Buying Advice Thinking about replacing JD 990, with what?

[Isaac1]

We have a John Deere 990 with 430 loader (2002 model I think) on the family cattle ranch (350 acres in west Louisiana), it is the smallest of 3 modern tractors (others are JD 6310, JD 7200). The little 990 gets a fair amount of use, particularly in the nicer weather months, lots of general use, hauling round bales of hay, either feeding or hauling in from the field after being bailed by one of the larger tractors, bush hogging, finish mowing, spreading with bucket or box blade, etc. Which gets us down to the point, with something over 1,000 hours on the meter there are a few things that will need attention soon, the tires don't have a lot of life left in them, the hydraulics are starting to leak down some while carrying heavy loads, loader bucket needs some TLC, it is even about time for a new battery, so a number of things that can add up.

So given the number of lightly used, recent model tractors that tend to show up on the used market in this size range at substantial discounts off new price (there are a LOT of hobby farms in east Texas and people that tend to buy too much tractor for their 10-20 acre plots), I am wondering if the smart move may be to sell off the 990 while it still has some value, and replace it with something newer and with fewer hours.

Overall the 990 is a good fit for our needs (particularly the lift height of the 430 loader), although as with everything there is room for improvemet, a power reverser or hydrostatic transmission would likely make hay hauling a lot easier, particularly when bailing and hauling it in from the fields. Better visibility for the FEL would also be nice, as would a joy stick FEL controller to make it fit the same style as the other tractors.

Now for the question, can you offer suggestions of models of tractors in the 40 HP ballpark to put on the short list as a potential replacement so I don't have to do a lot of research when a smoking good deal comes along. All major brands considered, while we like JD our town recently lost its JD dealership, and the nearest one is now 45 miles away, so we are less tied to JD than we once were.

thanks

 

[MESSMAKER]

If you are buying to move round bales, you will need a bit of weight. 30-40 hp models from LS,Kioti and Mahindra make some models that would work. You will find some differences in the loaders capacity. John Deere and Kubota models of same hp can be a bit lighter so you need to keep and eye on that. You would need to move up a model or two and that will be more $$. I don't remember the last person on this site that bought a new major player compact tractor and was not pretty darn satisfied. Would seer toward models with local dealer support.

 

[RPW]

Seeing as you got JD you might look at the 5000 series. The "e" series are cost effective, good weight, good lift ability and reasonable pricing. Also minimal electronics and simple to operate.

 

[RollingsFarms]

What dealers are closeby to you now? As for the models for John Deere that would be comparable to the 990 but offer the nicer transmissions, you
Might can find you a 4120, 4320, 4520 (the cut's not the 60's models). If you find a Kubota the models you might be interested in are L4240, MX5000 or mx5100. To be honest there really isn't much out there that compares with your 990. It really was a unique package for a tractor that was stone reliable and Deere sold lots of them and the 790's.

 

[arlen4720]

The 4005 is a rebadged 990, and they made them till a couple years ago. The 4105 is a little bigger, and I think you could get a hydro on it. The 4105 was simpler and cheaper than the 4x20's.

 

[Isaac1]

Thanks for all the replies so far, to answer the question about local dealers, there are several small dealers in the area, with very limited support resources, best one is probably the former JD dealer, which now primarily sells Kubotas, there is also a relatively new, but aparently growing Mahindra dealer that seems to have reasonable support (8-10 miles away). Plus numerous other major brands supported within a 50 mile raduis.

 

[sixdogs]

If you can handle a different color, try the Kubota MX5100. Price isn't a whole lot different, physical size about the same but weight distributed better and handles loads better. I have an MX, am familiar with the JD990 and have a JD790. The MX gives you the small tractor feel of the 990.

I would steer clear of the smaller 5000 series until they figure out some problems. First of all, they are physically bigger so not as nimble as the smaller tractors. As well, there have been some sporadic mechanical reports with the brakes that don't seem to be resolved yet. Search TBN.

 

[GManBart]

There are a lot of relatively new tractors that would fit the bill. Since you mentioned the 430 loader, consider that it lifts roughly 1,100lbs to almost 102", almost any 40hp CUT made in the past 5-10 years should have that much lifting ability. Most will be a little heavier than the 3,000lbs of the 990, which seems like a good thing for what you're doing.

Since you have a Kubota dealer close, you might keep your eye out for an L4600, MX4700 or MX5100. In the Kioti line a DK40SE, DK45SE, or DK50SE would all easily fit the bill. From LS you could look at an R4041 or 4047, but their FEL lift height is about 3" less than your 990 (although more than double the lift capacity at 2,500lbs). From Massey the 1600 series would be a good fit and are highly regarded....1643, 1648, 1652, 1655 or 1660.

 

[TJP89]

Lot of options out there, but I'll put in for my color tractor. Kioti made until very recently the DK series, Tier 4 requirements forced them to discontinue the line. The loader on the DK is very impressive, lifting over 2500#. It can have an HST tranny, and some other nice features, and is a very heavy, very capable tractor, a lot of people here have them. I would think that you would be able to find a DK45 or 40 HST with loader and a couple hundred hours for a reasonable price. Look around on the internet, as even if there is a dealer around you, he may not have a used DK.

There are other brands too, and they all have good options. I just gave you what I know about, but that's by no means the only good option.