Tell what made you decide to buy the tractor you did, and what do like/dislike now

[tlm720]

There are many great tractors available on the market and the decision to buy can be overwhelming. Deciding on the right size/hp is just the start, then you have to pick a brand and dealer. I thought it may be helpful for new buyers if anyone who has been through the process already describe how and why they made their final decision and looking back now is there anything you regret or dislike about your pick.

I'll start. I bought a JD 4120 in 2006. Has almost 1500 hours on it now. At the time I looked at Kubota and New Holland in the same size/Hp. There are good dealers for each within 30 miles of my home. Briefly looked at Kioti but they did not have an HST transmission available in their equivalent at the time. Also tried to find a dealer that carried MF and didn't find one close.

I wanted a tractor that would do a wide variety of tasks, maybe not as well as a purpose built machine, but well enough to only own a single piece of equipment (sold two other tractors and a crawler loader/backhoe). This means finish mowing, snow removal, grading driveways, excavating, landscaping, brush hogging, plowing, discing, tilling, hauling/splitting wood, mowing/baling hay. Size wise I am happy with my selection. It's just big enough to get the jobs done, but not so big I can't mow the lawn. I am always amazed at how much work one can accomplish with these 4WD CUTs (I call them toy tractors)

As far as brand, I was almost ready to pull the trigger on a Boomer, then my dealer came down a little on the price of the Deere. What sold me on the Deere even though it was still a little more costly was the bigger 2.4L turbo charged engine which developed its power a lower RPM (=longevity I think), the ease with which the loader goes on and off (which happens frequently), the E-hydro, dealer and parts support (to me Deere is hard to beat for those), the most hydraulic pump capacity I could find in a CUT that size, the loader lift capacity is near the top of the class (Kioti beats it a by a little), visibility to the rear implement (especially compared to the Boomer) and of course the color.

What did I learn? Well, I never thought to ask if the 3pt had draft control when I bought it, and the first time I plowed I was surprised to find out it does not. I assumed all three point hitches had draft control (lesson learned). I love the e-hydro for almost everything, but if the proportion of drawbar work to loader/mowing/haying work was any higher for me, I think I'd rather have a shuttle shift. Luckily I have since picked up a JD 720 diesel that can be used for the heavier drawbar work. The hydrostatic consumes a lot of HP when pulling hard. And if I had it to do again, I probably would have spent the extra money and moved up to the 4720. Not that I run out of power, just that it bugs me that I can't "upgrade" an otherwise identical tractor to the higher horsepower and I didn't really think it through during the purchase decision. I wish Deere (or the aftermarket) would offer a kit to upgrade the Hp. And lastly, I have used a lot of B20 biodiesel in the tractor and it swelled my fuel tank and made the hood not fit quite right and it weakened the plastic in the fuel fill door so that the spring broke and does not work any more (gravity does the job). I mentioned these problems to the dealer and they said it should be okay to run B20 but I'm sure that is what caused my problems.

 

[bigbull338]

why i bought a tractor is kind of long.but we had a real wet winter stuck the 85hp 2wd cab tractor 3 or 4 times getting an putting hay out.had to get friends with 4wd to pull us out.i wanted an HST tractor that i could drive since my legg couldnt hold up to clutching alot.so as a joke went with a friend to look at equipment an found a mx5100 hst 4x4 with quicktatch loader an bought it.used the tractor for 2.5yrs haying an shredding.then this year we started baling our hay again.the 5 by 6 bales weighed like 1800lbs + so the mx5100 hst was pulling all it wanted.so i decided to trade for a 7040 hydro shuttle 4x4 with quicktatch loader this month.

 

[Guesseral]

I wasn't even looking for a tractor of any kind when I bought my Montana, I just found them on the internet one day and started doing research. I found out that they were made by LS who I didn't know anything about either then I found out that LS was a subsidiary of LG who I had definitely heard of and then I found out that they were going to make some of the NH boomers and my interest way definitely raised. After all that I found out that they were sold by a dealer that I had passed hundreds of times that sold farmtracs and I always wanted to stop because they were a very nice looking tractor. I started emailing back and forth with the dealer and I had pretty much as good as bought it before ever seeing and or driving it. Aside from all of the good things and positive things that I had found out about the tractor during my research the tractor was an 09 and it was 10 so it was a last years model (although last year was the last year for Montana) with a price that I just couldn't believe and or walk away from.

The tractor was just so nice looking and well built, that even though I wasn't looking I bought it anyways and I couldn't be happier with the decision. I really liked the fact that it had the two sets of remotes on the rear, the 7 pin electrical outlet, that it was a 4x4 and that it had a loader. Oh the loader that was one of the best points about it to me at least. I liked the rounded loader arms so I could see up front better (and I still like it even better that the new LS loaders that are sort of boxy) and the fact that the tractor had power steering that worked! You see my old ford with a loader has power steering but it doesn't work so well the pump doesn't even have a belt on it. I had even drove from Erie Pa to the other side of Detroit to pickup my 841 a month before and I had figured that that would be the last tractor that I would ever need to buy WRONG! Since buying the Montana I have restored the 841 and my jubilee (not just painting either) so now I have to figure out just what to do with those two.

Well that's my story and buying experience. :thumbsup: Only lesson to learn from my story is if you are not in the market for a new tractor just stay off of the tractor sites on the net!

 

[pinetree10]

I started looking into buying a tractor because I needed a PTO wood chipper to manage my woods and I planned on eventually getting a large front-mount snowblower to clear my long driveway and large turnaround. I originally did not intend to even get a front end loader but everyone I talked to urged me to do so and I'm glad I did because I've used it extensively since buying the tractor earlier this year. I looked at Case, New Holland, Bobcat, John Deere, and Kubota because all of those dealers are within a 30 minute drive of my house. I sat on all of them at the Empire Farm Days show here in New York and I visited all of the area dealers over a ten year period. I don't think Bobcat was ever a serious contender because I just couldn't find people who had experience using them. I really liked the Case and almost bought one but in the end JD had the fit and finish I liked, the weight and size that went with my needs, and all of the features I was looking for as a guy with less than 3 acres and no need to mow anything (my lot has just enough grass to cut with a push mower and the rest is dense woods).

I think I ended up with a green tractor because I liked the way it looked and they had some great selling points like the quick hitch and the easy to attach/remove FEL. I'll probably always wonder a little about what the Case, Kubota, or New Holland would have been like but I really like my tractor at this point. I'm sure they're all great tractors and all have their fans and critics. I've put fewer than 20 hours on it but it has been great for excavating a hole for a swimming pool, backfilling around a new detached garage, and running a PTO wood chipper. I also use it to pull my wood splitter into the woods when I need it and then back out again using the small hitch bar that came with the tractor. Some complain about the fact that it only has low and high range but I've had no need for a mid range so that isn't an issue. It doesn't excavate like a skid steer because it's relatively light at just under 2,000 lbs. but now that the pool is done I don't see any more major excavating in my future. It's going to be used mostly for snow removal (once my JD walk-behind dies or I get in the mood to upgrade to the 60" front mount unit), moving some top soil around as I repair the damage to my lawn from recent work, and running my wood chipper a few times a year. The 0% financing didn't hurt and I plan on storing it year round inside my new garage and maintaining it according to their recommendations. Right now I have no regrets spending the money on this machine because it has been so useful for the past four months.

As a side note, the Case dealer told me years ago that Case would be getting more into the CUT market for people like me. Does anyone own one of their smaller tractors and have anything to say about them? I'd be interested in knowing if they ever started to gear sales toward the smaller market.

 

[creekbend]

I went to several dealers and looked and drove many makes and models. I ended up with my L4400 because it met my needs, both for the present and future needs. The professionalism of the Dealer, Staff, and Parts dept. also played a key role.

 

[tcreeley]

I'd wanted to get a tractor to replace my old Farmall cub- but never did. When my trucks snow plow winch died for the second time during the winter, I started looking. The local TYM dealer was selling LS tractors with an FEL. I looked the gear model of the 3010 over and really liked it. I knew the salesman from work. I was very close and was going to finance with so much down. What soured me on the deal was not the tractor, but needing to get insurance, and the fact that I could buy a used tractor- payed for - while I would still be paying for the new one. (Even talked to a dealer in Texas who was willing to ship/attachments a LS3010 for a few a thousand less than the local guy was asking- that's when I asked myself what was doing - trying so hard to find a deal.) I knew the local LS wasn't for me.

I found my NH TC30 in the ads, paid cash and brought it home in a snowstorm. The next day I was pushing snow. It was advertised as a 2001 but the date plate on the engine put it at a 2003 - which made sense looking at the features. It had 629 hours on it. I changed every fluid and filter, greased it. It is a gear tractor 9x3- and it has run great ever since. I use it for gravel, snow, scraping/ditching, bush hogging, plowing/harrowing - everything.
I liked New Holland as a kid, and its nice to have one- even though mine is Japanese made!

 

[Bird]

In 1995 I had bought 10 acres and wanted a small tractor, primarily to till a big garden and to run a rotary cutter in the pasture, but thought a FEL would also be handy. I first thought I wanted a Deere since the first tractor I ever used was a 1940 John Deere L that my Dad bought about 1952. But the 2 Deere dealers I visited acted like they were doing me a favor to even talk to me. And of course, their prices were high. I briefly considered a New Holland, but the one and only dealer I knew of at the time was primarily a fork lift dealer and had nothing in stock that I might have been interested in.

And then I had an old friend in another state who had bought a used Kubota in the early 70s, still had it and was very happy with it. And I knew where there were 4 Kubota dealers. So I visited each of those 4. And at one of them I took a brief test drive around his property. When I made up my mind to buy a B7100, I called each of those 4, told them exactly what I wanted and asked what was the best deal they could make me on it. I did not tell any of them that I was calling the others, but I bought from the one who gave me the best price. The little B7100 was a nice little tractor, but the lack of power steering was one disadvantage, then there were times I wished I had more power, both for pulling a box blade and power for the FEL. And occasionally, I wished it had more road speed. So in 1999, I just happened to be driving by the dealer from whom I bought it, and saw a new B2710, stopped and looked it over, liked what I saw and traded up with the same salesman I had dealt with 4 years earlier.

 

[JimRB]

When I was a kid of 5 to 10 I played on Grandpa's Johnny Popper next to the corn crib. When I needed a tractor I got a green one. It has worked out fine for me.

 

[swick1]

I had a john deere pedal tractor when i was a kid and was looking to buy a 10 acre property. I bought a 1026r to mow it and build a retaining wall. The deal fell through on the property and now it lives at my mom's house. It has been a blessing for her and a great toy for me to play with. I started working it in 2011 and ive paid half of the payments from the profit. Now i want a mini excavator and skid steer.

 

[Piston]

I thought about what I'd need for a tractor, after reading a lot on here and posting a bit about my dad's older tractors. I listened to the guys who said to buy one size up from what you think you need, so I did. I was only interested in buying used as I couldn't justify the price of a brand new tractor for my needs. I narrowed it down to either a L series Kubota or JD 4000 series. I was pretty ignorant and really didn't consider other brands, now that I know more, I would.

I bought the first tractor that I found for a good deal on craigslist. It was my current tractor, a Kubota L4610. I got some advice from another member on here who has the same tractor, and his words of wisdom and positive experience pushed me over the edge to make the purchase, and I'm glad I did. I have no regrets with my tractor, it does an amazing amount of work and has performed flawlessly. Since purchasing it, my needs have changed a bit, and continue to grow. I purchased a sawmill and find I need more FEL capacity. I'm now very open to other brands for my next tractor, and may purchase new.

I'm trying to think of a way to keep my current tractor AND buy a bigger one, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that! I just can't see selling this one though :laughing:

A word of wisdom to potential buyers. Really think hard about the IMPLEMENTS you think you'll need, and use, as well as what size you want to use. Then decide on the size tractor you need. Rather than spend all your money on a fancy brand new top of the line tractor, and not have any left over for implements, consider buying used for your first tractor, and leaving some money for implements. This has worked out really well for me, but there is a definite risk to buying used.

What I really like about my tractor, is the HST transmission, it was a perfect starter tractor for me. It does a good amount of work and I haven't had any problems with it.

What I don't know about it, it didn't have hydraulics when I purchased it and I didn't know how much I would use them. I added them aftermarket. I can't say anything bad about my tractor, it does everything it was designed for, and then some. I "should" be using a larger tractor, but it's working out the way it is.

BTW, good idea for a thread. :thumbsup: