Big prices for little tractors

[CanadianBeaverS370]

Few small land owners will go out and buy a new $25K tractor to mow, move a little snow a few times a year. Lots of people would spent in the $2K range for that, about the price of a good riding mower from a big box store.
Chris

That's true for me :thumbsup: , I got my Satoh S370 beaver ( not a grey ) under $2k with implements. could of got an 8N for the same price but it would be pretty useless to me. I cant get over the price of new compact's , and after reading what kinds of problems ppl are having after less 200hrs of use on these new shiny machines no matter the color, I would buy 10 little Japan Tractors ( even grey's ) for the same price and just drive them to the ground. they are built so solid, I think I would end up 6 feet under before I would run out of tractor, especially if I got 10 of the same model and just mixed and matched the parts to keep as many of them going until I end up with 9 parts tractors. I admit I've only had my tractor for 3 months now, but I've put over 50hrs of hard abusive work on it, and it has not skipped a beat. My buddy got a brand new "orange" tractor around the same time and he has brought it back to the dealer 7 times already for repair, that's a lot for 100hrs machine, granted the stuff was covered by his warranty ... failed injection pump. failed hydro pump, electrical fire etc...

 

[clemsonfor]

Even the older american compacts, now i know ford did not make thiers it was Satoh?? or someone else there was massey which was himonto or what ever but even those ran forever...some have parts issues but really reliable thogh.

 

[dusty3030]

Even the older american compacts, now i know ford did not make thiers it was Satoh?? or someone else there was massey which was himonto or what ever but even those ran forever...some have parts issues but really reliable thogh.

Ford / Shibaura great tractors and very reasonable used.

 

[clemsonfor]

Ford / Shibaura great tractors and very reasonable used.

there you go, shirabu!!! Thanks for the correction.

 

[dusty3030]

Really when you think about it all the best used values out there in a compact tractor are Japanese made either greys or otherwise.

Yanmar greys, Yanmar US and the Yanmar Deere's
Kubotas
Ford Shibaura
Mitsubishi
etc.

 

[chriswheeler]

And because most on the market that are worth something are from Japan, I can't see Yanmar's logic in the lawsuit that just ended. Start by saying the Japanese businessman is much sharper than most, preventing their product from entering this country doesn't make any sense, even used. They have the parts there in Japan, they could rebuild, add the necessary safety gear, import to the US, sell through their dealer network, and make a ton of cash. Also would build their dealer network in the process. To the buyer, they could offer factory support further building their dealer network and having a better exposure for their new products. Used tractors in the $2000-$7000 range aren't any conflict to any of their new products. The person who buys a rebuilt used $4000 tractor isn't looking for, or won't buy a new one @ $25K. All of this might come back to the agreement they came to years ago with John Deere.
Chris

 

[deepNdirt]

I think also, That because many of the Riding Lawn mower manufactures are proclaiming their mowers to be "Garden tractors" therefore has the consumer's believing they have in fact bought themselves a garden tractor, when it's really nothing more than a ride on mower to cut grass,
Same as a rear engine snapper, We don't read of anyone calling snappers a Garden tractor,

The mower industries are hyping folks up with putting larger HP engines on them as if they need more power to cut grass, and to top it all the manufactures tag them as being commercial mowers and now we somehow have a better mower.... Uh! I mean garden tractor,

I guess what I'm trying to say is if the Mower industries would have stuck with building Lawn mowers for cutting grass, The compact tractors manufactures might could stick with building their tractors without the mower industries holding on to their shirt-tails, One increasing their price while the others keeps pushing their prices higher,

Here's the ad I read today that got me started about real compact garden tractors verses lawn mower/tractor....
I'd like to see this "garden tractor" in fresshly tilled soil pulling 600lb. of disk harrow's,

 

[jerrybob]

Yea they are expensive........by the way......I have a really clean, well running 186D with FEL........first $10,000 takes it!!:laughing:

 

[Firemanbuck]

Reliable, modern , fits in a standard sized vehicle parking spot. And can be trailed on an class III u-haul bumper hitch.

I don't usually use my tractor to run to Walmart...

 

[clemsonfor]

I think yanmar might be more concerned with our $6000 tractors being so reliable that those that wanted the $20k machines might start to look at the lesser price ones and that may cut into new sales. I still agree, there is a difference in consumers. There are more bells and whistles on the new ones. They have power steering and you have to go up quite a bit on the YM series to even get this. Maybe some of the 31XX or maybe some of the B models??? Also they have gauges and differnt style 3pt arms sometimes with things to ease hookup like slide adjustments and not check chains. They usually have gauges and not lights that you have to pay attention to your tractor. Better air filtration so that your radiator does not plug with fluff and seeds every hour while mowing. The tires are not ricers so that you can cut when moist. Many of these things the consumer will not cross over once they sit in them.

Its like the pickup market, the guy looking at a $6000 truck is not looking at a $30k truck and vice versa. Older trucks often cant tow as much and they get worse mpg (deisels are an exeption here) and the newer ones are like luxury cars inside and ride like it as well. But ford trucks still sells used fords on its lot!!