Alaska tractor dealers, recomendation?

[North to Alaska]

I'm moving to the Delta Junction area this summer....provided the coronavirus crap clears up.
I will be purchasing my (used) tractor in the lower 48 and hauling up with me.
I know there are Kubota and John Deer in Fairbanks and Anchorage area. LS in Wasilla (Dave's Tractor). A New Holland dealer in Palmer (bit too far). White Spruce Trailers are selling Branson tractors but I question the warranty/repair abilities? They are a trailer sales people and seem to have a good reputation for fixing their trailers....but tractors are a bit more complicated.

Anyway, hoping some Alaskans here can help me on recomending a good dealer.

Plan to do much of my own work when I can but if I pick up something that still has warranty left on it or is too big to handle...

50 to 60 hp range.

Thank you!

 

[oosik]

Just a bit of geography. If Palmer is too far - Wasilla is even further. Check with Doofy on this site. He lives in Glennallen. I think he uses a dealership in Palmer. Glennallen to Palmer - about 145 miles.

 

[North to Alaska]

Just a bit of geography. If Palmer is too far - Wasilla is even further. Check with Doofy on this site. He lives in Glennallen. I think he uses a dealership in Palmer. Glennallen to Palmer - about 145 miles.

Yep. I was getting Palmer and Homer mixed up. ��

 

[oosik]

WoW!! Delta Junction to Homer. That's like Chicago to San Fransisco - ha, ha. I don't know what you expect up there in Delta Jct. From experience, I know you can have hot summers and brutally cold winters. AND some of the very best fishing and moose hunting in this world.

Just for your information - I lived in Ak - 1965 thru 1982. Spent one year in Glennallen. A real social backwater.

 

[North to Alaska]

WoW!! Delta Junction to Homer. That's like Chicago to San Fransisco - ha, ha. I don't know what you expect up there in Delta Jct. From experience, I know you can have hot summers and brutally cold winters. AND some of the very best fishing and moose hunting in this world.

Just for your information - I lived in Ak - 1965 thru 1982. Spent one year in Glennallen. A real social backwater.

I like the cold:thumbsup:....okay maybe not -40° for two months. Lol
And my wife loves the midwife culture there.

 

[North to Alaska]

Probably go with a Branson after all. 5220.
Talked to the gentleman from White Spruce Trailers at the North Pole location. Their head mechanic is located there and they would be happy to work on my tractor if needed. I'm hauling it up with me.

 

[K5lwq]

Probably go with a Branson after all. 5220.
Talked to the gentleman from White Spruce Trailers at the North Pole location. Their head mechanic is located there and they would be happy to work on my tractor if needed. I'm hauling it up with me.

I am sure it will serve you well! Congratulations on picking a very nice tractor! Post pictures when you get home.

 

[EddieWalker]

Probably go with a Branson after all. 5220.
Talked to the gentleman from White Spruce Trailers at the North Pole location. Their head mechanic is located there and they would be happy to work on my tractor if needed. I'm hauling it up with me.

I'm not familiar with Alaska or dealerships there, but I am familiar with Branson. It's a good quality tractor with exellent value for the dollar. If it doesn't brake down, or have any problems, it's a great choice. Unfortunately, their dealer and corporate support is very poor. Parts that where available yesterday have a way of not being there today. Very few dealers last very long, and it's very common to have a dealer pop up, last a few years and then disapear. Same thing with finding parts online. The places that I used to buy parts from have disapeared and it's a search for parts when I need something. Most of the time I can find an aftermarket part that will work from Napa, but not always.

If I was in your situation, I would look at Kubota. It's probably the most expensive brand out there, but if you need a part for it, you will always be able to get it. There are tons of online sources, and their dealerships are all run professionally. Deere might be a second choice for the same reason of being able to keep it running, but I'm not a fan of Deere because a lot of their lower HP stuff is Chinese junk painted green. Of the second tier of tractors, it's all hit or miss on how easy it will be to get parts when you need them.

 

[North to Alaska]

Was going with a Kubota.
But this thread confirmed my suspicion.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...t-leaving-kubota.html?highlight=Alaska+dealer

White Spruce Trailers has been around for a while up there. They are not going anywhere. I was worried about their having a mechanic but the gentleman I spoke with alleviated that worry. Since the Branson does not have an ECM, the mechanic doesn't have to be a genius to fix them either....and neither do I.
He was upfront and said that his North Pole location did not carry much for parts because that location just started selling the tractors. Their Wasilla location has the supplies since they have been selling the tractors for a few years now.

But to be frank, the Kubota and Deere probably don't carry many parts either...especially for the older tractors.

With the Branson 5220, I'm getting a SIMPLER, reliable tractor. Less crap to go wrong and easier to fix. Especially the emissions crap that seems to give so many headaches. With a Branson, just rip off the emissions and throw on a muffle.:thumbsup:

Someone told me that up there, not enough mechanics that know the technical stuff. Told me to try to go with pre-emission tractors. I can get a near new Branson for the price of a 15 year old Kubota.

After 10 years, I hope to have a better footing financially. So if Branson no longer makes parts for that tractor I will trade up.

 

[ptsg]

Right on! :thumbsup:

It's a simpler tractor, yet full of features that are optional on other brands for a lot of money.

That 540 + 540E makes it much easier to attach PTO implements as you can flip the lever to Neutral and allows you to rotate the PTO shaft by hand.

Don't forget to show us your machine when it arrives.