Help, your opinions and advice please..long

[Bellville]

I have been reading for months now, and find the wealth of information and experience here to be really helpfull. I have rented a tractor twice so far and am finally thinking seriously about buying. I found I got so much work done with the rental tractor that I keep thinking about renting more often and for longer time periods. As a point of reference the two tractors were a Kubota MX 5000 and a Kubota L3130.

I have 11 acres of gently (real gently) sloping land that is to be my future homestead. I will need to rough mow (about 4 of the acres), make and maintain a gravel driveway, grade the homesite and build fences. My budget for the tractor plus attachments is 16K.

I think I need a MFWD tractor with a FEL, 60" cutter, box blade and post hole digger.

Now for the hard part, before I was serious about buying I thought oh, I know what kind and size tractor I would buy, but now that it is for real, I am really confused. Is it too much to hope that I could buy the one tractor now that would be the one tractor I need? (I am close to 50), or do most folks buy one now, use it and then figure out what they really need a few years down the road.

I have read so many post here about people in a situation very similar to mine and it is so exciting to see them post about their new tractor (especially all the great pictures) /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif and how much they are enjoying it.

Anyway, on to my search..

I had to start somewhere, so last Saturday I went to my local John Deere dealer and told him what I wanted to do and he showed me a 790, MFWD, with 419 loader, LX5 cutter, 5' box blade and post hole digger, all well within my budget. I test drove the unit, had the wife try it too, nice tractor.

The next morning I got up and read the owners manual on the Deere web site (looked like it was easy to maintain) and researched the tractor here on TBN, (seems most owners complained of a problem with battery terminals), but overall most owners seem happy.

I had the following concerns after my research on this paticular tractor.

Is the tractor too light for what I want to do?
Is the lift capacity of the FEL and 3 point hitch to light?
Is the LX5 cutter tough enough for rough work?
Woud I regret not getting an HST?
What does the competition have to offer in a similar price range?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, I am going to go to the Kubota dealer this saturday and see what he shows me, after that on to the New Holland dealer the next weekend.

I have waited too long to jump on anything and would like to make a informed purchase, please feel free to offer any comments, recommendations or suggestions.

Thanks for your help!

-Jack

PS This is stressfull stuff

 

[mountain_man]

I have a 2000 JD790 with about 300 hours. The 790 is a basic geared tractor without the bells and whistles. Extremely reliable, only issue was a minor oil leak (needed new gasket) and battery corrosion problems (new sealed battery/new connectors & fresh paint). Easy to work on with excellent but costly parts availability. I think the tractor is a good value for the money. I'm sure the competitors have equally good units.

However if I were using it for lots of FEL work, an HST would be a better choice. Weight is not an issue for me, except if you were thinking of a future backhoe (JD model 7 is kinda wimpy). 3pt hitch handles everything I need. Can't comment on the LX5 but have a 5' Howse which easily handles my bush hogging needs.

 

[icat]

I know nothing about the JD you mentioned, but I am curious as to why you did not "start" at Kubota since that is the tractor you were renting?

Now, having said that, JD or NH or 'Bota are all fine tractors. I have an L3130 HST that I use on 18+ acres. Works great and easily pulls a 5 foot mower (Bush Hog SQ600). My end price was higher than your target though. From that perspective, I think most any tractor in the 30HP range (4WD) will work fine. As for HST, I love it and wouldn't consider anything else. But others feel it's not required - and to an extent they are correct. You CAN operate a tractor without HST. But why would you want too! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[chrisjbell]

Sounds like you're taking the correct route as far as the research you've done and the way you've tested the waters on tractor ownership by renting. Wish I'd done the same thing.

The tractors you rented are on the larger side of the Kubota CUT range. To buy one of those with the implements you describe will probably bust your budget. They are very nice tractors and I wish I'd gotten one in that size range.

Some people do get a "starter tractor", but I don't recommend that you take that route. Tractors are expensive and hold their value well so trading up is going to cost you. I'd suggest that you target a machine that will be all you ever wanted and then buy it - even if it turns out to be more expensive than you'd originally budgeted.

The smaller tractors are actually pretty serious workhorses, though. You can do just about everything with the little ones that a bigger one can - just takes longer. I do wish I'd bought larger but can't justify trading up at this point since my tractor is capable of doing all the work I need done (including backhoe work).

I am a strong proponent of HST. There are various geared alternatives that work as well, but they also add cost and I think you should either go geared or go HST. (This topic is a "holy war" and has been argued into the ground - this is just my thought, which I share since you asked /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

Another alternative that will certainly be brought up are the "grey market" tractors. Lots of folks have 'em and like them fine and are happy. I'll just say that based on my experience and seeing what others have dealt with that I'm happy that I bought one of the "big three" and would recommend that you go with one of the major manufacturers.

I suspect this thread will grow long and rapidly. You'll get lots of input, I'm sure /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif. But I do think you should buy a tractor - you'll need it, it is a good investment, and it will provide you with a lot of work and fun /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Welcome to TBN!

 

[pruntyc]

The last poster said the "grey market" tractors would be brought up, ok so I will bring them up.. I have a grey market, Yanmar, for the price and what you get for it, its all I would buy. But that is just me, and as for the big three, well to me the big three is big alright, big in price for what you get. There are some other good tractors that are not greys that I think are much better for the price. I agree greys are not for everyone, but these other ones like Kioti, Century, Branson, to name a few are on the level of any of the big three, and cost a lot less. You could get more for you budget and be able to have the size you think you want and still probably have some money left over.

 

[thcri]

Jack,

As far as brand of tractor I wouldn't worry too much about that. Go with a brand and most of all a dealer that you feel comfortable with.

As far as size of tractor I would first figure out what class you want, then try and go with the largest HP in that class. Get the tractor and the loader that you want and then worry about the implements at a later time. What I am saying is don't sacrifice the right tractor for implements that you could rent for a time.

Just my 2 cents worth.

murph

 

[frank_f15]

WELCOME ABOARD! ithink u would be happy with something in the 30 hp range for your needs. would highly recomend HST, u may not think it important now but as u get a tad older you will love the not shifting, also can't be beat for fel work.

 

[Bird]

Yep, Jack, it's stressfull stuff. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Of course you can buy a smaller tractor, but to get a new one in the size you're looking at and with all those attachments and stay within that budget, I think you'd have to forgo the HST and buy a geared tractor, or forgo the big 3 (Deere, Kubota, and New Holland) and look at the Chinese or Korean models. Now, like a lot of the other guys, I much prefer the HST and if I were shopping for a new tractor, that's probably all I'd consider. Of course if I were shopping used tractors and the price were right, then I'd consider going back to shifting gears. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I had 10 acres and bought a Kubota B7100, got a lot of work done with it in about 4 years, but it didn't have power steering, and was pretty light, so I traded up to a B2710, which was all I ever really needed. There is now a B7800 that's the same size as the B2710, but without all the bells and whistles that you could buy a little cheaper.

Kind of like picking a car or pickup, lots to choose from and the dealer may very well be more important to you in the long run than the brand of tractor you choose.

If you've used an L3130 and liked it, personally, I think that would be a good way to go.

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue">Is it too much to hope that I could buy the one tractor now that would be the one tractor I need? (I am close to 50), or do most folks buy one now, use it and then figure out what they really need a few years down the road.
</font>

We bought a large used tractor/loader to get the big jobs out of the way. We will sell it soon. We bought a NEW, much smaller tractor to last us a long time. Many people here have purchased tractors and later on decided they would like something bigger, smaller, newer, older, etc... That's the hard part... deciding just what tractor will suit your needs for the longest time. If you're not sure, you might want to look at the re-sale value of the tractor, in case you want to change tractors later. That was not a concern for us at this time. Our needs may change in 10-15 years.

As for the JD790, we looked at those, too, several years ago. They are a great value for the money and you should get great service from JD, as well as good re-sale value. Good luck in your search.

 

[Tonester]

Hi and welcome to a great source of information! everything you ever wanted to know, and a bunch of opinions too!

As I have said here before (ad nauseum /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif), don't let the brand get you all excited - look for the dealer that will treat you like a king for the life of your tractor!! Mine happened to be a nice Massey Ferguson that I am VERY pleased with, and a dealer I am EXTREMELY pleased with. I am a fan of the JD's (our last tractor was a 5510) but the dealer up here was not very nice to us....so I have a red tractor. Maybe not a "big three" but frankly it is a great tractor as are most of the new compacts. There should be a "big four" in my opinion, but that's another thread...

Get the biggest tractor you think you will ever need! The financing deals are so good that over the LONG life of a tractor even 20K is not alot if you break it down. 30-40 HP is pretty nice for average folks. Try to get the attachments you need up front as a package. And the HST is a huge plus for me, for almost all work, especially when using rear blades or snow blowers! Well worth the grand extra.

Good luck and ask lot's of questions! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif