ratter
Silver Member
Closing in - Kubota L4400 vs. MF 1540 - some ?\'s
I'm sorry, I meant to post this here but accidentally posted in MF Forum first - mods, if you could please delete the other thread as you see fit - thanks!
----
Hi everyone. I'm getting very close to making a purchase, and the two contenders are a Kubota L4400 and a MF 1540. Will also definitely be purchasing a FEL, 72" rotary cutter, and box scraper (not included in quotes below). Both will be 4WD with ag tires.
I'm drawn to these two machines for very particular reasons. The Kubota, because I'll be (hopefully) trading in my tired old Kubota B1550, which is in awful shape, and the Kubota dealer offered what I think is a fair trade-in value. Also, I like the Kubota's in general and I like the size/HP of the 4400, and what seems to be good bang-for-buck.
The MF - I prefer the style in general, I like the transmission options (thinking 12x12 Power Shuttle), and most importantly, my farming neighbor/friend has a half-dozen MF's. That's a good endorsement and a great resource, I think. I chose the 1540 over the 1533 for the HP.
If anybody has any general thoughts or advice they'd like to share, I'm all ears. Budget is ~$20k. Our property is 52 acres, half of which is on a serious hill. Slope ranges from maybe 5 degrees to over 15-20 (don't worry, some of those areas, I won't be going near.) But for the slopes that I do want to tackle, I want lots of weight, traction, and power. So on to the questions.
Does anybody foresee a problem running the 72" cutter on hilly terrain with either of these two machines, from a power/traction standpoint?
The MF 1525 loader - is the skidsteer-style quick attach bucket a standard feature?
Do any remotes come standard on the 1540? I get the impression that in general, the 1540 has a few more features/niceties than the 4400 but I'm having trouble nailing down exactly what by reading the literature.
General purchasing question - do you think I'm better off negotiating the price, or negotiating for small 'freebies' - I'm going to need weights, filled tires, etc.
Prices I've been quoted (note, I haven't done any haggling whatsoever yet.) Any input on the prices would be greatly appreciated.
Kubota
L4400 4WD, Gear Drive, Ag tires - $18,630 (list price)
LA703 FEL - $3867 (list)
72" square-back bucket - $611 (list)
Woods BB72 brush mower - $2187 (list)
Total discounts of $3197, bringing the total sale price to $22,098.
(sorry, he didn't discount each item line-by-line on the quote...)
MF
1540 4WD, 12x12 Power Shuttle, Ag tires - $20,800 (down from $25,311 list)
FEL is included in above price, 1525 with 66" Heavy Duty bucket
Woods BB72 brush mower - $1,600
Additional discount of $700 for paying cash, brings the total sale price to $21,700.
Prices are before tax. I've seen lower prices quoted for both here on these forums, but I don't know how realistic it is to expect any lower from these two dealers yet. Also, neither yet offered any "perks" - free delivery, etc.
The Kubota dealer offered $2500 on my trade-in B1550. It has a loader and 54" belly mower, but like I said it's in poor shape. Bad hydraulic pump, no power steering, cracked hyd hoses, dry-rotted tires, rusted wheels, broken hour meter, you get the idea. The MF dealer seemed plenty open to the idea of the trade-in, but he hasn't seen the tractor yet and I don't think properly appreciated what kind of shape it's in.
Thoughts? Thanks, as always!
I'm sorry, I meant to post this here but accidentally posted in MF Forum first - mods, if you could please delete the other thread as you see fit - thanks!
----
Hi everyone. I'm getting very close to making a purchase, and the two contenders are a Kubota L4400 and a MF 1540. Will also definitely be purchasing a FEL, 72" rotary cutter, and box scraper (not included in quotes below). Both will be 4WD with ag tires.
I'm drawn to these two machines for very particular reasons. The Kubota, because I'll be (hopefully) trading in my tired old Kubota B1550, which is in awful shape, and the Kubota dealer offered what I think is a fair trade-in value. Also, I like the Kubota's in general and I like the size/HP of the 4400, and what seems to be good bang-for-buck.
The MF - I prefer the style in general, I like the transmission options (thinking 12x12 Power Shuttle), and most importantly, my farming neighbor/friend has a half-dozen MF's. That's a good endorsement and a great resource, I think. I chose the 1540 over the 1533 for the HP.
If anybody has any general thoughts or advice they'd like to share, I'm all ears. Budget is ~$20k. Our property is 52 acres, half of which is on a serious hill. Slope ranges from maybe 5 degrees to over 15-20 (don't worry, some of those areas, I won't be going near.) But for the slopes that I do want to tackle, I want lots of weight, traction, and power. So on to the questions.
Does anybody foresee a problem running the 72" cutter on hilly terrain with either of these two machines, from a power/traction standpoint?
The MF 1525 loader - is the skidsteer-style quick attach bucket a standard feature?
Do any remotes come standard on the 1540? I get the impression that in general, the 1540 has a few more features/niceties than the 4400 but I'm having trouble nailing down exactly what by reading the literature.
General purchasing question - do you think I'm better off negotiating the price, or negotiating for small 'freebies' - I'm going to need weights, filled tires, etc.
Prices I've been quoted (note, I haven't done any haggling whatsoever yet.) Any input on the prices would be greatly appreciated.
Kubota
L4400 4WD, Gear Drive, Ag tires - $18,630 (list price)
LA703 FEL - $3867 (list)
72" square-back bucket - $611 (list)
Woods BB72 brush mower - $2187 (list)
Total discounts of $3197, bringing the total sale price to $22,098.
(sorry, he didn't discount each item line-by-line on the quote...)
MF
1540 4WD, 12x12 Power Shuttle, Ag tires - $20,800 (down from $25,311 list)
FEL is included in above price, 1525 with 66" Heavy Duty bucket
Woods BB72 brush mower - $1,600
Additional discount of $700 for paying cash, brings the total sale price to $21,700.
Prices are before tax. I've seen lower prices quoted for both here on these forums, but I don't know how realistic it is to expect any lower from these two dealers yet. Also, neither yet offered any "perks" - free delivery, etc.
The Kubota dealer offered $2500 on my trade-in B1550. It has a loader and 54" belly mower, but like I said it's in poor shape. Bad hydraulic pump, no power steering, cracked hyd hoses, dry-rotted tires, rusted wheels, broken hour meter, you get the idea. The MF dealer seemed plenty open to the idea of the trade-in, but he hasn't seen the tractor yet and I don't think properly appreciated what kind of shape it's in.
Thoughts? Thanks, as always!
