Driving myself crazy

[possum_hollow]

I have been searching for the right tractor for about 3 months now. Everytime I think I have it figured out, along comes a reason to second guess my choice. I have 80 acres, about 50 in pasture, the rest hilly and wooded. I do a lot of mowing, clearing and moving dirt. And, it looks like I may have access to a bailer so I will be doing that also. My old MF 245 is badly in need of a replacement. I have been looking at 45 to 55 horse tractors with an FEL. And, I have bugeted about 20000$.
My top choice at the moment is a TYM 450. The advantages are, it falls into my hp category with an FEL, and is brand new. Also, the dealer is close. But, not being one of the big boys gives me concern. Anyone have ideas to further my indecisive cause?

 

[patrick_g]

You are likely to never regret buying a NAME brand for all the reasons the brand IS a NAME brand. If I had a dollar for every sad story I have heard about parts unavailability I would be in a much higher tax bracket. How many decades has the brand of interest been available in the US? A buying tip is to look up dealers' phone numbers in a phone book that is at least 3 years old, preferably older. If they aren't there beware. Tractors are a good reason to be conservative, to be a belt AND suspenders kind of guy. We put out $30K+ for a 40 HP Kubota with cab and a collectioin of implements, one of which had to be upgraded as the original was too flimsy. I am confident that I can maintain this Kubota for a long time. Kubota has been in business for over 100 years. JD isn't likely to be a parts problem nor will any major brand. I expect to keep my tractor for a loooooong time. How many 20 year old brand X tractors do you see doing useful work. When you see the side of the highway being mowed do you ever see the brand you are interested in doing it? Do any serious, experienced, and knowlegeable buyers own and operate the brand X of your dreams? I know there may be some out there but I have never met a satisfied long term Belarus owner. Ditto most every brand X there is. Even if the design is good and the build quality is good and the materials are good, eventually you will need parts. Will they be available 3 years down the road, 10, 20? Or will you wind up with an orphan that can't be economically repaired. Will the upfront cost savings cover the potential difficulties at the back end? Not likely with many of the brand X units. I have a paraplegic friend who bought a tractor recently from Atwoods. Don't recall the name of the Brand X unit but it has been down for parts more than it has been in operation so far going on 6 months. The steering wheel broke and they still haven't got a replacement part. He feels trapped because he modified the clutch for hand operation immediately and couldn't return it because of that. the adjoining owner to the south has a near perfect tractor on static display at his place. It is Brazilian and the parts just don't seem to be available, period. Another guy I know was going to Brazil and I asked him to check on parts for that tractor. He reports that the company is still in business but doesn't support that export model. Maybe I should make an offer on the diesel engine in the tractor as without a functional tranny and 3PH it is pretty useless. Most folks don't want to be confused by the facts when it conflicts with their unreasoning desires, especially when getting more for less (on the surface) seems to be available. Who knows, maybe you will be the exception and never need a part.********************* Pat

 

[kossetx]

What Patrick says is true, to a point. I have a 25 year old off brand tractor and parts are VERY hard to find. On the other hand, it doesn't need much to stay running. The only part I needed in the last 14 years was a water pump.

I purchased a new tractor recently because I needed a FEL. I got one of the big 3 because it was the best deal out of them all. I too looked at what was being used to mow in this county of 4 million people and Mahindra is now one of them being used. I thought it was a massey at first because it was red. A more global market is also going to keep parts available on the "off" brands.

Should you stick with the big 3, maybe, if you can afford them. Have you looked at a JD 5103? 50 HP and 18G's with a loader.

 

[IslandTractor]

Keep in mind that JD gets a lot of its tractors and tractor parts overseas from exactly the companies you seem worried may not exist in 20 years. Mahindra, TYM, Kioti amongst others have all been making tractors for quite a while. They may be relatively new in the USA as brand names but their tractors have been here for a while under different labels and they've been making tractors even longer than that.

 

[possum_hollow]

Thanks for the response, gentlemen. I forgot to mention that the other upgrade on my present tractor situation, along with the FEL, is 4wd. So the JD 5103 would be out. And, as IslandTractor points out, many of these companies have been around and are also making parts for the big boys (Branson is a major supplier for JD). It seems that at least 50% of the tractor manufacturing in the world today is in South Korea. Anyway, it seems that to stay within budget, I would be looking at used Kubota, JD, MF, or Ford-New Holland. Of the "other" brands, based on studying their history, a new Mahindra, Branson, TYM, or Montana appears to be at the top of the list.

 

[HEC]

I took a very similar route you are thinking of taking with an off brand. The one and only dealer for the tractor I bought in my area went belly up leaving me with no service,had to order parts on line and install myself. It wasn't that I had lots of problems , just enough to be a pain.I sold it and bought a Kubota , best decision I ever made, but it was a costly mistake on my part , thinking all the time I was saving money.Just be sure of good service and parts for whatever you buy.
Good Luck,

 

[kossetx]

While I agree that many of the big 3 gets all parts from overseas, I don't think it is much of a problem. Take JD, the 5103 is a tractor made in India, but I don't see a problem with parts in 20 years because JD is so strong. Mine is an AC, and they went away a long time ago.

 

[bamatoolmaker]

In this part of the country the Bransons and the Montanas are priced higher than Deeres and Kubotas.

 

[coasterez]

It wasn't that long ago that Kubota was an "off brand" too. The one thing about the "name brands" is that the distribution and dealer network (and consequently parts stocks) are much more abundant. This is what really sets them apart, even if they are built in the same Korean, Japanese, or Indian factories. So, buying from other than the "name brands" is a bit of a gamble, and that is why they are less money. But it could pay off big if you pick the right one, as many did not so long ago when they bought Kubota.

The TYM is probably a very nice machine. And TYM has been around a long time. Mahindra, Kioti, Branson, and others also make quality machines. The world is becoming a much smaller place, and, notwithstanding war, the global economy makes it less of a risk today to buy off brand than ever before. I looked at the off brands that were making real commitments to the American market by building assembly plants and distribution centers, and making an effort to expand their dealer networks. I bought Kioti because they have a pretty good national dealer network that's only going to get better, and they have committed heavily to assembly in the Carolinas. This is not to say that others don't have similar.

You buy off brand with open eyes, and know what you're buying into. But, if money is no object, just go buy the Deere. You'll love it.

 

[coasterez]

Ten years from now, do you think it'll be easy to get parts for a Wheel Horse? Have you tried to get a part for a Gravely lately. "Made in America" is no guarantee of parts availability. But, then again we are talking about JD, New Holland, and Kubota.

What if N. Korea launches missiles onto Japan. Will you be able to get parts for Kubota's then? Same with Korea. There just are no guarantees anymore. The big three are less risk, but not by as much as they used to be.