30 HP w/loader HST recommendations needed.

[huskerpilk]

Thanks for the input. After getting to see and drive some of these units I may have settled on the Mahindra 2615 HST. For around $14,000 with the loader it seems to be the right size for my purposes. The 3015 was nearly $1500 more for 3 more PTO HP...all else nearly the same. The 2810HST is again about $2K more for a few more hp and a few goodies. The Kioit CK25 is a close comparison (as is the 3015 HST to the CK30). I thought the Mahindra was a bit nicer to operate and seemed finished better. The NH TC30 upon closer inspection is mostly...well, blue. Kinda like the JD 790...mostly green. The only up side on those two units is resale IMO. I still am concerned about resale on the Mahindra and actually think the Kioti would be a better choice on that basis. I like them both and it may turn out to who can put together the best deal. Until then...the tractor and farm show is this weekend...probably short out before its over /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Great choice! I have a Cub Cadet 7260 which is the gear drive version of yours. It's a good, solid reliable machine.
Now, all of your friends will come up with a whole list of "stuff" for you to do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[huskerpilk]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Great choice! I have a Cub Cadet 7260 which is the gear drive version of yours. It's a good, solid reliable machine.
Now, all of your friends will come up with a whole list of "stuff" for you to do. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )</font>

Kinda like when I owned the old work truck. Now I have a nice new one and no one has the nerve to ask to borrow it. Heck, even I won't use it. I haven't seen anything on the Cub web site that lists your model number...am i missing something? I think this next week I will pick up a 2615 HST. Of course its a long time from now until then. Who knows what lurks in the mind of an obsessed tractor shopper /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Sounds like a great choice. I just can't figure out why the JD 790 is in your mix of hydrostatic machines....

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Cub discontinued it this year. Mahindra picked it up. The tractor is manufactured by Mitsubishi, and Mahindra picked up the line. I know Cub sold them for about 6 years. It's not a new design, but it is field tested and reliable. I have yet to hear from anyone who owns a 7xxx series Cub manufactured by Mitsubishi who doesn't like it.

 

[huskerpilk]

Thanks for the clarification on the Cub issue. I'm glad its not a brand new design. The JD 790 was a thought because I hadn't at that point decided on HST. BTW the farm and tractor show is this weekend in SW MO. Two dealers have quoted $13,500 on the 2615 with the loader + 0% financing for 36 mos. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif I may put a down on Sunday and get the madness over with. Thanks for the input.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

You can't beat 0%. Good luck! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[huskerpilk]

Back from the show...I knew the madness could not end that easily. I really wanted to see the Mahindra 2310 and 2810 HST's next to the 2615 and 3015 HST's but the dealers say the smaller 10 series are discontinured. ??? I then began to look around and the tractors that really seem to stand out in terms of quality and value are the Kioti's. The CK 25 prices out the same as the 2615, as does the CK 30 with the 3015. The Kioti's are definately a better made machine...from the 3 point to the front end. I think they are more like the 10 series from Mahindra. The Mahindra dealer said they are going with the 15 series in the smaller tractors to save some money. Dang...I was hoping to bring something home but I couldn 't pull the trigger. The Kioit dealership is a little further from home but a big step up on service and knowledge. The torment continues...in a good kinda way. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[NHRich]

For what it's worth, I just bought a Kioti DK45 TLB after looking at several different color tractors for several months, and I'd agree from what I saw that Kiotis are one heck of a value for the money. The DK45 is significantly bigger than what you're looking at, but I checked out the LK3054 TLB and the CK30 as well, and all the Kiotis were very well built and engineered machines. I decided against a HST tractor because after driving old Ford gear tractors, a synchro shuttle is already a nice improvement, and more importantly, I wanted the extra PTO HP that you get with a gear tractor over HST.

One person here gave me advice when I was considering what to buy that I'll pass on to you. If you're going to have a mix of different kinds of work, get the biggest (HP) tractor you can reasonably afford, because you'll always find something down the line you want to do where you'll wish you had the extra HP. Changing/adding implements is (relatively) cheap. Adding HP to your tractor after you buy it is expensive /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

That said, there's no point in buying bigger than you'll ever need, and smaller usually means more maneuverable, cheaper, etc. If you're going to do any woods or uneven ground work, though, it's nice to have as wide a stance as possible for stability-- that's one of the things that pushed me to the DK45, along with the heavier-duty loader (2500 lb full height, 4000 lb breakout).

Not sure if any of this will help, but good luck in your choice and purchase! While I ultimately chose a Kioti, almost all the tractors I tried were good machines that felt very solid. I'm thinking we're pretty lucky right now to be surrounded by a lot of great choices in CUTs.

--Rich