Help! Deere, Kubota, New Holland, or Mahindra??

[Egon]

Doc:

""In three hours I was baling hay again. We had severe storms coming in and they saved me about $15,000 in hay that would have been ruined.""

Doc, these are situations very few of us see as most of our tractors are not used for primary income. It is difficult to visualize the importance of service and reliabilty of equipment operating in this this type of situation. The windows of working oportunity are short yet must be met to produce a viable crop/income.

A lawn may remain uncut for weeks while the lawn mower is under repair but no real damage is done. I have a friend who has two 1/4 million dollar combines. They may see just a little over two weeks of operation per year. Any loss of operating time during those two weeks would create an impact on the years income.

Not all peoples view points are formed from the same base requirements thus changing the factors influencing the choice of their tractor.

Those turtle ponds are impressive and best left for the large earthmoving equipment.

Egon

 

[Woodbeef]

Are you saying Deeres need rebuilds before only 10,000 hours of use?

Any quality tractor should go over 10,000 hours before needing a rebuild with only routine maintenence and care.

 

[Woodbeef]

Hmmmm.....turtle farmer,eh......interesting.......just hope they ain't snappers!!

Do yourself a big favor,check out all of the brands available. They are all good these days no matter who makes them. AGCO,CNH,Kubota,and Deere are the big brands true,but Zetor-Century,Mahindra,Kioti,Long,Branson are all up there with the the others. You might find one of the lesser known brands you like better. As for parts all companies have quick parts,but also all have parts that get caught on back order. Don't buy into the BS that only one major brand supports you and the others leave you hanging........

 

[To20Chris]

How do we get from "I'm not saying that it won't turn out to be - a reliable performer" to "they're cheep"? Just because you personally have no experiece with them does not mean they are no good.

I'm glad they supported as they did - and they should. I'm seeing a good dealer supporting a valuable customer. Your dealer stocks the part, and was willing to go out and do the job at your place - that's the dealer. I'm well aware that JD has an exellent reputation for service and support. Do you really think a guy who buys one $20K CUT is going to routinely get that level of service, in any location, just because it is JD? Unlikely. The level of support one gets with any brand will vary from dealer to dealer, and depend on how much money the customer spends. Basicly, you are farming and you have a bunch of tractors from one brand, likely from the same dealer in a agricultural area. That gives you leverage and support that most of us will never see, so your experiences may not translate very well to the average CUT buyer. Beyond that, the level of service and support provided by the marketing/sales/distribution organization (JD) is not directly related to the quality of the design and manufacture provided by the people who make it, other than that JD should have a lot of leverage.

It is true that I would not buy just any tractor, without regard for the brand and how they are set up. Some of the Chinese tractors are set up such that the factory has no obligation to support what they make, and the sales orgainizations are not big enough to give me confidence. Painting Kioti with that same brush is absurd. Mahindra is selling tractors from various manufacturers, just like most of the big US brand names, and I don't know what the parts availability is, as I did not research them much.

As many have said, dealer support should be a serious consideration in buying a tractor. Features, value, and quality of design and manufacture are important too. Cost is also an important consideration, and everyone must strike their own balance in that regard.

 

[DK35vince]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do yourself a big favor,check out all of the brands available. They are all good these days no matter who makes them. AGCO,CNH,Kubota,and Deere are the big brands true,but Zetor-Century,Mahindra,Kioti,Long,Branson are all up there with the the others. You might find one of the lesser known brands you like better. As for parts all companies have quick parts,but also all have parts that get caught on back order. Don't buy into the BS that only one major brand supports you and the others leave you hanging........ )</font>

I'm with woodbeef !

 

[sassafraspete]

I think all posters here have had valid points. There is a big difference between running the big rigs for your livelyhood, and being a weekend warrior, and using a small tractor to maintain a few acres.

My observation around here is that the Farmers are using a lot of JDs...and I have an interesting story to tell about a farmer friend. He was harvesting and broke something on his JD combine....this was on a Sunday evening. His dealership was closed....but he went there with his toolbox, went out on the lot and removed a part he needed from another combine, then got his rig running again. On Monday morning , he calls the guy to tell him what he had done. That's the kind of relationship you might have if you spend the big money. Now me, I would have been picked up for stealing.

sassafraspete

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I was baling thursday and broke an axle on the tractor. )</font>

Not to be a smart alec, but I gotta ask. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif How in the world did you manage to break an axle? I always thought breaking axles was driver error. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif I broke one in a '46 Chevy once, and I sure know what I did wrong to do it. And I remember when my Dad took a job as a "swamper" on a truck in the oilfields and when the driver broke an axle, he was fired on the spot and Dad was promoted to driver. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[tough451]

Look at the Ag utility tractors they are a little bigger than the cuts in the long run the extra weight and hp may pay off. I have been given the task of finding a rite of way mower (tractor ) for the town I work for. Deere,Massey,Case can all put us on a 4wd for around 20,000. The fel will add about 4500. I do think you should look at a 45 pto tractor at the least brand doesnt really matter just find a dealer you like. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The true test will be the test of time.

20- or 30 years from now with thousands of hours.

Can you get a part?

Will they still be in business?

I talked to a fellow 3 weeks ago that restores old JD's for a hobby. He said Deere still sells some parts for stuff made in the 1930's.

 

[CMunger]

Cummins has been buying engines from Kukje, and selling them as there "A" series engines for almost 2 years now. The new, Zetor/Century tractors being introduced have this new "Tier 2" engine. The engine was developed by a joint relationship with Cummins and Kukje engineers. These are the only Compact Utility Tractors to have wet replacable sleeves.
Chuck M.