The good and bad about Brands - Hopefully!

[newcountry]

Instead of the usual question about which tractor to buy, I'm curious as to what are the positives and negatives about specific brands. For instance, I've been told that Cub Cadet quality is down from the past, don't look there. Then I see a whole bunch of people that love Cub Cadet and buying new ones. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif I've been told to buy only John Deeres from a dealer and not the superstores. If there's a post that lists the pros and cons of specific brands, I've missed it. I figured if the info would be anywhere, it should be here. Thanks for responding!

 

[KiotiJohn]

I think, because every brand has SOME problems, it would not be easy, nor fair to simply post pros and cons unless someone just asks about experiences others have had with a specific brand.
All too many of us only know the tractors we bought, and aren't really that familiar with everyday use of other brands. For most, it would be impossible to give truthful, objective opinions.
Most all brands do have their pros and cons, but it's up to each person whose looking to decide for him/herself if a certain brand is right.
Not only that, these posts tend to get way out of hand when people start saying one is better than another, and that's what this would probably turn into.
I think it's much more valuable to have people post their experiences with THIER tractors as those are the ones they really know.
Just as you've found out, you can find people who use and love brands you've heard bad things about. John

 

[Morgan1952]

Like John said, every brand has good things and bad. At least people have that opinion. The best thing you can do is make up you own mind by going to the different dealers and trying them out for yourself. You can also go to the individual forums and spend some time reading. That would get you some answers to your questions. Welcome to TBN.
Bob

 

[Cabinholler]

newcountry buy the brand tractor that you like best for the money you are paying for it. A lot of people will tell you it is best to buy one of the big 3. Most of the time, you will pay more money for one of the big 3 brands then other brand tractors. I looked all winter at a lot of different brands tractors before I bought my new tractor this passed February. The tractor and loader that I finally bought was a Zetor brand tractor. This tractor and loader is a very nice outfit, and weight wise to the PTO horsepower is as heavy tractor that is on the market. The main reason that I bought this tractor was the price that I paid for it. I saved several thousands of dollars by buying a Zetor brand tractor compared to other brands of tractors that I looked at.

Any brand of tractor that you buy someone will have a negative or positive viewpoint about it. If there is any brands of tractors out there that has all positive viewpoints about it and no negatives, I want to buy one of those tractors.

Cabinholler

 

[1962]

get something you can afford, and for what type of work your going to use it for. if you just intend to mow grass, a lawn tractor should be ok for less than an acre. for larger mowing areas a garden tractor and a big deck will do. check you area for a used machine also. i was in home depot yesterday and was shocked at the prices these machines had on them. if you turn wrenches some a used tractor is a great way to go, and you will save $$. and it might not need a thing repaired. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dargo]

For the most part, you generally get what you pay for. If you recall, there was an auto company that sold their vehicles based on price. That company was called Yugo. We know what happened there.

Tractors are much the same as you would expect. Just like cars and trucks, when you buy strictly based on price, you better be ready to deal with the issues. Of course, there are exceptions. When Toyota first came to the US, they were underpowered and sold strictly on price. They made changes and now are considered one of the better vehicles built. However, it is a fact that the only Toyota I have ever purchased new was bought back by Toyota under the Lemon Law. Go figure! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

If you do your homework, and are not afraid to accept the higher percentage of a chance that you bought something that you must constantly wrench on and that will have an extremely low resale value, buy the cheapest you can handle. You may get a good deal for your money. It's just that the chances of getting that great tractor for a bargain price is a gamble. Some are up to gambling, and some aren't. There are several "non-Big 3" tractors out there that have proved that they are not junk. Some are really just junk. If you look closely, you should be able to tell the difference.

You mentioned Cub Cadet. My father and two cousins were big Cub fans until recent years. They all have had numerous major issues with their Cub tractors. Cub has not been considered an "off" brand. However, as you mentioned, they have earned a reputation of selling tractors lately that seem to have a much higher rate of problems than even your true price leader tractors. Their decrease in quality has been well documented in several publications, the most popular which is Consumer Reports. Hopefully Cub will stop taking short cuts before they completely ruin their name.

I still think the best way to judge the quality of a tractor (car or truck as well) is to look at the facts. If you look at the sheer number of times a particular tractor make has required repairs, and not what people who are trying to justify their purchase say, then you will have a good quantitative basis for your purchase. I have a neighbor who bought a certain "off brand" of tractor, and he has had nothing but trouble with it. I can hear him cussing from several hundred yards away! However, if you ask him about it, he tells you that it is a good buy because of all the money he saved when buying it. He isn't about to tell you that he made a bad decision when purchasing the tractor! I believe that is human nature. Nobody wants someone to say "I told you so" to them. Good luck! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Cliff_Johns]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I've been told to buy only John Deeres from a dealer and not the superstores. )</font>

I think the reason for this is two fold. One is that the JD dealers are know to give you the same price for the same model and the money goes to a local dealer instead of the BOX Store. The second reason is that if you do have a problem, the dealer will make it right very quickly. The Box Store will tell you to go see a dealer. They are selling the same tractor, it's not like it's a special version with the same number on the side or something.

I vote for getting your lawn tractor at the dealer too.

Cliff

 

[newcountry]

As far as this post turning into a yelling battle, I was concerned about that as well. I hope that doesn't happen. But at the same time, I'm not 'in the know' enough at this time to be able to tell a junk mower from a good one other than by price. I'd like more behind me than saying, "Well, because it costs so much it must be a good one."

I'm trying to get a feel for companies as far as reliability and quality- I'm looking at an upper level garden tractor that will do some extras and if I do that new I'm looking at a lot of money no matter which company I go with. I really don't want to plunk money down on say a Cub and save $$ over a JD if the JD would've gotten me an extra 5 years. And if I do go used, how do I find out about reliability for the companies at that time? For instance I mentioned Cub because I wasn't even looking at them, but came across a '99 3225 for about a $1000 cheaper on an auction than dealers used prices. But, was Cub good at that time? Or was the decline sooner than that? Or was it just the cheap Cubs they sold at non-dealers but the upper end tractors were still good quality?

Last question and I'll let others respond - with the bigger companies if you're buying upper end tractors (JD GT's or Cub 3000's, etc) is the quality the same across the board? If that's the case then it just comes down to what I need the tractor to do. I can do that, what I'm having trouble with is picking a company to go with.

 

[mwood]

Okay. I'll say this outright. I don't have much experience beyond John Deere garden tractors. Because of this, I try to compare everything to the features and flaws I find in the JD's i've looked at.

My suggestion would be to pick a JD model that you feel is capable of doing what you want. The GT 325 is a very nice machine. Go to the dealer and look very critically at it. Look at the thickness of the mowing deck and the quality of the build. Then ask the salesman outright what makes his tractor better than the competitor. Do the same at a Kubota or Cub dealer. Let the dealers tell you good and bad points about their tractors and the competitors. While this may not be objective completely, it will give you an idea what is a good quality tractor.

After you pick a few models, post the models you are interested here and ask for objective pros and cons. Be clear you aren't trying to start a brand war. My whole goal with advising you to look at the big 3 was simply because they are usually a very quality mower in the range you are looking. Any will serve you well for years. There are also some other brands that will serve you well too, but if you start at a known good point, you can have a better feel for what you do and don't like.

Especially with the big 3, remember that comfort is as important as construction. Any of them can easily last over 1000 hours if well maintained. I have a 20 year old JD 216 that has over 1300 hours on it and finally needs an engine rebuild. But remember, someone had to sit on that for 1300 hours. If it's not easy to use, you'll be sick of it very quickly and get rid of it.

Just a few points to keep in mind. Any big three machine will work great for years to come, but so will some other brands as well. Most of all, have fun! If you've always dreamed of owning one tractor, sometimes it's worth spending a few more dollars. You'll be using this tractor for years so you want to make sure you like it!

Mark

 

[Bob_Skurka]

You've made a couple blanket statements that I think are a misinterpretation of what some folks here believe, but I understand why you could easily do that.

With regard to Cub Cadets, take a look at the units that are being recommended highly. Generally they are the GT series tractors that are still getting compliments, not the LT series machines. Most of the complaints about the Cubs seem to be about the lighter duty LT series. The box stores seem to sell the LTs and those seem to be built to price point to move a lot of units.

With regard to the JD tractors, the box stores don't typically provide delivery, the local dealer does. The local dealer also offers knowledge not available at the box store. And like the Cub Cadets, the box stores typcially don't sell the heavier built JD GTs but they do offer pretty displays featuring plenty of "price point" lightly built LTs.