Decision time: used or new NH?

[kozak]

I agree with wolc23,

Once you get that Tractor home you know you will have made the right decision at least from the stand-point of future capability & 2/3 yr warranty.

If the 1920 is in excellent shape (the hours are not too bad, 900) it is a close toss-up, BUT I believe the TC45 is more capable in the long run if you want to do more challenging tasks in the future.

Definitely a tough decision when your trying to keep some money back for a rainy day or.....if you did go with 1920, would have some extra $$ (lets say 6 months to 1 year down the road if everything pans out) for an additional implement or two.

I'm not helping out am I. Seem to be favouring both at the same time /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif...but I guess it comes down to some of the points I & others have already made. (Pro's & Con's) Therefore it's up to you now to weigh the info carefully. Maybe collect all the posts together & make a Pro / Con table up for each Tractor & them compare. Do the same thing with the specs of each Tractor.

Good Luck & Keep Us Posted On Your Decision.

 

[NHeuro]

I would chose for the tc 40-45
The transmission is nice like the rest of the tractor /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[BruceNorthEast]

Hi Redlevel,

Yes, I started out thinking ag tractor, but procrastinated...

I have a friend that owns nothing but 2WD tractors, and he suggests I look at ags or at least 2WD machines, because the better deals can be found by staying away from the 4WD/CUTs.

But he is the one person I know that has years of experience on the farm and still recommends 2wd, the rest strongly recommend 4WD.

I've owned six truck/SUVs now, all but one were 4WD. Only one was terrible in snow and mud, tended to get stuck, and often let me down when things got bad... To top it off, while most of it is decent I've got several areas on my property that tend to stay messy for awhile, a few that are always wet.

Finally, I want something reasonably reliable. While I can do some minor work, I want my time spent using the tractor - not getting it running. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

All this said, I could very well end up with an ex-farm tractor later this year; it'd certainly be an improvement on what I've got now, and it wont cripple my savings the way a shiny CUT would! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

PS: My non-4WD friend is a Massey Ferguson fanatic /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Thanks for the advice.
Bruce.

 

[BruceNorthEast]

Redlevel, a few more items:

When I started looking new, I was thinking that I'd be able to use it for all the chores & projects now, and eventually maybe playing farmer on the rest of the property (I'm letting an area dairy farm use most of it for hay and a little corn).

After a lot of looking and talking (and even some listening /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) I learned that I'm probably not going to be using a CUT for much haying. I've also had a lot of people tell me to forget about ever haying my own property - I'm far better off just buying it back if I need it than making it myself. Have you any experience at it? Thoughts?

I know what you mean about the CUTs being more expensive than the low-end but larger farm machines. It seems to be the hot thing nowadays, with "yuppies" everywhere buying tractors that they can park in their garage. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Supply and demand I guess (or manufacturers making big profits where they can).

I looked at a John Deere 5310 (MFWD) with a mechanical self leveling FEL. Had a CAT 2 3PH, and 55 PTO HP (65 gross). The JD dealer was asking $19,500 but would accept $18,000. I even had a pretty good idea what it had done for its' 3300 hours: working on an apple orchard, spraying and clearing brush between the trees... I mulled that one over for quite a while. The biggest reasons I didn't buy it were: a.) It was a monster, not exectly a perfect 1st tractor. b.) the $18k price along with poor interest rates. c.) started looking at the CUTs and the new financing rates. d.) wanted to find a better deal.

I know this isn't quite what you had in mind. There are old Olivers and Farm Alls and IHs around, with narrow & wide front ends etc., with FELs, and can be had for under $10k...

...I really dont want to play barkyard mechanic.

When you say you knew that you shouldn't have bought the only one that you got burned on, what do you mean? What did you know? (feel?)

My 2WD Massey friend got burned bad with a machine that had cracked castings, he wasn't told about it and didn't discover it until he had it home and started cleaning it up.

If that happens with a new machine, you're in a lot better shape...

What do you do with your machines, if you don't mind me asking?
Bruce.

 

[BruceNorthEast]

wolc123:

After talking with several here and in person, I've come to two conclusions on the NH 1920: 1.) it's a tough little work horse that could probably do most of what I want to do, and 2.) it's overpriced and if anything went wrong I'd be dumping even more money into something I already put too much into.

I really like the NH class three boomers. I came within a whisker of signing for it. At that price it was almost two grand more than I felt comfortable spending, but doable. But the price kept increasing: Cant buy a machine like that and not get the quick attach option: $380. In this area, you have to have a block heater: $95. The R4s will be fine on the grass/turf, but I test drove it in the snow - gonna need chains: $300 plus. Skip the grill guard for $200? NH financing requires fire/theft/damage insurance & they'll be happy to roll that into the loan: $1428. Then there's that pesky documentation fee: $160. And we need to talk about the 50 hour service, with pickup and deliver charges... You say you've got a 600 foot gravel driveway? You're not gonna be happy using the FEL for that, better plan on a 3PH blade: $450 to $650. And you know, once you bring this baby home you're really going to regret not getting that hydro, why we could upgrade that for ... etc.

Truth is, between holiday spending reducing my savings/increasing my debt, neighbors and freinds getting laid-off from their jobs (and having tough times finding new work), and this rapidly increaing price once the "details" where considered, all left me feeling ill.

I really wanted to make this work, but I felt like my head was in a pressure cooker.

I backed out, and am letting the pressure blow off while I reconsider things. But I still feel like that was one great deal. Sure whish I could've managed it. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I hope to be asking you all technical questions about how to use such-and-such implements, etc in the not too distant future.
Thanks.
Bruce.

 

[BruceNorthEast]

Hey Kozk, you followed me here from the original post too eh (NotMyRealName)? And hello NHeuro. You guys are too kind.

There were a few reasons why I really considered the 1920. I'm convinced that it was dsigned and built very well, and this one appears to have been well cared for. It was at a local dealership. If I bought it instead of the shiny new TC45, I could tell myself and wife that I made the prudent choice. I wouldn't have to continue looking all over, wasting my time findin dissapointments. I'd finally have something to play with - just in time for snow. Etc.

But, thanks to the advice of several good people (some at TBN, some outside) I also became convinced that it was priced several thousand more than it was worth. Even the dealer couldn't promise to give me a good deal should I decide to uprade next year. What could I expect from the general public?

So it was all the TC45 once that was cleared up. I just mentioned in my previous post why I'm not the proud owner of it, but to summarize: I got cold feet.

I'm hoping to build up more in the savings, that things will clarify, and that I wont be kicking myself too much for letting that one go once I am ready.

Thanks for all the advice.
Bruce.

 

[redlevel]

The one I got burned on was a former DOT roadside mowing machine, a 4000 Ford. Those tractors are abused and are pretty well worn out when they are auctioned off. I knew what it was when I bought it, but it had a recent liquid overhaul (new paint job) and looked pretty good.

My two main farm tractors are the 3930 NH and a 6640 NH, a 75hp machine with a BH loader. I pull a 650 NH round baler with the 6640 and a 616 NH disc mower mounted on a caddy with the 3910. I put up about 500 rolls of bermuda grass hay per year. The bales average about 1000 lbs. I cut hay on about 60 acres of hybrid bermuda.

I also have a MF 135 and a 600 Ford that I use for gardening and keeping up the 50 acre farm my wife inherited from her father. These two tractors are good examples of small ag utility tractors; they were designed to last a lifetime with minimal care and maintenance. Just change the oil and filters, grease the fittings regularly, and overhaul the engine and hydraulic system every 6000 hours or so (maybe 4000 hrs. for the gas model), and they will wear out two generations of farmers.

I probably don't know what I am talking about, but the new CUT's don't appear to me to be this durable. If all you are going to do is keep a few acres mowed and shovel snow during the winter, they will probably last a long time with reasonable care. The reason I suggested an ag utility tractor in your case was the fact that you have 20 acres of land to keep up. Also, if you ever use any ground engaging implements such as a chisel plow or a moldboard plow you need draft control, and most of the CUT's don't have it. Most of the ag utility tractors do. I realize that most CUT purchasers aren't going to be doing any plowing, but being an old farmer, I just can't see myself buying a tractor I can't plow with.

Making hay is an expensive proposition. I only have about 30 head of cows now, but I had 100+ head. I already have the equipment, so I keep cutting my own hay. I think the GA extension service says you need at least 100 head to justify owning hay equipment. I need something to keep me busy during the summer (I teach school for a living), so I kept my equipment. I'm selling some hay now for about $30 a roll, and I figure I might be doing just a little better than breaking even. Fertilizer is expensive, and it takes a lot of nutrients for bermuda on our coastal plain soils. I would say you should be getting about 40-50% of the hay from your land, but if it isn't really convenient for the farmer who is doing the cutting, you might not get that much. If he is having to move his equipment several miles, it probably wouldn't be worth it for him if he didn't get most of the hay. What kind of hay is it? I think you said you had two horses. You certainly should get enough hay out of the deal to feed them.

I really wasn't suggesting that you get an older tractor. I know what you mean about not being a backyard mechanic. When I have three hours of daylight after school, I need for my tractor to crank without spending an hour tinkering on it. I run into this sometimes with the old Ford. I was suggesting that you consider new or late model ag utilities, such as the NH 3930 or MF 431. I looked at a new 431 (I think that is the model) with a loader. It was actually cheaper than the MF CUT they had on the lot, and it was a "real" farm tractor.

Well, it is late, and I have to go to school tomorrow and have Christmas parties for the little darlings.

Good luck on whatever you choose, and happy farming.

 

[RoyJackson]

"I backed out, and am letting the pressure blow off while I reconsider things. But I still feel like that was one great deal. Sure whish I could've managed it."

You made the right decision. And, there will be another good deal down the road a bit...always is!

 

[Soundguy]

here's something else to think about.. And this goes against my 'blue' blood. JD has the 5103 on sale for 12999.00

Not a bad price for 50 hp.. even if ti is 2wd and green..

Soundguy

 

[BruceNorthEast]

<font color="blue"> "You made the right decision. And, there will be another good deal down the road a bit...always is" </font>

Thanks Roy, I'll keep looking (and saving).
Bruce.