Older John Deere or new branson

[nards444]

Thanks every one for the responses. I am going to use it mainly for snow removal of my 2 driveways 100ft long. And for landscape work. Maintaining gravel driveway, making wood,moving and leveling black dirt. No major field work except maybe a brush hog for some mowing. No this doesn't have the opition for a mid pto. So no front snowblower. FYI I was told to get a 8ft snow pusher for clearing the driveways. Anyone ever use one of those. I been using a 4 wheeler all these years but finally took a crap. Thanks everyone.

I think regardless I would buy a tractor with a mid PTO even if I didnt use it right away, cheaper to add it now. Ive thought long and hard about the snow blower. Im not dealing with blades and pushers, I dont want 10ft snow banks and or tearing up my lawn every winter and then having to come around and fix it every spring, so a blower is a must for me. As for front or back, I know fronts cost more, but for 2k more I think I would be much happier then playing the back up game the next 30 years with this thing.

 

[Compbodies]

The big Question here is do I pay 17300.00 for a 2004 JD with loader and snow blower, 450hrs or 18000.00 for a 2017 Branson with 150hrs with loader and back blade. 5 years of warranty left

 

[atsah]

The big question is which one do you like better?

Do you have use for a back blade?

Do you want the ease of a snowblower?

If you use a loader without a blade to remove snow you will quickly want something different, the blower is the best way to remove snow hands down.. I removed snow for many years clearing long driveways with a bucket, it's not fun when 8 inches or more drop from the sky. every 10ft and the bucket is full, The blower is quick, clean and no bankings..

 

[Hozzie]

Compare on the used websites like tractor house. From what I saw the JD isn't that far out of line from what others are asking. I would never offer what they are asking anyway. Show up with Cash and be willing to walk.

 

[rScotty]

The big Question here is do I pay 17300.00 for a 2004 JD with loader and snow blower, 450hrs or 18000.00 for a 2017 Branson with 150hrs with loader and back blade. 5 years of warranty left

I'd go with the JD. No contest IMHO. Both are used, and barely broken in. The hours are so low that it hardly matters for wear. I prefer to buy in the 500 hour range because such tractors are not yet worn, yet have enough hours so that any weakness will have shown up. In area where I live, JD's always sell for a premium dollar and there is a reason for that. Check around and see If that is true where you live. If so, then If it turns out that you don't like the JD, it will be easier to sell it for most or all of what you paid. That alone should tell you something.

The snow blower is quite a nice (and expensive) bonus. That's big. The 430 loader is known to be a good one.

The Branson may be as good - or not - I simply know little about that brand mechanically. But I do know that around here Branson has concentrated on competing with price. Nothing wrong with that.
On the other hand, JD has for many years enjoyed the luxury of competing with features rather than with price.

Whichever one you decide on, I would get as much of the literature available on it: Owner's manual, any tech bulletins, Workshop manual, Parts Book, and so on. JD has nice manuals and easy to get. Branson probably does too. These are nice machines - both barely broken in - and you will have either one for probably 20 years with only routine maintenance...so get the manuals. If either owner has already taken that trouble, that would be a point in it's favor for me.
rScotty

 

[nards444]

I always try and buy the newest thing possible, but when doing so you have to compare apples to apples here. The 2004 is pre emissions with not tons of hours and tractors can last a long a long time, on the other hand its still a 15 year old tractor vs an almost new one. Depending on what you are doing, for something smaller like a 25 horse you can get into cab and blower with a branson/tym new for about that price. With blowing snow your going to want a cab

 

[rScotty]

I always try and buy the newest thing possible, but when doing so you have to compare apples to apples here. The 2004 is pre emissions with not tons of hours and tractors can last a long a long time, on the other hand its still a 15 year old tractor vs an almost new one. Depending on what you are doing, for something smaller like a 25 horse you can get into cab and blower with a branson/tym new for about that price. With blowing snow your going to want a cab

So I'm a little different in the way I buy. I usually look for something used - but not too used. I'm looking for something that has proven itself, and I'm particularly interested in why the person wants to sell it. I don't necessarily regard something new as better - in fact I often regard it as simply not yet proven to be reliable.

So what that means is that new or old doesn't mean as much to me as quality of manufacture and owner maintenance.
As for the price, I expect that by buying used I am going to save a substantial amount over buying new. Taxes alone can make a huge difference.

Other than the new ones having more pollution controls, tractors haven't changed a lot in the past 20 years. They are built to last a lifetime. Old vs new does make a difference to me, but not as much as condition & the other things.

We see this basic question a lot on TBN, so whatever you decide we would be interested in what made your decision.
rScotty

 

[PEJ5]

The big Question here is do I pay 17300.00 for a 2004 JD with loader and snow blower, 450hrs or 18000.00 for a 2017 Branson with 150hrs with loader and back blade. 5 years of warranty left

I have been reading your questions and the comments on both posts and thought I would add today's experience.
We had a late dump of snow this week and I went up the the property today to deal with it. I had removed my rear blower last week so I decided to simply use the bucket. As mentioned above, I am a rookie. I hope no one saw me trying to get the bucket angle right, spinning my R4s, gouging, dealing with the plow pile at the road. Laughable!

Let's just say my rear blower made me look good all winter long compared to today. Easy to use, very little gouging beyond the first storm, cleaning along the road was simple, no spinning. Also, the snow was blown into the woods, out of the way. BTW, I am open station/no cab, and only "snowed" myself once. I have a hydraulic chute and manual chute deflector. I plan to install a 12v worm drive on the deflector before next year.

If you decide on the Deere, you will really enjoy the blower. If down the road (hehe) you really want the bucket as well then you could likely sell the front blower for enough to buy a new rear blower. If you go with the Branson, factor in the cost of a rear blower - from year one!

I purchased a 2016 because I did not want an old fixer upper. Based on my BIL's 4410, the 500 hour Deere is not that. Maybe Mr Deere is negotiable.

Good luck deciding.

 

[DavesTractor]

I'm a high volume Branson dealer, so my bias lies in that direction. But I think the 4410 is an excellent tractor, and a 2004 isn't very old in tractor years, nor is 500 hours a problem. The front blower is a costly attachment, often over $5000. I think for your needs I'd forget about the age difference and go with the John Deere. I would think it would be a little closer to $15k, but $17,300 is not ridiculous by any means.

I would recommend however that it be inspected very well by a qualified person. Make sure it doesn't have a busted and welded bell housing, or a broken gear in the front axle or some other big bad problem. It is unlikely to have those sort of problems and I am not saying that model is prone to any of these issues, but you want to make sure.

 

[Compbodies]

The JD does come with a 430 loader also. It's a 2004, is 17300.00 still to much. Thanks for your imput.