Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor

   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #1  

jameythompson

New member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Messages
7
Location
Free Union, VA
Tractor
None Yet
I would like to buy a 70-95 HP tractor (probably a Kubota M4 or M5) within the next year or two. Is now a bad time? I know Covid has impacted supply chains for many products, and I assume that must be the case for tractors. While the urge to add a new "toy" sooner is always there, I can survive with my current setup in the short term if the delayed gratification may payoff in terms of a better deal. That said, I have no knowledge of the current state of the market and/or current dealer incentives (or impending manufacturer price increases).

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #2  
T-B-N primarily discusses tractors lighter than the Kubota M4 and M5.

It is doubtful any consumer here can forecast the tractor future accurately a year or two out.

I suggest you visit a Kubota dealer and there pose your questions. Pick up brochures on the M4 and M5 during your visit.
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #3  
Jamey,

First,

Welcome to TBN.

Second,

You'll have to forgive Jeff, he's got his own brand of "charm", which most of us are used to or have learned to ignore.

I'm thinking the pipeline is going to be pretty barren for most model tractors at least through the end of this year. But the models you're looking at won't really be as high demand from us basic consumers. So there may be a few sitting on Kubota lots now, that have been there for a year or more. Have you checked your local inventory? Not sure if you have a stand alone Kubota dealer near you, or if yours are a chain of dealers like a lot seem to be these days.

Maybe your local dealer can locate one for you and work out a shipping deal?
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #4  
Steel prices are going up and with the supply chain issues going on right now I don't see any reason why they will come back down in the future. The comment above about nobody knowing the future is true for those of us on the board and the Kubota dealers as well so you never really know you can only guess. You are looking in the Utility tractor range so inventory might be a little more available right now you will have to check your local dealers. Also, Case Farmall C and NH Powerstar tractors fit the bill of utility tractors in the size HP you are looking for. Both Case/NH and Kubota are offering 0% for 60 months financing through June 2021 if you are interested in getting now. If you ask like I did when I bought mine back in 2018 there might be other options as well. I bought my Case Farmall 75C with 1.49% for 84 months financing which wasn't advertised but was available at the time.
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #5  
I believe new tractor inventory is low and prices are up but used tractor prices are also up so if your looking to trade something in that might help. Hard to guess what will happen in the next few years.
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #6  
Seems like there are more bigger cab tractors on dealer lots right now than the smaller ones. I suspect the manufactures are throwing the limited resources at building the higher margin bigger machines than the more competitive smaller ones so that might help you out. My Kioti rep told me that they are selling them as fast as they can get them right now (said that sales are way up over last year) and new factory orders are well into next year now. What they are getting in now is what they ordered at the end of last year vs. normally being able to get something already built out of Kioti inventory in a couple of weeks. I just bought a used 45hp hydrostatic model from a guy who had a Deere 4052HD on order that was supposed to be in early this summer (his dealer does not take non-Deere tractors on trade). Right before I picked it up they called and told him that it is going to be into next year before it arrives. What a mess.
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks for the feedback. Understanding there is a difference between the market for smaller tractors and larger cab tractors is helpful. I have not yet talked to either of our local Kubota dealers. I figured the question of "should I buy a tractor now or later" is almost always going to get an answer of "now" (or "both"), but maybe not if they have nothing to sell. I will poke around a bit to check.

Thanks again for everyone's input!
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #8  
it depends on what you are looking for and what is already on dealer lots. In my area, subcompacts, small and medium-frame compacts, and large-framed utility tractors (Deere 6M, New Holland T6/CaseIH's equivalent) are plentiful. Large-frame compact tractors and small-frame utility tractors are less plentiful, although with the exception of the New Holland/Kioti dealer who is sold out of pretty much everything with a bunch of pending orders still unfilled, there is still at least a small number of pretty much anything available at this time.

Newer used tractors are in the shortest supply, those disappear within hours of being offered for sale. You can still find the typical amount of 4000+ hour, used and abused stuff from the '60s and '70s though.
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #9  
70-100 H.p. tractors should be some -what available;too big for the average home-owner/small farmer and too small for the large commercial operations.
 
   / Current Market Conditions for Buying a Tractor #10  
Larger utility tractors like you are looking for are more available in my area than are smaller compact tractors.

Deal wise is tricky because of a few factors.
1. Rising commodity prices along with other costs are driving prices up. A tractor on the lot today should be cheaper than the same tractor the dealer orders for next year.
2. Inflation. Your dollar today will buy more than your dollar will in the future. A good case can be made for financing one now with as little down as possible. You lock in today's price for the tractor and pay for it with inflated dollars in the future.
3. Can you take the bonus depreciation on it under section 179? If so then depreciating out the full purchase price this year. How long this deduction will be allowed is at the whims of government so it may not be available in future years. Taxes are going to increase so you never know when these deductions will change or be eliminated.
 
 
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