Advice on purchasing my first "real" tractor

[flusher]

Good point PapaPerk..
I have 2 lots, one at 2 acres of which ~1 acre is lawn the 2nd lot is 22 acres of which ~3 acres is field. The 22 acre lot has several cut trees laying around as the previous owner was going to run them though his saw mill. These are mostly pine ~10' long and 10-12" in diameter.
I'll have to move these as well as 2 large piles of field stone he has collected over the years.

I was targeting $16K as my max for used or new with FEL, BH and mower deck or brush hog.

Thanks all

Hmmm--two lots. Can you drive the tractor between the lots or will you have to use a flatbed trailer? If the latter, bigger tractor means bigger trailer means bigger prime mover (pickup, etc). Need to figure out what's what here and factor in any transportation costs. Tractorin' is a lot of fun, but these are big boys toys and can get spendy once you include cost of implements, trailers, maintenance/repair, parts, consumables, etc.

 

[droptop]

Just to add one more name to the list, you might want to look at Yanmar, they actually build the complete 3005 tractors for Deere as well as all of the engines used on Deere CUT's, and used to supply all of the compacts for Cub Cadet. They now market exclusively under their own name because of the poor customer support that Cub provided. I've seen great deals on leftovers that still have the Cub Cadet by Yanmar stickers on them. Absolutely first quality tractors on par with the big Orange, Red, Green and Blue brands.

 

[GreenWannabe]

I'm really surprised that the TYM price would be the same as an equivalent Kubota. It may be due to the dealer's pricing policies, as he may be trying to tilt people to the Kubota.

You might also want to consider Kioti. I have just put in my order, at a much better price than Kubota. Your closest dealer would be Valley Tractor and Equipment in West Swanzey NH. They are listed by Kioti as one of their "5 paw" dealers which is their excellence program for their dealers. I would have suggested them earlier, but you didn't mention them as having a local dealer to you. They are about 35 miles from your location.

Mahindra also has a local dealer, Knoxland Equipment in Warner NH, also about 35 miles from your location.

Good luck in your search.

 

[jeff9366]

Hi All,
I'm looking to purchase my first "real" tractor..... I'm looking in the 25-35 hp range....

I have a 2011 Kubota B3300SU Tractor/Loader, bought new, which has 33 horsepower. I like it. Kubota sharply discounts this model, which is sold as a Tractor/Loader PACKAGE, relative to the price of the individual components. Simplifies your decision making process somewhat. The B3300 tractor omits the center PTO of the smaller BX series, which is used primarily to power a center mounted a lawn mower. Savings there go into more HP and the FEL.

I found the Youtube video by Deen Implements, which compares the Kubota B3300SU directly against its Deere equivalent interesting. If you go to Youtube and search for B3300SU it will pop up. Just remember vid is produced by a Kubota dealer and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Still....INTERESTING.

My most used accessories are 5/16" chains for securing tree sections to the bucket and the chain grab hooks used to clamp the chains to the bucket, to secure the tree sections. I decided to install "Ken's Bolt On Grab Hooks", which you can Google, and they have been excellent. I have tried unsuccessfully to lift some tree sections over the 750 pound capacity of the FEL (bear in mind the trees are in front of the bucket, so leverage works against you) which has distorted individual links of my chain but left Ken's grab hooks as-new. (It is a bad feeling when you expect the FEL to come up, but instead the rear wheels get light while the FEL and load stays on the ground.)

Ken's Bolt On Grab Hooks

I also use Debris Forks a lot. I bought clamp-on Aluminum Debris Forks from Payne's Forks. The tool is very useful. Unfortunately the Payne's Forks customer service is NOT very good. They charged my credit card on the day I ordered but the debris forks did not ship for three weeks. Talking to them was useless....but the forks did arrive, eventually, and are well made. Also, Payne's web page is not current. I am glad I paid the extra $100 premium for aluminum over steel forks. ( 50 pounds versus 110 pounds )

Paynesforks.com - Tractor & Skid Steer Bucket Forks Attachments

I also use a clamp on bucket spade for digging out weed trees and for planting desirable Florida Native Trees of all descriptions. The bucket spade I bought came from Bucket Solutions and is a quality tool. Excellent customer service. The bucket spade is NOT a back hoe but it sure beats a long handle spade powered by your hands.

Bucket Forks, Tractor Forks, Loader Forks by Bucket Solutions

Both the clamp-on debris forks and clamp-on bucket spade stay tight on the bucket once the fine-thread bolts are turned down, forcing bolt pads against the bucket.

Good luck on your final choice.

 

[tigertag13]

I too am looking for my first " Real " tractor. We have 40 acres in upper lower michigan. Its a tree farm and retirement destination. We are looking at a kubota l3240grand and am not sure what size new holland or deere to compare it to. Heck, I'm not even sure its the right size for what we want to do. It will mostly be used for light logging/firewood gathering and gardening.Help, I feel I'm in over my head.

 

[temba]

Flusher - The lots are 76 miles apart. The tractor will spend most of its time on the larger lot, but I will need to transport it occasionally. I agree, playing with tractors ain't gonna be cheap...but it will be fun!

Droptop - Thanks for the Yanmar suggestion. Looks like there is a dealer 17 miles from my house. I may visit this weekend.

Greenwannabe - I spoke with TYM salesman today and his prices where ~10% lower than a similar sized Kubota. I did get the feeling he may be willing to negotiate on the prices...I did not get that feeling with the Kubota salesman.

Jeff9366 - That's a nice tractor. I think that's where I need to be ...30-35hp. Thanks for the links, they will come in handy.

tigertag13 - i wish i could be of some help to you, but I don't know much about tractors. I can tell you what the others have told me and that is to test drive anything you are interested in, use this forum (these guys know their stuff) and use TractorData.com - information on all makes and models of tractors to research brands and models. Have fun!

 

[kiotiken]

I too am looking for my first " Real " tractor. We have 40 acres in upper lower michigan. Its a tree farm and retirement destination. We are looking at a kubota l3240grand and am not sure what size new holland or deere to compare it to. Heck, I'm not even sure its the right size for what we want to do. It will mostly be used for light logging/firewood gathering and gardening.Help, I feel I'm in over my head.

When I went shopping, I was pretty sure I'd be buying another tractor from the Kubota dealer I bought my used JD from, only this time a nice new Kubota. At first my shopping was simply to dot the i's and cross the t's since I was spending lots of money on basically a toy. The more I shopped, the more I realized that the Kubota models I was looking at weren't what I really wanted at all, so I do encourage you to look far and wide and try as many different tractors as you can.

I bought a Kioti for lots of reasons, and I'm very happy I did. Others can chime in on what models from other colors are similar to the L3240, but I'd encourage you to look at Kioti. The CK line, with either the CK30 or CK35 is similar in weight and hp, but not quite as strong with loader and total hydraulic flow. There won't be much comparison in price, you'll save lots of money with the CK over Grand L. The DK line starts with the DK40. This will give you more hp, will be heavier and give you more loader capacity than the L3240. You won't save as much money, but it will still come in cheaper than the grand L, even the smaller L3240. Other than the fantastic Transmission options on the Grand L (read expensive), either Kioti model will give you the same and even more luxury features and they will be standard. There are very few options, and they are reasonably priced. Throw in a 4 year warranty and I'd put either against a Grand L any day.

If you're going to use a tractor for logging, you want traction, and traction comes from weight. Manufactures like Kioti and Mahindra are going to give you weight that Kubota and JD just don't have, even in the Grand L line.

 

[CAgnoli]

When I went shopping, I was pretty sure I'd be buying another tractor from the Kubota dealer I bought my used JD from, only this time a nice new Kubota. At first my shopping was simply to dot the i's and cross the t's since I was spending lots of money on basically a toy. The more I shopped, the more I realized that the Kubota models I was looking at weren't what I really wanted at all, so I do encourage you to look far and wide and try as many different tractors as you can.

I bought a Kioti for lots of reasons, and I'm very happy I did. Others can chime in on what models from other colors are similar to the L3240, but I'd encourage you to look at Kioti. The CK line, with either the CK30 or CK35 is similar in weight and hp, but not quite as strong with loader and total hydraulic flow. There won't be much comparison in price, you'll save lots of money with the CK over Grand L. The DK line starts with the DK40. This will give you more hp, will be heavier and give you more loader capacity than the L3240. You won't save as much money, but it will still come in cheaper than the grand L, even the smaller L3240. Other than the fantastic Transmission options on the Grand L (read expensive), either Kioti model will give you the same and even more luxury features and they will be standard. There are very few options, and they are reasonably priced. Throw in a 4 year warranty and I'd put either against a Grand L any day.

If you're going to use a tractor for logging, you want traction, and traction comes from weight. Manufactures like Kioti and Mahindra are going to give you weight that Kubota and JD just don't have, even in the Grand L line.

There is a ton of wisdom in these words.

Kioti is definitely a brand you should look at if there is a local dealer that you can get along with. They are certainly less money. I bought my Kubota L3940 because I liked the HST+, and because the nearest Kioti dealer is over 70 miles away, but I do know that a long time Kubota owner on this board recently bought a Kioti and he WORKS his machines, and hasn't had a bad thing to say about his Kioti.

Hear say and scuttlebutt is that New Holland is having some production / quality issues on the smaller tractors.

Oh, and stay away from Northern Tool catalog tractors....

 

[PapaPerk]

With your budget constraints and interest in a new machine I would get a
Kubota B2620 or the B3300 SU... I think those are the right numbers. But the B3300 maybe just too expensive. The B2620 is still a capable machine! :thumbsup:

If you have something to mow with (garden tractor, etc) I would not worry about getting a MMM for the Kubota. Especially with only an acre to mow. Buy a bushhog instead or just save the $3000.00. :thumbsup:

A good used Kubota L3130, 3430 or 3830 is also an excellent choice. But this depends on your towing equipment. You do not want to overload your trailer and truck. Especially going that distance.

Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[Kal130]

When I was shopping for my first new tractor, I went to all of the available dealerships around and gathered pricing and info on all tractors I thought would fit the bill. I then made an excel spreadsheet of all of them where I listed all of the various options and prices. Then I did various calculations based on price. Things like price per PTO HP and such. At that point I was figuring on a tractor around 40hp. That gave me a place where I could highlight different options I liked and didn't like side by side. At that point I really liked green but didn't like the price/HP. I starred at that for a few weeks without being able to make up my mind. I have an emp discount on blue, but was hesitant to buy the old one because of the falling out and didn't want an extra high priced Korean tractor. Then when I learned about MF I was very happy with the features and the price. I took the family on a 4hr road trip to see a 1643 just like I would want and realized it was too big for most of what I actually needed it for, but I was so impressed with the MF that I went for the GC. The 1500 series might have been just right, but I didn't like that the design hadn't been updated like the GC & the 1600 series. Owning quite a bit of heavy equipment, I don't lack in brute force. So getting something small was what I needed. I would imagine if I didn't have other options for heavy work I would have been more likely to get a larger tractor. Bigger tractor means bigger implements, bigger price, bigger barn, bigger truck, bigger trailer, bigger cost of ownership, bigger projects... I have definitely found Massey to be the best value. Even when it comes to ZTR mowers. It just seems to me that you get more for your money with them. I would recommend doing your own spreadsheet of what you interested in. Make sure you get to drive them too. You will find some that look good on paper may not feel right. I couldn't stand the HST controls on the Kubota. The Massey felt better to me. I also liked that it would function at lower rpm's. I really likes the 1600 in the way the throttle was tied to the HST pedal. Harder you push the more it revved up. I'm used to that on my payloader though. I suppose I'm used to that on cars too.