lil_country
Bronze Member
I sat on a lot of tractors today. I started out thinking I wanted a tractor in similar to Kubota's L2800 in size and power. I now think something like a B7800 is more suitable for my needs.
I have 5 acres, with about 2 acres lawn and 3 acres pasture. I need to be able to mow (RFM) and brushhog, and maintain a long gravel drive. I also have a lot of small landscaping chores that will require moving dirt and rocks from place to place.
I know I want;HST, 4WD, loader, RFM. (I already have brushhog, box blade, and angle blade.)
So, here is a summary of today's experience.
First, I was unimpressed with almost all of the dealers. None of them seemed to really want to sell a tractor. At several places I parked and looked at tractors for 10 minutes without anyone even coming out of the place. When I did go in and start asking questions, most of them weren't very helpful. While I don't like car salesman-like tactics, I do like a salesman to offer information, or at least ask questions about my needs.
I looked at the following tractors; NH TC34DA, NH TC30, Kubota B7800, Kubota L2800, Kioti CK25, and JD 3203 (Ruled out 790 for no HST).
I know these tractors don't really compare to each other for the most part, but like I said I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for.
New Holland
The TC34DA was probably the most comfortable for me to operate. The seat and steering adjust to fit very nicely. I also think it is a great looking tractor. The one I drove had Super Steer - it was fantastic. I did have problems with the clutch - it did not want to go from nuetral to drive, and I had difficulty getting the PTO on. I think the clutch was out of adjustment. This tractor is really out of my price range, and I decided it i bigger than I need. I was quoted 20,900 with the loader.
I thought the next smaller NH, TC26DA was just too small and light weight.
I was quoted 15,500 for the TC30 with loader. I didn't even drive it. I would rather go with the L2800 for a few hundred more, or the 3203 for 1K more. The TC30 was just too boxy and plain for me.
Kubota
I was quoted 15,700 for the L2800 with loader. By then, I was looking at the B7800 and deciding I wanted to downsize. The quote for the B7800 was 14,600 with loader. I liked the way it handled, but I'm a bit concerned about the quarter inching 3 point. I may want to move up from the economy model.
Kioti
I liked the looks of the CK25 - from a distance. It had a lot of features not found on the economy models of the other brands. It did seem louder to me than the others, and the turning radius was not very good - especially compared to the JD 3203. I don't want to offend you Kioti fans - this is just my opinion, but the tractor just seemed second rate compared to the other three brands. I don't know how to describe it, but it is sort of like comparing my company car (Taurus) to my wife's Cadillac - the others just felt better. I also did not like the bucket on the L130 loader. The "mouth" seemed small. In other words the distance from the bottom lip to the top lip looked shorter than the others. I asked the dealer about any problems with cracking, and he told me he had read about it, but had not seen any. I doubt he sees many tractors anyway. Although he is the only Kioti dealer in the local phone book, this CK25 looked like it had been on his lot for a while. He quoted me 15,500 for the tractor and loader.
John Deer
The 3203 is a very basic tractor, but it is a very nice tractor. It drives very good, the HST is very responsive, and the turning radius is terrific. The HST is only 2 range (not 3 like the others). It has a floating feature on the 3 pnt arms that looks like it would be handy with a RFM. I was quoted 16,000 for this tractor. If I was going to stay with the heavier tractor (2700 #), I would prefer this tractor over the Kioti even though the Kioti has a lot more convenience features.
After trying all these models, I found myself drawn to the Kubota and John Deere - I just liked the way they felt. So tomorrow I will try to find a B2630, B3030, and a JD 2520 to try out.
I welcome any suggestions of similar models to try, or advice on the advantages/disadvantages of various models or features. Do the prices look reasonable?
Also, if you know any dealers in central Oklahoma with exceptionally good reputations I would certainly like to know about them. Feel free to PM if necessary.
Thanks
I have 5 acres, with about 2 acres lawn and 3 acres pasture. I need to be able to mow (RFM) and brushhog, and maintain a long gravel drive. I also have a lot of small landscaping chores that will require moving dirt and rocks from place to place.
I know I want;HST, 4WD, loader, RFM. (I already have brushhog, box blade, and angle blade.)
So, here is a summary of today's experience.
First, I was unimpressed with almost all of the dealers. None of them seemed to really want to sell a tractor. At several places I parked and looked at tractors for 10 minutes without anyone even coming out of the place. When I did go in and start asking questions, most of them weren't very helpful. While I don't like car salesman-like tactics, I do like a salesman to offer information, or at least ask questions about my needs.
I looked at the following tractors; NH TC34DA, NH TC30, Kubota B7800, Kubota L2800, Kioti CK25, and JD 3203 (Ruled out 790 for no HST).
I know these tractors don't really compare to each other for the most part, but like I said I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for.
New Holland
The TC34DA was probably the most comfortable for me to operate. The seat and steering adjust to fit very nicely. I also think it is a great looking tractor. The one I drove had Super Steer - it was fantastic. I did have problems with the clutch - it did not want to go from nuetral to drive, and I had difficulty getting the PTO on. I think the clutch was out of adjustment. This tractor is really out of my price range, and I decided it i bigger than I need. I was quoted 20,900 with the loader.
I thought the next smaller NH, TC26DA was just too small and light weight.
I was quoted 15,500 for the TC30 with loader. I didn't even drive it. I would rather go with the L2800 for a few hundred more, or the 3203 for 1K more. The TC30 was just too boxy and plain for me.
Kubota
I was quoted 15,700 for the L2800 with loader. By then, I was looking at the B7800 and deciding I wanted to downsize. The quote for the B7800 was 14,600 with loader. I liked the way it handled, but I'm a bit concerned about the quarter inching 3 point. I may want to move up from the economy model.
Kioti
I liked the looks of the CK25 - from a distance. It had a lot of features not found on the economy models of the other brands. It did seem louder to me than the others, and the turning radius was not very good - especially compared to the JD 3203. I don't want to offend you Kioti fans - this is just my opinion, but the tractor just seemed second rate compared to the other three brands. I don't know how to describe it, but it is sort of like comparing my company car (Taurus) to my wife's Cadillac - the others just felt better. I also did not like the bucket on the L130 loader. The "mouth" seemed small. In other words the distance from the bottom lip to the top lip looked shorter than the others. I asked the dealer about any problems with cracking, and he told me he had read about it, but had not seen any. I doubt he sees many tractors anyway. Although he is the only Kioti dealer in the local phone book, this CK25 looked like it had been on his lot for a while. He quoted me 15,500 for the tractor and loader.
John Deer
The 3203 is a very basic tractor, but it is a very nice tractor. It drives very good, the HST is very responsive, and the turning radius is terrific. The HST is only 2 range (not 3 like the others). It has a floating feature on the 3 pnt arms that looks like it would be handy with a RFM. I was quoted 16,000 for this tractor. If I was going to stay with the heavier tractor (2700 #), I would prefer this tractor over the Kioti even though the Kioti has a lot more convenience features.
After trying all these models, I found myself drawn to the Kubota and John Deere - I just liked the way they felt. So tomorrow I will try to find a B2630, B3030, and a JD 2520 to try out.
I welcome any suggestions of similar models to try, or advice on the advantages/disadvantages of various models or features. Do the prices look reasonable?
Also, if you know any dealers in central Oklahoma with exceptionally good reputations I would certainly like to know about them. Feel free to PM if necessary.
Thanks