Best tractor for the money

[Elwood]

I am looking at 3 different tractors. Massey GC2300, Kubota BX2230 and a JD 2210. I have priced all 3 with a mid mount 60" deck and a 4' box blade. The Massey is 10,300.00 and the Kubota is 10,600. John Deere was closed today, will wait till tomorrow. The Massey has a 68.5 ci engine and will produce 22 hp @ 2600rpm. The Kubota has a smaller engine(54.8) and produces 22 hp @ 3200 rpm. I am leaning toward the Massey but would like to know the pro's and con's. I know the JD and Kubota will hold resale a little better. What would y'all do?

 

[thcri]

Elwood,

Welcome to TBN. The first thing I would do is completely fill in your profile. Pricing will vary from area to area. The prices you have may be good in my area, but bad in your area. If everyone knows about where your from the members here can help you more.

As far as re-sale. These little tractors hold their value pretty good. For the most part re-sale isn't much of an issue for most people as we plan on keeping them for a long time. This may be different for you. I would first take the approach of not being in a rush. Take a few test drives with the different tractors. I would even throw in a couple more brands if you have other dealers in your area. Since pricing that you have so far is so close I would forget about the pricing and buy from the dealer you like best and the one you think will give you the best service after the sale. They are all good tractors. But not one of them is any good if you have a dealer that only cares about the upfront sale. So take your time. Visit a bunch of times and your answer will come to you.

murph

 

[btolle]

Sounds like it is down to matter of your personal preferences as far as where the controls are. They are all great tractors but each has a slightly different feel.

Go to the dealer when they are not open and sit on each one and operate all the pedals and controls for a little bit and see which one feels best to you.

As far as difference in price I'll be if you went in to the Kubota dealer and told him you would like to buy his tractor but the JD is $300 cheaper he would match or beat the JD price.

Once you decide which one you want it might be a good idea to try 2 or 3 dealers of that brand and get them to give you a price. I saved several hundred $ by looking around and then going back to the local Kubota dealer and telling him he had to get right. I paid him about $100 more than the lowest price but I believe in buying locally whenever possible as long as it is a good dealer.

Bill Tolle

 

[Elwood]

I have been looking for a while and really need to buy something soon. The next closest Kubota dealer will be in Austin for me. I have no idea where the next Massey dealer will be. I have went to a few auctions and discovered that compact tractors seem to bring alot of money and you really do not know what you are getting.
I have looked at Farmtrac, New Holland, Case Farmall and some of the grey market. I still come back to JD,M-F and Kubota.
I used to own a JD 4100 and really liked it, sold it in 2000 and moved out here. I recently bought a new house with 5 acres and need to improve the lot.

 

[beenthere]

In my opinion, you are the one that needs to make the decision. I won't try. I am biased and made what I think is the right choice. Very important, in my opinion, is the dealer. Find one you can work with, and who wants to work with you. Hopefully, both of you will treat each other right and will have a happy future together. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bugstruck]

"Since pricing that you have so far is so close I would forget about the pricing and buy from the dealer you like best and the one you think will give you the best service after the sale. They are all good tractors. But not one of them is any good if you have a dealer that only cares about the upfront sale."

Murph,
I see you and some of the other seasoned guys drilling this home. Must confess I'm confused. I would think tractor sales and car sales are somewhat alike. What I think you're saying is that a good service dealer is not a good service dealer if I buy the tractor from another dealer. My experience with cars has me understanding you get the best price from any dealer on buy day assuming they can do that job, because it frankly has nothing to do with the fact that, after the sale, your going to the best local dealer for service anyhow. The idea that they are going to reduce a non-warranty repair cost down the road because I bought from them is rather unlikely one would think (car think). It's just not held against you in cars. All the dealers want as much service as they can get. Service is competitive.

Is it actually a problem with tractor sales? Perhaps I could see a little help from your buying dealer on later implement purchases but that's about it one would think. Get me up to speed on this. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks,

 

[weesa20]

Elwood:
The previous posts are correct. Look at:
1) Personal feel for the tractor: you are a different size than everyone else and one tractor will feel right. If you are going to keep it for 30 years it needs to feel right.
2) Dealer and how much after-sale assistance they are going to provide.
3) I believe all three will perfrom well for what you have in mind. Just remember that these little tractors can do a lot of work, but they are still sub-CUTs.

Now, with the above said here is my story.
My father owns a JD 2210 and I own a MF GC2300. They ran the same 60 inch tiller in the same dirt equally well, the loaders work about the same, and they have about the same power. so why did I go with the GC?

The other dealers in the area were no where near as helpful as the MF dealer. They were willing to spend time with me and go over the tractor. All the others pushed a quick sale.
Also, my MF will lift slightly more than the JD in the bucket and 3PH, has a full cat I 3PH versus the limited cat I of the JD, and the PTO output is slightly higher than the JD. (All of these are essentially inconsequential and not really noticable when operating the tractors) But mostly the MF just felt right and it was at the right price with an excellent dealer.

drawbacks that I have noticed:
-HST "creep": when you take your foot of the HST pedal the tractor will keep creeping slowly in the dierection you were going. The pedal just needs to be adjusted.
-You have to move the bucket in one direction at a time, eg you can't roll and lift the bucket at the same time.
-I have run out of front ground clearance in mud (hit the limits of the sub-CUT chassis)
-Have run it out of power pushing large pile of dirt (limits of sub-CUT motor, great traction with turfs and rear box blade)
-No position return for the 3PH: makes grading slightly more challenging but there are easy fixes for this.
-After 27 hours, this is all I have encountered.

I love my GC and my father loves his 2210. I think if I was going to do it again I would look at the Kioti CK25 or a 1400/1500 series MF more closely (not really comparable to these tractors because it is on more of a CUT chassis, apples and oranges) only because it would meet my needs a little better. Which brings me to my last point: figure out what your exact needs are early on and make sure you buy enough tractor.

Andrew

 

[Elwood]

weesa20,
This is the kind of information I can use. I really like the M-F and was wondering how they perform. Thanks for the info.

 

[frank_f15]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif THE QUESTION U ARE ASKING IS kind of like asking WHO IS THE PRETTIEST GIRL AT THE DANCE! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ALL A MATTER OF PERSONAL PREFFERENCE AT THIS POINT.

 

[44trxfun]

Elwood, I've had my GC2300 for a little over a year now. I use it mostly for mowing and moving snow (FEL, rear blade, and front blower). It has done those things and several others (adding drainage, dirt digging (w/ toothbar), ground prep (w/ boxblade), and a bunch of misc. transport of materials (w/ FEL)) admirably.

A few things to consider with tractors of this class. First and foremost, think about future tasks--those things that aren't right at your door now, but that you may want to do shortly down the road. Specifically, do you anticipate future need / want for a backhoe? Also, consider any 3PH tasks you might want to do. In hindsight, I didn't fully consider some of my chores. Now, at times, I wish for heavier implements (I've found ways to improvise) and position control. Finally, drive these beasts and figure out which layout works for you. I find the mix of using the hydro peddle and 3PH lever awkward at times. None of these things made the GC the wrong choice for me, but a little more thinking ahead of time definately might have changed which tractors were contenders.

Someone else said you're probably not going to go wrong among these three and that your relationship with the dealer is just as, if not more important than which tractor you choose. I agree. I felt snubbed at both JD dealers I visited. Kub and Massey were sold by the same dealer. They were easy to deal with and have stood by me, though there hasn't been a lot of need. Their service people know me by name and have been helpful every time I've called. I like my dealer and I believe they'll be there when I need them!

Click my profile to see my other posts. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Good luck with your decision!