Comparison kubota BX vs my Massey GC1715 . . . what have I learned

[MNLaredo]

If you go green I'll throw a plug in for Frontier Ag and Turf (used to be Polfus Implement) in New Richmond. I've had my X320 eight years and they've been good to deal with....

I stopped in there to drive the 1025R, nice folks! Very helpful and informative...

Massey dealers are farther away- Gerlach over in Cottage Grove (MN) is probably the closest ... don't know much about them. There's a MF dealer up in Ridgeland, WI that came highly recommended by a couple of ex-farmers I work with - Link Implement. I was impressed- the two brothers that own the business spent over an hour showing me the tractor and answering my many questions even though I told them I was just "tire kickin'". They're about 50 minutes to an hour away for you. ...

Thanks! checked with Gerlach and others. Most are not stocking the GC1700s right now. I am going to test drive one at Lodermeier's later today (just north of Rochester). I'll let you know what I think, about the product and the dealer.

For Kubota there's Value Implement in Baldwin. I drive by them each weekday on the way home from work and have stopped in a few times. Pretty laid back- I had to speak up to get waited on but once you do, they're very attentive. I tried out a BX25D and previously another salesman offered to deliver a tractor to the house to try out. Another Kubota dealer I would recommend is Niebur Implement in Hastings, MN (they're actually south of Hastings in Miesville).

Thanks again! I drove a Kubota also, but I didn't like the forward/reverse pedal arrangement. It seemed like I had to position my leg and my back in an uncomfortable position to make to operate the pedals. Just didn't fell "right"

 

[MNLaredo]

...A thing to remember is a front mount snowblower is a combination of blower, a frame hitch, and a frame/extended pto hookup. I'd say 3,000 is a little low . . Closer to 4,000. But thats pretty standard for good front mounts imo.

Checked out pricing this morning, Good price on the tractor/FEL/and MMM (about $1500 less than JD), but ...$4800 for the front mount snow blower!!
(That's about $1500 MORE than the JD snow blower). So price-wise for what I want (FEL, MMM, and front mount snow blower), it's a wash between JD and MF.

 

[AxleHub]

Checked out pricing this morning, Good price on the tractor/FEL/and MMM (about $1500 less than JD), but ...$4800 for the front mount snow blower!!
(That's about $1500 MORE than the JD snow blower). So price-wise for what I want (FEL, MMM, and front mount snow blower), it's a wash between JD and MF.

Just my experience . . . Any bid I got (9 different places) was lower than jd by a bunch . . . and 1500 is not "a bunch" imo.

Have you called who I recommended yet?

 

[MNLaredo]

Just my experience . . . Any bid I got (9 different places) was lower than jd by a bunch . . . and 1500 is not "a bunch" imo.

Have you called who I recommended yet?

Not yet, I had some business in Rochester so I stopped by Lodermeier's 'cuz it was on my way and only about 45 minutes from home. Well informed and helpful salesman, but the demo had no FEL or mower attached, just the bare tractor so I didn't get a realistic "loaded" feel from the test drive. The GC1715 seemed overall smoother running and operating than the JD 1025R, but 1025R had a tighter turning radius and a nicer seat (including armrests). The GC almost seemed option-wise more comparable to the "de-optioned" JD1023E. Week after next I am heading to Chicago for work, thought I would stop in to see Chuck at McFarlanes during that trip. Hopefully to get a better price on the GC...something about the red is just overall more appealing.

 

[AxleHub]

Not yet, I had some business in Rochester so I stopped by Lodermeier's 'cuz it was on my way and only about 45 minutes from home. Well informed and helpful salesman, but the demo had no FEL or mower attached, just the bare tractor so I didn't get a realistic "loaded" feel from the test drive. The GC1715 seemed overall smoother running and operating than the JD 1025R, but 1025R had a tighter turning radius and a nicer seat (including armrests). The GC almost seemed option-wise more comparable to the "de-optioned" JD1023E. Week after next I am heading to Chicago for work, thought I would stop in to see Chuck at McFarlanes during that trip. Hopefully to get a better price on the GC...something about the red is just overall more appealing.

Greetings MNLaredo,

Now you're talking

What I did originally . . . Is I emailed a list of what I was interested in . . . to get a bid. You could call and get the email address or start with an intro email or pm me and I can send you his email address.

Then when you come to see the operation you already know the pricing situation. Because they are open 7 days a week and many of those days till 7 p.m. . . . You can stop whenever its convenient. Its always warm . . always well lit . . always dry . . always clean . . because its always inside.

But I'd suggest you come in daylight if you want a demo. As I mentioned previously . . they have the full line of massey and kubota on display inside (not all implementations. But a total of 6 to 8 massey and 11 or 12 kubota). The primary retail building is 1/2 block wide and a full+ block long and 3 stories high.

Whether you buy there or not . . . come to have fun


.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Checked out pricing this morning, Good price on the tractor/FEL/and MMM (about $1500 less than JD), but ...$4800 for the front mount snow blower!!
(That's about $1500 MORE than the JD snow blower). So price-wise for what I want (FEL, MMM, and front mount snow blower), it's a wash between JD and MF.

Are you sure you have apples-to-apples comparison on the snow blower pricing? The $4800 quote from Massey seems like it would be the full set up with hydraulic rotation and chute deflection. I'd be surprised if the JD blower, with the same options, was more than a couple hundred bucks different.

 

[AxleHub]

Are you sure you have apples-to-apples comparison on the snow blower pricing? The $4800 quote from Massey seems like it would be the full set up with hydraulic rotation and chute deflection. I'd be surprised if the JD blower, with the same options, was more than a couple hundred bucks different.

I agree. When I was considering the yanmar sc2400 . . I got two considerably different prices on bids . . 1 price was for the original snowblower option with hitch and pto connection/frame . . . And the other bids were for the sb4500 snowblower product. Price change was usually 1500 to 1600 bucks different but one was 75+ pounds more than the other. One had a history of problems while the other was bulletproof. Plus the option issues Fiziks mentioned.

 

[MNLaredo]

Are you sure you have apples-to-apples comparison on the snow blower pricing? The $4800 quote from Massey seems like it would be the full set up with hydraulic rotation and chute deflection. I'd be surprised if the JD blower, with the same options, was more than a couple hundred bucks different.

Hmmm..I'll have to follow up on that. Yes, that is included on the Massey blower but I did ask the JD salesman to include that also, don't see it on his quote. Looking at the "build your own" link, the JD Remote spout control kit is only $209 (??). Also noticed that the Massey was a 50" and the JD is only a 47" blower, but there is only a $50 increase to the JD 52" blower. I'll review again to make sure I get an apples-to-apples quote from McFarlanes.

Either way - JD or Massey, seems like a lot of extra $$ for a front-mount. Yes, I'm paying for a lot of stuff (hardware, hydraulics, etc) but I may take some time to consider another option for snow removal as AxleHub did.

 

[AxleHub]

Hmmm..I'll have to follow up on that. Yes, that is included on the Massey blower but I did ask the JD salesman to include that also, don't see it on his quote. Looking at the "build your own" link, the JD Remote spout control kit is only $209 (??). Also noticed that the Massey was a 50" and the JD is only a 47" blower, but there is only a $50 increase to the JD 52" blower. I'll review again to make sure I get an apples-to-apples quote from McFarlanes.

Either way - JD or Massey, seems like a lot of extra $$ for a front-mount. Yes, I'm paying for a lot of stuff (hardware, hydraulics, etc) but I may take some time to consider another option for snow removal as AxleHub did.

Currently in minneapolis and you have snow here but not south of here. I assume hudson/stillwater is getting rid of theirs to no snow by end of weekend -

Us western wi folks are either happy for outside time in 40+ temps or sad that snoemobiling and plowing are another few weeks away

 

[MNLaredo]

...Sauk City WI. Mc Farlanes. Ask for Chuck and tell him Axle says "Hello".....

Stopped in yesterday. Chuck is gone, they said he went back to driving truck. Talked to Dan, sales manager, very helpful. He set me up with a side by side test drive of the GC1715 and the Kubota. In general, I preferred the GC1715 Massey (pedal arrangement, loader speed, and overall feel / appearance).