Buying Advice Evaluating options for a compact

[NYCheese]

NY cheese,
You have been inundated w/ suggestions, and jeffy will even assist you w/ paragraph structure and post composition. You do not have a RK Store in your vicinity, but just for comparrison, look at how much tractor your money can purchase. These tractors are private label TYM.

There is a You Tube channel called Outdoors with the Morgans, he has been performing demo videos w/ these tractors starting w/ #146 +/- , numbered videos. For folks w/o a store, they are contracting w/ independent repair shops for any warranty items. Just a FYI.

I did some online research on RK tractors, but like you said, there's no dealer anywhere nearby. There's a TYM dealer up near Syracuse, or another one in Oneonta, and I'm probably gonna drive up to the one near Syracuse later this week. It's the last brand that I want to check out in person, before making my final decision. I'd rather buy from a closer dealer, but I've heard good things about the brand, AND the dealer (Carrolequipment).

Right now my frontrunners are Kioti ck3510se, and Yanmar yt235. The Yanmar is from last year (12 demo hours), so he's offering a great price. The Kioti is brand new (still in the shipping crate), and is about the same price as the Yanmar, maybe 1000 less. I was considering Mahindra, I liked the 1626, but I want more HP. There's supposed to be a 1635 coming soon, that would likely be within my budget, but I don't think I'm waiting much longer to buy.

I thought about going to look at LS and Branson, but both of those dealers are too far away to be comfortable with parts and service concerns. Kubota, JD, and Massey are not only all more expensive, but initial impressions of all 3 dealers was pretty poor. They're all bigger dealers, but like others have posted in threads on here, it seemed like they didn't really care about selling me a tractor. The JD dealer seemed to only care about farmers. The Massey dealer just wanted to sell me a GC1720. And the Kubota dealer never sent me the quote he promised, or returned my two followup phone calls.

 

[majorwager]

NY Cheese,

I like the Yanmar Brand and they have a sizable infrastructure investment in the South. Likely worth checking on the TYM, for comparison. Believe they offer exceptional warranty.

I like and own Kubota but they have just become too darn expensive. Good luck, tell us you decision, and initial operating experiences .

 

[rScotty]

NY Cheese,

I like the Yanmar Brand and they have a sizable infrastructure investment in the South. Likely worth checking on the TYM, for comparison. Believe they offer exceptional warranty.
I like and own Kubota but they have just become too darn expensive. Good luck, tell us you decision, and initial operating experiences .

Well, I have to agree. Although I will say that a couple of years ago I had to choose between Yanmar, Branson, TYM, JD, RK, Kioti, Massey, Case, and Mahindra ..... And my choice turned out to be Kubota.
Yes, I know it isn't on the original list and yes, I know about the high price.

My other observation is that modern tractors last even better than the old ones, and the old ones lasted very well indeed. To my mind when any manufactured product has several brands that are known to be excellent, that means the time is right to bite the bullet and buy quality instead of going for lowest price. I am influenced in this because I like for my tools to be ready to go to work, and in return I keep them up and keep them a long time. Maybe a lifetime.
My second choice after Kubota would probably be Yanmar; their 5 year warranty is nice. I admit to being biased towards Yanmar based on experience with their older models.
TYM tractor advertisements proudly and prominently state that they use Yanmar engines; that says a lot to me.

If you think the choice is difficult today, at the bottom is a list of tractors for sale in the USA in 1982. Where today do you find parts for Hinomoto, Mitsubishi, Ford compacts, Shibaru, Toyosha, Isuzu?...lots of others.
rScotty

 

[Tractorable]

I admit to being biased towards Yanmar as well, but I like Kubota too. I like it when the name on the tractor is the company that actually makes it. I get that with both Yanmar and Kubota.

My bias for Yanmar comes from having previously worked in the Marine Industry where the reliability of Yanmar diesel engines is the gold standard. Now that I own a farm, and I’m in the market for a new tractor, I trust that Yanmar builds a quality product. Also, they build engines for John Deere, TYM, RK, and others. I trust Kubota just as much and would buy one in a heartbeat too.

It’s great that we have so many quality options out there.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I admit to being biased towards Yanmar as well, but I like Kubota too. I like it when the name on the tractor is the company that actually makes it. I get that with both Yanmar and Kubota.

My bias for Yanmar comes from having previously worked in the Marine Industry where the reliability of Yanmar diesel engines is the gold standard. Now that I own a farm, and I’m in the market for a new tractor, I trust that Yanmar builds a quality product. Also, they build engines for John Deere, TYM, RK, and others. I trust Kubota just as much and would buy one in a heartbeat too.

It’s great that we have so many quality options out there.

Are engines the weak spot on any new tractor?

 

[rScotty]

Are engines the weak spot on any new tractor?

Good question! For all the brands that have been seriously discussed in this thread I don't think that engine reliability is a weak spot. Diesel engines in tractors have been well worked out for many decades now. I'd say that they are all reliable. That's not to say that some don't run noticibly better than others. Smoother running, quieter, less vibration, easy starting, and better response to sudden changes in load or speed are all things that are being improved. And there is a noticible difference in diesels there.

What about electrics, hydraulics, axles, & transmissions? Any weak spots in new tractors in those areas?
Just what is it that makes some brands cost more than others?
rScotty

 

[NYCheese]

Finally made it to the last 2 dealers I wanted to check out today, LS and TYM.

Looked at the LS XG3135hst. Seemed like a well built tractor, but there were some things I wasn't crazy about. The seat being the biggest one, did not feel like it'd be comfortable for any length of time on it. He didn't have one with a backhoe on it, but apparently it's a smaller 6.5' backhoe on this tractor, which is another negative. Price for TLB, loaded tires, and tax...27.5k This does not include a brush hog or box blade, since he suggested buying them elsewhere (his prices on those aren't very competitive).

He also had an XR3135 cab version. I don't want a cab, but I did really prefer some of the features of that model over the XG. The seat was no comparison, so much more comfortable. It had some other upgrades, like the telescopic 3pt arms, rear remotes (have to pay extra to add one to the XG for the backhoe), and the backhoe is a 7.5' version. However, the price for the XR was 4k more...and I just didn't see enough upgrades to be worth that much difference.

The owner seemed like a good guy though. He spent quite a bit of time with me, and if he wasn't so far away from my home, I'd probably seriously consider buying from him. I haven't ruled it out completely, but I think it would need to be a better deal to justify going with something that's so far away.

TYM was a little disappointing too. I went to look at a T354, but the owner said they don't sell those, because the 394 is "the same price". So I went ahead and looked at the 394 anyway. Kinda left feeling the same way as I felt about the XG at LS. It was a nice tractor, but with some drawbacks. Seat again being a big one. The legroom felt a little cramped on this one too...especially the brake pedals. The 3pt hitch control didn't have any built in stops to set the height.

I do like that the TYM has a Yanmar engine though.

Quoted price for T394hst TLB, with 5' brush hog and box blade, including taxes...31k. That does not include loaded rears or delivery, so add close to another thousand. Pretty much the same feeling as LS....if it was closer I'd consider it, but I don't think I was impressed enough by the tractor or the price to make it worth buying from somewhere that far away.


So that leaves me back where I was, debating between Yanmar YT235, Kioti ck3510se, and Mahindra (1538...but would rather find a 1600 series for that upgraded seat).

I really liked the Yanmar in terms of comfort, but I did have a couple concerns. The steering column feels weak, like it's poorly built. I looked at 2 of these tractors, and they both had a column that would shake around pretty badly. The loader hoses connect right underneath the right side of the deck, with the caps all hanging down low to the ground. I'm worried that would all get torn up in the woods. And last, the 3pt hitch has to be removed to put the backhoe on. At first I thought I liked that style of backhoe, since you didn't have to worry about storage with the long subframe that stays on the hoe....but I plan on swapping implements frequently, and do not like the idea of constantly taking the 3pt off and on.

Mahindra is up in the air at the moment. I really liked the 1626 (the seat is a big plus for me over the 1526), but I want more HP. I know the 1640's are starting to show up at some dealers, but that might be out of my budget. No word on when the 1635's are due to hit the lots. I might go to a different Mahindra dealer and have a look at a 2638, and get pricing info on that one.

The Kioti might be my frontrunner at the moment. I definitely would do the 3510se over the 3510. The difference was only 1600. Unfortunately, when I went, the only SE he had, was still in the shipping crate, so I didn't get to sit on it or drive it. I think I'll give him a call on Monday, and see if he's got it assembled yet.


Sorry this post got long, just recapping some of my thoughts on the different brands. I think they're mostly all close enough in terms of specs, features, and pricing, that it mostly comes down to which dealer I feel best about. The comfort of the seat is a big one for me too, with a bad back I can't see myself buying a 30k machine with a cheap uncomfortable seat. Basically at the point now where I just gotta make my decision, and go write a check.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Thank you, I find all this very interesting and well worth reading.

Re: seats. If I do go with Mahindra, as a final bargaining chip I'm gonna ask the dealer to switch out the standard seat with one of the new deluxe ones. If he won't, I'll probably just order one anyway.

 

[NYCheese]

Went back to the Kioti dealer again today, since he now has an assembled ck3510se. Didn't have a loader or backhoe on it, but at least I got to drive the tractor itself and get a good feel for it. Pretty sure this is gonna be what I purchase. I like the dealer, they're fairly close (40mins), and they've been in business for decades (although not a Kioti dealer for very long).

Here's the price breakdown they gave me:
CK3510SE hst industrial tires - 18,910.60
KL4030 loader - 3,855.95
KB2475 BH 16" bucket - 7,216.25
RC2060 Brush Hog - 2,200.00
BB2060 Box Blade - 1,000.00
Filled rear tires ------

cash price 33,182.80
minus rebates -3,100.00

30,082.80
sales tax 2,654.62
Total 32,737.42


I'm going to shop that price around with a couple other Kioti dealers, just to see how it compares. The price on the brush hog and box blade seems a little high to me, but they're definitely higher quality implements than tractor supply or elsewhere. The RC is a slip clutch.

Bottom line is, it's a nice tractor. The SE version is definitely worth the extra cost vs the regular version in my opinion. Realistically, compared to most of the other brands/dealers I looked at, I think it's probably the most bang for the buck. I feel good about that dealer too, which counts for a lot.

Anyone have any thought on that price? Think I can do better?

 

[LMychajluk]

Seems like a good deal. I paid about the same last month minus the brush hog and box blade for pretty much the same setup.