Over the past week I've looked at a lot of tractors and it finally came down to a nice used 5203 Deere. After looking at a bunch of new models that were in my price range, I decided to save a little cash and get a good proven model. Below is a list of the tractors I looked at and tested, while none of them really fit my needs, maybe this info can help others:
-New Holland Workmaster 45 4wd, Quoted price $16,500 cash
This was a really nice tractor. It operated smoothly, was very quite, the synchro shuttle worked well, and it came with some nice features for a basic tractor (extendable lower links, rear remote valve, etc.) The price was just a little out of my current budget, but would have been in budget for a 2wd. I decided not to go with it because the price for the 4wd, and the light weight and overall small size of the 2wd.
-Massey Ferguson 2605 4wd, Quoted price $13,500 cash. The first thing that attracted me to this model was the incredible price. $13K for a new 4wd utility tractor is just unheard of. It was a bit smaller than the others at 38hp, but was plenty heavy (4500lbs) and had good 3pt hitch and hydraulic specs. The model I tested had 12hrs on it and was already leaking coolant from one of the gaskets near the front of the block. From my research on TBN almost everyone with these tractors reports some kinds of trouble. The tractor itself worked as it should, nothing fancy with a non-synchro 8x2 trans and dry brakes (which actually worked better than I thought they would.) If it hadn't been for the overall poor quality I probably would have gone with this model.
-Kubota MX4700F (2wd), quoted price $14000 cash. It was everything I expected in a Kubota. Nice layout, smooth controls, good power, excellent quality. At it's heart though it is still a compact tractor and after really looking over what I need to do I decided it was just too light weight.
-Deere 4005, quoted price $18,700 cash. I really wasn't seriously considering this tractor due to the size, but it's been a model I've always liked and since they are being discontinued I thought I'd take a look. It was a nice little tractor, and had all the qualities of the aforementioned Kubota. Again, just too small and light weight (and spendy.)
-Deere 5045d 2wd, Quoted price $14,700 cash (new 2013 tier IV model). Since I've used our 5045e quite a bit I knew what to expect. Well built tractor, no frills, but good quality and smooth controls. The one thing I didn't realize until looking at them up close was that the rear end and transmission is not the same as all the previous 5000 series, but a new slightly lighter design. The 8x4 tranny was perfectly usable without being synchro, and the F/R sync-shuttle was nice. Not thrilled about the new tier 4 stuff, it added a good bit to the cost and apparently makes them even more cold-blooded to start than the previous models.
In the end I went with a used 5203 2wd, paid $11,000. Aside from the wheels being a little faded, it is in like new condition (2007 model.) Everything worked good and with only 300hrs it is truly just broken in. I liked that it had the heavier rear end and 9x3 trans that the other 5000 series had, non turbo, and a little more HP than I was originally looking at. I need to order a set of rear remote valves from Deere, but other than that it should be ready to go to work.
Plans are to maybe upgrade to a bigger trailer in the spring, then add a skid steer or compact TLB when funding allows. Thanks again. :thumbsup:
