Should I buy a MF 1250

[JohnRager]

I am about to buy my first tractor and will be buying one in 3 or 4 weeks.
One of my selections is the MF 1250 with the shuttle shift.
Is this a good tractor?
Is New Holland better?
What is a fair price for this tractor? (my dealer wanted $17,600 for the tractor with loader)

 

[Gunfighter]

The MF 1250 appears to be a competent heavy duty compact tractor. Massy also offers the MF1233, they call it the value tractor. {no frills) It's near the same hp but a lighter tractor with 9 sp trans, available in 4WD. The 1233 is about 30% less then the MF 1250 with similar equipment..

I have a John Deere 790, 30hp eng., 25hp PTO, that is Deere's advantage tractor (no frills) but has all the necessities, 8 sp gear, 4WD, power steering, live PTO, position control rear hydraulics. It sells in the same price range as MF 1233... (with loader $13 to $14.5 K's)

I'm presently considering buying a MF 1205 for mowing around the house an other light duties but I'm not impressed with the dealer nor the company. They seem to have trouble resolving small problems, John Deere & Kubota are starting to look allot better everyday...

 

[JohnRager]

Thanks for the good information. I like the MF1250 but I also have a New Holland dealer offering me a TC29D for $1,000 less. I get a Hydrostatic drive vs the 1250 shuttle shift. The NH has the live PTO vs the MF idependant PTO. The MF is a bigger tractor.
It is a big decesion for me. It sounds like New Holland is a prefered brand.

 

[Gunfighter]

If your going to do allot of loader work or other stop/go forward/reverse then HST drive would be the way to go. Now if your planning to pull heavy loads (like plowing) requiring long steady hard pulls, the HST do have a tendency to get hot. Believe this has been corrected with newer tractor but some of the early ones did sometimes cook the oil....

 

[Jubjub]

John, about 2 months ago, I priced and studied the MF 1250. I ended up buying a used 1125 MF, since I could not justify the great expense for a 'first' tractor. Please be aware that is just my opinion based on my needs, wants, and reasoning The 1250 appears to be a very good tractor, but compared to the other brands, it was the most expensive. I obtained a quote of $16,700 for a 1250 with loader. A comparably equipped Kubota or New Holland would have been roughly $2000 cheaper. Basically, you can get a Kubota/New Holland WITH Hydro for the same price as the Massey 1250 with shuttle shift tranny. I priced the New Holland TC33D (hydro) with loader for $16,500, Kubota L3010HST for around $16,900, and John Deere 10 series for really big bucks.

I don't think you can go wrong with a Massey, but I don't feel it is the best of the kaboodle. The dealer told me you can get parts for Massey's 30 years after they are built. Sure, that might be true for the older machines, but not today's machines. That might be the case for all the brands. I don't honestly know.

Lastly, I think your decision should be affected by the quality of the dealer. I cannot count how many times I've called dealers, left messages, and never receive a return phone call. I realize this is probably a busy time of the year, but it still bothers me.

My advice is study all you can, and interview your dealers well. That will enable you to have the best chance for success.

Good luck in your search,
Mike

 

[JohnRager]

Jubjub,
Great advise. Thank you for responding. I have noticed that many people on this site talk allot about the dealer and how that played a big role in their purchase. I must tell you that the New Holland dealer that I met was great. He actually new old family members of mine and was the owner of the dealership.
I had a bad feeling about the Massy dealer. The only time I got good service is when the owner of the dealership personally showed me some of the tractors. When he was not there I would walk in the showroom with 6 employees talking in the back. Not one of them would ask me if I needed help.

I think I am answering my own question here.

I was offered $16,500 for the New Holland TC29D. If I could get the TC33D for that price I am sold.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

John,

You owe it to yourself to look at the Mahindra 3510. The 3510 comes complete with 12-speed shuttle, tilt steering, foldable rops, rear work light, bigger and nicer work station than 1250, all around nicer quality than the Massey and at a better price.

There is a dealer in VA carrying both brands and also the Kioti and Century tractors. Both the Massey and Mahindra USA web sites will direct you to the dealer in Stuarts Draft, VA who would probably have both for side by side comparison and drive.

Good luck on your search.