Decision Time - My hands are sweating!

[Joe1]

Is there a significant difference in resale value on the two tractors? If you will want to trade in 3 - 5 years, that may make a difference in your decision.

Which Deere model were you looking at, the 4XXX or 790?

 

[riptides]

I'd really factor your bride into the equation, that in my humble opinion would sway me to the HST. As a previous noter said, the learning curve is less.

You might need her help one day, and the HST will suit you both just fine.

Good luck.
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[PineRidge]

<font color="blue"> Mark makes a great point about the Dealer Dealer Dealer. I ruled out one brand of tractor simply because the dealer, in my humble opinion, is a j@(&@$$. But you will probably need dealer support someday. Having a good dealer is like having a good gun, you hope you never need it, but on that day when you need it, you probably need it really really bad.
</font>

I think Mark and Bob both have very important points to consider. My dealer has been to my place twice since I took delivery of my TC-40D (125 hours on clock). Once to take care of an issue with a quick connect fitting that fell apart and once for a hydraulic leak & sticking HST pedal issue.

I could have saved a few bucks by buying my tractor out of state but I have to wonder just how this same dealer would have reacted to my calls for help if I had spent my money elsewhere. Very glad now that I didn't.

When you are broke and needing help talk is cheap, but action is priceless.

 

[texaslandman]

I suspect the Kubota would have higher resale value. I looked at both 790 & 4115. My #11s got tangled up on the operator platform of the 790, but I sure did like its looks!

Hard to believe both JD dealers were $2K higher.

 

[texaslandman]

Very good point about my bride. Thanks.

 

[SteveH_CT]

I was faced with a similar decision a few months back. I came down to the same criteria you are talking about now. I really liked the Kioti tractor - it was a lot of machine for the $$ (DK40) - but - the dealer network in my area was and is lacking the ability to support you after the purchase. I couldn't even get the dealer to deliver because they didn't have the means to do it... they had to pay someone to get the tractor out to me... Who knows what the "Service after the Sale" would have been like. I guess it would help if you were very mechanically inclined... I'm not and I went for the tractor that fit my needs and had great dealer support. I recommend the Kioti tractor in a heartbeat to folks, but only if you're comfortable without a good dealer network behind you. I'll bet we'll see this change in the next 5 or 10 years... at least I hope so, because competition is good and they really have a nice product.

Good Luck with your choice!

 

[texaslandman]

Going back to look again today, I'll check out teeth for the bucket!

 

[Bob_Skurka]

If you purchase the correct tractor, you will not have to worry about resale value. And by correct tractor I mean the tractor that will serve you well for a decade or more. At 10 or 15 years old, the resale issues pretty much level out and you will get what you get based on brand, but at that age, a lot is based on functionality, condition and appearance. Most of us who buy tractors, and buy the correct tractor, keep them a long time. There are plenty of folks who trade them in every now and again, and they are probably the people who use their tractors to make a living, but for us city-turned-country types, or for us who have our own 3, 5 or even 20+ acre mini estates, we tend to keep tractors a while.

 

[texaslandman]

The dirt floor dealer has been in business about 20 years and is 20 miles from me. He also carries NH and Long.

The next closest Kioti dealer is 50 miles. He has been in business 6 months and carries Kioti, Long and Century. He has a concrete floor, but was way out of line on his prices.

 

[Evasive1]

I do not think that I would let it bother me about the guy having a dirt floor. We are not talking about working on a high end luxury vehicle here, but rather a tractor that is at home in the dirt. If he has been in business for 20 years he must be doing something right when it comes to sales and service.

I recently had to take my wifes BMW in to the dealer for a problem I could not figure out. This BMW service shop was spotless from the facilities to the workers. Well after two trips to the service department and the problem could not be fixed by the "certified BMW mechanic" /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gifI took it to a shop a friend told me about that was on the "wrong side of the tracks". This place was a dump, although there were several other nice cars out front to be worked on. After handing over my keys I went home and got a phone call 2 hours later saying he found the problem and it would be fixed by the next day.

Maybe by not laying down a concrete floor in his shop he is able to keep his overhead down.