Favorite Color or Dependable Dealer

[Shadow_River]

I read over and over again to not be so concerned about the color of the tractor but buy the best dealer. Not so sure I agree with this. First of all, I would not even consider buying a tractor other than one of the Big 3 and possibly an AGCO product no matter the reputation of the dealer.

I want to buy a tried and true product with a reputation of dependability and parts and service available for many, many years after the sale.

Resale value of the the tractor is another factor I consider when purchasing as I may end up keeping the tractor for many years. Green, Orange & Blue hold their values well and AGCO's are okay. Trying to sell one of the "other brands" could be a nightmare. I see these "other brand" type tractors listed for for sale over and over again. Many of them sit along the street for months on end with a "For Sale" sign partially covererd by last years overgrown weeds.

I buy Green tractors because they have provided me the best dependability and I can get any part (if needed) at a moments notice. I'm sure others feel the same with their choice of color.

I would never buy a tractor based just on the reputation of the dealer selling it. A good dealer is important, but the dealer is only a dealer, and can not be responsible to hold up an entire Brand of tractors that has no line of proven dependability and parts availability.

I buy Green, but not from the dealer closet to me. I am willing to transport my tractors a couple of hours to a Green dealer that I am satisfied with. On my way I pass a number of other dealers that have good reputations, but for me they sell the wrong product(s).

I depend on the tractor first and the dealer second. This has always worked for me. I use the the tractor far more than I use the dealer. Finding a reputable dealer is easy if you start with a reputable product.

Just my thoughts

JD 5520 Cab MFWD, JD 2040 & MF 265

 

[DavesTractor]

I think your point that it is very important to buy a good machine with a good warranty is wise, and it's fine by me that you prefer the "Big 3". But to lump all other non "Big 3" tractors into the same category paints with a pretty wide brush. If you have read much here on TBN, you have to know that this subject has been fairly well beaten to death and your comments will just stir the pot.

Let me know if you find some non-"Big 3" 4x4 compact Kioti, Mahindra, Branson, Century or Montana tractors (and I know I am missing some other good brands, my apologies) sitting around for sale cheap with a years overgrowth on them. I'll send a truck to Utah to pick them up. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Shadow_River]

Dave,

What my main point here is, choose the tractor over the dealer. My brush is not that wide nor am I trying to stir the pot. It just seems that common reply is to buy the dealer over the tractor. With this I don't agree. I did not mean to say that all tractors other than the Big 3 and Agco (Let's just call them the "Big 4") are of the same quality. Now, I don't think they are the quality of the ones I just mentioned, but there are some that are okay and some the are not. Even the ones that you listed fall into different categories of quality. Others that you did not list fall into a couple of other categories.

Some of these you list have had local dealers over the years but are now gone. Right off I can't think of a dealer for one of these now within a two or three hour drive. Guess who is still around?

There is a reason that the Big 4 are who they are. They have an established track record and have earned their position. I doubt that any of the ones you listed will ever move John Deere, New Holland, Kubota or AGCO out of their current position in the US market.

My point is, decide on a good reputable tractor with a HISTORY of reliabilty, parts, service and good resale value and then find a dealer you are comfortable with for that Brand of tractor .

It's just a fact, you get what you pay for. Sometimes saving a few thousand $ is not a savings at all.

If someone was offered a New 50 HP MFWD tractor of their choosing for $10,000 would they pick one from my list or one from yours?

If you were selling a tractor or trading up to a dealer for a new tractor, would you want it to be one of the Big 4 or one of the others?

When all is said and done, COLOR DOES MATTER

JD 5520 Cab MFWD, JD 2040 & MF 265

 

[dmp437]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My brush is not that wide nor am I trying to stir the pot. )</font>
No, you're not trying to stir it, you're trying to tip it over! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
There are many on this board that worship at the throne of Chinese tractors made by oppressed workers making 20 cents per hour.
Your original post mirrors my thoughts and the thoughts of my friends and neighbors EXACTLY. When I was in the market resale played a big part in the decision as a tractor is an asset as well as long term parts availability. Last year I bought parts from the John Deere dealer for a JB-A disc that went out of production in 1941. That's what I call manufacturer & dealer support.

 

[dicker]

Good morning

I agree with you completely as I took a similar path when purchasing my JD4310.

The closest tractor dealer to me is a Case dealer with a fabulous reputation. He is about one mile away. I didn't want a Case under any circumstance.

The JD dealer that I eventually purchased from is not the closest JD dealer, but had the lowest price by far. He picks up my tractor for warranty service ( I try to do most of the other service myself) and his service has been great.

I buy most of my parts from the closest JD dealer, and now I have a working relationship with both of the JD dealers in my area.

Richard

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I am going to stradle the fence a little bit here and may end up being gouged in a sensative place for having one foot on each side of the fence, but here are my thougths.

First, I would only buy from a dependable dealer and I believe there are some big 3 dealers out there that do not measure up. I also believe there are many "minor" brand dealers out there that are dependable.

For a dealer to be dependable we need to set some ground rules as to what "dependable" is. I propose that a dependable dealer is someone who has a #1) well stocked parts department, a #2) well staffed and well trainded service department, and #3) a stable dealership financially with an investment in the dealership that proves (within the reason of normal economics) that they are not a fly-by-night shop. I also require a friendly & knowledgeable atomsphere from the dealers I buy from, but I'm not sure that makes them more/less dependable, so I'll leave that out of the definition.

As to "favorite color" I tend to dismiss that for most tractors but I do think there is a lot of truth in what was posted about many of the brands. IF resale is a factor go to EBAY and type in Kioti, or Mahindra or one of the other well known, but still "minor" brands and track the sales of those used tractors. Many go unsold or get sold at prices that seem too low. However if you factor in that those tractors probably cost less to begin with, then maybe they are not such a bad deal. Now I also hear reports of people selling 5 year old JDs, Kubtotas and NH, with modest hours on them, for what they paid for them, or often even for a bit more than the original price. But those are probably exceptions, and those tractors are likely to to be well kept cream puffs in amazing condition.

Realistically, Kubota, Deere and Case-New Holland have a reputation that they earned and has been proven by not just farmers but also by us small land owners who use these things to maintain our mini-estates. Can't take anything away from those brands. However, in some areas of the country they are priced higher than some the other brands, and some of the minor brands are adding on rear remotes, HD alternators, and other features that are optional on the Big 3 brands. So the Big 3 better get into shape, because they stand to lose some serious market share to at least 2 of the minor brands.

As for the minor brands, I honest believe that a couple of them stand out as very high quality. Mahindra is claiming to be #4 brand in the US now, and it probably is. They have a wide CUT product line (wider than NH) and can fill most market sectors other than the Sub-CUTs. Their tractors look very good. Some of the Mahindra CUTs are made in Japan and some are made in Korea, while the company is based in India. They have a wide selection of HST and GEAR models. Fit and Finish is very good. Kioti also stands out as a very high quality brand with full featured tractors showing very good fit and finish. Their product line is a bit thinner than Mahindra, their HST offerings are limited to 3 models in one series, but they have certainly earned a reputation for standing above many other brands.

There are many other brands that I think fall a notch below the above brands. Most are limited in their product offerings, most seem to favor the bigger sizes (over 35hp) and most seem to be designed as heavy weight machines. Kubota makes light, medium and heavy tractors and that is one of their strengths because they can fill the needs of homeowners, landscapers and construction crews, while some of the other brands seem to sell their tractor "by the pound" and pound for pound are cheaper than ground beef but driving one of those heavy machines on your yard can rut it up pretty badly.

 

[getut]

I didn't buy to sell and I looked at many different brands. Price was a big factor in my purchase, but I also tried to find the best tractor in the class I was searching in. I personally think I found it in the CK20.

I don't think Kioti is tops in every class, but I do in the 20-25HP range. I personally NH came in second and in this particular class think JD is near the bottom of the list. I also think JD is at the top in some classes. Make your decisions with an open mind.

 

[Varmintmist]

I will agree with you on a couple of points.

..." I depend on the tractor first and the dealer second. This has always worked for me. I use the the tractor far more than I use the dealer. Finding a reputable dealer is easy if you start with a reputable product."...

Absolutley. Thats why I started looking at greene. I'm glad the dealer was a knucklehead. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I learned to look past paint and find a better machine for the money and a good dealer.

The big 3 have a better resale.

Green tractors have a good rep, at least for their older stuff. The newer is made in the same places as the off color ones so the jury is out for about 20 years and then we will see.

Now where we really disagree.....

..."I want to buy a tried and true product "...

First, the tractor manufactures of yesterday are not the same people doing it today.
If you want to buy good rep, how about a Farmall, IH, Oliver, Ford???
OOPS, Farmalls rep was just sold and pasted on a New Holland. You missed out on that one. Soooo, now I guess that the rebadged furrin made NH is as good as a old Farmall M right??
OH YEAH, you can still get old IH quality, it just has MAHINDRA on the side and is made in india.
How about a old Ford? There ya go, head over to LONG and buy one of their bigger ones, same thing.

Point is, the tractors of today are not the same as those of yesterday. The products have changed and they are no longer tried and true. The machines are more similar than they are different under the paint. They should be, they are made for the same market.

.......

I REFUSE to throw my money at a color because they have a rep. Things change.

The dealer is extremely important if the best you can get from Greene is a lawn and garden place, the Orange dealer has a lousy rep, and you cant find anyone that had a good experiance with the Blue guy. I cannot buy from someone 100 miles away and cart a machine to them because the nearby guy is incompetant. I dont have the time nor the inclination nor desire to spend extra money to buy a truck and trailer to haul my tractor to a dealer.

........

..."First of all, I would not even consider buying a tractor other than one of the Big 3 and possibly an AGCO product no matter the reputation of the dealer."...

AGCO is at best a second teir tractor manufacturer, Kubota is basicly a newcomer if you use a long term view. New Holland has changed hands so many times the only thing that remains the same is the color and that changed for the implements. Deere outsources almost everything going into every tractor under 95 HP. So who are you buying from again????

..."I buy Green tractors because they have provided me the best dependability and I can get any part (if needed) at a moments notice."...

Anyway..... Not around here. I had Green prior to my Red. I waited on fuel filters, a fuel bowl, wheel bolts, couldnt get any help when I wanted to update the sway chains to turnbuckles. I was not impressed. I did get my parts, and if you consider a week and a half for a fuel bowl a moment, then I guess it was fast. I don't.

 

[Varmintmist]

BTW, I really dont care what color you buy. You like Deere, fine. Buy them. You like Kubota, buy them, NH, buy it. They are all good machines.

Just dont do it with fleece curtains on your cab /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif and then down my choice because you havent done your homework. My choice is as good as any of the big three in its class and a lot better in the price range.

BTW, try to get a good resale out of a AGCO around here. MF, maybe.

 

[Freds]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I read over and over again to not be so concerned about the color of the tractor but buy the best dealer )</font>

Hmmm, I think I've only read don't be concerned with the color when choosing between the "big 3". I could be wrong though...