Buying Advice Your Tractor selection Process

[llhjunk]

Purchase based on dealer and NOT tractor color. In my case the best dealer experience happened to sell blue equipment!

 

[Piston]

Thanks everyone. I do appreciate the input. I'll keep learning and seraching and looking for the best dealer. That too, I'm beginning to believe is probably the most important factor. That seams to be a very consistant theme from most folks. I'm still thinking the Mahindra Max28 or 3016 are great tractors and will be evertything and most likely more that I need.

Agian,
Thanks much!
69runner

I am certainly one of the few on this forum who don't really care about the dealer selection process. I don't think they are nearly as important as everyone says. However, that is probably because I bought used with no warranty and also do my own work/maintenance. A main factor is whether you use your tractor for a living or not, I don't, so if it breaks and I need to order parts online and wait a few days, it's no big deal. This has yet to happen though. If your going with a new purchase I think the dealer is important, but not as important as what you want. Of course you need a dealer who will fix your tractor and honor the warrenty, but if you find yourself at the dealer every other week, then you probably want to go with another tractor.

My selection process was pretty simple for my first tractor (and current). Prior to my Kubota L4610 I used my fathers Case 275 and some old tractor that I don't even remember what it was. I knew I wanted hydro and I started looking around for used Kubota's and John Deeres. Mostly because I didn't know much about other manufacturers and was ready to purchase. I found a good deal on my tractor with low hours and went for it.

My current process is much different though, now I'm looking to buy a tractor in the next 2 yrs or so as an upgrade to my current tractor. I bought this tractor full well knowing that it would not be my last, but more of a stepping stone. If I can afford it, I would like my next one to be around for many many years, and I'd like to get exactly what I want.
I started listing all the implements I wanted to use on the tractor, as well as what they're weight and power requirement would be. I then thought of all the options I would like to have, and narrowed it down from there. I'm still narrowing. :laughing:
I currently have a running list on my notes app on my iphone and everytime I think of something else, I add it to my "tractor preferences" list. This includes any other attachments I may want in the future. No tractor will do it all, but I'm trying to narrow it down to the one that I would most prefer that would do 95% of what I would like to do.

I think it's important to decide what implements you want to use as well as what size, and what quality (as in light, medium, or heavy duty) and choose your tractor based on the best "fit" to those implements.

I bought my tractor without thinking much about what implements I would use on it, aside from the front end loader (FEL), this was a mistake, because I should have bought bigger, however it does most of what I need/want it for.

I'll probably catch **** for this, but honestly I don't see why many hobby tractor users think it's so vitally important to put the dealer first, unless like I said, if your going to buy brand spanking new. If your not mechanically inclined, or just prefer new, this is a good way to go. :thumbsup: (for the record, I would prefer to go new, but my price range would have only bought me a bx model kubota)
For my next purchase, I'm considering many more models and it most likely will not be a Kubota.

If this is your first tractor, I'd encourage you to go used with low hours. There is a good chance you will want to trade up (or even down depending on your uses) at some point in the next few years, and you will lose a lot less money if you buy/sell a used vs. a brand new tractor (of course, there are always exceptions.)

Sorry for the long winded reply, and WELCOME to the forum! :thumbsup:

 

[jenkinsph]

Piston makea alot of good points imo, choosing the implements and tractor to match is important. It should be obvious that the more seat time you have the easier it is to decide which tractor is the best fit for you. For someone who is new to tractors in general the selection process can be intimidating and often these people buy too small and have to upgrade at a later date. I think the best way to approach the buying process is to provide the information about the property and what your expectation about improvements are in detail. Most of the forum members can then steer you into the proper size tractor with the features needed to accomplish your goals. I have found that most of the brands will have a model that will fit the varous needs well and then you can shop for the best dealer and color you like.

 

[Bullseye]

My main decision was HP, used, utility vs lighter weight compact utility and preferably 2WD because that was all I needed and it kept the price down. I made that decisision based on what I was going to use it for and what I wanted to spend to get something in that range. Looked at a whole bunch of used tractors of all different colors and age range.

Ended up buying a JD, not because of the color but because it was a 53 HP, 11 years with 128 hours on it and priced right. It was in good enough shape that I did not feel bad buying a new loader for it and still have less in it than I could sell it for. I have been very happy and glad I did not get too wrapped up into specs and comparing tractors. I am a causual user that has enough ground that I need a tractor so I did not worry too much about creature comforts and such since I only use it about 30 hours a year I could get by with anything. After all the 1955 MF 35 that blew up got me by for 16 years

 

[rjwerth]

I spent about 2 years looking for the right tractor. First choosing the size...which was hard for me to do since I could easily get too small OR too big since I don't have a big piece of property. Then it was finding the right brand with the right level of value. I didn't want to sacrifice quality and I'm a sucker for features. I ended up ordering my Kioti DK50SE...a great combination of quality and features at a price that allowed me to even get a backhoe, which I never thought I'd be able to afford when I was looking at Deere and Kubota.

 

[Bluegill2]

Decided on price, then HP/size.

Went to the Mahindra, Massey, JD, Kubota dealers. Wrote a check for a L3800DT. Took two weeks and is my 4th tractor purchase. Very pleased!

Oh and I came in 4K under my budget.

 

[Johndeere3720]

For my first tractor what sold me was price and quality, and the added benefit was parts were relatively easy to obtain. I bought my Yanmar 169D after many months of watching craigslist for deals. It was a great little tractor, parts were easy to get via my local Deere and Kubota dealers, Napa auto parts, and Hoye Tractor. This last summer I decided what I really needed was something bigger, originally planning on a larger tractor with a loader I decided to sell the Yanmar and many of the implements I had for it. I sold the implements very quickly, however I didn't sell the Yanmar until Mid January. Durring the time I had the Yanmar for sale I was watching Craigslist for used skid steer loaders (would better suit my needs) and located a John Deere 317 skid steer up in Washington at a New Holland dealer. The price was right and once I sold the Yanmar we made arrangements and went up to take a look at the 317. Since I have had great experiences with my Local Deere dealer (and several others in the area) and the 317 was in very good condition I brought it home with me. The New Holland Dealer i bought it from was awsome, the week I went up to get it we had several inches of snow and ice on the ground and they had no electricity but still opened for me to come see the 317 and were very professional. I also have had great experiences in Deere's 300 series compact track loaders which also helped me in checking for any problems when I tested out the 317. So far I am very happy with my 317, it is a great machine, I have great local dealers, and I have done a fairly small amount of work to get the 317 up to my standards.

 

[Will_C]

1st tractor- I wanted to upgrade from an Ingersoll 448 that I inheirited from my father. I wanted a CUT, but I knew they were more then I could afford then. I researched JD 400 series garden tractors-to set one up with a 60'MMM, blade, weights, and tire chains was going to be around 10K. This was in 2000. I had decided to purchase one in the spring, but this was when the Kubota BX tractors were first inrroduced. I looked at them and decided one of those would be the answer. I bought the tracto rand MMM for the 10K that I had budgeted, saved money and bought the FEL 6 months later. That tractor gave me 9 years of reliable service.

2nd tractor. B2620. I bought a ZTR in 2008, so I did not need the MMM on the BX anymore. I also bought 10 acres of property in 2009, and knew that I wanted a larger tractor to use on that property. I had begun a relationship at a Kubota dealer where I had some service work done on the BX and bought parts. I knew the size tractor I wanted, knew I wanted another Kubota, and liked the salesman. Walked in one day and bought the tractor within 15 minutes.

Will

 

[Will_C]

1st tractor- I wanted to upgrade from an Ingersoll 448 that I inheirited from my father. I wanted a CUT, but I knew they were more then I could afford then. I researched JD 400 series garden tractors-to set one up with a 60'MMM, blade, weights, and tire chains was going to be around 10K. This was in 2000. I had decided to purchase one in the spring, but this was when the Kubota BX tractors were first inrroduced. I looked at them and decided one of those would be the answer. I bought the tracto rand MMM for the 10K that I had budgeted, saved money and bought the FEL 6 months later. That tractor gave me 9 years of reliable service.

2nd tractor. B2620. I bought a ZTR in 2008, so I did not need the MMM on the BX anymore. I also bought 10 acres of property in 2009, and knew that I wanted a larger tractor to use on that property. I had begun a relationship at a Kubota dealer where I had some service work done on the BX and bought parts. I knew the size tractor I wanted, knew I wanted another Kubota, and liked the salesman. Walked in one day and bought the tractor within 15 minutes.

Will