Buying Advice Looking for a tractor

[Parrotman409]

Hello! New to the forum. I'm looking to buy a small tractor. I have just under an acre of manicured lawn and garden. It's all fairly flat without much grade. Application would be gardening, trees, snow removal. I'd like a loader, forks, front mount snowblower and possibly a backhoe (just not sure I would use it much to justify cost but also know you can't really get them 'after the fact'). I have a zero turn mower so I could either keep it, or get a mower deck. Would likely get turf tires as well. I have borrowed a neighbours New Holland Workmaster 25S with loader a few times and it seems to to what I need it to.

All my research and looking so far is leading me to either Kubota BX series or John Deere 10xx series. The zero percent long term financing is attractive as I would prefer that to paying outright. I've narrowed it down to these 2 brands as though they command a bit of a price premium, it isn't much, and they seem to hold their value well. Also have great dealers for with within about 20 minutes of my house. I live in Ontario, Canada. Any thoughts or advice is welcome.

 

[jeff9366]

VIDEOS: The ONLY BX that gets a backhoe - WHY IS IT ONLY 23 HORSEPOWER? - TMT - YouTube

*NEW* Kubota BX23s BT6?3 Backhoe removal - YouTube

Installing a french drain with a Kubota BX23S - YouTube

 

[dodge man]

Both are good choices. A JD 1 series is a little bit bigger tractor with a more powerful loader. JD also has a better auto connect mower deck. Both make good mowers. I owned a BX for 10 years before I bought a JD 2025r and the Kubota and now my JD are what I mow with but if you have a zero turn that you can afford to keep, have a place to store both, I would keep the zero turn.

Google “Tractor Time With Tim” and he has a series of videos comparing a BX with a JD 1 series. Tim is a JD guy but his comparison is very fair. Both are also pretty common used.

 

[rademamj1]

Well both the BX or JD1025 with turf tires make a great landscaping tractor. The front bucket becomes a moving wheelbarrow for many tasks. The midmower cut is zero turn quality, but not the maneuverability. Front snowblower is a must in Ontario, and the turf tires will work extremely well in heavy snow.

You can always purchase and install the backhoe later when needed. However, the dealer can deliver your tractor with backhoe rear remote hydraulic lines installed, even though you did not buy the backhoe yet. Rear remotes are good for many hydraulic powered attachments that you can rent, like stump grinders, power rakes, aerators, etc.

 

[Raines]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam. They just raise the price on you and get the interest up front. You will get a lower price on the tractor with a cash price but you can also finance it at that price, just not at zero percent. The payments come out almost identical. Plus you can always pay it off early and save money on interest. If you go with zero percent you automatically pay all the interest even if you pay it off early.

 

[Roadworthy]

You have a zero turn mower for your yard. I get the impression the tractor would be for "projects" around your place. You may be able to rent a tractor or a backhoe locally. You'd have to do a lot of renting to reach the $15,000 or $20,000 or more the tractor would cost. After the initial shock there's only maintenance to pay for - unless you start collecting attachments. I suspect the only really critical use would be clearing the snow. Everything else could be planned.

 

[fried1765]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam. They just raise the price on you and get the interest up front. You will get a lower price on the tractor with a cash price but you can also finance it at that price, just not at zero percent. The payments come out almost identical. Plus you can always pay it off early and save money on interest. If you go with zero percent you automatically pay all the interest even if you pay it off early.

"zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam"

Truer words were never spoken,..... but some are easily hooked!

 

[jeff9366]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam.

At its monetary policy meeting ending on September 17. 2020, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) maintained its monetary policy unchanged, a decision widely expected by market analysts.

In terms of rates, the BoJ left the short-term policy rate for current accounts held by financial institutions at the Bank unchanged at minus 0.10%. It also continued to not set an upper limit on the amount of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) it will purchase in order to cap the ten year JGB yield at around 0.00%.

Japanese interest rates have been zero or negative since 2015.

Kubota can borrow at negative interest rates in Japan and use the borrowed money to move Kubota machinery in the United States with 0% financing. One reason Kubota's compact tractor market share continues to increase.

NEW YORK TIMES: Japan’s Negative Interest Rates Explained - The New York Times

 

[mcfarmall]

Unless you dig holes for a living, I'd skip the backhoe. You'll never get enough use out of it to justify the cost. If you need a trench to run your downspouts or an electric line to your pool, rent a trencher. FEL on the other hand, I wouldn't want a tractor without one. You'll use it for everything imaginable from a wheelbarrow to a water tank.

 

[Diggin It]

I have just under an acre of manicured lawn and garden. It's all fairly flat without much grade. Application would be gardening, trees, snow removal. I'd like a loader, forks, front mount snowblower ...

I honestly can't see a SCUT for your needs. You're talking $15-20K no matter how you go. You already have a mower. Unless you have loader work every weekend, do you really need one? I use mine a lot, but I have about 4 acres and a yard that needs a lot of dirt moving. And keep in mind what a 1500-2000 pound machine is going to do to your 'manicured lawn'.

You might look into the older style garden tractors, but they tend to need a lot of TLC. If you can find a good one, they'll handle a front loader and snowblower.

 

[Parrotman409]

OK, so one of my local dealers just got a trade in that looks pretty good.

2006 BX2350 with turf tires
630 hours
Very clean
Includes loader, 60" mower deck and a 50" front mount snowblower with the chute rotation.

I'd be about half the price of a new one on this setup.

Seems like a perfect setup for me. I could either sell the belly mower, or sell me zero turn depending on which one I prefer.

I get that with 1 acre I don't *need* a tractor, but we are constantly moving rocks, spreading mulch, digging things, etc. The one that I have borrowed from a friend several times has turf tires and doesn't mark my lawn at all.

Thoughts?

 

[Diggin It]

Yeah, that could be a winner.

 

[dodge man]

Sounds like a buy. About 18 months ago I traded my BX2350 for my current tractor and they gave me $7500 on trade. Same setup you are looking at but no snow blower. 750 hours on it.

A word of warning. Some people did not like the way the tractor stopped when backing up. It can be kind of sudden. I found mildly annoying at times and at other times it did not bother me at all. Just something you might want to try out.

Mark up the lawn? Yes they will if you are not careful but still worth having a tractor in my opinion.

 

[Beaver Cove Deere]

With only an acre that's a hard justification but it's your money.

 

[workinonit]

Y'all negative nellies. His wife has given him the green light to get a tractor and now he needs to get one. Once you have it you would never be able to do without it. Enjoy!

 

[workinonit]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam. They just raise the price on you and get the interest up front. You will get a lower price on the tractor with a cash price but you can also finance it at that price, just not at zero percent. The payments come out almost identical. Plus you can always pay it off early and save money on interest. If you go with zero percent you automatically pay all the interest even if you pay it off early.

I don't necessarily doubt what you are saying but it didn't apply in my case. I got the tractor priced to me and we agreed on everything after I shopped around. It was after the fact that the financing was agreed upon. I could have paid for it but the salesman who is my friend suggested I finance a portion or all of it. My primary motivation was to get the insurance included. The price would have been the same either way. I traded my old 5310 which they sold in 2 days and asked permission for the buyer to talk to me. Ultimately I found out they made $2000 on the 5310 deal but had to change the gauge cluster and give the guy a 60 day 50/50 warranty. I gave the new owner all of the operator manuals and sold him a bunch of maintenance parts and the shop technical manual. They were very transparent in the entire transaction.

 

[fried1765]

Unless you dig holes for a living, I'd skip the backhoe. You'll never get enough use out of it to justify the cost. If you need a trench to run your downspouts or an electric line to your pool, rent a trencher. FEL on the other hand, I wouldn't want a tractor without one. You'll use it for everything imaginable from a wheelbarrow to a water tank.

"I wouldn't want a tractor without one"

That is EXACTLY what I say about my Kubota L48 with it's 11' hoe !

 

[4570Man]

"I wouldn't want a tractor without one"

That is EXACTLY what I say about my Kubota L48 with it's 11' hoe !

I agree with that, the last 3 machines I’ve had have had backhoes but then again a tractor backhoe is about a joke.

 

[Diggin It]

I agree with that, the last 3 machines I’ve had have had backhoes but then again a tractor backhoe is about a joke.

So far mine has done everything I've asked of it. And they were all things I could not have done, or even tried to do without it.

 

[rademamj1]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam. They just raise the price on you and get the interest up front. You will get a lower price on the tractor with a cash price but you can also finance it at that price, just not at zero percent. The payments come out almost identical. Plus you can always pay it off early and save money on interest. If you go with zero percent you automatically pay all the interest even if you pay it off early.

That is not the way I read the fine print on my Kubota Credit documents, nor is my monthly billing calculation showing any interest payment on a 0% interest rate. In fact my online Kubota account has a payoff tab, which does remaining balance billing and cancelation of all future insurance payments.

You can negotiate a cash price discount, and still are allowed financing at 0% interest for 3 years if you make a down payment.

Likewise, you can also elect to finance at MSRP less the 5% discount, and choose 0% interest for any term length your comfortable with, depending on credit agency approval.