Buying Advice Another first time buyer!

[Alasdair]

Thanks for all the great advice!

After a little more research and discussion with neighbours I am leaning towards a larger machine
TripleR pretty well hit the nail on the head with his prescription -

"Good information over all and find myself in agreement with nybirdman. Sit down and write out your needs such as, at least for me, 4WD, FEL, HST, 35HP to 50HP or so, diesel, 540 live/independent PTO, good 3 point hitch, ability to wide stance or good wide stance anyway for hills."

SilverTramp - I understand your point but we get a lot of snow - my neighbour who has been pushing snow has nearly run out of places to put it!
I think a snowblower is the way to go in our neck of the woods!

 

[Kyle241]

Alasdair,

It sounds like you are doing similar things that we are in Ontario. We actually have entertained moving down East for some time and renewed the idea again last night. For your needs and budget, I would look for a good used machine 4w in the 30-40hp range if you can. The makes I would stick with are Kubota (I'm bias), MF or Deere just for quality reasons. No experience with Ford. I agree with hydrostatic, it's simple and great if you do a lot of FEL work.

As for attachments, a bush hog, boxblade and snowblower would be in order. The latter to do your driveway as the FEL could do it but with a lot of snow, it would be a beast to do. Other less important would be backhoe (for me it's very important), rototiller - note you may want to get a plow & disc instead and possibly forks.

 

[DAY]

I'm new here, but been tractorin' for awhile. Get some seat time in that neighbor's machine- the one with the FEL- and see how you like what it can do. Then visit dealers, and see how they treat you. That's important, because they will wind up as your new best friend!

 

[TripleR]

Alasdair, I think you are well on your way to making a good choice in equipment. We don't usually get much snow here, but it if we did, a snow blower would definitely be something I would want. I can get by with a BB or back blade and my FEL, but it is not ideal for a lot of snowfall.

Very good advice from DAY, I encourage any new buyer to spend some time on a tractor even if they have to rent one in order to get a baseline feel for it. You will then be much better able to compare.

I have been operating tractors for over fifty years and still have a lot to learn and have to do a lot of research before buying. I have gotten some really good advice from TBN members on my last two purchases.

 

[Alasdair]

I'm new here, but been tractorin' for awhile. Get some seat time in that neighbor's machine- the one with the FEL- and see how you like what it can do. Then visit dealers, and see how they treat you. That's important, because they will wind up as your new best friend!

That sounds like good advice and I have an offer to use it if I need.
I have driven a couple of compacts and excavators but am far from being competent (or even confident) when it comes to operating machines - better with boats than wheeled things!

 

[Alasdair]

I'm thinking of checking out this machine at the weekend -

" 135 MF diesel tractor with loader, power steering - front and back PTO - one owner, really good condition. Loaded tires. Used daily on horse farm - no field work - 2800 hours with regular maintenance. Price $6900. Snow blower, 6"6" - $900. "

I have posted in the MF area but no one has commented. Obviously it is impossible to comment acurately on a machine that you have not seen/used but could anyone pass an opinion on the price/model - I understand from my internet searches that they are one of the "classics" of their time, but what should I be looking out for when I go to view etc.

I am sure that all this info is on the forum somewhere but sometimes it's easier and quicker to ask those in the know than to search yourself!

Cheers,
Al

 

[TripleR]

The MF diesel is a good little tractor, but it is hard to tell about the price as they vary from region to region, it would not sell for that price around here.

There has been a lot of debate on the utility of a 2WD w/FEL. My father in law's first tractor was a MF 375 with FEL and he traded it off pretty quickly for one with 4WD which we still have.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/195800-front-end-loader-4-wheel.html

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/182437-front-end-loader-2wd-tractor.html

 

[bironacad]

Welcome to the forum. I joined recently as I was looking at getting a new tractor (bought a New Holland). The information that is so readily available here was indispensable for me and my purchase. From my experience I was glad that I made a bargain with my self to try all the major brands and then when I thought I was getting close got more info from the forum. I also got valuable information from dealers on different ways to tackle problems. I have a back/neck challenges and continuously looking over my shoulder would be a pain so I was looking for a front blower when a dealer suggested a pull behind which was $4000 cheaper, this would not be everyones first choice but it worked well for me. Another thing I took a friend with me when available that made the looking and trying more of a event and he would see things that I missed and this made for great road trip discussions. This you may not want to do as you may get to many wants for your wish list, I went to a landscaping show. At the show they had attachments and implements that I didn't even now existed, lol. I ended up getting a bigger tractor because the chipper I wanted needed more PTO HP. That would be another thing, it has been suggested to list all that you will need to do before looking I would also suggest looking at what attachments are required and how much tractor is needed for those attachments. Front and back hydraulic outlets, pump capacity........

Patience, try stuff, talk, listen, try.......... take your time and enjoy.:thumbsup:

Good Luck and again welcome.