SingerToo
New member
Hi All,
First, special thanks to all of you for hundreds of postings who helped me with my decision, which has taken months. Sure, some are so brand loyal as to be blind, and some are making mountains out of molehills or being trollish, but all in all the help here is really fantastic. Thank you all for going to the trouble of helping us newbies. I've a hunch there are more of us lurking in the shadows than you may know.
Second, it seems every brand has its strong and weak points. But over and over "the dealer" was mentioned by the most experienced posters. Thank you for this constant reminder. The closest Deere dealer was ten minutes, closest Kubota, Mahindra, LS, New Holland, forty-five. I didn't consider Deere as I'd heard they cost a lot more initially and for parts.
While a really good deal on any of the above named brands could have swayed me, there were things about each one (other than the 'bota) that I didn't like, either a weak dealer and parts network, or a lack of ease or cost on implements.
We've got three acres of land with an acre of fairly park-like lawn, not very smooth. Most of what we need to do is mow in summer, push snow in winter. But we've got drainage issues, so a small backhoe and bucket loader was in order as well. And lots of rocks, not real big but too big to pick up and muscle into the wheelbarrow.
We went to Union Farm Equipment, loved the BX 25D. The sales manager, Craig D. was very helpful both over the phone and in person. We recommend them highly. Our other "local" dealer, is Dorr's Equipment in Bangor, and they have a very good reputation as well. That Kubota was like a Cadillac compared to the garden tractors in our past: Economy Power King (with FEL and 60" deck), Gravely 840?, MTD, and current 1969 Case 444. Wow!
Our neighbor might even have green blood. At first sight of his house down his private lane, one sees to the left a little John Deere windmill. If John Deere sells it, he owns it. He told us to talk to Tyler (the owner) of Greenway, here in Ellsworth, the local Deere dealer. Frankly, I knew it would be a lot more than the 'bota, apples to apples, so I wasn't even going to go look. And so I suppose that is the first piece of advice I would like to pass along--watch out for those assumptions.
Being sold on the BX 25D, Tyler had his work cut out for him. "I'm here because my neighbor told me I should at least stop in and consider a John Deere. I told him I had been looking at "orange" and didn't think I was rich enough to own a Deere. (A nice way of saying they were over-priced.) I voiced a number of concerns I had read, but knew they didn't apply to this dealer as Greenway has a sterling reputation locally.
Imagine my shock when the 1023 came out within a few hundred dollars of the 'bota, similarly equipped. However, it is without the backhoe thumb--that is the only item different, and I can add one later if needed. (What I really want to get are those grapple forks for the loader.)
The things that sold me on the Deere were: (1) the reputation and location of the dealer. He is the only SCUT, CUT, etc., dealer in town, and has a good reputation. He has owned the business since 1994. (2) The very comfortable and convenient pedals and controls. The concern is for my wife who tends to be a bit klutzy. In my opinion, they are going to be easier for her. (3) The drive-on deck with auto-connect. As we don't have a concrete or paved driveway, not having to roll the deck out sideways to remove it is huge. Again, easier on my back and much easier for my wife and daughter. (I read on one of the postings that the early models had some bugs, but these are worked out.)
By the way, both Greenway and Union Farm Equipment were total class acts, not dissing the competition one bit. They pointed out their best features, but both exemplified the best in sales ethics. At least one of the other brands lost my respect when they bashed the competition.
Thanks again to all for the help.
First, special thanks to all of you for hundreds of postings who helped me with my decision, which has taken months. Sure, some are so brand loyal as to be blind, and some are making mountains out of molehills or being trollish, but all in all the help here is really fantastic. Thank you all for going to the trouble of helping us newbies. I've a hunch there are more of us lurking in the shadows than you may know.
Second, it seems every brand has its strong and weak points. But over and over "the dealer" was mentioned by the most experienced posters. Thank you for this constant reminder. The closest Deere dealer was ten minutes, closest Kubota, Mahindra, LS, New Holland, forty-five. I didn't consider Deere as I'd heard they cost a lot more initially and for parts.
While a really good deal on any of the above named brands could have swayed me, there were things about each one (other than the 'bota) that I didn't like, either a weak dealer and parts network, or a lack of ease or cost on implements.
We've got three acres of land with an acre of fairly park-like lawn, not very smooth. Most of what we need to do is mow in summer, push snow in winter. But we've got drainage issues, so a small backhoe and bucket loader was in order as well. And lots of rocks, not real big but too big to pick up and muscle into the wheelbarrow.
We went to Union Farm Equipment, loved the BX 25D. The sales manager, Craig D. was very helpful both over the phone and in person. We recommend them highly. Our other "local" dealer, is Dorr's Equipment in Bangor, and they have a very good reputation as well. That Kubota was like a Cadillac compared to the garden tractors in our past: Economy Power King (with FEL and 60" deck), Gravely 840?, MTD, and current 1969 Case 444. Wow!
Our neighbor might even have green blood. At first sight of his house down his private lane, one sees to the left a little John Deere windmill. If John Deere sells it, he owns it. He told us to talk to Tyler (the owner) of Greenway, here in Ellsworth, the local Deere dealer. Frankly, I knew it would be a lot more than the 'bota, apples to apples, so I wasn't even going to go look. And so I suppose that is the first piece of advice I would like to pass along--watch out for those assumptions.
Being sold on the BX 25D, Tyler had his work cut out for him. "I'm here because my neighbor told me I should at least stop in and consider a John Deere. I told him I had been looking at "orange" and didn't think I was rich enough to own a Deere. (A nice way of saying they were over-priced.) I voiced a number of concerns I had read, but knew they didn't apply to this dealer as Greenway has a sterling reputation locally.
Imagine my shock when the 1023 came out within a few hundred dollars of the 'bota, similarly equipped. However, it is without the backhoe thumb--that is the only item different, and I can add one later if needed. (What I really want to get are those grapple forks for the loader.)
The things that sold me on the Deere were: (1) the reputation and location of the dealer. He is the only SCUT, CUT, etc., dealer in town, and has a good reputation. He has owned the business since 1994. (2) The very comfortable and convenient pedals and controls. The concern is for my wife who tends to be a bit klutzy. In my opinion, they are going to be easier for her. (3) The drive-on deck with auto-connect. As we don't have a concrete or paved driveway, not having to roll the deck out sideways to remove it is huge. Again, easier on my back and much easier for my wife and daughter. (I read on one of the postings that the early models had some bugs, but these are worked out.)
By the way, both Greenway and Union Farm Equipment were total class acts, not dissing the competition one bit. They pointed out their best features, but both exemplified the best in sales ethics. At least one of the other brands lost my respect when they bashed the competition.
Thanks again to all for the help.
