Buying Advice advice on a 5223D

[papaglide]

It's me again and I am putting the 1882 to rest. However I found a very interesting tractor which I never heard about. It's a 2006 Cub 5223D diesel with a Cub FEL, cat 1 3-pt, 60" deck, 2 speed, 2 or 4 wheel drive and 221 hrs. Asking price is $8400 but the dealer will take $7000 cash. I've tested it in the parking lot and its nice. My criteria is the same, 2 acres to mow and required yard maintenance. Is this the tractor that I've been looking for? Thanks. Also has a rear PTO.

 

[diesel_nut]

If you plan on doing a LOT of yard work it is. If just mowing it's about $5,000 too much tractor
Sounds like a nice tractor. Will try to look it up.

Update: Did a google search and turned up nothing. Weird.

 

[papaglide]

Same here on the google search. All I find are 5252 and 5234 which look the same as the one I am contemplating.

 

[scoutcub]

It must be a 5234D as Cub did not make a 5223. The D signifies diesel. I've owned a few and currently own a 2007 5234D, same machine. Very capable and dependable tractor. It's considered a sub-compact, so between the super garden and compact tractor. Much more tractor than the 1882. The 4wd is the reason I traded up from the 1782, and I love it. It does an awesome job plowing and blowing snow, as I used it pretty hard this past winter. The diahatsu diesel starts right up in the winter. I'm assuming you will be doing the same given your location, or perhaps use the loader for snow? I have a dealer close to me that has new blowers and blades if you can't find anything near you. They're still out there.
I also have the 60" deck, but haven't used it yet....waiting to move to a bigger lawn.
Some would argue if you need a loader with 2 acres... I contend once you have one you'll ask yourself why not sooner....you can move rocks blocks mulch trees dirt snow etc. I've parked my wheelbarrow and smiled last time I had to move it, as it had a flat tire as usual.
It's not bad on hours and actually a good price for the machine. If they've offered you down to 7K, you could probably get it for less, or have them throw in delivery or sales tax. Good luck and let us know!

 

[papaglide]

Scoutcub, I could have swore the decal on the hood was 5223D, but maybe it was a goofy decal. That would explain the reason that I could not find anything when I googled it. I am glad that you have had good experiences with yours as some of the other posts re: the 5252 and the 5234 have stated some bad happenings and made me start to rethink things. I have free delivery included and yes, I will be using the loader for snow. I was hoping to find some attachments/implements to start a half acre or so garden. I think that the cat 1 3 pt will make that an easier job. BTW the gave me the thumbs up! Now my LT1018 will be back up.
How easy is it to detach the FEL, the Kubota dealer (where it is) didn't know.

 

[VinceSMTA]

If you search this forum you'll find a lot of discussions on the durability of the 5234D. As a previous owner I say buyer beware. If it were me buying it I would try to find out the warranty history before laying down that type of money. However, it sounds like you will be doing relatively light duty work and if the previous owner did light duty work with it you should be fine. I wish you the best no matter what choice you make.

 

[scoutcub]

Vince does have a point. When Cub first introduced the 5000 series in 2004, they had some issues with the machines that earned a ding in their reputation and some bad publicity which you can find on the web. They resolved the issues in the following years. Having said that, my first sub-compact was a 2004 5234D with a loader, and I had 0 issues with it. I worked the loader pretty hard, which probably isn't so advisable, as I believe it is a lighter duty machine. I firmly believe if you don't overwork the machine and service it regularly it will serve you well.
See if it has the serial# on the lower right side frame, you can run a warranty check with Cub. Most of the leftovers Cub has been selling in the last 2 years are new/like new, low hours, with no warranty and usually the serial#'s are removed. They were sold quite cheaply to clear inventory and make way for the new Cub/Yanmar line. The machine you're looking at may be one of them. Mine is one of them, It doesn't worry me at all, but it also had 3 hours on it when I bought it.
The loader is a quick-disconnect, remove the front pins, rear bracket plates, set the loader with hydraulics, and remove hyd couplers. 15-20 minute job.
It probably won't come with a manual, you can print one for free off the Cub website. If you don't have a serial #, let me know, I have some codes to plug in and get the manuals up.

 

[papaglide]

Thanks Scoutcub. I will be paying for it tomorrow and will try to get the serial number off it. The Kubota guy at the dealer where it is at was very forthcoming as far as the history with the previous owner as he seemed to know him well and stated that it was mainly used for snow removal, mowing and odd jobs around his yard. It was traded in because the previous owner and his father-in-law bought Kubota's and got a very good deal on buying two at the same time. With that being said, I don't believe that there are any issues with this particular tractor.