What would you buy if you were me?

[TripleR]

Again, I can only reinforce the excellent advice given so far and think along the lines of Granddad4 on the Kubota line.

Anytime anyone tells me a Kubota/John Deere/New Holland//Massey Ferguson etc is "better", I tend to tune them out as all are good tractors. I think you will get good service out of any of the top four or five brands and you will just have to pick the one that fits you the best in consideration of dealer etc.

My preference is obviously Kubota, but we own John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Case and a couple or three old Fords.

 

[MF 1532]

Right there with you , I beleive if you stay with one of the major brands you're good to go . The one that fits your bottom , comfortable to operate , looks appealing to you , dealer relationship , not many bad posts on the machine..... thats the one I would buy .

 

[Mpking]

Thanks for all the replies! I've owned a JD riding mower and used my grandpa's JD riding mower quite a bit growing up and really liked both, so I suppose thats why I tend to gravitate toward the green and yellow but I really appreciate the Kubota recommendations. I'll definitely check them out at the dealer.

A few people mentioned finding the right dealer would make a big difference. What exactly helped you decide your dealer was right for you? Price? Were they just nice and helpful during the purchase process? How did you know their future service would be any good for repairs, etc.?

 

[bigbull338]

for me it was 2 things.1 was my dealers service department.they sent a man out to work on my tractor at the farm.2 they done what it took to come down to my price.3 the salesman was friendly as well as helpful.

 

[TripleR]

I choose my dealer based on their reputation and recommendation of family members who had purchased from them. When my wife and I visited one of their locations in the middle of winter, the owner came out into the cold and talked to us for a while about farming, family and such without even pushing their line of tractors as we told him we were just looking. On several occasions when we have been at one or the other stores, he will come over and pass the time of day even if we are just picking up a couple of filters. The salesman is extremely helpful and has a farming background. The shop guys are extremely helpful also.

They handle Kubota as well as New Holland, but will not bad mouth other makes.

 

[bp fick]

Evaluating a dealership involves one part investigation/observation and one part instinct.

Are they courteous and helpful? Is the place professional? Can you tour their parts department and service area? Can you speak a minute with the service guy and get a sense on how well they actually prep your machine?

I'll pay a buck or two more, (maybe not $800 more but..) for a great local dealer to prep my machine, speak the truth to me, and treat me fairly and honestly. You should too.

Getting crummy prep, crummy delivery and crummy service after the sale is a great way to totally take the fun out of any tractor purchase.

 

[Mpking]

I've been looking a little closer at the L3540, L3940, L4400, and L3800 Kubotas and on average the L40's weigh about 800-1000lbs more. For a weight difference of say 2800lbs vs. 3800lbs, how much more is the heavier tractor going to tear up my lawn? Or are they both light enough to be ok? I live on the west side of Washington state and get a fair bit of rain in early spring and late fall so I'm a bit concerned about tearing things up when the ground is moist. Thanks again!

 

[Johnbro]

I've been looking a little closer at the L3540, L3940, L4400, and L3800 Kubotas and on average the L40's weigh about 800-1000lbs more. For a weight difference of say 2800lbs vs. 3800lbs, how much more is the heavier tractor going to tear up my lawn? Or are they both light enough to be ok? I live on the west side of Washington state and get a fair bit of rain in early spring and late fall so I'm a bit concerned about tearing things up when the ground is moist. Thanks again!

Where do you live? I'm in Duvall (east of Seattle), my L4240 with loader and box blade weighs around 6000 lbs I think. As long as I'm careful the R4s don't rip up the lawn like my old R1s on a lighter tractor did. But it depends on a bunch of stuff, including your soil type and how wet things are.

 

[Mpking]

I'm outside of Vancouver at about 1000 feet. Pretty similar to Duvall probably.

 

[brown40]

On the implement note, the box blade makes really nice, compact rear ballast... pick the box you think you want, then add the cost of the ballast box in and upgrade to the box that'll buy.
Easily adjustable/movable scarifiers, thicker ends, bigger beam... you won't be disappointed with extra weight on the back. Woods has some really nice heavy boxes for that size tractor.
I got a Frontier BB2072, and its a fair box, but works much better with an extra 200-300 lbs added...plus the scarifers are a pain... if I knew then what I know now: when it comes to implements, pay attention to the weight & construction, pick what you want, then go a size up!:thumbsup: