4 Tractor Comparison

[gregsons]

I plow with turf tires on gravel and have no probs. this will be my first year on blacktop i used chain on my tires and i think one heavy snow fall my tires spun but really never slowed me down. by driveway is really flat. as for the FEL, I Have one and used it alot but i really dont think you really need one , unless you moving round bales. i could get away with out one. if i was to buy a new tractor ( not a new to me) i would save the money and not get the FEL. to each there own .

 

[MESSMAKER]

I plow with turf tires on gravel and have no probs. this will be my first year on blacktop i used chain on my tires and i think one heavy snow fall my tires spun but really never slowed me down. by driveway is really flat. as for the FEL, I Have one and used it alot but i really dont think you really need one , unless you moving round bales. i could get away with out one. if i was to buy a new tractor ( not a new to me) i would save the money and not get the FEL. to each there own .

Weird how two people can see it differently. I have had a tractor without a loader and spent a ton of time and effort to do things without it. I have one on my current tractor and I am digging, grading and lifting something almost every time I start it up. I see a tractor by itself as primarily a pulling device with PTO. Add a loader and it doubles the amount of things you can do.

 

[tornadowatchranch]

I too live in Kansas up around Lawrence. I have the Bobcat 335 (mine is a hydrostat) I have not had any problems in the yard with it. You have to pick you route and time for a few days after the spring rains. It was 106 here yest so it is just like driving on concrete now! The 335 will take a 7 foot finish mower (see posts by dk35 vince I think--he has a kioti equivalent) I believe the bobcat gives a free front end loader if you finance yourself or cash. I went with the local credit union. Good luck in the search.

tornado

 

[cjpembo]

Hey, thanks everyone for the quality responses. A few points:

I didn't mention in the original post that I have a Bobcat 773 skidloader at my disposal; hence that is why I thought I'd hold off getting the FEL for a tractor. I've got more loader than I know what to do with already.

The 9 acres are currently and will continue to be finish-mowed. I'm currently using a Grasshopper 928D with 72" cut (but I'm offering the unit for sale on Craigslist... only 210 hrs on the machine). I'd like to spend some time smoothing out my ground, tilling a garden, etc.

Yes, I could borrow/rent/hire a tractor/someone to smooth out my property... but then I'd never get a shiny new tractor (the perfect 10 yr anniversary gift if you ask me).

The price on the Bobcat CT335SST incorporates the current $3,000 rebate offer. The dealer then reduced the price another $3000 ! That's about 33% under MSRP. Very tempting if I could just convince myself Kioti is the way to go. I would like to mention that my dealer warned me about adding a MMM to the Bobcat: he quite frankly told me that their MMM is problematic and will not raise up out of the way enough to use the tractor for other uses.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[CenTex Chris]

The price on the Bobcat CT335SST incorporates the current $3,000 rebate offer... Very tempting if I could just convince myself Kioti is the way to go.

The Bobcat is not a Kioti. The Bobcat is a Bobcat. It really doesn't matter that Daedong makes both tractors which are identical twins. What matters is that you're buying into the Bobcat company with its own dealer network, its own product lines and its own service and support -- and that's an entirely separate deal from Kioti.

I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other. What I'm saying is that except than the fact that both tractors come off the same assembly line at Daedong, there is no other relationship between Bobcat and Kioti. So in your particular case, Kioti doesn't even enter into the equation.

By the way I used to live in the Flint Hills... always nice to hear from a fellow Kansan. You'll be happy with whatever you choose to buy, I sure was!

 

[mjncad]

Even if you have a skidsteer at your disposal, I'd get the loader for the tractor at the time of purchase as others have suggested. Get 4WD, you won't regret it. If you do a lot of loader work, consider a hydro tranny. They make doing close quarters work so much easier.

And if your budget and the models you are looking at offer a cab...get it.

 

[LD1]

HP means nothing without traction so get the tires you want and weight will help that.

To each his own opinion but I disagree 100% with this statement. It all depends on the intended uses. To OP suggests that he will be doing ALOT of mowing and also some tilling of a garden. In these cases, weight means absolutly nothing and HP means everything.

I'll go aginst the trend here and say to get the most HP in the lightest package possible. If these are your only considerations without looking at other makes, I'd consider the 4005 IF you can do without all that fancy stuff, and since you are already second guessing the Bobcat.

Sure the fancy stuff is nice, and may make the job easier, but it wont do anymore work than a "no frills" machine. I have a kubota base line model, and I don't miss all the gadgets and HST, mainly because I have never been spoiled with them. But I wanted the most for my hard earned $$ and I couldn't justify spending money on stuff that was not absolutly necessary.

As far as the loader and 4wd go. I'd say both NOW or never. If you plan on eventually getting the loader, do it now and get the 4wd. Makes handling the loader a lot better on these smaller tractors. If you decide you can do without the loader, since your land is so flat, I'd save the $$ and go with the 2wd and get chains.

 

[Gittyup]

If you can afford the JD, then you can probably afford the Bobcat CT440 or CT445. These give you maximum horsepower so you can run bigger cutters to get that mowing done faster. Man, that's a lot of grass to cut!

I doubt that you need HST.

And I'd consider a front frame mount scraper blade in stead of the loader, since you don't need the loader. Then put a snowblower on the back. OTOH one thing the loader does allow you to do is to get rid of the skid loader altogether.

I'd go with turf tires in 4WD and add chains for the winter. Turfs are actually a good choice for snow removal.

I'd also give a lot of consideration to a factory cab because weather has quite the extremes out there. This gives you AC in the summer, and heat and wind protection in the winter.

 

[Rob-D]

My dealer had a new 4005 on the lot someone just bought. Apparently lots of people like them. I guess it's what you're used to.

For me I would buy a new tractor without a loader, to each his own.

Rob

 

[Diamondpilot]

Now that more of the story comes out, he already has a FEL on a skid steer and he is going to use it for mowing mainly, weight is not as much of a consideration. The price of that Bobcat is very good. I priced one out in June with the loader and 1 remote and it was $21,000.

I still would want a tractor with real tractor tires and some weight to it. You said you plan to do some mowing but also some gardening and smoothing out of the land. This requires traction. Look at the old machines like a Farmall M. It was only 30 or so HP but weighed 5,000#. Lots of work were done with them.

Chris