Buying Advice Difficult choice: Kubota B2320 or Mahindra Max24

[/pine]

IMO, It's the market and not the brand that will be the telling tale...

With all the division and tension that has been growing in America over the last 5-6 years...I think there will be a big swing in families leaving urban areas for more rural ground...especially with all the baby boomers retiring...

Time will tell and I think the tractor market will boom for the next 10-12-15 years or so...There will be a lot of tractor buyers that have not grown up being brand partial etc...

 

[tractchores]

I have a B2920 and really like it. I am not sure what the MAX has for the HST, but I really like the 3 speed kubota one, I find myself doing almost everything in the middle speed. Having used a 2 speed one before I wouldn't go back. I have the BH65 and its great. Here is a thread showing some work I did with it: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/291945-electrical-trenching.html I would not go smaller on the BH, depending on the soil you have you want something that can get out rocks and if digging anything of size speed will be important.

I would recommend trying to get a little bit of seat time in both models. I found that I had a definite preference for the kubota layout (the FEL joystick is positioned very well for me and I like the foot pedal setup). If you're looking at the B2320 I'd encourage you to check out the two other engine sizes, the cost isn't much different, but the PTO power may be important depending what you do. I got mine a year old fir 19k with a FEL and BH65, the paint wasn't even chipped on the BH or FEL and the 3pt had never been used.

In terms of warranty I'd look more at reliability. I haven't had any issues with my machine, so the warranty really didn't matter. On resale the Kubota will probably be better, but thats less important than other factors.

 

[Olympus]

Thats what your link is.. Click on your link.

I did. It's a good discussion on Korean tractor brands. Worth a read just just about anyone in the buying market.

 

[Olympus]

I don't think Kioti or LS will stand the test of time. Sure they might have a couple dealers per state for awhile, but most of the dealers seem to be guys that sell multiple tractor brands and change them often.
When the agreement fell apart between Bobcat and Kioti, I think that sealed their fate. I think it's best to stick with Kubota or John Deere for the dealer network if nothing else.
I don't doubt the quality of LS or Kioti, as the people who have them like them, but the 2 companies don't seem to be committed to building a REAL dealer network.

LS is very strong in my area. I have 3 dealers within 100 miles and all 3 dealers sell only LS. One dealer had Mahindra and LS and either dropped Mahindra or lost them.

There aren't as many Kioti dealers though.

 

[DK35vince]

I don't think Kioti or LS will stand the test of time. Sure they might have a couple dealers per state for awhile, but most of the dealers seem to be guys that sell multiple tractor brands and change them often.
When the agreement fell apart between Bobcat and Kioti, I think that sealed their fate. I think it's best to stick with Kubota or John Deere for the dealer network if nothing else.
I don't doubt the quality of LS or Kioti, as the people who have them like them, but the 2 companies don't seem to be committed to building a REAL dealer network.

KIOTI Tractor Experiences a Record Year in 2013

 

[Code54]

I personally would avoid any of the non well established brands. In our area we are very limited on tractor dealers but with JD or Kubota you can normally find parts locally. I also have not been overly impressed with the LS's I seen in person (loose fittings, poor castings, old designs, etc). In fairness however I have not run or used one, just looked at them on several occasions.
After looking at the Mahindra locally I was disappointed in the quality and found the pricing to be less than Kubota but not by all that much. I spoke to neighbors, farmers, friends and others in the area and several had Deere's, Kubota's and Mahindra's (couldn't find an LS in service around me). I found everyone with the Kubota's, Deere's satisfied with their machines but out of 4 Mahindra owners only 1 was happy with his machine and did not have any problems. Not saying this is some scientific study, but it did give me a chance to talk to some owners and get their feelings AFTER the purchase.
I also consider resale value in a purchase of this size. Life changes and sometimes you don't know what is going to happen and you are going to change your plans so having a machine with a strong resale value is a benefit. Around here Kubota's and Deere hold their value extremely well. When I sold one old Kubota I literally ended up getting tired of answering the phone so many people wanted to come and see it.....

Good luck on your search and purchase

 

[MikePA]

When I was a kid, there was a clothing store in our area, Fellers, that had the advertising slogan of, "If you don't know your furs, know your furrier." The reference to furs shows it was from ancient times but the advice stands today, "If you don't know your tractors, know your tractor dealer."

Larger dealers, who sell more than just one brand and one class of tractor and have been in business a long time, usually know what they're doing to both serve their customers and stay in business through good times and bad.

 

[SCWOOD]

I don't think Kioti or LS will stand the test of time. Sure they might have a couple dealers per state for awhile, but most of the dealers seem to be guys that sell multiple tractor brands and change them often.
When the agreement fell apart between Bobcat and Kioti, I think that sealed their fate. I think it's best to stick with Kubota or John Deere for the dealer network if nothing else.
I don't doubt the quality of LS or Kioti, as the people who have them like them, but the 2 companies don't seem to be committed to building a REAL dealer network.

The dealer I bought my Kioti from has been in business for 50yrs and has been selling Kiotis for 20yrs.

 

[trblshuter]

A Merry Christmas to all!

I would like to thank everyone for their input. Definitely gave me a lot of points to consider in my purchase. My decision came down to these criteria: Brand reputation / reliability, Dealer reputation / proximity, machine specs, personal feel, and pricing. No one I spoke w/ had any experience w/ Kioti or LS. While both may be great machines, I wasn't comfortable considering something that I couldn't get personal feedback on. Also, neither brand had a dealer within a comfortable distance. I checked w/ 2 Deere dealers and wasn't happy w/ the pricing. Spoke w/ and visited a Mahindra dealer, and 2 Kubota dealers. (Also spoke by phone w/ 2 other Kubota dealers) All 3 dealers I visited were within about an hour's drive, were very helpful, knowledgeable, and let me operate different machines. I spoke w/ several friends, and friends of friends regarding brands and models. One runs a landscaping / contracting business. He's owned several brands and multiple models of each, and dealt w/ various dealers. I even got to operate some of his equipment. As for seat time, I operated 2 Mahindra Max and 4 Kubota's Bs, all in the 23 -29 HP range. Specs on comparable machines were pretty much a wash, as both brands are quite capable. From a personal point of view, I preferred the way the Kubota felt. As stated elsewhere, it felt more refined, more ergonomic. Again, just a personal feeling. Based on the information I gathered, I narrowed my selection to a Kubota B2620 w/ the LA364 and BH65. Highly recommended, proven machine w/ well established dealers nearby. I requested and received quotes from 4 separate dealers. I made it clear, I didn't intend to nickel and dime anyone, I understand everyone needs to make a living. I'm getting multiple quotes, so please make your best offer. Based on the 15% below list advice I received here, I chose the dealer that came closest to that number. Over $1000 less than the next best offer. Not sure if it helped but the friend w/ the Landscape business buys all his equipment there. (Number was actually over $1000 lower than the price originally quoted for the Max24!) I picked my new tractor up last Saturday!:dance1: With the holidays and the rainy weather we've had I haven't had more than about ten minutes of seat time, but hope to change that soon!

Again, "Thank You!" to all who took the time to offer advice. I'm looking forward to many hours of hard work w/ my new tractor. Also looking forward to future posts on TBN in the owning operating, attachments, and customization forums to name a few. I've already got LED lights and rocker switches ordered, but that's for another thread!

 

[s219]

Awesome, congratulations. Make sure you post some pictures!