Buying Advice Foton 504. Why are there so few? Dealers?

[aobfarm]

Hello,
We're looking at replacing a too small Kubota and have found a dealer selling a new Foton 504 with loader for $16,000. It's close enough to what we'll probably get out of the Kubota that the wife is willing to finance the balance.

Sounds good, right? Maybe. Now that I'm doing research, I notice that most dealers (Affordable, etc) sell only the 40hp and 60hp models. Why does no one seem to stock the 504 but sell tons of the 404 and 604?

I don't want to buy a lemon and I'm wondering if there's some sort of problem with the 50hp Fotons.

Hopefully dealers and owners will chime in. Any info or suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[greg_g]

404 and 504 are both 40 Series tractors. The 604 and 704 are 70 Series. If you compare mechanical specs, you'll see the only real difference between the 404 and 504 is horsepower/torque, front axle clearance, and rear tire size. If you need 50 hp, buy 50 hp. Don't downsize just cuz it might look like more folks buy the 40. When I bought my John Deere, I really wanted the 4000 series cab, But it was too tall to get into my shed, so I downsized to the 3000 series instead. Then from the first day I owned it - I wished I had a taller shed door.

//greg//

 

[Diamondpilot]

Yea, what Greg said is all true. I have seen its price point also. The 404 and 504 are basically the same price. Same for the 604 and 704.

I did some research when I bought my Jinma 284. I was all set on a Jinma 224 and found out for a few $$$$ more I could go the 284 and get more ground clearance, ect. Glad I did. In my example you see very little 224 tractors but see tons of 254/284 tractors. For the $500 difference its money well spent.

Chris

 

[aobfarm]

Thanks gents. Good points and i was not aware that the 404 & 504 were the same chassis. Based on your suggestions/info, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the 50hp this morning. It seems that they were trying to unload this unit before tax season and had no luck locally (it seems everyone there wants cab tractors). Bottom line, I just bought a 504 with loader for $1900 less than their website shows and for the same price as other dealers' "naked tractors"! :thumbsup: Sometimes eBay IS a good thing!

Now to sell the Kubota!

Take Care,
Mike

 

[gillyovide]

Guys, just put up a deposit for a FT504 with FEL cab fully loaded straight from China. Did my research on the internet and came to the conclusion that if something does go wrong with this brand it is fixable with the knowledge readily available. The price beats all the A-brands here is South America and after sale support is rather a do it yourself gig or pay buckets of money for less than decent service out here. I will let you guys know, when I receive it in December, how the value stands up to the money in my medium hard agricultural working conditions. Thumps up so far for the Chinese A-brands.

 

[traktorz]

Foton FT504 vs FT404

As mentioned above, it's basically the same tractor as the FT404, however I think the FT504 has both slightly more hydraulic flow capacity, and also higher specified lift capacity. The importer in Sweden supplies the FT504 with a cab, where the FT404 lacks it. It's a dealbreaker for some here. For us, the FT404 did fit in the same garage as our previous Ferguson TEA20, and we're also reusing the winter chains from the old Ferguson.

For the money, the FT404 has been an excellent investment for us. We've had our FT404 for 3.5 years now, and it has been 500 hours of almost trouble-free experiences. The FT404 and the FT504 therefore deserves our best recommendations.

 

[gillyovide]

Re: Foton FT504 vs FT404

Traktorz, nice to hair you're getting your investment worth. What do you mainly do with your FT404?

 

[traktorz]

Using our FT404

The most useful implements are the big bucket of the front loader and of course the backhoe.

♠ In times of climate changes to a wetter future, laying out lots of drain pipes, fibre cloth, and macadam fill.
♣ However, this time of the year, we're ready to put the chains on, preparing for snow moving.
♦ Forest road construction using the backhoe and front end loader.
♥ Log timber and fire wood transporting.
◊ And much more ...

 

[gillyovide]

Re: Using our FT404

Nice, I will mainly clear bush with the FEL and brush hog behind. Ploughing is also one of my main activities to cultivate grass land for cows to grace. Hope it will meet my expectations as mush as it does yours right now.