Anyone ever bought a tractor and then...

[broncorm]

Went from a bx24 to b3030 in two years. Got a good trade in and I'm still at 0% payments are about the same just add a few years to it.

 

[bill in ny]

2006-m8540 open station, 2wd to 2008-m8540 hdc12

 

[rScotty]

traded it in for a larger model within a year or two?
Ian

I think lots of us have. It sort of depends on your needs. We were all newbies once, too. What surprised me was finding that what I needed in a larger tractor was not HP, it was more weight, longer wheelbase, a heavier 3pt hitch, more comfort, and most especially more side-hill stability. Increased power was way down on the list of importance. It turns out that the horsepower was sufficient even in a small machine.

Another surprising thing was finding out that a 5,000 lb machine with turf tires can be kinder to the grass and earth than the smallest compact utility tractor riding on lugged Ag tires.

A larger machine is less maneuverable and it can be a pain to get it in position for a little job, but once it gets lined up it will often do a better job in one pass than the little tractor will do in an afternoon. The important thing is that both tractors will do the job, and both easily do it better than a whole team of guys working all day with shovels and wheelbarrows could.

My advice: get a compact tractor with a loader and 4wd that matches most of your work and fits in tight places. Plan on keeping it forever. And keep your eyes out for a nice old Ag tractor if you need a larger machine. Or rent one.
good luck, rScotty

 

[poldies4]

I haven't, yet. I have a condition, severe tractor envy. My tractor is perfect for my 3.5 acres. I have a little hill and a lot of sand and woods. I was at a buddy's house on new years eve, he has a Deere 2320. Man is that thing cool. Makes my little BX 1860 look like a garden tractor, but my 1860 makes my garden tractor look tiny, hmmm. I guess the point for me is do I need more? Not at all, however, that being said I wouldn't mind having a 18-20hp that weighed twice as much, but it would really just look bigger, and do the same chores for my needs. I am very fortunate to have what I have, and I enjoy my seat time. If moving 5 yards of sand takes 30 minutes on the BX, it might take 20 on a B. 10 minutes of fun. My BX can really sneak in to some spots that keeps my small acreage feeling larger than it is. I would hate to have to cut down all my trees just to turn my new big tractor around. So I will keep my 1860, and look enviously at the bigger tractors, and some day if I decide to start playing the lottery, then win, I will post pic's of my new 40hp next to my little 18hp on my new 5000 acre ranch. I will commence the breath holding now:thumbsup:

 

[santa2u]

Three years ago I needed something to clear a .77 acre I had bought. I had done some tractor driving, but that was a long time ago, and I was unfamiliar with what was on the market.

I ended up with a Kubota B7510 HST with loader and I love it. My only problem is keeping the adjustable width rear wheels tight on the axle (which I have no use for anyway), and not enough power to pull my 4' Howse mower in tall or thick stuff without crawling through it. That said, it has yet to fail at anything I have asked of it (including digging a 2 1/2'deep 10' X 10' fish pond). It just takes longer, so I decided to go just a little bigger.

Now, I hire out, mowing small acreage and do some light dirt work. I am retired and don't really want too much work, but I do enough to make my tractor payments. I grew up in the country, and I love driving. I call it my therapy.

I am scheduled to pick up my new L3400 with loader and 5' Howse mower on Friday. Can't wait!

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

I think lots of us have. It sort of depends on your needs. We were all newbies once, too. What surprised me was finding that what I needed in a larger tractor was not HP, it was more weight, longer wheelbase, a heavier 3pt hitch, more comfort, and most especially more side-hill stability. Increased power was way down on the list of importance. It turns out that the horsepower was sufficient even in a small machine.

Another surprising thing was finding out that a 5,000 lb machine with turf tires can be kinder to the grass and earth than the smallest compact utility tractor riding on lugged Ag tires.

A larger machine is less maneuverable and it can be a pain to get it in position for a little job, but once it gets lined up it will often do a better job in one pass than the little tractor will do in an afternoon. The important thing is that both tractors will do the job, and both easily do it better than a whole team of guys working all day with shovels and wheelbarrows could.

My advice: get a compact tractor with a loader and 4wd that matches most of your work and fits in tight places. Plan on keeping it forever. And keep your eyes out for a nice old Ag tractor if you need a larger machine. Or rent one.
good luck, rScotty

I think this is another good response.

 

[bp fick]

20 years ago, my first fishing boat was all I could afford and talk my wife into. It was a 15', aluminum, side console with a plain-jane 40 hp. We had a ball with it. My boys were the right age.

As my daughter and the boys began to grow up, we needed (they wanted) to focus on water skiing and bigger water for bigger fish. I sold my boat outright and bought a 19 ft, with I/O, fiberglass hull. What a sweet boat for all the things we were doing at that time.

Kids grew up and I was more alone with the boat, and it was far too much to store, tow and launch. Sold it outright, and bought a 16', aluminum, 40 hp Merc. Marginal for skiing, pretty good on the water.

Sold that, and bought an even smaller 14', aluminum, 25 hp Merc. What a breeze to store and tow. Last fall, I sold the 14. Now, I'm keeping my eyes open for a bigger boat, again, because a) I now have storage space and b) I now have six grand kids who are bringing the cycle around again. It's great!!

Why all these moves? First, no wallet was harmed in the making of these trades!! :laughing::laughing: Sharp buying, top notch care, and patient, careful re-selling resulted in virtually no money losses in any of these trades.

Boats, cars, or tractors. Life isn't static. Situations change.

 

[Rockgod]

traded it in for a larger model within a year or two?

Ian

Yes, did kind of the same thing. It wasn't so much the size (did go larger), it was a lack of a cab. Realized this just 10 payments in.

If I only new then what I know now, I wouldn't have went with an open station unit. Very costly mistake..

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Yes, did kind of the same thing. It wasn't so much the size (did go larger), it was a lack of a cab. Realized this just 10 payments in.

If I only new then what I know now, I wouldn't have went with an open station unit. Very costly mistake..

Over the years I've aquired a lot of education, some even from actual Institutions of Higher Learning.
Just about every piece of it (Education) cost money or skin. Some people think of the cost of aquiring their education as a mistake, I don't. I think of it as the cost of an education. Some of my education has been more expensive than other parts and I've found that some times the more costly has been retained better than the cheap. Some times I've done the cheap over a time or two before it ever gets truly learned and retained.
What is a good Education worth? Only you can determine that.
My Mom told me to not touch the hot stove (Probably as your parents did or should have) several times when I was a child. Eventually I touched the hot stove and paid the price. I then determined (after paying the price, skin blistered) in my mind that my Mom was right but I had to find out for myself and pay the price.
Some things we can't learn until we try it. Buy a tractor after research and filtering the credibility of your research, just because your advisor has a B, BX, L doesn't make them credible since they may be justifying their purchase even if it's a mistake. Get research from more than one source and question your sources motivation (Salesman or justifier of their purchase).
As the old expression of Cheap as dirt and dirt ain't cheap so goes education, it ain't cheap but it is valuable.

 

[bp fick]

How many folks buy cars, dozens of them over a life time? Most folk.
Was everyone "a perfect, long term 10+ years" fit? Of course not. How many cars get traded off or sold at the 3 to 5 year mark? A lot!!!! There is no stigma attached in doing so.

Most folks only buy a few houses in the lifetime. It's difficult to pick up all one's stuff and move for one thing, but still, folks "out grow" or "down size" all the time. It just is a common occurrence.

Somehow buying a tractor should be wildly different? I don't think so.

While I wouldn't encourage anyone to be frivolous about major purchases, such as cars, trucks, boats, or houses, but it seems there is a bit too much perfectionism, too much expectation that "THIS tractor will be my absolute final tractor purchase and I'll be keeping it for 30 years and pass it off to my kids", or some such.

We rarely think that way about many of our other vehicles, boats, motorized toys, motorcycles, etc. There is some romantic notion of PawPaw's 30 year old tractor that is attached to this, somehow, perhaps. I dunno.