Driving myself crazy

[EquipmentUser]

I always thought equipment made in the usa by american companies would have great parts availability but i proved that theory wron the other day. I needed a couple of fairly common parts for a 7 year old 15' Rhino batwing and to my amazement was simply told these parts are not available. I was told that by the dealer and the rhino factory parts people. We just bought a new 20' batwing this year and guess what brand it was- Bush Hog. Great parts availability. I know this is a little off subject since you all are talking about tractors but this just goes to show you the big names can let you down too.

 

[aesanders]

I'd take a bet that wheel horse parts will be available for way more than 10 years. Real Gravely tractors haven't been made in years and were never a huge seller to begin with so you will have a harder time getting parts for them.

Back on subject, I'd take a look at some of the Mahindra and Kioti forums. Seems like many people complaining that dealers are disapearing in their area. If you have a well established dealer that will be around for awhile then I say shop away, but be careful buying from the used car/ imported tractor lot that may be closed in three weeks. I'd also recheck some of the more established lines. Often it is a misperception that they are priced way more than the new imports. Many times you can get them for close to the same amount of cash.

For example.
The TYM 450 is sync gear tractor with 45 hp and 38 pto hp. It has hydraulic flow of 10.94 and three point hitch capacity of 2105# at 24".
I'm not sure exactly what you would have to pay for it but I assume it is around 20k since this is your budget.

A new Holland TC 45 A is also a sync gear tractor with 45 hp and 39.6 pto hp. It's hydraulic flow is 14.9 and three point hitch capacity is 2330# at 24"
I got a quote from a national retailer for:

TC45A 4WD with R4 tires and Deluxe 3 point hitch and folding R.O.P.S. - $17,600.00
with 16LA Loader add $4,200.00

And just for kicks the larger tc48 is:

TC48DA 4WD 12x12 Transmission with Ag. tires - $18,900.00
with R4 tires add $300.00
with 18LA Loader add $4,800.00


These are both close to budget and I'm sure with some shopping a comparable Kubota, John Deere, Massey Fergusen could be had for comparable $ if not less than this.

Again, I'm not saying not to buy a TYM, but I'd be for damned sure I looked at all other possibilities first.

Also, as for the fact that Kubota was a import start up 20-30 years ago and look what happened to them. Well the same could be said for many other brands like Belarus. Where are they now? Kubota was the exception to the rule of a brand lasting as long as they have.

 

[GaryCrowell]

I have a 15 year old off brand tractor that I can't keep running and can't get parts for. It was cheap when I bought it but not cheap enough to put up with all the trouble it's given me over the years. It's now rusting in the weeds and a new massey ferguson resides in the shed.

If it doesn't have Deere, Kubota, New Holland, or Massey Ferguson stamped on it, I wouldn't buy it.

 

[monkeymonk]

I have been searching for the right tractor for about 3 months now. Everytime I think I have it figured out, along comes a reason to second guess my choice. I have 80 acres, about 50 in pasture, the rest hilly and wooded. I do a lot of mowing, clearing and moving dirt.

Check out the Kubota L48,JD110 if your looking to move alot of dirt and do alot of clearing. strictly farming I would recomend somethig diffrent. Finding a 50HP brand daddy new tractor,well for 20,000 with a FEL I'm not sure there is such a thing.A vineyard return or slightly used one may not be to bad.

 

[coasterez]

My neighbor has a 12 year old gravely garden tractor. Simply needs a few parts and could get many more years out of it. But, he can't get the parts. Had to buy a new machine. As for Wheel Horse, I wouldn't bet either way. It's a crap shoot and there is no such thing as American made anymore.

But, you are right to suggest doing an accurate price comparison. There may not be much difference. However, "much difference" is a bit subjective. You offer the New Holland as a comparison to the TYM. The difference looks to be about $2000. Does 10 percent constitute "much difference"? To some yes, to others no.

 

[Champy]

Possum - I too have been going through the same issues, and have finally decided to begin shopping for a dealer first.....then the tractor.

With my tractor searches I've gotten to the point of splitting hairs over which model/OEM - and since most of them are nearly identical anyway I am looking for the best "partner" (dealer) in the area to help me over the coming years of tractor ownership - not just a single sale event. I had the same problem with buying motorcycles and shopped on price, only to get burned on support and service.

I now tour the Dealer's Service shops; chat up the Parts guy; get out of the showroom and see what support they offer their existing customers. This perspective has really been an eye-opener and is making the "what should I buy" decision much clearer for me now.

Good Luck

 

[possum_hollow]

Champy, I beleive you have hit the nail on the head. I have sheets and sheets of specifications, and most of them don't really have noticable advantages within the same hp range. So, it boils down to price and dealership. It makes me wonder about the big names, they seem to be riding their rep to charge higher prices without a clear cut advantage. The TYM is leading for me, because the dealer is one my family has dealt with for 35 years. But, the dealer carries other tractors, and considering we have always had Fords or MF, it is still a tough decision.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

And, as IslandTractor points out, many of these companies have been around and are also making parts for the big boys (Branson is a major supplier for JD).

It seems that at least 50% of the tractor manufacturing in the world today is in South Korea.

For what it is worth, Branson is NOT a major supplier for John Deere. Whoever told you that is simply a liar. Branson doesn't even make its own tractors. Branson tractors are made by Kujke (sp?) in South Korea, and Kujke is a very minor supplier of JD Asian market tractors, but only in that market and only limited to some models, and to infer that they build their tractors to JD spec is also not reasonable.

From what market data I can find, Korean tractors probably make up under 15% of the North American tractors sold (US and Canada). The majority of the CUTs sold in North America come from Japan, a growing percentage are made in the USA as John Deere is shifting more production of small tractors back to its US plants. By the way, I don't own a John Deere tractor, so don't take my comments as advocating their brand.

 

[possum_hollow]

Bob, I used the Branson term generically. The mother company is Kukje, an agriculture manufacturer since 1968 in Korea. According to conversations with employees of John Deere in Moline, virtually every model of agriculture equipment made by JD uses Kukje parts. So, based on that, I would say they are a major supplier. And this is why the decision is not easy. I believe that all the companies that still make their equipment here in the US are nothing more than assembly plants, with a very small percentage of parts actually made in America.

 

[aesanders]

A Kukje made Branson tractor and a Yanmar made John Deere Cut are entirely different tractors. Not one part will match up. If you don't beleive it go look. While it is true that Kukje partners with Yanmar, they are entirely different companies. Same with John Deere.

Now it is true that John Deere could go out of business and TYM and Branson could be the major ag suppliers in the US, but I seriously doubt that would happen. In fact I truelly believe that at least one of the two (Branson or TYM) will not be around in ten years. Maybe both.

That's not to say they are bad tractors, but getting parts for them could be a hassle. Take the Gravely tractor mentioned above. I'm sure you could still get parts for it if you new where to look, but the owner didn't want the hassle and thus traded it off for a new machine. My 2320 may not sell well and in 10 years I may have trouble getting parts for it as well. But being a John Deere I have more faith in having dealers around willing to help. If I do trade it off or sell it, then I bet I would get more money from it being a Deere than I would if it were a TYM or Branson. And I don't think I paid more for it initially than I would have for a TYM.

What is your cost on a TYM 450 with Loader?