First Tractor- HELP ME!!!

[Don87]

i should have been more specific: i own 12 acres, of which approximately 5 is grass. have about 4 acres of field - which i will leave a field, and like 3 acres of a mash between barns/trees/pond/misc.

i dont think that i will be lifting 1000 lb rocks, or 1000 lbs OF rock... but hey ya never know!

just spoke with a Mahindra rep, and he quoted me the Max 25 with a Mower, loader, and 5 ft blade for 16k, which was higher than the quotes for a 1 series or a larger BX. now i REALLY am confused. i have not read much about the mahindra up until this point....

this is going to be a harder decision than i thought!

Mahindra used the SCUT classification just to confuse new buyers. The Max 25 is actually a CUT machine. it should be compared to the Kubota B2630, Massey 1526 and so forth.

But with that said, and I'm not sure the others noticed, but you are up to 9 acres of mowing now. I personally think you need a larger machine than you have been looking at. While a sub-compact will do it, I don't think it's a wise decision. You need something like in the Massey 1529 class, or a little larger maybe.

 

[jenkinsph]

From what I can gather from your posts so far most of what you are doing is mowing. If you have alot of obstacles, trees, buildings and confined areas you might be better off getting a good dedicated mower first.

A better discription of the property to be maintained would help us help you. Depending on your site conditions a scut may be the perfect fit but a zero turn and a good used older tractor might be better too. Twelve acres can shrink a tractor if you do much more than mow with it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think I read that you have some marshy area. You may want to get something with more ground clearance than the BX with its tiny tires and barely 6" of ground clearance. If you bog even a little you will be on the ground. If you want Kubota move up to the B series and you will get that much clearance under your belly mower, which I like but also hate. I like the fact that you can see what your are doing with it but I hate that it limits your ground clearance to about 8" when installed. It will also be harder when sharpening the blades compared to a rear finish mower especially if you have an FEL, just pick it up with the FEL from one side and remove them where with a belly mower you're going to have to take it off to get to them (I think)
I drove my daughters B 2920 and it handle really well with light tracking even in their sandy soil I could hardly tell where I had driven over the grass and then only because it was laid over slightly and it had R4 tires. It is a very nimble little tractor but still big enough to handle an FEL bucket full of sand well.

 

[woodlandfarms]

I will interject my 2c here. Buying is not about the tractor but about the service. You need to meet the service managers, look at the shop. These machines break, it is just what the do. Some more than others but I feel that all the major players offer the same level of quality in the end. Price points, comfort, extras, are what we look at, but in the end service and parts is what wevrely on the most.

Carl

 

[Coginchaug]

When you look at price, Massey is giving about a 4k discount on the 15xx series until the end of the month. I was just today quoted on the 1526 and 1529 and was impressed with the numbers in Litchfiled CT. We also had a **** of a deer run thru the parking lot at about 2:00 when we were testing the tractors. I have to say the ROPS on the 1526 sure looks strange. We liked the hydrolic layout on the 1526 FEL itself much better then the 1529, but the drivers area on the 1529 was superior.
Carl from Woodlawn makes a great point service is a factor not be neglected.

Coginchaug means "Long Swamp"

 

[Don87]

When you look at price, Massey is giving about a 4k discount on the 15xx series until the end of the month. I was just today quoted on the 1526 and 1529 and was impressed with the numbers in Litchfiled CT. We also had a **** of a deer run thru the parking lot at about 2:00 when we were testing the tractors. I have to say the ROPS on the 1526 sure looks strange. We liked the hydrolic layout on the 1526 FEL itself much better then the 1529, but the drivers area on the 1529 was superior.
Carl from Woodlawn makes a great point service is a factor not be neglected.

Coginchaug means "Long Swamp"

For your purposes, I would lean more towards the 1529, or similar sized machine with 4 wheel drive. And if they are offering a 4k discount............I would jump.

Good reviews on the 1529.:thumbsup:

 

[Gary Fowler]

I almost bought a 1652 cab with QPS transmission but in the end, I found the LS tractor P 7010C to have superior everything for the same money. I do like the QPS technology but it is only available with a cab tractor so it must be a bit sensitive to weather. In the end I opted for simple gear with manual hard linkages to shifting. Couldn't get away from the electronic PTO, 4 wheel drive engagement and diff. lock although I would have preferred simple levers to engage them all.

 

[Gary Fowler]

When I was looking at new tractors, I found that some of the models that folks here were raving about just didnt fit me at all.
A word of advice, read the forum advice but go sit on one. Check the seat adjustment-can it hold your weight and feel comfortable- B.I.L.'s NH has to be adjusted as tight as it will go to support 240 pounds and still bottoms out hard on bumps.
Check the controls like FELcontrols, 3PH lift even gear shifts to see if they are comfortable to use
Check the hydrostatic controls(most folks here get one) and see if you like the way it operates-realize that some getting used to position and operation may be needed, but if it is just awkward, look for another brand or model.

Finally test drive the actual tractor that you want to buy and make sure everything works. ONE poster here got a tractor that the PTO wouldnt work when he got it and the dealer has had it back 3 times and still not working. A good check prior to buying it would have noticed that and shifted to another unit. IF you are buying any equipment with it, hook it up to that equipment and if possible see how well it operates.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I will interject my 2c here. Buying is not about the tractor but about the service. You need to meet the service managers, look at the shop. These machines break, it is just what the do. Some more than others but I feel that all the major players offer the same level of quality in the end. Price points, comfort, extras, are what we look at, but in the end service and parts is what wevrely on the most.

Carl

I disagree with this totally. Parts can be had online cheaper than driving to a dealer for them in most cases. It is mostly about the tractor. Sure service is good to look at just in case you may need it, but I would hope that my tractor never goes back to the dealer. I do my own oil changes and minor maintenance so unless I have a major malfunction, I dont want to see the dealer again. Lots of folks here talk about service and friendly this and that, but lets face it. DO you really want a lot of friendly folks around while your tractor is constantly in the shop? I think everyone would prefer that they never have to go back to the shop. Sure there are a few folks that dont even change their oil but I am not one of those.
I like to have a friendly knowledgeable dealer to deal with, but the right tractor at the right price is more important to me

 

[nwngunner]

I disagree with this totally. Parts can be had online cheaper than driving to a dealer for them in most cases. It is mostly about the tractor. Sure service is good to look at just in case you may need it, but I would hope that my tractor never goes back to the dealer. I do my own oil changes and minor maintenance so unless I have a major malfunction, I dont want to see the dealer again. Lots of folks here talk about service and friendly this and that, but lets face it. DO you really want a lot of friendly folks around while your tractor is constantly in the shop? I think everyone would prefer that they never have to go back to the shop. Sure there are a few folks that dont even change their oil but I am not one of those.
I like to have a friendly knowledgeable dealer to deal with, but the right tractor at the right price is more important to me

Doing your own oil changes are one thing, doing real service is another. My local bobcat/white dealer "being i have an oliver tractor" is an *******. When you have an issue, if you call him he doesnt want to help you unless you bring the tractor in to him. I blew a pin on the skid steer and needed to find out what thread size the nut and parts were, he acted like he really didnt want to help me. After the money spent with them they still act that way. I am sorry that i am capable of putting in my own clutch and rebuilding the engine. That i dont need to give them 1,500 bucks to do a one day repair for me.

Just like the dealer i bought my first atv from, complete waste of time. Go in spend 12,000 dollars with them and the next time you come in your nothing. I drove 500+miles to get my next atv just because of the service i had gotten from them.

So in the end, its about buying service along with the tractor. Your going to have questions and need answers. Need to do business with some one who is willing to talk to you. To many times i walked in to places looking to buy a skid loader and never even got asked if they could help us.

You would think as "bad" as the economy is, the dealers would bend over backwards to help with w/e you need.