Mike Kelly with Kelly Tractor in Longview, TX was the best deal in three states. Call this guy and you won't be sad you paid too much somewhere else. 903-757-6644. I checked them all and he was way under the rest. The tractor with loader is $19400.00 as of June 2007. The prices ranged from $19995-$22000. Some had the New Holland loader but I prefer the quick change and easy to take off Bush Hog 3545.
This is a great tractor. It is on the older frame which I feel is a great improvement over the TN model. If you get a loader you really need the BUSH HOG 3545 loader. This tractor is a 75 horse (not the TT75 made in Mexico, make sure it has an A after the 75!) with a 62 PTO. It was less than $2000 to get 15 more HP so I would say go for it and don't be sorry when you need the extra power or want to bale hay and can't one day. They hauled off my poor old Ford 3000 and we used this tractor to pull it out. The loader was laying beside the tractor and it lifted it and loaded it on the trailer like it was a toothpick. Lifts 10 feet high and loads dirt like cutting through butter. The great thing about this is that the quick attachment is identical to skid steer and will allow you to purchase all the skid steer attachments like the root and brush grapples, fel backhoe, trencher, pallet forks, and tons more. This tractor is a 75 horse monster. It has easy shift on the highway from 7-8 and 3-4. I took off in 4th and it was traveling at about 30mph in no time. The platform is free of levers and gives you a ton of leg room. It shifts easy but I have found it a little difficult at times to get it into reverse. If you are in the East Texas area, Kelly Tractor in Longview, TX is the greatest deal. He sold me the tractor almost $1000 cheaper than anyone else and I searched all locations in Texas. Tractor drives like a car. Easy to handle and heavier than most competitors at 5250lbs. Hood opens like a truck hood for easy access. All fluids are easy to get to and check. No exhaust in the way either. It is in the back portion of the engine instead of running under your feet and getting hot. Lights are in a a great position with high/low beams, turn signals, and flashers. Dash includes time on engine, tach, fuel, and thermostat. Another great thing is that it only has to run at 1970 rpm for your 540 pto. Most ran at least at 2100 for 540 pto. That mean less wear and tear and fuel used. Filled up the tank and did a small job for about an hour in the field, then took it down the road about 2 miles to my friends house and ran it another 30-40 minutes while we attached his bobcat implements to the quick attach loader and went back to my parents home which was about 3 miles from their house, then a mile back to my house. It was still past F on my Fuel Gauge. This is a great tractor for my 50 acres. The loader joystick is located in an easy location to my right. Easy to use the float option to allow the loader to glide across the ground for easy back drag or on a hard surface you can use it to pick up piles of dirt without putting unnecessary down force pressure on your loader. The lack of a remote is a little problem if you have an attachment that needs remotes. You can detach the loader and use it if you want to use an attachment that needs a remote but will disable the loader. If you need a remote you can add one for about $750.
Reasons for choosing this over the competition:
John Deere's low end tractor was a lot higher and a three cylinder. It was also a lighter machine. Parts were higher and I felt I would be paying for the name only.
Massey: Nice tractor, if you want to pay anywhere from $5,000 to $6000 more for the name. It is a heavier tractor but not worth the extra money.
Kubota: Price hit me again. They quoted me a price that was several thousand higher. A much lighter machine. If I remember right, it was at least 1000 lbs lighter.
Mahindra: This was the closest machine to the NH. The bad thing is that it only has a 65 horse tractor for about the same price. Their 75 horse is a higher ended tractor with a high end price. It is a little heavier than the NH and runs a little over 2000rpm for a 540. Everything looked great and even included a fold over ROP. Price was in the range though. Small difference is the LIVE Pto for the Mahindra and fully independent for the NH. Major problem was that if anything went wrong I had to have the dealer down the road from me send for the dealership in South Texas to pick it up, take it back to South Texas, and then back to me. He can fix small problems, when he gets here, but if not it would take quite some time to get back to me. These two tractors are very similar and I have heard that Mahindra's hardly ever break down but the problem is this. If the tractor breaks down, I am needing it now because I am working now. I can take a day to load it up or call for the dealer a few miles away to fix it. If I have to wait a week to three weeks to get it back from the Dealership, I am losing time and patience by then.
Go ahead and spend a little more for the 75 horse. Like my friend told me. You can always wind the power down on the 75 but you can't rev the 60 but to 60. This is an investment that will last for 30 or more years. My Ford 3000 was an early 70's model and was just starting to build up a little account at the the repair shop. I know I don't need a baler now but who knows, I might need one in 10 years and I'll have the horse power then. I am not sure but I don't think you can run one on a 60 hp tractor. Have the horses when you need them and you won't be upset when the 60 bogs down.
Have fun on this big boy!
This is a great tractor. It is on the older frame which I feel is a great improvement over the TN model. If you get a loader you really need the BUSH HOG 3545 loader. This tractor is a 75 horse (not the TT75 made in Mexico, make sure it has an A after the 75!) with a 62 PTO. It was less than $2000 to get 15 more HP so I would say go for it and don't be sorry when you need the extra power or want to bale hay and can't one day. They hauled off my poor old Ford 3000 and we used this tractor to pull it out. The loader was laying beside the tractor and it lifted it and loaded it on the trailer like it was a toothpick. Lifts 10 feet high and loads dirt like cutting through butter. The great thing about this is that the quick attachment is identical to skid steer and will allow you to purchase all the skid steer attachments like the root and brush grapples, fel backhoe, trencher, pallet forks, and tons more. This tractor is a 75 horse monster. It has easy shift on the highway from 7-8 and 3-4. I took off in 4th and it was traveling at about 30mph in no time. The platform is free of levers and gives you a ton of leg room. It shifts easy but I have found it a little difficult at times to get it into reverse. If you are in the East Texas area, Kelly Tractor in Longview, TX is the greatest deal. He sold me the tractor almost $1000 cheaper than anyone else and I searched all locations in Texas. Tractor drives like a car. Easy to handle and heavier than most competitors at 5250lbs. Hood opens like a truck hood for easy access. All fluids are easy to get to and check. No exhaust in the way either. It is in the back portion of the engine instead of running under your feet and getting hot. Lights are in a a great position with high/low beams, turn signals, and flashers. Dash includes time on engine, tach, fuel, and thermostat. Another great thing is that it only has to run at 1970 rpm for your 540 pto. Most ran at least at 2100 for 540 pto. That mean less wear and tear and fuel used. Filled up the tank and did a small job for about an hour in the field, then took it down the road about 2 miles to my friends house and ran it another 30-40 minutes while we attached his bobcat implements to the quick attach loader and went back to my parents home which was about 3 miles from their house, then a mile back to my house. It was still past F on my Fuel Gauge. This is a great tractor for my 50 acres. The loader joystick is located in an easy location to my right. Easy to use the float option to allow the loader to glide across the ground for easy back drag or on a hard surface you can use it to pick up piles of dirt without putting unnecessary down force pressure on your loader. The lack of a remote is a little problem if you have an attachment that needs remotes. You can detach the loader and use it if you want to use an attachment that needs a remote but will disable the loader. If you need a remote you can add one for about $750.
Reasons for choosing this over the competition:
John Deere's low end tractor was a lot higher and a three cylinder. It was also a lighter machine. Parts were higher and I felt I would be paying for the name only.
Massey: Nice tractor, if you want to pay anywhere from $5,000 to $6000 more for the name. It is a heavier tractor but not worth the extra money.
Kubota: Price hit me again. They quoted me a price that was several thousand higher. A much lighter machine. If I remember right, it was at least 1000 lbs lighter.
Mahindra: This was the closest machine to the NH. The bad thing is that it only has a 65 horse tractor for about the same price. Their 75 horse is a higher ended tractor with a high end price. It is a little heavier than the NH and runs a little over 2000rpm for a 540. Everything looked great and even included a fold over ROP. Price was in the range though. Small difference is the LIVE Pto for the Mahindra and fully independent for the NH. Major problem was that if anything went wrong I had to have the dealer down the road from me send for the dealership in South Texas to pick it up, take it back to South Texas, and then back to me. He can fix small problems, when he gets here, but if not it would take quite some time to get back to me. These two tractors are very similar and I have heard that Mahindra's hardly ever break down but the problem is this. If the tractor breaks down, I am needing it now because I am working now. I can take a day to load it up or call for the dealer a few miles away to fix it. If I have to wait a week to three weeks to get it back from the Dealership, I am losing time and patience by then.
Go ahead and spend a little more for the 75 horse. Like my friend told me. You can always wind the power down on the 75 but you can't rev the 60 but to 60. This is an investment that will last for 30 or more years. My Ford 3000 was an early 70's model and was just starting to build up a little account at the the repair shop. I know I don't need a baler now but who knows, I might need one in 10 years and I'll have the horse power then. I am not sure but I don't think you can run one on a 60 hp tractor. Have the horses when you need them and you won't be upset when the 60 bogs down.
Have fun on this big boy!
