, MF's out there that have a lot of life left in them, they may not have all the bells and whistles, may have levers to operate the front end loader instead of joysticks along with clutches and gear shifters, but they do work.

4, Out of the various small tractors I have used, my favorate by far is our little John Deere 990, with a 430 loader simple, reliable, not too many bells and whistles, will run a 5 or 6 ft bushhog, is big enough to run a small box blade for road grading ,etc. In modern tractors we also have a JD 6310 and an 7200, but for simple tasks the 990 is hard to beat. (it also gets used a lot for small jobs at various family properties as it is a lot easier to load up on a trailer)

Not to get too far off topic ...( I think Buz has his heart set on a new JD 4105) but with regard to the old Fords, are you talking the 3000, 4000 series? What kind of attachments are available for them? Do you recommend diesel or gas? How available are parts and at what cost? TIA...

 

[Bluegill2]

Ok here goes a little more input,

1, I would never buy another Kubota tractor, they kill you on pricing for parts for older models, and I tend to keep things for a long time once I buy them (think $690 for a propritary PTO coupler fitting that I can hold in one hand, I would have thought $200 would be an insanely high price for that part, luckily the local dealer had one being scrapped out in their yard for used for $80), I could have probably had a replacement custom machined for less than Kubota wanted for that part.

Shows what a good dealer will do for ya!!!

I also wouldn't single out Kubota for high price parts on old machines. I've bought a number of parts for our old L3750 and thought they were high, but was glad to get them. Have heard Deere parts are pricey too.

 

[BuzzardA91]

I really appreciate everyone taking time. I finally found a 4105 and drove it, liked it. Seemed like more power for less $. You now can get scv on it just not a mid ptO. I just want to make sure it's a good tractor. Dealers call it an economy tractor so they steer people to the 3320 etc. I just want it to be ECONOMY because of less features, not ECONOMY because it is made cheap. I guess that's my main point.

Is it a good solid reliable tractor??

 

[Bluegill2]

I really appreciate everyone taking time. I finally found a 4105 and drove it, liked it. Seemed like more power for less $. You now can get scv on it just not a mid ptO. I just want to make sure it's a good tractor. Dealers call it an economy tractor so they steer people to the 3320 etc. I just want it to be ECONOMY because of less features, not ECONOMY because it is made cheap. I guess that's my main point.

Is it a good solid reliable tractor??

With name brand tractors, ECONOMY means less features and usually lighter weight. But not made cheap.

 

[Carl_NH]

Sounds like you are set on the 4105 but to reiterate what others have said the 110 is a great machine too.

Have you seen the BH setup on the 4105 and the ground clearance underneath? In general they have less underside protection than the 110 TLB.

If you do go the 4105 defintely get a thumb - dont know if a hyd thumb is available but a thumb is invaluable in the woods and holding logs and any number of things.

Then the remotes - front for a future grapple would be the other options to consider.

Good luck with your final selection and decision.

Carl

 

[Isaac1]

Not to get too far off topic ...( I think Buz has his heart set on a new JD 4105) but with regard to the old Fords, are you talking the 3000, 4000 series? What kind of attachments are available for them? Do you recommend diesel or gas? How available are parts and at what cost? TIA...

My point was just that for people on a budget something like a Ford 4000 gasoline powered tractor with a FEL and a bush hog can still do a lot of the chores that most people with a few acres of land need a tractor for. I was just looking at online ads around here and saw one of these in fair running condition with an asking price of $5,000, of course with a bit of luck someone could probably find that same kind of tractor for even less money. There are also deals to be found on newer tractors, a couple of months ago I bought a piece of equipment from a guy online and when I went to pick it up, he loaded it in my truck with a cute little 4 or 5 year old 30-35 HP New Holland tractor with an FEL, we started talking about it for a bit, and I was impressed enough with the little thing to be seriously thinking about buying one the next time we need a new small tractor. Anyway back to the topic, this guy that only has a few acres of land bought this tractor second hand for under$6,000, the first owner who was a lawyer that had bought 30-40 acres of land across the road then decided he did not like country life after a year or two, and sold the tractor for a fraction of the new price. I hear these stories time and time again people go out buy a few acres of land, and buy a tractor, that they then resell a few years later after they decide it was too big, or two small, or just the wrong color after starting it up once every couple of months. Maybe they have seen the old TV show Green Acres one too many times, but it is what they do.