Tractor decision

[paulsharvey]

This fallacy of used equipment being better than new is just silly. More likely is that the used equipment has been proven to have a problem and the seller is getting rid of the problem. It could just be that the seller was lax in his maintenance or pushed the unit beyond its capacity. Those problems can be hidden, but may be a ticking time bomb. Caveat Emptor.

There are exceptions, but it really takes a combination of mechanical knowledge to investigate the unit beforehand and personal knowledge of the seller and their integrity.

Is it possible that a used tractor has the 'kinks' worked out? Sure. Is it likely? No.

Like anything else, buying used tractors is primarily a cost play. With diesels, it can be an emissions play, too. (For some people it could also just be a hobby thing...enjoy finding and fixing problems/restoration) Losing most or all of the warranty is hardly a good thing compared to the vain hope that the seller is honest.

I'm going to get blasphemous here.... I think a large number of the small CUTs, with low hours, are from people who bought a tractor, and discovered, they don't really need/want it, vs the payment. I can see a Real argument of, if your only putting 25 hrs per year (and how many of those are puttering around) maybe it's better to sell it, and hire a guy in twice per year, or use a mower/SxS, whatever.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

Doesn't mean his decision will be the best. I have 35 acres woods, 10 acres non wooded.
If I was worried about snow and the cold I probably would have gone with a cab but being in East Texas I elected not to bust glass and weather the heat.

I’m guessing because it’s his money his decision will be the best for him because that’s what he decided to buy?

Obviously, many of us change our decision a couple years later, and buy something different whether it be bigger or smaller or have a cab or not have a cab, I live where it gets 20 to 30 below zero and I don’t have a cab on my tractor

 

[tradosaurus]

If you want to put all your hard earned money you spent on your tractor to the ground, put R-1’s on. If youre on pavement A LOT, don’t get R-1’s.

But you won't look cool with the wider R4's.

 

[Missouri Pioneer]

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

I have a LS U5030C 55 hp cab with which I have been quite pleased. I got the industrial tires and loaded them. This tractor does all that I need it to do on our 100+ acres. I, too, was advised by a dealer friend NOT to get a cab if I planned to use it in the timber, but I ignored that advice ... and I'm glad I did. With a cab, you're always comfortable, whether there be heat, cold, or rain. Another friend with a farm advised me to get more than 50 hp, for what that's worth. I love this tractor.

 

[rwendel]

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

I have a similar property and driveway. I bought a Kubota MS5100 4x4 open cab and it worked for most jobs I had but found myself always needing just a little more tractor. I bought a Case 75c Farmall used and love it, does anything I need it to do. Be sure to get a third function valve and a grapple for the loader

 

[Hermio]

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

That tractor should be ample for your needs. But I would not rule out other brands, such as Mahindra or Kyoti, as long as you have good dealer support.

 

[Hermio]

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

One other thought: get hydrostatic drive. It can save your life when working in the woods.

 

[ssuser]

Having worked in factories all of my life, you couldn’t pay me to own a cabbed tractor, after I retire. I love my outside time, on my open station tractors.

The home-made canopy on the JD is a very nice feature for open field work in the summer or in the rain though:
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You can see that I am not “color blind” because I run the American “big 3”.

You couldn’t pay me to own a tractor without a cab. And I’ve had multiple American brands of each.

 

[Gord Baker]

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

Get one size bigger than you think you will need. Consult your neighbours and remember that to have good neighbours you have to be a good neighbour.

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

You couldn’t pay me to own a tractor without a cab. And I’ve had multiple American brands of each.

So do you think everyone should have a cab then?

 

[tradosaurus]

A lot of yellow jacket ground nests

Another good reason to have a cab.
I swore that if I hit a ground nest of yellow jackets I would trade my tractor in and get one with a cab.
So far in 5 years I haven't had any issues. But I also only put maybe 30 hrs/yr on a tractor.

 

[twowoode]

I know it would be nice to have one tractor to do everything but is it really practical. I maintained 42 acres with rolling hills and 1200 foot gravel driveway using a 50 horse John deer with a loader and while it got the job done it wasn’t efficient. I now have 15 acres and use a Massey 1723 tlb for the flat ground and backhoe trench work. I use a compact track loader for the hills and brush work as well as moving materials around. It may be something to consider.
The other thing to look into is parts availability for the brand you are looking at.

 

[rmcDerek]

Hi, I’m new to this forum. I have 50 acres, 15 pasture, 35 wooded. We are starting construction on a new home, 1400 foot driveway. Right now I am focused on LS
MT347 cab hydro with bucket, plow, box blade, brush hog. Am I on the right track? Up until now I have only had garden tractors. Thnx, Barry

Many good questions from the others to help guide you. If you're in a snowy climate and you're clearing your own driveway, a snowblower attachment ( pull type) is almost essential and a cab with defrost is really nice to have.

D

 

[BadgerCheese]

I have a XR4046 and run a Frontier 6' snow blower and 7' box blade (fel standard). It has plenty of power for both. I'm the 2nd owner, the machine has 920 hrs on it and runs very well. I LOVE my cab and wouldn't be without it in the winter chewing through 24" of snow or in the summer grading a road with the mosquitoes trying to chew through me. They typically come with 2 remotes, which I have, but a 3rd in the rear and a third function in the front would be nice. Get a hydraulic top link in as soon after purchase as practical with a flow reducer and you should be good until you figure out how to fine tune for you. As an example, one of my fine tunings is front & rear cameras that help take some of the strain out of my back while blowing snow (front camera looks at the front edge of the fel).

 

[masseyrider]

A lot of yellow jacket ground nests

As a kid me and the old man were pulling old peach trees.
My job was wrapping the chain around the stump. He was on the tractor.
I didn't see them as I wrapped the chain but when he gave a tug they came out in numbers from under the root ball.
I ran and only got a few stings.
Before Pa could get off the tractor and run he got stung so many times I had to take him to emergency.
I went back around midnight, dumped about 2 gallons of gas and lit it. Looked like a small nuclear device went off but no more yellow jackets.

 

[mrgreenjeanstx]

I have a massey 1760, it is a good tractor, I also have a Kioti RX7325. I would strongly suggest looking at the Kioti in the same size you are looking at. When shopping for my Kioti, I looked at larger Massey's and Kubotas. They were more expensive and I could get heavier tractors and more lift capacity in the Kioti. Just saying.

 

[rScotty]

This fallacy of used equipment being better than new is just silly. More likely is that the used equipment has been proven to have a problem and the seller is getting rid of the problem. It could just be that the seller was lax in his maintenance or pushed the unit beyond its capacity. Those problems can be hidden, but may be a ticking time bomb. Caveat Emptor.

There are exceptions, but it really takes a combination of mechanical knowledge to investigate the unit beforehand and personal knowledge of the seller and their integrity.

Is it possible that a used tractor has the 'kinks' worked out? Sure. Is it likely? No.

Like anything else, buying used tractors is primarily a cost play. With diesels, it can be an emissions play, too. (For some people it could also just be a hobby thing...enjoy finding and fixing problems/restoration) Losing most or all of the warranty is hardly a good thing compared to the vain hope that the seller is honest.

Lets see if I have your arguments right against buying used...

1. used equipment being better than used is just silly
2. more likely that used has a problem-
3. likely the owner is just getting rid of a problem
4. could be lax in maintenance
5. ....or pushed beyond its capacity
7. mechanical knowlege is required
8. buying used requires personal knowledge of seller and integrity
9. buying tractors is primaily about cost and emissions
10. losing the warranty is a bad thing
11. Hoping a seller is hones is a vain hope

I obviously feel differently on every point. Re: #7 for instance, of course mechanical knowlege matters, but can be learned or hired. FWIW, I pay to have a mechanic do a pre-purchase before any used purchase. How does that differ from the opinion of a dealer? or salesman?
If a person cannot evaluate a used tractor, better stay away from used houses or used land.

And for #8.... People in general are pretty good at figuring out if a seller has integrity ... it's a skill most people develop early in life. If a person cannot do that confidently, best get to work on it.

It is just Torvey's style is to lecture as though he had a pipeline to the truth. But there is no truth here; his view is just another opinion. Potential buyers should also look at the opinions of long time tractor owners here on TBN. Many of the older & experienced owners here buy used. They don't push it as I do, but in fact the more experienced do prefer to buy used. Ask them why.

rScotty

 

[scootr]

I buy used cars and tractors. Prefer low miles/hrs from verified sources. I paid cash and saved 30% over new on my Kubota tractor. It was garage kept with 150 hrs on it, like new with all the addon rear hydraulics and bucket edge I would have wanted. Talked with the owner for an hour before buying. His place was clean, his trucks and other equipment was clean. He was local and moving out of state. I put 150 hrs on the in a bout 1.3 yrs without a hitch.
Currently driving a diesel car with 35k miles, saved similar $. It does take time, knowledge, and a bit of luck to get the right deal. If you are in a hurry to buy and you can afford it new is probably the way to go.

 

[Benny Blue]

You’re going to want a set of forks for whatever tractor you get.

 

[350c]

Having worked in factories all of my life, you couldn’t pay me to own a cabbed tractor, after I retire. I love my outside time, on my open station tractors.

The home-made canopy on the JD is a very nice feature for open field work in the summer or in the rain though:
View attachment 841747

View attachment 841745

View attachment 841746
You can see that I am not “color blind” because I run the American “big 3”.

Let’s see now: hauling round bales to feed cattle in blowing freezing rain/sleet, get off to open gate; option of trying to clear seat with rain/sleet blowing, or sitting down on a dry seat in a heated cab? I know what I enjoyed more!