Buying advice for small land-owner in New Hampshire

[BigNuge]

Already called. Ted is who I think I talked to. Quite helpful. We talked about the Max 26. Kubota is about $800 cheaper (B2301). Mahindra is right about the same as the B2601. But there isn't anything like a $5k delta here.
He didn't itemize backhoe out from the base tractor. Maybe that hoe is just obscenely expensive.

May go kick some tires at lunch if I can sneak out.

Cool. Yeah, I’m up a series with the 1626 HST, and my Kubota comparison was with a L2501 HST. Given what I learned with my research, weight is my friend. I also didn’t want to regret the tractor size/weight once I dropped $20k+ on this thing!

Looking forward to following your purchase experience!

 

[nhbubba]

If weight is king then the Kioti CX wins.
The Mahindra is very attractive on loader capacity and PTO output. Wish the value proposition were better. Still waiting for the actual quote but I believe Kioti crushes all here. They are offering a $2400 rebate for cash buyers on the package I'm after! Makes the CX cheaper than most of the stuff I'm seeing on the 2nd hand market.


Kioti is the real deal, right?!

I am no stranger to a wrench and intend to do all my own service. Not sure how much I worry about dealer rep. As long as parts are available. (They seem readily available.)

 

[BigNuge]

If weight is king then the Kioti CX wins.
The Mahindra is very attractive on loader capacity and PTO output. Wish the value proposition were better. Still waiting for the actual quote but I believe Kioti crushes all here. They are offering a $2400 rebate for cash buyers on the package I'm after! Makes the CX cheaper than most of the stuff I'm seeing on the 2nd hand market.


Kioti is the real deal, right?!

I am no stranger to a wrench and intend to do all my own service. Not sure how much I worry about dealer rep. As long as parts are available. (They seem readily available.)

Honestly, I liked the Kioti as far as the machine. The dealer was terrible, and I could see one till August (so he said). The dealer weighed heavily on my decision. Best warranty, and fantastic dealer, those were major factors for me. I too and a wrench, and do all my own service repairs on my equipment. But you just can’t beat a solid dealer when dropping this kind of cake. Not to mention, this is my first diesel, so I’m on a learning curve there....

 

[Carl_NH]

If weight is king then the Kioti CX wins.
The Mahindra is very attractive on loader capacity and PTO output. Wish the value proposition were better. Still waiting for the actual quote but I believe Kioti crushes all here. They are offering a $2400 rebate for cash buyers on the package I'm after! Makes the CX cheaper than most of the stuff I'm seeing on the 2nd hand market.


Kioti is the real deal, right?!

I am no stranger to a wrench and intend to do all my own service. Not sure how much I worry about dealer rep. As long as parts are available. (They seem readily available.)

NHBubba - take a long look at the BH and subframe Kioti vs Kubota frame integrated 4 Point for install and removal, and the further the BH is from the tractor the more stress is put in the frame.

The Mahindra has a similar 4 Point Frame integrated BH setup I believe as Kubota B series - at least on the Max 28 series, not sure on the 1600 Series.

 

[nhbubba]

 

[rademamj1]

I have seen damaged subframes for backhoes before. Most commonly, they were related to heavy use and in some cases were bordering on equipment abuse. I was in upstate New York last summer, and my brothers neighbor broke his subframe while trying to dig a trench, and hit a granite boulder as big as a car.

We watched him banging on that boulder with his backhoe bucket, and he was determined to either move it or break it into smaller pieces. I eventually got a shovel and with 20 minutes digging, we found the limits of the boulder reached about 12 feet wide at depth of 2 feet. Just too much for the backhoe which indeed cracked its subframe. Later I heard he had it welded and fully repaired and claimed it was a design flaw.

I also have seen rental equipment, both construction and agricultural, recieve some heavy abuse, and then sold at auctions with cracked loaders, broken engine mounts, and all sort of issues related to abuse or poor maintenance.

Don't let that video control your decision to purchase backhoe attachments in general, or a specific manufacturer.

 

[rScotty]

Although we have larger tractors and backhoes now, that is because we just did years of work doing major flood repair and reshaping our land.

For what the OP is interested in, I am thinking back to the decades befrore the flood that we spent with a small 3pt Yanmar backhoe and a 30 hp tractor. That turned out to be plenty of HP. The key to making that tractor work was having wide tires set way out, chains for the winter, a low center of gravity, and some extra weights front and rear added to the tractor. I still think that 25 to 30 hp is ample for anything when coupled with good low 4wd tractor gearing.

Then there was our little 3pt backhoe. Though small, it was sufficient for the digging we did - which was & is mostly landscaping. Planting trees, moving bushes, building a rock wall, putting in drainage, sprinklers, and a waterline to the garden, puttering with the edge of the creek ....all basic homeowner stuff where having a backhoe always available is more important than the cost. I see above that someone broke their tractor with the backhoe. Well, you can break anything if you abuse it enough. But if you use it normally, I think you will find that most tractors & implements are made to last a lifetime and still retain much of their original value.

In addition, we found that having the backhoe and thumb right here for use right now is a great backsaver. Backsaving turns out to be more important than we originally thought. Today the major flood work is done, but we still use the hoe more often for lifting and placing things than we ever did for digging. The thumb makes a backhoe much more useful; it makes a backhoe into a much more versatile tool.

Oh, and a last word. Try not to get too hung up on specsmanship. Most tractors that are about the same size work about the same. What you should be concerned about is how it feels to you. I strongly recommend that you do whatever it takes to bring/rent/borrow/demo a tractor of about the size you are interested in out to your property for a week and just drive it around in the evenings. Do a few simple chores with it. Nothing major. Just mostly drive it on your own soil and your own land & see how it feels. I guarantee if you do that you will answer questions that you don't even know you have.
rScotty

 

[BigNuge]

Not saying that video represents all 3pt BH setups, but it does support the statement of the machine not really being built for that purpose. I’m not an expert, but have operated mini excavators numerous times. If you look at even the smallest mini, then compare the hardware at the hoe attachment point you’ll see that it is incredibly beefy and strong, as it has to be. Any of the removable BH’s just can be that beefy, thing has to be removed/removable!

In the end, I agree having something to dig at your disposal all the time of great, I had a mini for a year or so on my property. I just couldn’t justify the cost, with the limited use and my own internal conflict about the durability.

Can’t wait to see what you go with though! I started a thread in the Mahindra section to chronicle my ownership experience, good/bad/indifferent...

 

[rademamj1]

Though I only use my backhoe 4 to 5 times a year, when needed the backhoe can be extremely useful. My cisterns/tanks finally arrived this morning, and so this coming weekend, I will be installing a rain water collection system using my Kioti backhoe. 0ne (1) 900 gal tank and two (2) 2500 gal tanks. The backhoe will excavate the tanks, level with gravel and slowly lower the tanks into the ground, and then backfill. Only the access risers and a 4" PCV will be observed above ground. Every 5" rainfall, will provide approximately 6000 gals water.

 

[nhbubba]

Made a decision to go for the Kioti.. just in time to find out that everyone in the country had the same idea and now cannot locate a unit to buy!

Good time to be in the tractor sales business I guess! Local dealer is basically entirely sold out of open station tractors.

 

[Carl_NH]

What is your final model and configuration/options? Are you working with the North Hampton NH location or another dealer?

 

[BigNuge]

Made a decision to go for the Kioti.. just in time to find out that everyone in the country had the same idea and now cannot locate a unit to buy!

Good time to be in the tractor sales business I guess! Local dealer is basically entirely sold out of open station tractors.

Same thing I was told in June.

 

[nhbubba]

I decided on the Kioti CX2510. Loaded R4's. Loader and hoe with thumb. Plus a couple of implements.
I was dealing with Concord Tractor. I haven't been able to get in touch with the guy in Hampton. Concord had at least 2 a week ago. Sold all of them last weekend. I've called a few other dealers in the region as well. Same story.

 

[BigNuge]

I decided on the Kioti CX2510. Loaded R4's. Loader and hoe with thumb. Plus a couple of implements.
I was dealing with Concord Tractor. I haven't been able to get in touch with the guy in Hampton. Concord had at least 2 a week ago. Sold all of them last weekend. I've called a few other dealers in the region as well. Same story.

Should be a good machine! I was looking at the CK2610, but same story about being wiped out all over North America.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

Made a decision to go for the Kioti.. just in time to find out that everyone in the country had the same idea and now cannot locate a unit to buy!

Good time to be in the tractor sales business I guess! Local dealer is basically entirely sold out of open station tractors.

It's the Pandemic. Everything farm/garden is sold out. I just bought a kubota zero turn mower from the same guy who sold me the tractor this spring. Whereas the lot was covered in equipment this spring, there's next to nothing there now, and the dealer says getting shipments of anything right now is problematic.

Inventory (now) aside, he says it's been a very good year, as did the other mower dealer I spoke with. Who knew pandemics would be good for farm equipment?

 

[nhbubba]

They had a CK2610 last week as well. I eyed it. Just too big for my needs. It is also gone now. The Kubota B-01 or CK/CX2510 is just right sized.
They now have a very lightly used CK2610 on consignment that looks to be loaded right out with everything. Guy consigning wants all the money and then some for it. I got the sense he was trying to cash in on this mayhem.

I think I've decided I'm not meant to buy a tractor right now. Which is fine. I'll wait and see what happens next.

Do we have opinions on whether or not manufacturers keep the incentives going for another month? Kioti is still calling the incentive package that ends today their "spring" event. :laughing:

 

[nhbubba]

I take it all back. I just located and bought a CX2510 with loader and backhoe. Seven years at no interest. Wow. I've paid (much) less for cars!
But screw-it. It is done. Should be tearing up the yard weekend after this.

Fresh tube of quality grease - ordered
Pallet forks - ordered
Ratchet rake - ordered


Any tips for a total noob?!

 

[Carl_NH]

Congrats on your new machine! Where did you find this one?

Also get a BH thumb if you havent already!

On the ratchet rake, I've had mine for 8 years and it hasn't been used much other than some grading. What I found in around here with all the rocks and ledge it doesn't work that well bouncing off the rocks .

What it will do well is leveling soil, and clearing branches, sticks and roots bare soil for land reclaiming as long as you don't have embedded rocks.

 

[rScotty]

I take it all back. I just located and bought a CX2510 with loader and backhoe. Seven years at no interest. Wow. I've paid (much) less for cars!
But screw-it. It is done. Should be tearing up the yard weekend after this.
Any tips for a total noob?!

Congratulations ! Sure, There are a few things... have the dealer put some chain hooks for the top of the bucket. And stop by the farm store to get a chain or two if you don't have one. My "go to" chains for our 30 hp tractor are a matched pair each about 12 feet long and are 9/32" grade 100. Each one good for about 4000 pound load and each has a chain grab hook on each end. They are nice and small and light but very strong. I have big heavy chains too, but these lightweight ones are the ones I use most of the time because they are so handy.

And a container just for diesel fuel....better get a couple. I keep diesel in yellow containers; gasoline in red ones. Brand I like is "No-Spill 1457 diesel fuel can on Amazon.

Get some sort of good hearing protection and try to wear gloves. wish I had the sense to do both those things years ago.

But most of all, get ready for some serious fun. Projects take on a whole new dimension. Sure it costs a bunch, but what's a new back worth?
enjoy,
rScotty

 

[nhbubba]

Same dealer I've been dealing with all along; Concord Tractor. I guess they had someone back out or not able to get credit or something. I think its the same unit I demo'ed.

Thumb included. Looking forward to that. I've never used a hoe with a thumb.

Looking hard at that Bro-Tek ripper tool linked earlier here.

What it will do well is leveling soil, and clearing branches, sticks and roots bare soil for land reclaiming as long as you don't have embedded rocks.

That's about what I'm asking of it.

Chain hooks, check.
Chains, check.
Ear plugs, check.
Gloves, check.

Yellow fuel jugs, good call. Let's not mix up the gas and the diesel.

Thinking about a 3-point drawbar with a ball on it for dragging my utility trailer into the woods with me.. and for skidder work.