I have begun the search for my first tractor. In short order I have been lost in the endless choices available so I have come here looking for some insight. Im in southern Indiana and have several dealers close that carry the big name brands. They start to push out of my budget some however. Im looking for something in the 25 to 45 horse range that is physically larger than say a Kubota bx series. FEL is a must when it comes home and a backhoe will be put on it. For the most part dragging firewood logs out of the woods will be the main job but im hoping to also be able to move round bales that are around 1000 lbs. I do not need to stack them just move off a trailer and into the feed lot. Im not real sure what other info is needed so ask away and Ill try and fill in the blanks. Any help is appreciated
Looking for first tractor. Overwhelmed and a little lost
- Thread starter gmman355
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RiverRat77
Member
Was in the same boat as you a few weeks ago. I ended up going with LS XR4040 just because I thought it was a great deal on what u paid for. Has plenty of power for my needs and room to grow. Good luck there are tons of choices and opinions
GManBart
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2012
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- 4,976
- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 241, Kubota SVL90-2
Are you comfortable/familiar with all the normal terms, etc? It's still in a rough state, but I've been putting together a tractor buyer's guide for newbies if you'd like to check it out. Shoot me a PM with your e-mail if you want a copy.
Like RiverRatt77 said, it's hard to beat LS when it comes to bang for the buck right now. Kioti is the other value leader worth considering. Typically, you'll spend several thousand less with either brand when compared to Deere, Kubota, Massey, Mahindra, NH and Case. When I was shopping 40-50hp CUTs, the difference was sometimes every bit of $10K.
Like RiverRatt77 said, it's hard to beat LS when it comes to bang for the buck right now. Kioti is the other value leader worth considering. Typically, you'll spend several thousand less with either brand when compared to Deere, Kubota, Massey, Mahindra, NH and Case. When I was shopping 40-50hp CUTs, the difference was sometimes every bit of $10K.
GManBart
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2012
- Messages
- 4,976
- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 241, Kubota SVL90-2
Reports on Jinma and the other Chinese tractors vary pretty widely. Many folks suggest that you need to be able to work on tractors if you buy one, and sourcing parts can be difficult. Any of the U.S., Japanese, Korean, or Indian brands would be a much safer bet. The other thing is resale on Chinese tractors is really bad.
I have heard about the need to be able to work on the Chinese tractors but Im a mechanic by trade so that doesn't bother me much. Parts sourcing does though. A lot of the horror stories I have seen online are a few years old and I had hoped things had gotten better.
Dr_Zinj
Veteran Member
Check all the posts in the Buying forum. That's a good place to start.
Tractordawg
Bronze Member
Kubota has a new L2501 Economy tractor.
MtnViewRanch
Elite Member, Advertiser
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2005
- Messages
- 10,643
- Tractor
- Mahindra 7520, Mahindra 3215HST, Case 580 extendahoe, Case 310 dozer, Parsons trencher, Cat D6,
I personally would not purchase a Chinese tractor, but if you are, check out those forums. If you do everything right, they are suppose to be a very very good buy. As far as parts go, I am pretty sure that there is 1 if not 2 places that have just about any and every part for them. You just need to know how to get in touch with them. I have no numbers for them, but know that they do exist and are suppose to be pretty good guys to work with.
Other than that, the Korean tractors are your best bang for the buck tractors and give you a pretty high level of features as std vs options for other makes.
Good luck with your search.
Other than that, the Korean tractors are your best bang for the buck tractors and give you a pretty high level of features as std vs options for other makes.
Good luck with your search.
WM75Guy
Elite Member
Any of the name brands build a good product. Go look and drive them all. Don't get too focused on just HP. Look at all the tasks you might want to do and see which model will fit your needs. Going up 5 HP to the next model size may move up the total tractor weight, which is important for traction and stability while lifting. Must CUTs run out of traction before they run out of power. Going up one model size may increase FEL lift capacity considerably if moving round bales is important. No one complains about having too much power but sometimes your tractor may be too big for the task, especially for small landscaping jobs.
The dealer can be as important as the brand. While some folks never need dealer service they do needs parts. Length of time the dealer has been in business and carried the brand line is also important. If the dealer goes out of business or drops the brand what will be your options for parts. My local dealer dropped NH not long after I bought my Boomer 8N. Fortunately I can buy my parts from Messicks. Most dealers don't seem to keep a large parts inventory any more, they get them shipped in when needed and you pay for the shipping. Rather than drive 80 miles round trip to the closest dealer I just have them drop shipped straight to me.
Good luck in your hunt.
The dealer can be as important as the brand. While some folks never need dealer service they do needs parts. Length of time the dealer has been in business and carried the brand line is also important. If the dealer goes out of business or drops the brand what will be your options for parts. My local dealer dropped NH not long after I bought my Boomer 8N. Fortunately I can buy my parts from Messicks. Most dealers don't seem to keep a large parts inventory any more, they get them shipped in when needed and you pay for the shipping. Rather than drive 80 miles round trip to the closest dealer I just have them drop shipped straight to me.
Good luck in your hunt.
