Looking at buying in the spring need your opinions

[Skip77]

Long story short I have had a bad experience with buying a new Mahindra tractor this last year so come spring I will be looking to get me a new tractor and I would like to have everyone's input on what you would buy (excluding the Mahindra) and why you picked that color/brand. I have 38 acres (95%) pasture land that is basically all on a slope. I need a cab due to allergies and would like one that's big enough to handle baling hay on the slope but my budget is kind of tight. We would like to have a backhoe attachment but have also contemplated (if I can swing it) getting a used mine ex when we buy the tractor because to be honest I done like the way a few of the brands attach their backhoes. Yes they have a full frame mount but the attachment process looks to be a bit harder than I want to deal with. I have looked at the new Holland and Case in 55 and 70 hp range and the dealer tells me he wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a 70 hp if I'm going to bail hay on a slope.

Thank you for taking the time to give my your feedback.

 

[dodge man]

I bought a Kubota, although much smaller than your looking at. My choices in my town were Cub Cadet, Kubota, and John Deere. I live in the middle of farm country so I could drive and find a lot more dealers within an hours drive. I bought the Kubota because they were the only dealer that helped me buy and give me advice on what I needed. I was looking at a 4 wheel drive lawn mower and ended up with a small tractor. Thank goodness the Kubota dealer helped me pick out the perfect machine for my needs, if left to my own devices I would have made a mistake. You see that mentioned a lot on this forum, sometimes your buying the dealer, not just what they sell.

 

[Bigpuddie]

Look at a Kubota M7060, Case 75c, New Holland Powerstar 75, and a Massey Ferguson 4707. All great machines. Buy the one that impresses you. I looked at them all and Bought the Massey Ferguson

 

[shooterdon]

Plus...talk to others in your area that have the same needs and ask them what work or what did not work.

 

[Diggin It]

We would like to have a backhoe attachment but have also contemplated (if I can swing it) getting a used mine ex when we buy the tractor because to be honest I done like the way a few of the brands attach their backhoes. Yes they have a full frame mount but the attachment process looks to be a bit harder than I want to deal with.

My BH is quite easy to mount and dismount. The only real difficulty is seeing down behind me to line it up.

At the size machine you're probably going to need, a separate machine might be better though.

 

[4570Man]

My BH is quite easy to mount and dismount. The only real difficulty is seeing down behind me to line it up.

At the size machine you're probably going to need, a separate machine might be better though.

A mini excavator is definitely the better option but finding one in the same price range isn’t likely.

 

[DerbyRunner]

Was your Mahindra problem due to a dealer issue, or lack of horsepower, or some other missing capability you want in a new tractor?

 

[Jchonline]

Was your Mahindra problem due to a dealer issue, or lack of horsepower, or some other missing capability you want in a new tractor?

Utility tractors and backhoes dont seem to be the best match. The problem is ground clearance...you are so high up that it doesnt make sense to mount a backhoe on the rear! You basically want a machine that does everything. If money is tight this is not the best scenario. I do agree a mini-ex is a better option, but it is probably going to be more expensive.

How is a small utility tractor going to do with a baler? When I looked with my father the M7060 had a baler option, but it was marginal. Maybe other colors have more options; I am sure others will give you their experience. I dont think I would go smaller than 70HP either...and agree on slopes it will be worse.

Any thoughts to contracting the haying out?

 

[DaddyFlip]

If you are in the Case/NH market, why not look at LS Tractors? You could probably pick up their largest 100 horse tractor near the same price as the C/NH 70 horse. I'm just guessing on price differential but it's probably enough to put a good payment on a digger.

 

[Skip77]

Was your Mahindra problem due to a dealer issue, or lack of horsepower, or some other missing capability you want in a new tractor?

The tractor had hydraulic problems from the time it was still on the trailer. I ordered it and 3 months later I had it on my farm for maybe 6 days total and for those 6 days it was still broke. It was in the dealers shop the rest of the time and I'm still fighting with them to finish up the buy back that they promised me. It had 0 down pressure and you could actually watch the loader and backhoe fall at about 3 inches per min while the tractor was in operation. They couldn't find the problem and said they didn't want to send me a new one because they were afraid it would do the same thing. Basically they admitted they have a problem nwit that series but didn't know how to fix it.