Buying Advice How to negotiate

[CesumPec]

First off - good choice! I just bought a M7040 with CAB a few weeks ago and so far I love the tractor.

Is the price you were quoted "out the door", or is it before taxes and documentation fees? Since you're paying cash you don't have to buy the Kubota insuance policy - but I did - so I'll assume your quote doesn't have the insurance policy. My "quoted" price during negotiations was almost $2k less than your quoted price (before insurance) - and included zero percent financing too. If I had been paying cash the price would have been even less. Mine does not have a front remote, but does have the Hydro Shuttle trans, radio, and delivery was also thrown in (85 miles one way - so that was significant). Tractor also came with a full tank of diesel.

You also didn't mention if your quote was for a CAB or not. If it's an open platform then I'd say you're leaving way too much cash at the table. If it's a CAB, then you're close.

BTW - I also do all of my deals by e-mail. As idaho2 says, you get the paper trail and I find you get a better deal when you're NOT face to face.

I picked Kubota because I've used Kubotas and am happy with the quality. The local dealer has a good rep on service at $75/hr. The deere dealer charges $125/hr and a tractor similar to the M7040 is more than $10K higher. The local New Holland/Mahindra dealer is suing me to collect $800 for repairs he didn't make on my backhoe, so Kubota was the default choice.

Yes, my quote is for a cab, hydraulic shuttle, there is no sales tax because I am a qualified Florida farmer(I have a pine plantation which I am converting to silvapasture, a home, a small orchard, and more). Delivery isn't an issue because I can pick it up with my flat bed trailer and it is only 20 miles from the farm. I did tell them cash because it gives me a $1000 discount. I didn't negotiate at all, just wanted a quote so I could make sure i would be able to stay within my budget. After walking thru the pricing tool on the Kubota site, I think I want to add a radio, air ride seat, and not sure if their quote had the front grill guard but I know I need it. Once I have locked down on the number of rear remotes, I think I will be able to create a firm spec and get other dealers not overly far from here to provide bids by email.

[CesumPec]

Good advice from others and I agree on a minimum of two rear remotes with three being preferable with at least one a float, will be cheaper at the time of purchase. Check to see if you can get a hydraulic top link figured in. Consider cast wheel centers and loaded/filled tires. Get some good hooks on your bucket, there are several threads on here, we have three on our M8540 and five on our L5740. I am guessing you are getting the hydraulic shuttle shift, if not get it. A rear wiper comes in handy; didn't get one on the M8540, but did on our subsequent L5740.

Some really like the air ride seat but it is pretty pricey, we were going to get one on our M8540, but it was going to take too long and the stock suspension seat is pretty comfortable.

Check to see if you qualify as a farm and the lack of sales tax will save you a lot.

I would check for a good dealer you trust and many buy from Barlow in KY as they deliver all over. Our dealer offered a good price, but having quotes from other dealers can help in your negotiations.

Are you getting Ag tires, if so check on getting a larger than stock size, forman Etexas did this, we have the tires that come stock on an M9540 on our M8540, our dealer orders all of them that way.

Good luck in your buying experience.

I like the suggestion on bucket hooks, air ride seat, and filled tires. Will add those to my spec list. Convince me on the rear wiper and hydraulic top link. Since i've never had a cab, I'm not sure of the value of the rear wiper. I can see how the top link would be faster, but never used one, and am wondering how much it would be worth. I'm guessing the cost of the top link would be over $1000.

Yes, I'm getting the hydraulic shuttle.

[CesumPec]

thanks to all for your help with this. all great advice and it is really helping me think of some angles I had forgot.

[aczlan]

convince me on the two remotes. I've been using a tractor with one and rarely use that one. I'm not an experienced farmer. What equipment should i expect to run that will 2 or 3?

What will you be using to cut the 100 acres? If you are using a batwing, most take at least 2 remotes (one for the wings and one to lift) but its more convenient with 3 (one for each wing and one to lift) as if both wings are tied together on one remote, they can go up/down erratically depending on how hard they are to lift.

Aaron Z

[aczlan]

I like the suggestion on bucket hooks, air ride seat, and filled tires. Will add those to my spec list. Convince me on the rear wiper and hydraulic top link. Since i've never had a cab, I'm not sure of the value of the rear wiper. I can see how the top link would be faster, but never used one, and am wondering how much it would be worth. I'm guessing the cost of the top link would be over $1000.

Rear wiper is mainly so that you can see behind you when working in the rain. Can get hard to see out the back window otherwise.
On the toplink, where a HTL shines is when using a boxblade or backblade as you can adjust how aggressively you are cutting from the cab by changing the toplink length. It also makes it easier to attach 3 point equipment.

Aaron Z

[CesumPec]

What will you be using to cut the 100 acres? If you are using a batwing, most take at least 2 remotes (one for the wings and one to lift) but its more convenient with 3 (one for each wing and one to lift) as if both wings are tied together on one remote, they can go up/down erratically depending on how hard they are to lift.

Aaron Z

good question. I've been using a 5 ft mower because that was sized right for getting between the rows of planted pines and for the 30HP tractor I was using. Now that the trees have been thinned, I should step up to something larger. But what ever i get will have to be used, I can't afford a $10K batwing on top of a new tractor.

[L355SS]

Hydraulic top link for sure and hydraulic bottom link. The hydraulic top link will always be in use so you will only have one for other uses. I have a wood splitter that uses a rear remote and have run hoses to the front for a bucket mounted grapple. My backhoe also uses tractor hydraulics for power. The lower link hydraulic for grading/leveling. You need 3 remotes!
Dennis

convince me on the two remotes. I've been using a tractor with one and rarely use that one. I'm not an experienced farmer. What equipment should i expect to run that will 2 or 3?

[TripleR]

I like the suggestion on bucket hooks, air ride seat, and filled tires. Will add those to my spec list. Convince me on the rear wiper and hydraulic top link. Since I've never had a cab, I'm not sure of the value of the rear wiper. I can see how the top link would be faster, but never used one, and am wondering how much it would be worth. I'm guessing the cost of the top link would be over $1000.

Yes, I'm getting the hydraulic shuttle.

As mentioned a rear wiper can help in the rain, but I use mine to clean dust, dirt, vegetation while running a cutter or maintaining roads, I also use the front wiper for this. You will be surprised how much crud accumulates on your back glass. I don't have one on our M8540, but learned my lesson and got one on our companion L5740.

We use a Land Pride box scraper with hydraulic rippers and the three remotes and Top and Tilt on the L5740 are ideal, but the two on our M8540 work well for digging and road maintenance, if I didn't have the TnT on the L5740, I would add a third to our M8540 and some day might anyway, just more expensive after you buy.

Your dealer might be able to fix you up on a hydraulic top link if not MtnViewRanch is a fit rite dealer and you can PM him for a price, I paid about $300 for one top link while the one on our L5740 was figured in the TnT, so I don't know the price. As mentioned, a bat wing mower will need the additional remotes. I bought my first hydraulic top link three years ago because i didn't really see a need for one, one of those you don't know how nice until you have one.

[CesumPec]

Hydraulic top link for sure and hydraulic bottom link. The hydraulic top link will always be in use so you will only have one for other uses. I have a wood splitter that uses a rear remote and have run hoses to the front for a bucket mounted grapple. My backhoe also uses tractor hydraulics for power. The lower link hydraulic for grading/leveling. You need 3 remotes!
Dennis

I'm on a sand hill in Florida, fairly flat and even ground. Even come TEOTWAWKI, I won't be splitting wood, so that need is out. For leveling and grading, even with the 1000+ stumps I've pulled, digging down as far as 8 ft, I have yet to find a rock on my property. I have a grader blade and box blade that have done OK at smoothing out my roads after the loggers tore them up. I can see the value of being able to tilt the blades.

[CesumPec]

As mentioned a rear wiper can help in the rain, but I use mine to clean dust, dirt, vegetation while running a cutter or maintaining roads, I also use the front wiper for this. You will be surprised how much crud accumulates on your back glass. I don't have one on our M8540, but learned my lesson and got one on our companion L5740.

We use a Land Pride box scraper with hydraulic rippers and the three remotes and Top and Tilt on the L5740 are ideal, but the two on our M8540 work well for digging and road maintenance, if I didn't have the TnT on the L5740, I would add a third to our M8540 and some day might anyway, just more expensive after you buy.

Your dealer might be able to fix you up on a hydraulic top link if not MtnViewRanch is a fit rite dealer and you can PM him for a price, I paid about $300 for one top link while the one on our L5740 was figured in the TnT, so I don't know the price. As mentioned, a bat wing mower will need the additional remotes. I bought my first hydraulic top link three years ago because i didn't really see a need for one, one of those you don't know how nice until you have one.

Right you are and you convinced me on the rear wiper. My backhoe has a front glass and it gets so dust covered (no wiper or washer) that I have to lean outboard to see. It is really bad at dusk and later when I turn on the work lights. I would work well into the evenings but the window gets so bad i can't see 15 ft in front of me. Almost hit a telephone pole the other evening, didn't see it till it was going past me, 2 feet to the left and i would have torn up the pole or the JCB.