top 5 things when comparing

[airbiscuit]

I'm new myself so I am glad you posted this. I have been asking myself the same questions and have come up with this short list for myself;

1. Tractor weight- As I understand it you can have a lot of HP but if you have too little weight you can't utilize it. In addition stability is important to me. Preferably the tractor is longer, wider, shorter and has better ground clearance. Clearly I will have to make some concessions here.
2. Dealer/Company support - Prefer a great local dealer but in the absence of that I want a company that stands behind their product. Parts must be available.
3. Adequate PTO power to run a 6' BH or 7' finish mower.
4. Comfortable - I underestimated this initially. This is hard to figure until you try a bunch of different models. I thought I really liked one then tried another and found I fit in it better. The steering wheel, legroom, entry/exit were just more comfortable. I'm still investigating this but have learned a lot trying different models. One of them was very nice but very loud and a rough ride.
5. Price - It doesn't have to be the cheapest so I guess instead of price I should say "Value". From what I have experienced I think some brands are resting on their backsides due to their great reputation while others are providing better value, better price and really want to earn your business.

I pretty much track this list:

1. Tractor Frame Size/Weight- The weight traslates to traction and stability. Also nice to have more clearance.
2. Build Quality/Good Design/Niceties (extendable links, 3pt stabilizers, foldable ROPS. rear remotes, etc.)
3. Better than competitors loader specs - Lift, breakout force, lift height, etc.
4. Ergonomics - how does it fit and feel to operate. service?
5. Dealer Engagement how competent are they, and how will they treat you before, during and after the sale.
6. Price/Warranty/Financing - How does this work for you (my dream tractor is always $5k more than I want to spend)

The specs are a lot to keep in your head, so I put together a spreadsheet to list the specs. Here is one I did just for fun.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I didn’t decide to buy a tractor until a year after I bought my house and was set up for cattle so I decided feeding by hand with square bales sucked so I wanted to get set up for round bales.

My list was:

1. Loader capacity (round bales weigh up to 2k lbs, most are under 1400lbs). I look at “Lift to Full Height 500mm from pins”

2. Price or (Value)

That’s all I looked for.

Considerations were HP. (May custom bush hog, maybe get into bailing hay etc)

Now that I have owned a tractor for awhile the things I value most are:

1. Loader capacity.
2. Tractor weight (about pooped myself a few times fooling with heavy round bales, almost upset the tractor)
3. Comfort (Cab with heat and air, ergonomics of controls)
4. Low maintenance (no Tier 4 emissions)
5. Lots of attachments (I have a bucket, pallet forks, rear blade and just ordered a new XTreme 78in Everything Attachments Box Blade) with the pallet fork back plate I’m going to weld a bracket for a bale spear and receiver for a removable snow plow mount. So pallet fork/ bale spear/ Snow plow, keeps storage at a min. Next will be buying a piranha tooth bar for the bucket.

I’m very happy with my 4320, controls are really comfortable, heat during the winter is freaking awesome while moving snow, weight is good but not nearly heavy enough at 5300lbs for loader work, HST is fantastic. Wish I had turf tires though, I don’t care for R4s. I would order new with turfs.

 

[chim]

I agree that HP is the first concern, and my list would be:

1. Horsepower - plenty for the tasks to be done, but not overkill. It's nice to have muscle in reserve. On small tractors I'd toss another 4 or 5 horses on top of my anticipated needs.

2. Reputation / Dealer Support - based on real experiences. For example, we have a tractor at work (Montana) that had problems that required taking it to the dealer. In our area that brand is one that was handled by small (and very few) dealers. That meant more than an hour each way. Parts availability has been an issue. The loader requires a team effort to remove. It was manufactured by LS and I didn't consider LS when I shopped for my last tractor because of these experiences. By "Dealer Support" I don't mean that you need to have a Messicks ten minutes away. While that's great, our Montana problem was that some parts are stocked on the other side of the world and come on slow moving container ships.

3. User-friendliness - Controls where they're handy, especially those that need frequent attention. A 4WD lever that you can't reach after a big breakfast would be an example. A loader that is easy on and off is a must for me. I never wanted an SSQA bucket, and my preference is to have the loader and frame in the shed unless I'm using it.

HST is a must for me.

I had to chuckle at the rocker pedal comments. When I looked at Kubota while shopping for the first new tractor in 2002, I thought the Kubota pedal was a huge mistake, even though I had been using a rocker pedal on my little Ford for 10 years at that time. The shape of the Kubota pedal made me want to keep my whole foot on it. Having elective surgery to modify my leg so my foot would fit on the pedal didn't appeal to me. When I realized that it worked great by pressing the front end with a toe, then sliding my foot to the rear a bit and using my heel, it became natural.

4. Comfort - I sat on a few that met most of the other needs, but I had trouble getting sufficient legroom, or with the seat back far enough for my legs, the steering wheel seemed far away. Maybe a higher end unit with telescopic steering wheel would work. After graduating from a store-branded MTD riding mower back in '89 I've had a few open station tractors. Not being a big fan of getting snow down my collar or clearing the snow when the temperature went up just enough to change it over to rain, I built a cab 5 years ago. That was a huge improvement. It has a good heater but no A/C. With the doors lifted off and the "bus driver" fan, it is a little more comfy that being in the sun in July. If I ever replace this tractor I'll be looking for a cab with full HVAC.

5. Tires - I've used Turf, R1 and R4 tires since we moved here in '89. The last two tractors have had R4's and they've worked well. We have 3-1/4 acres and it's mostly grass. There's a creek in the front yard that comes out of the banks a few times each year. When that happens the ground gets soft and there's a new 1" layer of someone else's topsoil deposited that is sort of like brown yogurt. With the R4's I don't have to wait very long to mow following the flood. Turfs would probably be OK, but the R1's really make an impression. The one thing that kept me from going with turfs was that I run the tractor on the road, and am more confident in the R4's for loader work.

I think the ideal tractor for me would be a cabbed HST with heat and A/C in the 40HP range with a loader. A front-mounted snowblower would be fun. Lots of lighting is good. Several years ago my schedule and the weather prevented daytime mowing till I was well into the mowing season.

The pollution junk on newer tractors would be a concern for me. That's the main reason I bought my last tractor in 2002. I have bought things that were new and different in the past with mixed results and didn't want to be an unwitting beta tester for a manufacturer. Some owners have no problems with DPF, DEF, Regens etc. and others do. I recall reading that at least one owner ended up with a new tractor due to problems the manufacturer couldn't resolve.

HOWEVER, I could still get by with the Ford 1210 I bought back around 1992. The little 16HP beast equipped with a 5' RFM and rear scraper blade can do the job. I dug tranches with a subsoiler and made a swale with a 3-point scoop. It is still a fun machine but just takes a lot longer to do things.

 

[Rock Crawler]

1) Hydraulic power. For me it was loader/backhoe and to a lesser degree....3 point hydraulic power. That is where the work gets done for my type of use. I do not plan to use the PTO other than finish mowing weekly, not much PTO HP required to run a 72" finish mower on manicured lawn.

2) As much power as possible but yet under emissions requirements, so under 26HP.

3) Dealer location/distance and do they have a legit repair shop and stock a significant amount of parts.

5) Physical size/weight attributes. I needed as wide as possible for my hills to the point of special ordering a non conventional built B2650 that is 60.5" wide with spacers and B3350SU oversized R4 tires. I wanted weight to be somewhat low, I could have went to an L2501 that would be almost identical dimensions and hydraulic performance, but it gains over 800 lbs and I do not want that weight on my lawn. The same weight issue existed on the Kioti CK2610.

I think that a top 5 list is dependent on an individuals planned use and expectations. Every one of us could have a reason to modify that list based on what the plan going forward is.

 

[TheMadOne]

I wasn't nearly as thorough as some people here. I had basically no option but Kubota, due to my not trusting new dealers and having a bad experience with the closest JD dealer. I bought the most tractor I could.

Now that I have a tractor, and a standard to go against, the top five things I look for are:

1. Weight-weight is work done.

2. PTO horsepower-I look both for gross numbers and to see how efficient a given model is. If you're loosing 50%(an exaggeration) of your gross engine power before it gets to the PTO then the engineering that went into the machine isn't what I want.

3. Ergonomics-I'm a big guy, and why a multi-ton tractor needs a seat made for a 5ft tall rail thin t-rex is beyond me.

4. Three point features-Not so much gross lift, though that counts as well, but things like extendible links, telescopic stabilizers, fender buttons, etc. Those things elevate a tractor from a tool to an implement, if that makes any sense.

5. Loader-Lift height, breakout force, and weight limits are all good data.

Mind you, I'm probably 3-4 years away from my next purchase, but I like to keep my ear to the ground and see what each manufacturer is coming out with.

 

[airbiscuit]

I wasn't nearly as thorough as some people here. I had basically no option but Kubota, due to my not trusting new dealers and having a bad experience with the closest JD dealer. I bought the most tractor I could.

Now that I have a tractor, and a standard to go against, the top five things I look for are:

1. Weight-weight is work done.

2. PTO horsepower-I look both for gross numbers and to see how efficient a given model is. If you're loosing 50%(an exaggeration) of your gross engine power before it gets to the PTO then the engineering that went into the machine isn't what I want.

3. Ergonomics-I'm a big guy, and why a multi-ton tractor needs a seat made for a 5ft tall rail thin t-rex is beyond me.

4. Three point features-Not so much gross lift, though that counts as well, but things like extendible links, telescopic stabilizers, fender buttons, etc. Those things elevate a tractor from a tool to an implement, if that makes any sense.

5. Loader-Lift height, breakout force, and weight limits are all good data.

Mind you, I'm probably 3-4 years away from my next purchase, but I like to keep my ear to the ground and see what each manufacturer is coming out with.

That's a good list.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Two years ago I went through the same process. I had a really nice 28 HP tractor with low hours and a good FEL that didn't have ssqa as an option. My list was.
1. FEL lift capacity with ssqa
2. Weight/Size
3. Value
4. Dealer support
5. Comfort
I didn't need HST but got a synchronized shuttle shift 5K pound tractor with a FEL capacity north of 3500# at the pins 10 feet high. I thought that the Workmaster checked all the marks. So far I have been very happy with my choice, no warranty issues, and the performance has been exemplary. For the price I paid believe it is a good value.

 

[BHD]

consider the long term, parts and reputation of the unit, reliability of the unit,
my main two tractors are a 1970 and 1971 tractors, almost 50 years old, both with over 10,000 hours,

the dealers have come and gone many times, so I would look at company longevity, if there is money in it there will be dealers, (yes parts most likely will appear over priced, but getting parts is better than no parts, and having to junk a perfectly good unit for some thing simple, or having the unit so devalued that is not worth much more than scrap,

unless your made out of money, and can trade and keep in a warranty, the things above will be like gold,

I would look in to the more popular models, more reason to keep parts made,

believe me some time you will want parts, (knew a guy who had to scrap a combine because they could not get a water pump for it), THey said they tried every thing including calling over seas, to dealers,

comfort and ease of use, weight and power, there are 35 hp tractors, that are so light that are not much more than a garden tractor, do to light weight, and can not pull any ting, so one needs a goo ration of power and weight,

if mowing is the plan enough PTO hp to have a mower wider than the tractor, having to have a mower less than the wheel width, is a PIA,

is it such it will deal with a back hoe, (sub frame units are best), loader here is a tricky part enough loader to do the job, but no so much you kill the tractor using it,

(at least in the past) most AG loaders are not dirt rated, there manure rated, in other words there light duty loaders not meant to deal with stress of hard compacted dirts or the weight of solid soils, but for loose lighter non compacted materials,

Cab or no cab, 4 wheel or 2 wheel, (smaller tractors will benefit much with 4 wheel, especially for loader work),
My 1970 jD 4020, 100 hp farm tractor, with a round or square bale on the front of it, in snow there is enough weight off the rear end that even a few inches can make it difficult to get tractions, (wo wheel drive) but is still a 10,000 pound tractor, at one time we had the loader on a old MM U could not go in much snow with a bale on it 6,000 pound tractor,

have considered on of those two wheel trailer with a bale fork on it so I could use the pickup or even tow it with the tractor, (have a three point fork for the tractors as well for the bales if there not stacked there good,

a lot is one need to figure out how one is going to use it, to carry a chain sow out to the back forty to cut a bucket of wood or to do real tractor with work,. tillage, mowing loader work, haying, snow removal,

and the cost of the tractor is only the beginning, as there are implements, one will want to make the tractor useful,

and how much time will one be using it,

and when it is said and done, there will be times one will wish he had smaller units and then lager units for different things,


I know that is not five things, to look for, but I think there things one needs to consider,

 

[Grandad4]

Recommendation to those with a fascination for published specifications: Be a skeptic. Tractor manufacturers are not dumb. They know many buyers use published numbers to benchmark different brands and they'll spend a lot of time being creative in ways to make their tractor's numbers look really good. There are, for example, many ways to make loader specs look good, not all of which relate to true working capacity. Similarly, how is tractor weight determined? Dry weight, operating weight, with/without tires (and which tires)? Just a couple of examples. In the end, a tractor that gives me confidence it will do my work well and reliably counts for a lot. That's more of a hands-on judgement than something a spec sheet tells you. One old guy's opinion. :thumbsup:

 

[AxleHub]

I am new to tractors and am looking at buying a 35hp unit. I have been looking at 4 in this range but think I have narrowed it down to two. The JD 2038R and the Kioti ck3510se. Kubota is no go due to the rocker pedal and I might reconsider the LS but just the one dealer small shop and he is in his 70s (so I worry about him retiring and shutting down)

But to make sure I am comparing the most important things. Please list the top five things to compare between them. Obviously after HP as they are all close enough.
(will be getting unit with FEL) Thanks Dan

Greetings Dan,

I guess I don't get it - there are so many different types of farming in WI as well as land layouts - yet you have decided on a 35 hp unit as a new farm owner. Is this a ranching farm or a cropping farm? Is this a hobby farm or a "I gotta feed my family from my farming decisions" ?

My point is - maybe you have more knowledge or experience or assistance from a farmer you are going to be operating like, but you aren't posting any of that information - and anyone giving you an opinion on TBN with the little info you provided - is merely guessing at this point imo. That doesn't mean these posters aren't trying to give you good answers - it means you aren't giving them anything realistically to base opinions on.

You are 76 miles from Sauk City - and that is the home of Mc Farlane's which sells a great selection of Kubota and Massey products (all inside displayed). There is also a JD dealer there I believe.

My point is quite specific:

1. Go to Mc Farlane's and describe to them your land size, contours, and soil type - and what you intend to grow or raise. Don't tell them what size you want - ask them what size you need - and get their opinion.

2. Set yourself into the seats of what they recommend - and then tell them what you do or don't like. And yes they demo too. Get prices.

3. Go to the JD dealer in town and ask them the same thing. They are used to Mc Farlane's level of capability and quality - so they don't take anything for granted.

4. My point is that rookies ask for answers without providing proper questions. And what you are getting is good answers to "no questions" - and as a result - people are "guessing your needs" for you. Highly experienced dealers in heavy farming country - can get you to a grouping of product choices based on your farm's specifics.

5. After you've been to dealers as I've mentioned - then you are ready to ask real questions and understand the quality of answers TBN may offer you.

76 miles is a little over an hour to see likely the largest dealer location you've ever seen and they are nestled in a small town so they are small town friendly. You certainly aren't required to buy from either of them - but you'll see 3 of the top brands available for quality and warranty from 2 dealers - and you will get very competitive pricing with great Farm expertise and a history since 1916 with 1 of those dealers. JMHO.

P.S. - you mention you'll be getting the tractor and the FEL - what implements will your farm need to make things happen ? How soon will you need this tractor and how soon will you need some or all of the implements? What can you afford or finance? You get the idea