buying 1st first tractor, L4701 or mx5200...or?

[mike69440]

A good heavy duty Box Blade like a Gannon etc. at least 1000lbs with Top & tilt is all you will need. If you get 6,000 lb total weight tractor, get a 7' BB.

 

[mopardude318]

Emailed the nearest Yanmar dealer, 125 miles away in Sacramento....Inquired about the YT 359, since I have done more reading and it seams to be a pretty good unit...Didn't think it would be that expensive for a Yanmar though...

I realize he is probably raping me on that box scraper. I would purchase one elsewhere...Thought I would get a discount for multiple implements, thats why I had him quote me with one...but no. I'd also lose that cash discount since I have to finance.

 

[Tractorable]

Looks like he's coming in about 5% under MSRP. Kubota is usually ~10% under or so. See if he can come down on that.

That box blade is crazy expensive. Buy elsewhere.

8.5% sales tax in Cali huh? Ouch!

 

[mopardude318]

Looks like he's coming in about 5% under MSRP. Kubota is usually ~10% under or so. See if he can come down on that.

That box blade is crazy expensive. Buy elsewhere.

8.5% sales tax in Cali huh? Ouch!

Yes BB is way high. This has all been through email...I think it's hard to haggle online..lol .I'd have to suck it up and make a trip out there sometime. I asked about getting the AG tax because of where I live, but he said he needs a copy of the exemption form...not sure how that would work since my mother-in-law owns the property...

After all these dealers not giving me a break from MSRP no matter where in this jacked up state, I may just purchase out of state, somehow...I have an uncle in Washington...lol

 

[WVH1977]

mopardude,

I personally think that all the tractors that have been discussed in this thread will do the jobs you need to do (some maybe a little better than others) but they will all work and be better than what you have now. I agree with others who have posted about the hydraulic grader box. I think a regular heavy duty box blade will work fine for you. You don't have to get every attachment right off the bat. It has taken me years to accumulate the attachments I have and I survived just fine before I had them.

I think you need to get on the tractors that you are seriously interested in and operate them and operate them more than once. When I was looking for my tractor I drove all the dealers nuts that I visited. I would go there several times and drive the tractors around the lot. One dealer had a big rock pile. I drove 3 different size tractors up to that pile and picked the rocks and carried them around the yard. I did this for weeks. I know it sounds like overkill but it helped me to ultimately decide on the one I wanted and fitted ME the best. Pick the one that YOU like the best. You need to feel comfortable and confident on the tractor. See if they will let you back up to some implements and let you hook them up to the 3-point and drive them around. Lift it up and down. This can tell you a lot about the tractors and their differences. If the dealer complains about this they do not want your business and you need to go elsewhere even if it is 100 miles away. You are going to be investing a LOT of money and they should accommodate you.

You are going to drive yourself nuts with all of these quotes. LOL

 

[ericm979]

Yea, I agree you should do some test driving. I learned a lot about what I wanted by doing so.

Also take a tour of the dealer's facilities to check out their shop. While it's likely that you won't need to take the tractor in for work (assuming you're doing the maintenance) you do want a dealer who works on tractors. Sometimes the dealers for the smaller brands don't have much of a shop.

 

[TripleR]

IT, you are correct, the OP has not been clear as far as what all he needs to do. But as we know, that seems to be a reoccurring theme with people that ask new tractor questions. I think that often times they don't actually know them selves. They just know that they need-want something.

Brian, agreed, but not just new owners; remember when I didn't think I "needed"...

 

[Grandad4]

Over a month and nine pages of very good tractor forum advice and no actual hands-on time with any of the equipment yet? Mopar, you need to go kick some tires!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Brian, agreed, but not just new owners; remember when I didn't think I "needed"...

Larry, as you and I have experienced first hand, most of us continue to learn as life continues on. :thumbsup: One of the things that continues to amaze me is how people seem to think that box blades with hydraulic actuated rippers are so expensive. Time after time prices are listed out by those that make the purchases and time after time people seem to think that they can get them cheaper elsewhere. :confused2: And then there is always the ones saying that people don't need them and they are right, a person can get by without. But then do any of us "really" need our tractors, "really".

If you want to travel around in a 200 mph car, you don't buy a Yugo.

All I can say about people that down play hydraulic rippers are people that have never used them, specially on a regular basis. Reminds me of people and top & tilt sets, "Why would anyone want those?" again, you can get by without, but why would you want to? :confused3:

Good luck to the OP in his search and final decision. :thumbsup:

 

[IslandTractor]

Larry, as you and I have experienced first hand, most of us continue to learn as life continues on. :thumbsup: One of the things that continues to amaze me is how people seem to think that box blades with hydraulic actuated rippers are so expensive. Time after time prices are listed out by those that make the purchases and time after time people seem to think that they can get them cheaper elsewhere. :confused2: And then there is always the ones saying that people don't need them and they are right, a person can get by without. But then do any of us "really" need our tractors, "really".

If you want to travel around in a 200 mph car, you don't buy a Yugo.

All I can say about people that down play hydraulic rippers are people that have never used them, specially on a regular basis. Reminds me of people and top & tilt sets, "Why would anyone want those?" again, you can get by without, but why would you want to? :confused3:

Good luck to the OP in his search and final decision. :thumbsup:

Brian I agree with your perspective. I think however that the key phrase is "on a regular basis". If you use any implement regularly then it often makes sense to spend a bit more and get an upgraded version that makes life easier. However, for someone who uses something like a boxblade to do one or two smallish projects (a few days or so) each year and doesn't use it "on a regular basis" then it might make more sense to just get the basic version which will do pretty much exactly the same work albeit with a bit more operator dismounting and ripper adjustment time. The savings ($1500 in this case comparing the quoted hydraulic BB to what a plain old reliable Woods BB72 costs) need to be considered especially as $1500 (or even $500) might well buy you another implement that makes a bigger difference to your productivity than hydraulic rippers. YMMV and certainly I'd be looking into hydraulic rippers if I was rebuilding or maintaining a long driveway but I doubt the payback is there unless the implement is used "on a regular basis" (as you stated). In my case, instead of a hydraulic BB, I got a plain Woods and had budget left over to buy a SSQA tree boom (very useful), a set of frame mounted forks and still had money left for a hydraulic topping lift. Those three items saved my back far more efficiently than a hydraulic BB would have.

I'd just advise noobies to think carefully about what tasks they really will be spending a lot of time on regularly and what special tasks they might need to do occasionally. Buy implements that match your real needs. Tough to think that sort of analysis through if you've never owned a tractor before but it is time well spent before shelling out money either for inadequate implements or excessively expensive implements.

Let's see your hydraulic rippers do this: :cool2: