Comparison TYM 903 or 1003 Experience?

   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #1  

HenRut

Bronze Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
74
Location
South-Central Massachusetts
Tractor
2015 TYM T1003C
I know this website is mostly for CUTs, but does anyone here have any experience with the larger TYM's? I'm looking at either the 903 or 1003 vs the Kioti DK90 and Kubota M9540. I'm not (too) afraid of the little known TYM tractors and the large models spec out better than the others. But, haven driven none of them, it's the intangibles that worry me. Only the Kubotas are available within hundreds of miles to test drive. The nearest TYM of that size is in Virginia! I'm in New England. Kioti's are not much better in terms of dealers that have the large machines in stock. Pricewise and configured the way I want, they're all in the same ballpark. My biggest concern is regarding weight. The Kubota, for the same HP, is 2,000 lbs lighter than the TYM and 2,400 lbs lighter than the Kioti. Yet the Kubota dealer is 12 miles from me. The Kioti dealer is 17 miles and the TYM dealer is 26 miles. I'll be doing hay on grades of 12-18%. Am I wrong to be as concerned about weight as I am? Does dealer proximity ***** the weight difference?
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #2  
"in the same ballpark." How close?

If just a few thousand I'd probably spring for the Kubota with Kioti being a very close second.

Disclaimer- I have never spent time around any of these particular models.
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
After double-checking, the weight differential between Kubota and Kioti is 2,800 lbs! No amount of rear ballast, loaded tires or front weights will make up that delta. Is the quality advantage of Kubota that significant?
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #4  
More a personal preference really. I think Kioti makes a fine machine however the fact is that I look at things from the perspective that if things go to **** I would be able to sell the tractor. I have owened Kubota but not Kioti.

I agree the weight difference is hard to ignore. A great point to discuss with the Kubota salesmen. On the other side, throw out the Kubota reliability/name to the Kioti salesmen.
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
It also dawned on me that I might not be comparing apples to apples using the Kubota M9540, which I'm thinking might be more a fancy, high-powered CUT. A better comparison might be the Kubota M100X, which compares weight-wise to the others (8,863#).
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #6  
Well I can help you. I have operated a 903 on my farm for 2 hay seasons. We put up 700 to 800 large round bails a year. I mainly used the 903 to operate the bailer.

I no longer have the 903 and this year am using a 1003. If you are trying to decide between the two of them, hands down, go with the 1003. On paper they spec out the same except for hp and pto. However, maybe its just me, but the ease of operation, smoothness of the engine, transmission, etc, is much better in my experince with the 1003. The bailer I run does not really require that much hp, so I don't really see a big difference there, except the gearing seems to work a little better with the 1003. I can run between high and low range in a gear instead of often having to re-gear.

I have to say, my experince with TYM has been very good. I think they are a fine company and would recommend their product to anyone. I got to them bc I have owned a Mahindra 6000 for years now and it is still the overall work horse on my farm. It is built like a tank and has done everything I have asked of it and more. As you may know, TYM made many of the Mahindra tractors for some time. I see a lot of similarities in the two. The Perkins engine in the TYM is superb, traction, etc is very good. The cab on the 1003 has been a joy so far, air works great, radio, etc, all good. The hydralics on the 1003 seem much smoother and easier to operate than on the 903. Again, it may of just been the 903 I had.

The others you have named are also good machines. I would like to say that dealer support these days is not as important as it once was. Many companies have gone to a transit type dealer set up. You will find these type brands are picked up by dealers of lawn equipement, grills, and all sorts of items. They really rely upon corporate hq and warehouses for parts, direct ship to customers, and they hope with todays quality controls that there product will operate without major problems so dealers are not as important. However, that works fine as long as you dont have a major issue with the tractor. As I have read other posts of TYM problems and other brands, getting someone these days that really knows how to work on tractors, break them apart, etc., is much more difficult to find these days.

My take on it is you really need to find someone in your areas who knows tractors. If they are truly a mechanic, they can work on any of these machines with a little assistance from the manufacture. Of course, the other way to go is pay the extra money and go with an establishe name brand that probably has a full service parts department and service department, but be prepared to hang on to your wallet.

Hope this helps.
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #7  
I myself looked at one today, i wasn,t looking i jus kind of found it, i can,t remember numbers at all but it was 75 hp 4wd with cab and loader, i got up in the cab and to my surpise it was really nice, i have been around tractors and have worked on tractor for a dealer and on my own for a long time, This tractor was nice for the money, Beleive me i am a diehard DEERE man, i have 13 2 clys and run my round balier with a 1957 820 with factory cab, i know i hear it from old timers don,t buy no jap junk but i am thinking hard about this, So guys give me some imput, Would you or Wouldn,t you
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #8  
Nothing wrong with the TYM's. I have the Mahindra 7010 cab which is the TYM T700 with a Mahindra engine. I'm over 1000 hours now. I did have a gear go bad in the tranny, but other than that no problems. You are definately not wrong to worry about weight! I live in SE Ky. and we have lots of small fields here and none of them are flat. The heavier the tractor the more stable it will be on slopes. I feel much more comfortable on my Mahindra 6000 than I do anything else. There aren't any TYM dealers close to me, but if there were I would consider them. Do you need a 100 hp tractor? I have been looking at the Mahindra 8560. Heavy tractor with all the buttons for just a hair more than I paid for my 7010.
 
   / TYM 903 or 1003 Experience? #9  
I don,t need anything bigger that 70-75 horse at the most, i need something to pull a 7 ft bushog on some pretty steep in places hills with wet spots here and there, i would like a cab in one way for i am 53 with heatlh problems and don,t need a cab, i ran bulldozers for yrs and have bad back problems now, plus i don,t want to stay 50 ft away from the tree line mowing, like the folks farming are home farm now with bigger JD,s, 4wd would be nice and handy, dual remotes for my round bailer, i really don,t a new tractor nor want one, i have about 12 jd 2 clys i need to get rid og plus 2 D-2 cats,
 
 
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