Hey, wait a minute

[_RaT_]

John I have to laugh, in fact, I revisited my college economics brain cells and thought about it and got to thinking that maybe the demand out here is so high that they can get these prices. Is it your perception that were the ones with all the money out here? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I always thought it was the New Yorkers, /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Rat..

 

[19th_VA]

Yankees are yankees, whether they live in New York or California. They may not have all the money, but they certainly act like they do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Used to own a restaurant. Lots of retired northerners down here (most of them nice folks). But I have to admit, more than once I thought to myself, after hearing the following litany (up where I used to live, you could get blah, blah, blah). If everything in New ____ (fill in the blank) was so darn good, why did you move down here? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They could be coming in through the gulf, via the panama canal, given that the distribution center is in Georgia. I wonder if this would be cheaper, or if it would be cheaper to ship by rail across country. Would think rail would add to the cost. Any shipping experts out there? )</font>

Your post reminded me of what it is like to drive east from Southern California. You see an endless parade of trains loaded with containers, mostly double stacked, heading east. I wonder how many of them contain tractors. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

SnowRidge

 

[_RaT_]

Jonathan, I don't know where you can get any of the "Big 3" for $17,000 with the extras Century has except that, HERE, I'm not getting a Century for that either. If the dealer from Oregon is willing to knock about $3500 off I could, but he would have to throw in a set of 17.5-24 R4's and 16.5 R4's, about a $500 option. I don't think he's going to do it. If you could tell me where I can get a Century with HST, that would be the real trick. Kubotas grille guard actually is standard with the loader, draft control is optional and a never used on my International, just don't utilize it. If I was considering another shuttle shift transmission, I would consider Century. I know nothing about them, their engines, transmission, front axle and steering, etc, all those things that are quite important for me.
The weight issue you mention is one I would issue a word of caution about. Manufactuers have no standard when it comes to tractors, tractor weights are even more evidence of this. Dry weight or wet, tires or no tires, many things that are often a source of confusion since the tractor is not shipped very often with tires. If 500lbs more weight was all it took to match or exceed the competition difference, one could so very easily add it. I take the manufactuers weight with a grain of salt. I understand the importance of weight, but simply having more is not necessarly all that is needed. My International weighs 6500lbs, R1's ballasted, 179 cu in diesel, 2WD and yet has no more obvious pulling ability then my L3830 HST as demonstrated by pulling my boxscraper with the rippers down, and thats with the Kubota in 2WD and with R4's unbalasted! Go figure, about 2500bs in weight advantage yet no obvious pulling ability advantage. Throw the Kubota in 4WD and there is no comparison. Granted the International would be the better choice for pulling something all day long that required lots of pull because of it's bigger size, engine and transmission, but a blanket statement that weight translates into more productivity is in my opinion, simply wrong. Rat...

Water ballast is free and a quick way to add over 1000lbs, out here we don't even need antifreeze. I choose not to have it because my traction now is so good, I would rather keep the extra weight off for mowing purposes.

 

[DavesTractor]

How can we have such great prices? We try to sell a lot of units in a short period of time. We are a small business with low overhead (if that is possible in California) and try to sell a tractor per business day. We are a little short of that, but not by much, so turning over the inventory quickly is the key.

There was an entire thread recently about the economics of high volume/low margin, etc, and we don't want to go there with this thread. Every business owner needs to decide that sort of thing and go with what works best for them.

 

[19th_VA]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If you could tell me where I can get a Century with HST, that would be the real trick.)</font> Nope, can't do it. But let's give it a few years. If you want hst (I didn't and wouldn't, even if it was an option), then Century/Branson is not your line. Of course, getting hst definitely adds to the price, which is where this whole thread began.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( a blanket statement that weight translates into more productivity is in my opinion, simply wrong. )</font>
Interesting...all things being equal, I believe it's a matter of physics that a heavier unit will have better traction--thus more productivity--for pulling and pushing. I was certainly not saying the extra weight was a decisive factor, but it sure makes one more attractive than the other, especially for my hilly land. Obviously for other situations, more weight might be a negative. There may not be any clear standards, but that's the case for nearly everything--including raw hp, pto hp. It's in the manufacturers interest to make the specs come out to their advantage. I would suspect the kubota folks know this as well as the Century/Branson folks.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I know nothing about them, their engines, transmission, front axle and steering, etc, all those things that are quite important for me. )</font> Glad you asked! Kukje makes their own engines and transmissions. They have cut a deal to make engines for Cummins and they currently make a whole line of tractors for John Deere. These are pretty good endorsements, I think. Anyone out there driving a Century/Branson have any problems with any of these components?

Why are you worrying about it, anyway--you already have a tractor? A darn nice one at that! If you can afford two, I guess you can afford to pay the extra loot for the kubota /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Isn't Dave's tractor somewhere in your general vicinity?

 

[_RaT_]

"Why are you worrying about it, anyway--you already have a tractor? A darn nice one at that! If you can afford two, I guess you can afford to pay the extra loot for the kubota Isn't Dave's tractor somewhere in your general vicinity?"

Certainly not worrying about it, I just thought that if the figures are used to select one over the other, they should be accurate, you know, for folks who come here and want to learn a little, add a little, if we didn't we could just have a "what were doing with our tractors" thread.

Kubota at last we learned, does not include the weight of tires and measures theirs dry. Also known as shipping weight. Rat...

 

[_RaT_]

So Dave, what might one expect to buy a Century 3035, standard transmission /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif with a C50 loader for here in CA.? Don't add tax, that will just confuse things. Thanks, Rat...

P.S. do you still have that burned up loader for the International?

 

[19th_VA]

"I just thought that if the figures are used to select one over the other, they should be accurate."

Can't speak for any other than myself. The figures I have quoted are accurate, I can assure you. There--wasn't that easy?

Come on, Dave--I'm countin' on you! By the way, so far as I know, Dave doesn't sell century--only Branson /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[_RaT_]

I don't question the figures you have, certainly not, I was hoping to present or shed a little light on a subject here that might help folks get just as little better understanding that those price savings may not work out for them. I simply cannot achieve that which you can, that is, the same price savings. I know nothing of the build quality but am fairly confident that it is good, the Korean products have been very good and getting better over the years. Perhaps the lack of HST is one reason we don't see many Century dealers. Here in my area, dealers for NH, JD and Kubota say it is accounts for 75% of all sales. I was skeptical about HST at first too, but wow, not anymore. I would like to see one available for Century. Rat...