Buying Advice Is the Front End Loader worth it?

[newbury]

I have two chainsaws. I got them both stuck once. I had to go borrow my Grandpas saw. I could have changed the bar, but it was faster to grab another saw.

I hate it when I pin two saws! The second time I did it I was being extra careful but the trees and the wind had other thoughts. Heck, I hate it when I pin one saw! Especially if it's my JD with the outboard clutch.

But back to tractors, that's one reason why I've got two, so if one dies I can try and rescue it with the other, once I finally get fully moved to Mississippi.

 

[4570Man]

I hate it when I pin two saws! The second time I did it I was being extra careful but the trees and the wind had other thoughts. Heck, I hate it when I pin one saw! Especially if it's my JD with the outboard clutch. But back to tractors, that's one reason why I've got two, so if one dies I can try and rescue it with the other, once I finally get fully moved to Mississippi.

With the assistance from the tractor I have always been able to unpin a saw , but that day I had it somewhere else. When I get the tractor stuck I can borrow my Grandpas rollback with a 15K winch. If I am just mowing a muddy area I try to use the B7100 which I can easily pull out with the bigger tractor.

 

[Keith2305]

620 hours on a 2305 here. When I bought my 6 acres I went out to look for a riding mower and ended up with the brand new 2305 and 200cx. While I enjoy mowing with it I'd say 2/3s of my hours have been loader use. And yes you can't beat them for cutting/hauling wood!

 

[AxleHub]

I am getting ready to purchase a sub-compact for mowing and tilling on my 5 acre plot and I am torn on the FEL. I have a couple of uses for it right off the bat (move some gravel, haul wood and dirt) but none of them are complete necessities and I have no long term plans for material handling. So, I am torn on the purchase.

The dealers all want you to have one as there is not an SC tractor on any lot without the FEL already installed.

I know it is one of those things I will never regret having, but is the extra $3k worth the investment? I am interested in your stories of why/why not the FEL is worth having or uses you never thought of when you got one.

For the record the front runners now are the Kubota BX2670 and the JD 1025R.

Chris

Cdondanville, let me be the 1st to suggest differently than the others.

1st. You claim no dealer has a scut on their lot without a fel. I've seen 3 dealers I was at that had one or more for sale on their lot.

2nd you mention the bx2670 and jd 1025r as leading candidates. So . . the yanmar 221 and Massey GC1705/1715 didn't interest you . . . or you didn't look enough to go to those dealers to see them ?

3rd. Everyone up till my post is trying to talk you into what has worked for them . . But I'll suggest you should do what works for you. How about buying a used scut with no fel ? Everyone is telling you they won't be worth much . . so you could get one cheap . . reducing your risk of being wrong by a great amount?

You're an adult . . not a little kid . . so if you've really done your homework and put some effort into it . . You've got reasons for thinking as you do . . . you just haven't clearly defined them to us.

So take a used "fel-less" scut off someone's hands . . . Buy it really cheap . . Use it for a year . . and then see. You can always sell it cheap to someone else and at least break even on it or better.

My point . . if you haven't done your homework . . then you need to. If you have really studied and searched and evaluated your needs . . Seen at least 4 or 5 brands of equipment and walked your 5 acres a few times thinking of your uses for a machine . . then greatly reduce your risk of being wrong and go for it by buying used "fel-less" scut (and no not a lawn mower).

 

[Garandman]

Welcome to TBN, Chris. Mine is another voice strongly suggesting you get the loader for your new tractor. Unless you hire all your property maintenance out, you absolutely will find many uses for a FEL, many of which you haven't even imagined yet. It will lift and carry everything from rocks to flower pots, push snow, tear down brush, and even dig and haul dirt.

And mowers

And snowmobiles

 

[MESSMAKER]

Loader is handy and it saves your back. Cannot tell you how many things you will use it for, but I bet i use mine 3-4 times a week. Add forks,a chain, a boom, a tree spade and the options are endless.

 

[firemech]

The OP is looking at a small tractor, on Kubota .com SSQA is not listed, just Kubota's QA which eliminates the benefit of being able to use a wide range of skid steer implements.
And in order to pass along the cost you've got to sell your great little tractor. I think everyone should have two tractors and 3 chain saws. When I "upgraded" from my B7610 to my M4700 it allowed me to use a tractor at two places, one in Virginia, one in Mississippi without trailering.

The quick attach is great but my previous B7510 with FEL did not have one available but four implement hitch pins with clevises replacing the original pins and bolts made changing from bucket to forks pretty quick and easy

 

[lostcreekranch]

Chris;

You don't know it yet but, at some point in the future, you will catch the "Grapple Fever" like many others on TBN.

You might consider, as others have noted, getting a little more tractor than you think you need now with a FEL with SSQA attachment. A bit more money now but if you amortize the added cost over several years the cost becomes insignificant.

Good luck with whatever you decide! Check back and let us know which way you go.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[dodge man]

Skip the end loader. Tractors waste fuel, wear out and depreciate. Once you buy a wheel barrow and a shovel, they are maintance free or cheap to fix. Getting older? That's why you have kids, they can do all the work.

Seriously, get the end loader.

 

[jaydee325]

Skip the end loader. Tractors waste fuel, wear out and depreciate. Once you buy a wheel barrow and a shovel, they are maintance free or cheap to fix. Getting older? That's why you have kids, they can do all the work.

Seriously, get the end loader.

Got a real chuckle out of that Dodge Man!

 

[TJP89]

Got a real chuckle out of that Dodge Man!

Especially the part about the kids, brings up childhood memories; equipment is expensive, kids are free (well, not really, but might as well get your monies worth, right?)

 

[k0ua]

Skip the end loader. Tractors waste fuel, wear out and depreciate. Once you buy a wheel barrow and a shovel, they are maintance free or cheap to fix. Getting older? That's why you have kids, they can do all the work.

Seriously, get the end loader.

I like it... Maintenance free, or at least easy to fix.. ha ha...:laughing:

 

[AGTtactical]

I bought my 2008 Mahindra 5525 new from Dave's Tractor in Red Bluff, CA. Dave posts often on TBN "DavesTractor".
He's a western states distributor for Mahindra. I'd say 99% of the tractors he sells has an FEL. Maybe 100%. And for the past several years, every one of those FELs has the skid steer quick attach (SSQA) option included in the package. That's how popular these things are. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. Get an FEL with SSQA and pass along the cost when you upgrade to a larger tractor (we all upgrade sooner or later).
Good luck.

If you are give up a larger tractor because of the cost of an FEL (as you suggest above), then wouldn't it make even more sense to not buy an FEL now if you don't think you need it, and spend the extra $6000 on a bigger tractor now so you don't have to buy a bigger one later? Not getting an FEL makes better sense than giving up on the tractor you need to buy an FEL you might not need (like a guy who is buying for mowing primarily). My dealer, who sells nearly everything with a loader, says adding a FEL later only adds an additional $500 over buying it with the tractor...this actually makes sense because Kubota dealers actually assemble the tractors at the dealership, and add the loader there too, so there's really no extra labor cost. For those with limited budget, seems much easier to get the tractor you want first, without having to sell it later to get the one you really want.

Not everyone needs an FEL. I find myself in this situation...I'm getting an L6060 and am trying to decide whether to skip the FEL because I have an SVL-95 Compact Track Loader. The SVL weighs 12,000 pounds and can do a far better job than the FEL it get with the 6060 (and does it safer and in less space). I do see the merit of an FEL on a tractor. If I didn't have another loader, I'd definitely get one. And even with another loader, the one on my tractor would help protect the front of the tractor, and would help in resale someday. On the other hand, if I buy an FEL I don't need, I'm tying up $6000 on something I'll have little use for while I have my SVL. Given this Trump economy, if I kept my $6000 invested until I sold my SVL and actually needed an SVL, say in 5 years, a reasonable 8% annualized ROR would mean that $6000 would be worth $8,815...plenty to buy a FEL then. Sure, FEL prices will have gone up too in that time, but there would still be a about a 5% delta in my favor. Still, I find it a tough call!!