decided on size - narrowed to 2 brands

[schmism]

I will say i was in your boat about 2 months ago.

In one town about 30 min from me i have a NH dealer, JD, Kubota, and MF/Kioti dealers. I spent a half a day driveing from one to the other looking at them after my week long crash corse on the internet.

I was really impressed with the NH. (for me) they seemed to have the perfect ballance of basic and luxury options on the same tractor. Nice seat, upgraded 3pt hitch, dual PTO, (mostly flat) work platform, BUT a analog dash (a pluss in my mind). NH also seemed to be on the heavy end of the compacts which i came to learn often ment bigger castings=stronger and you want weight in a tractor.

Kubota cant put R4 tires on a 72" MMM (or so the dealer says), that and to get the HST you need to be in the XX30 series which also means your stuck with a 100% digital dash that was a real turnoff for me. Combine that with the tire prob with the MMM (which i had decided i abolutly wanted) ment Kubota was out.

JD dealer i couldnt get anyone to talk to me, pluss what they had out on the lot didnt impress me.

I ended up seaking out a used (low hr) machine so that i could get the addtional MMM for "free" as normally its a $3K "upgrade" new.

It should be noted to any other new peeps looking for a CUT.... Dispite what you may think, the dealer can make a WORLD of diffrence on your sale. Some are willing to work with ya (tooth bar, welded hooks etc as indicated) others, dispite wearing a shirt that says "this shirt for sale", shure act like they dont want to sell it to you. Some seem to understand if i can unload a piece of equipment at the end of the year, and make a happy customer, then they are likely to come back for expensive parts and service.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

I had narrowed my choices to a B7610 and a JD 4210. I chose the JD because I like the hydro better. I like two pedals over a heel-to toe and I like the turning brakes better on the left side. How do you use turning brakes and the hydro at the same time if they are on the same side? Plus, I already owned a Deere GT, so it was a matter of stopping at one place for parts instead of two. Finally, I had been dealing with that JD place for 15 years picking up parts and supplies for my families farm.

mechanicaly, the JD and the Kubota were sound in my mind. It just came down to little things.

it is unfortunate that some dealers are idiots and have a "take it or leave it" mentality. I have seen those dealers and I avoid them.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[lil_country]

Pictures posted on my "B3030 price" thread on the Kubota Buying forum.

 

[Boondox]

It should be noted to any other new peeps looking for a CUT.... Dispite what you may think, the dealer can make a WORLD of diffrence on your sale. Some are willing to work with ya (tooth bar, welded hooks etc as indicated) others, dispite wearing a shirt that says "this shirt for sale", shure act like they dont want to sell it to you. Some seem to understand if i can unload a piece of equipment at the end of the year, and make a happy customer, then they are likely to come back for expensive parts and service.

Ditto, but I'd also encourage you to go in back and meet the service crew. The salesguy can be the nicest, most accomodating fellow in the county, but if the service dept is a pigsty, backed up with work, and the techs won't give you the time of day it should be a major turnoff. Afterall, those are the people you'll need a good relationship with in the years ahead.

When it came time for my second tractor purchase I was all set to buy a JD, but their service dept was a shambles with equipment tagged for repairs all over the place and their techs were making disparaging remarks about some of their customers. It gave me a bad feeling. Contrast that with the local Kubota dealer who walked me back to the shop and introduced me to the service crew who cheerfully showed me how to perform routine maintenance and even some tricks for mounting my snow chains. Not only did I buy from them, but I regularly visit with a pound of coffee just to get refresher training now and then.

Pete

 

[Boondox]

I had narrowed my choices to a B7610 and a JD 4210. I chose the JD because I like the hydro better. ... It just came down to little things.

I like them both, but found the two pedal JD arrangement awkward for backing long distances (like when plowing snow down a half mile of dirt road) and the Kubota pedal perfect for that task. When I twist around to look over my shoulder while backing, my heel is in perfect position to use the back portion of the treadle.

Everything else about the two tractors I liked evenly and both are quality tractors, but like you said, it's the little things.

Pete