DON'T BUY A MONTANA

chh · Aug 8, 2008

Well we've put 30 hours or so on our Montana T7074 in the hayfield the last couple of weeks and today I put 2 hours on a new Case JX 80 open station with MFWD and FEL unloading hay I was delivering to him. I can tell you the Montana seems to be made better than the Case. According to the price the owner of the JX 80 gave me, we paid within a couple of hundred dollars of the same price and we have cab with air. That ads several grand to the JX.
Both tractors came from actual Ag tractor dealers. The Montana was set up with a wider tire stance and had the rears loaded before delivery, thus it was more stabile than the JX moving hay.

JDeerekid · Aug 8, 2008

I am just wondering why nothing is said to be under warrenty if he has only owned the tractor for a year. I know the tractor is over 3 years old, but if I purchased a tractor new I would want a full warrenty. Even if it was a demo it should have a full warrenty. And as far as I know aren' the montanas a 3 year warrenty.

Also in the past he has nothing but good things to say minus the fuel tank and the cup holder. Other than that he has enjoyed it. Why such the fast change in attitude.

I know there are alot of dealers out there that sell tractors but do not follow up with customer service or get out of selling them, but this goes for alot of different brands not just Montana.

I have put over 150 hours on my 4340C in about 6 months and have not had anything major go wrong.

Either way I would not go around stating don't just with your problems.

Maka · Aug 8, 2008

Hi JDkid. The warranty is 3 years parts and labor. Year one is b2b and 2 and 3 is powertrain. If he is beyond the 1st year seat is not covered.

I am sure if he would have gone through a dealer and explained he bought an aged machine on a dealer lot for 3 years and he felt that that could have contributed to his problem and asked them to ask Montana if they would work with him he may have gotten a more favorable response.

Maka

Unclebuck257 · Aug 9, 2008

Look, I've got one grease zerk in my front end loader that came out and I'm having one heck of a time trying to get a replacement for it. It was one of the original type FELs and they're an oddball sized thread. OK, I know that and I know that the closest dealer to me is the one in East Texas that I mentioned in that earlier post to this thread, since my dealer and Montana got cross ways.

My quick disconnect levers on that Montana original FEL weren't too stout either, and I've had to weld one lever and mechanism back together. A PITA, but I got it done!!

OK, now I compare those problems and the time it took me to get them straightened out plus the extras I got with my 2005 5740C tractor when I bought it, and then add in there the many thousands of dollars I saved OVER buying another brand equiped the same way, and I figure I'm still way ahead of the game, money wise. My 5740C is going strong and I'm finishing up mowing our pastures, hopefully this weekend.

Montana is still the best value on the market for the high quality machine generally and the extra standard equipment you get on one. Any tractor will have its problems, and I'd much rather have high quality, the extra equipment and a stout machine, over a bigger name brand for many thousands more that could/would have the same problems.

tree farmer · Aug 9, 2008

I can't speak for the window or fuel tank problems, however I wish I had a cab here in the coastal rainforest. I have 130 hours and 1 1/2 years on my 2740, which I bought locally. I had a choice of the "two green brands" locally. All other dealers are 100+ miles away. From my observations, Montana was, and still is, the better of the two brands for me. Yeah, the JD is a bit more flashy, but hey guys, we're talking about tractors that are rarely taken for a spin around town to impress others. I have great trust in both my local dealers, and either of their products would have worked for me. Price, while important, was not a deciding factor either. What was important to me was how well a particular machine was suited for the tasks I bought it for. I won't bore you with the details, but I needed a small 4WD tractor for various uses here on my forest land. The Montana 2740 looked like it was a more rugged machine with far more standard features than the other brand of the same HP rating. The 3pt and loader capacities were about double, also. I have a couple of minor gripes in the design department(the ROPS doesn't fold down, and the seat is lousy), but I am still very happy with this little machine, and glad I did some research before buying.

....Dan.

TYMinColton · Aug 9, 2008

tree farmer,
Out of curiosity, where'd you buy your montana in oregon? I too live in Oregon and ended up buying a TYM T273. Best I can tell, they basically make the montana T2734. Great tractors all around and awesome bang for the buck when compared to JD or Kub.

All-in-all I think some guys just won't be satisfied with anything - warranty, parts, etc. We all need to keep in mind that these machines are definitely built to be worked, but only to a point. Abuse is abuse, and small problems are just part of doing business. There's a reason why companies BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus don't make tractors - Honestly, who'd want to provide the kinda hand-holding support that many of the buyers of these manf would need in order to keep clients happy.

P

tree farmer · Aug 9, 2008

TYMinColton said:
tree farmer,
Out of curiosity, where'd you buy your montana in oregon? I too live in Oregon and ended up buying a TYM T273. Best I can tell, they basically make the montana T2734. Great tractors all around and awesome bang for the buck when compared to JD or Kub.

All-in-all I think some guys just won't be satisfied with anything - warranty, parts, etc. We all need to keep in mind that these machines are definitely built to be worked, but only to a point. Abuse is abuse, and small problems are just part of doing business. There's a reason why companies BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus don't make tractors - Honestly, who'd want to provide the kinda hand-holding support that many of the buyers of these manf would need in order to keep clients happy.

P

Ag Bag Forage Solutions in Astoria. Great people to deal with. You're right about working equipment vs. abusing it. Nearly all problems I've had with my equipment can be blamed on either carelessness or using it for a purpose it wasn't intended for. And that includes my tired, old body especially.

...Dan.