Just a guy with old tractors, shopping for a new one.

[Jimbo9er]

Hi,
I have used this forum on and off for a few years. It is a great resource and I decided to join up. I only have experience with old tractors - 1980's and earlier. I'm shopping for a new or nearly new 4x4, ~50hp. Looking at Kioti, Kubota, and Mahindra mostly. Advice is always welcome.
-Jim

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site... even more now!

 

[jeff9366]

I'm shopping for a new or nearly new 4x4, ~50hp. Looking at Kioti, Kubota, and Mahindra mostly.

Three good brands. I would add LS, like Kioti, manufactured in Korea, to your mix.

 

[TBN Support]

Welcome to the forum!

Don't forget to check out the buying, pricing and comparisons section.

 

[oldpilgrim]

If you don't want to mess with regens and other TIER 4 crap, take a serious look at Mahindra.

 

[mguitas]

Hi,
I have used this forum on and off for a few years. It is a great resource and I decided to join up. I only have experience with old tractors - 1980's and earlier. I'm shopping for a new or nearly new 4x4, ~50hp. Looking at Kioti, Kubota, and Mahindra mostly. Advice is always welcome.
-Jim

I would check out the masseyferguson also.

 

[gladehound]

Hi,
I have used this forum on and off for a few years. It is a great resource and I decided to join up. I only have experience with old tractors - 1980's and earlier. I'm shopping for a new or nearly new 4x4, ~50hp. Looking at Kioti, Kubota, and Mahindra mostly. Advice is always welcome.
-Jim

I see from you signature that you have a Ford 8N and a Case 1494. A modern 4x4 50 hp tractor should sit squarely in between the two in terms of capability. What is your chore list for the nearly new 4x4 ~50hp? Helps in deciding on a tractor. There is a decent spread in frame size / weight among the current offerings in ~50 hp tractors.

A modern ~50hp 4x4 sure would be a nice upgrade from the 8N, but I don't think it could replace the 1494 for field work unless you were already using undersized implements for the 1494.

BTW - I've owned Kioti for 10 years and have been extremely satisfied with the quality of the product. No experience with the other two brands you mentioned.

 

[Jimbo9er]

Thanks to you all. Sorry I disappeared for a bit. My login was messed up and I was too busy to fix it for a while. (user error)
We did look at Massey Ferguson and JD too. I have a very old MF 65 gasoline junker, too. We shopped for used tractors at Craigs list, Heavy equip trader, tractorhouse, ebay classifieds, and asked neighbors and local dealers. We got a very attractive offer that made all the used ones seem overpriced. We decided on the Kioti DK5010HS w/ FEL, box blade, and 6' shredder (Titan.) It has industrial tires and 1 set of remotes, all from a dealer/owner/salesman that I went to high school with in the 70's who has been in biz for 35 yrs. It was delivered today. I have some concerns with the tier 4 stuff. We'll see.

This forum was a big help!! Thanks again to all.

The Kioti manuals are only OK. Is it really unacceptable to use a loader for digging? I've done it for decades but perhaps in ignorance.
My pool: The Construction
The manual talks about not tipping the edge down and keeping it level. The delivery guy said that they are not really intended for digging. I get the idea from the manual that digging is a use which voids the warranty on the loader.

I intend to use this tractor down in our woods, to turn erosion ravines into ponds/tanks - lots of digging. I may expand my gardening and plant some coastal for the animals, compost piles, driveway maintenance, mowing, moving junk, piling up all the post oaks that have died in the droughts, and who knows what else. We have 30 acres. Yes, mostly Cat I implements, even on the Case. The Case has limited use in our woods. If the soil is wet enough to work, the front sinks in the mud. Our clay turns to ceramic in the Tx summer droughts.
OK, I'm rambling ... thanks all!
-Jim

 

[motownbrowne]

Thanks to you all. Sorry I disappeared for a bit. My login was messed up and I was too busy to fix it for a while. (user error)
We did look at Massey Ferguson and JD too. I have a very old MF 65 gasoline junker, too. We shopped for used tractors at Craigs list, Heavy equip trader, tractorhouse, ebay classifieds, and asked neighbors and local dealers. We got a very attractive offer that made all the used ones seem overpriced. We decided on the Kioti DK5010HS w/ FEL, box blade, and 6' shredder (Titan.) It has industrial tires and 1 set of remotes, all from a dealer/owner/salesman that I went to high school with in the 70's who has been in biz for 35 yrs. It was delivered today. I have some concerns with the tier 4 stuff. We'll see.

-Jim

That was my almost exact experience! Priced lots of used units and by the time I got them set up how I needed them (99% of what I saw in my size range had R4s and we need R1s for our vegetable row spacing) the price would have been very very close to new. Instead we got a great quote from a salesman my dad went to high school with in the 60s who's been in tractor sales for decades. I just thought I'd share that on account of it being uncannily similar.

Enjoy your new machine, and good luck with it!!

 

[Jimbo9er]

lol, yes, very very similar. I am jealous - maple syrup. I started preaching the gospel of REAL maple syrup to family and friends years ago. Some of them were taken in by "all natural" on the labels. I told them, "Yeah, HF corn syrup with artificial maple flavor. Read the ingredients." It amazes me that people eat that stuff and they have to drench the food in it to get a decent maple flavor. I am also a fan of soil grown vegetables (as opposed to hydroponic.) I believe that is what makes my lettuces, spinach, cilantro, etc. taste like real food - something with flavor. In Tx, winter gardens are great - no bugs and few weeds makes organic much easier.
Thanks for sharing,
-Jim

That was my almost exact experience! Priced lots of used units and by the time I got them set up how I needed them (99% of what I saw in my size range had R4s and we need R1s for our vegetable row spacing) the price would have been very very close to new. Instead we got a great quote from a salesman my dad went to high school with in the 60s who's been in tractor sales for decades. I just thought I'd share that on account of it being uncannily similar.

Enjoy your new machine, and good luck with it!!