Hook
Bronze Member
As I reported in other postinfgs, I have narrowed my choice of tractors down to
- Kubota B2910
- New Holland TC29D
- JD 4200
In the last 2 days I had the chance to get quotes & take test rides on all 3. Here are my first impressions & current thinking ...
Ergonomics:
Regarding the seating & control position, the Kubota wins hands down in my book. Now, mind you, my tractor driving time is now up to 30 minutes (10 minutes on each tractor), so take this with a big grain of salt.
I found the deck on the NH to be a major pain. It is not flat, but has a hump (like the rear-wheel drive, some of us old farts remember . I thought this wouldn't matter, but it made it very difficult to get in & out of the seat & I felt simply cramped, as my feet kept hitting the hump. I also found the seat to be less comfortable than the others.
The JD seating position was great, but it seemed to me that the controls were in less obvious/useful positions. Since I have effectively no tractor time, this might turn out to be a non-issue. But first impressions count, so ...
Price:
Here are the prices I was quoted (tractor + FEL):
Kubota B2910: $17,900
NH TC25D: $17,700
JD 4200: 18,500
Notice that the price was for a TC25D, NOT a TC29D. I was originally considering the 29D, but deciced to drive & price the 25D. I'm not sure what made me do this, but after seeing the price, I'm glad I did.
Now these are prices without any bargaining or shopping on my part. So I assume I could reduce the prices some. But then all of these prices would go down.
Based on this, I'm about to nuke HN from my list & focus on the JD & Kubota. To my mind, they're just about equal at this point (Kubota better on some points, JD better on others). I think I'm gonna make a chart comparing the 2 (including my impression of the dealers I met) & see if that helps me differentiate between them.
Thoughts?
Hook
- Kubota B2910
- New Holland TC29D
- JD 4200
In the last 2 days I had the chance to get quotes & take test rides on all 3. Here are my first impressions & current thinking ...
Ergonomics:
Regarding the seating & control position, the Kubota wins hands down in my book. Now, mind you, my tractor driving time is now up to 30 minutes (10 minutes on each tractor), so take this with a big grain of salt.
I found the deck on the NH to be a major pain. It is not flat, but has a hump (like the rear-wheel drive, some of us old farts remember . I thought this wouldn't matter, but it made it very difficult to get in & out of the seat & I felt simply cramped, as my feet kept hitting the hump. I also found the seat to be less comfortable than the others.
The JD seating position was great, but it seemed to me that the controls were in less obvious/useful positions. Since I have effectively no tractor time, this might turn out to be a non-issue. But first impressions count, so ...
Price:
Here are the prices I was quoted (tractor + FEL):
Kubota B2910: $17,900
NH TC25D: $17,700
JD 4200: 18,500
Notice that the price was for a TC25D, NOT a TC29D. I was originally considering the 29D, but deciced to drive & price the 25D. I'm not sure what made me do this, but after seeing the price, I'm glad I did.
Now these are prices without any bargaining or shopping on my part. So I assume I could reduce the prices some. But then all of these prices would go down.
Based on this, I'm about to nuke HN from my list & focus on the JD & Kubota. To my mind, they're just about equal at this point (Kubota better on some points, JD better on others). I think I'm gonna make a chart comparing the 2 (including my impression of the dealers I met) & see if that helps me differentiate between them.
Thoughts?
Hook