Another confused first timer

[Hoodoo]

I would suggest going into Chino Rentals and see what they are using for compact tractors now. I do know that they had both Kubota and New Holland units. At least until 2016 when I retired and left the area. I know both Remmie and Adam there. I worked for Bingham Eq for 30 years, the last 10 in Cottonwood and dealt with both. Maybe rent a 25hp for a weekend and see how it works for you. BEC opened their Prescott Valley store in '17 or '18. I don't know anyone there except Al, who I think is the store manager. Tell him that Mike from Tennessee sent you in. He should be able to help you out.

Thank you! I will be going in soon to see Bingham since they are really the only dealer up here.

I'm beginning to think maybe just suck it up and pay a bit more for a Kubota since y'all seem to think that dealer input is so important..... still pondering. I ran into Jesse from Bingham at the Rodeo grounds a while back, showing off his tractors....nice guy.

 

[jyoutz]

If you like a big brand name like New Holland, go look at them and get an idea of what you like. Then look at the manufacturers tag on the back go the machine and you’ll see it’s made by LS Mtron (LS Tractor), a well-made machine from S. Korea. Then go to your local LS dealer and buy the same tractor as the NH for thousands less, and it’ll probably have more features for your money. Something in the MT125 or MT225 class should fit your needs nicely, and well within the $20k range.

Local LS dealer? That’s the issue. Most places don’t have reliable or any dealers for any but the big brands. And when I do see these off-brands being sold by a “dealer” the sales operations seem to be an add-on to a hardware store or Motorsports dealer with none or limited shop support. Often I also see these “dealerships” fade away after a few years.

 

[Larus]

The last time I looked, sub-compacts were more expensive than compacts. That may be because I added a mid-mower instead of a brush hog. But, sub-compacts are seriously overpriced. I did some informal research on this and concluded it is because of popularity.

I ended up with a Kubota L2501-DT. First, let me give you the negatives I heard. It does not have a live PTO. OK, put it in neutral with the PTO engaged, let the clutch out and let the attachment spin up. Second, it is a tractor for first time buyers. I don't know what that means. Third, Hydro is much faster. I simply do not do the work that requires this. And, yes, I move a lot of material with the front end loader.

Now, what I love. All the parts are made by Kubota. It is light weight. While this makes moving heavy material, gravel, logs, etc. a little more difficult, it is great on the field and garden. No hydro complexity, heat, noise, etc. It is 25 HP. Go slow enough and your only limitation is weight. I get everything done with this tractor and there is no reburn.

I have 16 acres. Some days I think this size tractor is perfect, other days too small, and for some jobs, too large. I think I can conclude I bought the right size. It has been very reliable. Maintenance is not difficult. I would do it again. The bottom line is this tractor does the job for me and is a better investment, in my opinion, than a sub-compact or a hydro tractor. This is personal of course. I like simple things that work well and last a long time.

 

[azbinder]

Thank you! I will be going in soon to see Bingham since they are really the only dealer up here.

I'm beginning to think maybe just suck it up and pay a bit more for a Kubota since y'all seem to think that dealer input is so important..... still pondering. I ran into Jesse from Bingham at the Rodeo grounds a while back, showing off his tractors....nice guy.

We usually had displays at the county fairs in Prescott and Flagstaff as well as the local home shows.
Last I knew, the sold Kubota, New Holland, and Bobcat compact tractors.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Now here's a story - a younger family moved in recently down the road. Husband is a highway patrol officer. His neighbor passed away and the wife just gives him the Kubota tractor........I'm happy for him, but........

Where did you say you live again?

 

[Cougsfan]

I just love these "what brand tractor do I buy?" threads. There are definitely some helpful and thoughtful replies but it also brings out the best of some responder's prejudices, and closed minded thinking. The truth of it is there aren't that many "bad" tractors sold these days, and chances are you would be happy with any brand you happen to chose but there is also a small chance you will be disappointed with that same brand too. That's life. No one knows your priorities and concerns better than you. I'd recommend that you buy whichever one tickles your fancy and is in your size and price range.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I think the advice to get a "heavy" tractor for 5 acres is a bit overblown. You don't need weight or power to adequately take care of five acres. I used an older Kubota B7100 (16HP, 1080 pounds) for years to mow pastures with a four foot bush hog (the most common and cheapest size). I currently use two Kubotas a B2710 and a B2650 which are both "light" according to the above discussion, but have the advantage that I can haul them around pretty easily with my old pickup and cheap trailer. If you intend to have your dealer service the machine recognize that dealer charges to pick up and drop off a machine quickly add up to the cost of a trailer. "Heavy" tractors may bounce a bit less on rough ground (like my JD 3005), but they don't get the jobs done any faster on five acres, and they are indeed more expensive. I suspect you will be using your tractor most as a motorized wheelbarrow, you don't need size for that, in fact maneuverability is a virtue.
Mudfarmer

Why do you own both Kubota and Deere? Which one do you like best?

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I would suggest going into Chino Rentals and see what they are using for compact tractors now. I do know that they had both Kubota and New Holland units. At least until 2016 when I retired and left the area. I know both Remmie and Adam there. I worked for Bingham Eq for 30 years, the last 10 in Cottonwood and dealt with both. Maybe rent a 25hp for a weekend and see how it works for you. BEC opened their Prescott Valley store in '17 or '18. I don't know anyone there except Al, who I think is the store manager. Tell him that Mike from Tennessee sent you in. He should be able to help you out.

Excellent advice.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

It sounds like your making some progress. I know everyone points to the bigger the Tractor the better. I didn’t buy mine to work fields or farm I bought it to work in the woods and help maintain the 1/4 mile long driveway and the 3 miles of trails we once had . I guess the best way to describe what a 25 HP tractor can do is show some pictures. We had the front 40 acres logged and the mess is huge but I’m slowly chipping away.

Great pictures and beautiful property by the way.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

Ok, I just finished reading all the replies to this thread. Man you guys got really wordy with this one. I would like to see this much thought and detail put into other threads.

Ok, so here's my two cents version of a wordy reply to the original poster. It is good that you are reaching out and asking for advice from people on this forum as this is naturally the first step to take in your journey to finding the "right" tractor for your needs. However, it's just the beginning. As many people here have suggested you need to first begin with figuring out what you want to do with your tractor which will lead you to determine what attachments you want to run and then lead to you finally figuring out how much horsepower and weight you will need to power them. After this has been determined you then need to go to both of your local dealers and sit on the tractor models that fit your needs spec wise. I can tell you from personal experience that this will be enlightening as there is a big difference in the quality, ergonomics and feel between those two brands.

Now I want to address all the cliché advice given about shopping a dealer over the brand. That is often times bad advice that fails to address many other complexities in the buying process. It also fails to take into account many of the real world realities that exist in a imperfect world such as what if you live in a town where you don't have any good dealers to buy from? What are you going to do then? Hoodoo the reality about the tractor market is this: It's in realty what's referred to in business and economics class as a duopoly. There are only two brands that control the lion share of the market which is Deere and Kubota and all the other brands are a far distant third. South Korean tractor manufactures are just selling on price. If you look closely you will find that they have a history of not meeting their basic warranty obligations, have bad parts support, have bad resale value and have a sparse selection of dealers to choose from. They have been trying to break into the US market for years and as Jeff pointed out earlier they have hardly made a dent. Why? If they were offering something better and cheaper then Deere and Kubota they would have won a lot more market share then they actually have but I digress. Prices on compact tractors are very high because as I stated earlier it's a duopoly. If Ford and Massey Ferguson had of stayed in the market and not sold out in the late 1980's we would all have more choices and prices would reflect that but we don't so you only really have two brands to choose from.

Some have suggested buying used. Used tractors are way overpriced right now and for what you would pay for a used one you could go out and purchase a new one and get a 6-8 year warranty. Also used equipment is nothing at all like used automobiles. It's a totally different animal. You have far more risk buying used equipment then you do used automobiles. One of the reasons for this is due to the fact there are not as many tractors sold as there are automobiles which means you don't have the same choice and access to third party repair shops that you do with cars. And if something goes wrong with that used tractor that you don't have the ability to fix you just paid the dealership's rent and light bill that month. You don't ever want to be in that position if you can avoid it.

I think the tough reality that you are starting to face is you purchased a piece of rural property with some acreage and now you're starting to figure out that it's not cheap to own and maintain it. You would not be the first to be a little shell shocked by the real cost of ownership to have the privilege of living out on some land. It's a cowboy dream many of us have but few of us like paying for. I wish you well in your journey to buying your first tractor and I believe with enough research and study you will make the right choice.