Well - in my situation it is sort of a two part question. I owned my first tractor for 27 years - Ford 1710 4WD - bought new in 1982. Traded in on my new 2009 Kubota
M6040 in 2009.
I knew for the last three or four years that in order to get going on the remaining projects around the property - I was going to need a larger tractor - larger & different implements. In the 27 years the local dealer that I bought the Ford from had changed to Kubota.
So...... down to the dealer - WoW! look at all the shiny new orange tractors. After using the Ford for 27 years - I had a good idea of what I needed vs what I wanted.
The 2009 Kubota
M6040 with hydraulic shuttle was what I needed. It is large enough to handle the class two implements that I will use for the remaining projects around here. The dealer had
M5040,
M6040 &
M7040 on the lot for me to look at. The
M6040 was the only open station unit. Other two were cabbed.
It would have been nice to get a cab but after 27 years with an open station Ford - I knew that a cab was not the way to go. Too much going between and around giant old Ponderosa pines. Any cab would suffer almost immediate damage. Besides - except for a few days - summer weather is most enjoyable here. And for those really cold plowing days in the winter - its Eddie Bauer from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.
I have absolutely no regrets choosing the brand and model of tractor I have. Smaller would not handle the class two implements I use - bigger would simply be too big to navigate around the property with all my trees.
Thirty seven years out here - never once been able to find a used implement that would be anything I need. Always have purchased new - class two implements ARE expensive but with proper use and care - I expect they will last a lifetime.
