First post, deciding on a new machine

[flusher]

Hello everyone,
I've been looking around here for a while and i guess it's about time I joined in on the decisouns. I own a lawn care business which primary opperation is mowing. I currently own a ZD21 and a ZD28 and they are kept busy 5-6 days a week. So this year I have decided I would like to focous on the landscaping side of my business, which means of course new toys ..er i mean equipment. I have a local dealer who I bought the ZD's from and he is also a New Holland dealer. Today I was there looking at some of the models he had in stock. The ones that caught my eye were the kubota L2800 and B7800 and also the NH Tc30. He was pretty busy so he just gave me some ball park figures of 24-25000 for either of the kubotas with FEL and 19-20000 for the Tc30 with FEL.
The othe brand I was looking at is Koiti. I dont know to much about them because they have only had a dealer here for about a year and a half but from what i have seen they are a very rugged looking machine. I have yet to look atthem to closely yet because the dealer is 40 miles away but he said the next time he is coming my way he would bring me one to try out.
So what i'm looking for is everyones opion good or bad on the models I have mentioned or perhaps advise me on a different model of tractor that you think would better suit my needs .

thanks, Barret.

By "landscaping" I assume you mean installing lawns, sprinkler systems, shrubs, trees, moving topsoil and compost, etc.

I'm landscaping my new place now using a 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp PTO) with LA302 FEL. Cost $12,600 in May05 (10% down, 0% for 36 months). It's small enough to maneuver easily, but has enough power for toting, plowing and rototilling.

My 7510 came with ag tires. You'll probably want turf tires. You can also get a mid-mounted mower for the 7510 (~$3K).

For rototilling I have a used Yanmar RS-1200 (48" wide, $300). Since landscaping is your job, you'll probably want to get a 60" or 72" wide tiller ($1500 to 2000). I plowed by lawn areas using a middle buster plow (Tractor Supply Co, $140) before rototilling to make it easier on the tiller.

 

[Sweats62]

Don't forget the JD 3203 with a 300X FEL. You won't find many reviews as it's only been on the market for a year. I'm not going to tell you it's the be all end all of CUTs but it's certainly a contender. Compare specs and prices. And yes, I did say 300X FEL.

I can't agree more on the HST issue when you're not the only operator. HST=peace of mind in that context

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN!
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[toxic]

thanks for the replys guys, keep them coming.

regards to trying out different tractor lines like mihranda, TYM, ventrac, etc, those brand are non existicent in these parts. I live on a island of about 160,000 people so it isn't really a place that alot of different companys are going to strive in.

thanks, Barret.

 

[dynasim]

The NH TC40(a or da) is the same physical size as the TC35, but has a higher hydraulic pressure. The loader and 3-point will lift a not-huge round bale. I would suggest checking out the 35 FEL capacity, as I do not its capacity, except that it is lower than the TC40. I think(don't know) the price difference between the 35 and 40 is less than 10%.

If you are serious about the cost constraints, I would check out used TC's. They can be had for less than 20K.

If you are doing a lot of FEL work, the HST on the DA is very nice. However, If you are mainly mowing(not much direction changing), I think the consensus is the HST isn't as critical. If I were buying new, I would get the DA for resale value, as the gear models are less popular.

Chris

 

[toxic]

Thanks for all the replys guys. I was talking to a NH dealer at our local landscaping & gardening show last weeked and he said that NH was coming out with another economy tractor based on the TC30 platform, possiably a TC35 ? Have any of you heard this and if so when is it suppose to be released?

Thanks, Barret.

 

[Rich P]

As a fellow landscaper, nothing beats a HST. Depending what you want to do with your machine, is what will determine what machine you need. I went with a Kubota 4240 because I needed the HP at the three point hitch for a Harley rake. If you are looking to do lawn installs, nothing even comes close to a harley rake. With the larger machine, I can also move a good ammount of material in the front bucket, switch to forks and move trees, and since it's on turf tires, drive across existing lawns with very little harm. It's up to you, but I'd be looking a bit bigger.

 

[crbr]

Hello everyone,
I've been looking around here for a while and i guess it's about time I joined in on the decisouns. I own a lawn care business which primary opperation is mowing. I currently own a ZD21 and a ZD28 and they are kept busy 5-6 days a week. So this year I have decided I would like to focous on the landscaping side of my business, which means of course new toys ..er i mean equipment. I have a local dealer who I bought the ZD's from and he is also a New Holland dealer. Today I was there looking at some of the models he had in stock. The ones that caught my eye were the kubota L2800 and B7800 and also the NH Tc30. He was pretty busy so he just gave me some ball park figures of 24-25000 for either of the kubotas with FEL and 19-20000 for the Tc30 with FEL.
The othe brand I was looking at is Koiti. I dont know to much about them because they have only had a dealer here for about a year and a half but from what i have seen they are a very rugged looking machine. I have yet to look atthem to closely yet because the dealer is 40 miles away but he said the next time he is coming my way he would bring me one to try out.
So what i'm looking for is everyones opion good or bad on the models I have mentioned or perhaps advise me on a different model of tractor that you think would better suit my needs .

thanks, Barret.

You should be able to find a B7800 with a loader for around $15K. I walked out the door last Nov with a new B7800, FEL, MMM for $18K. Done deal. With the rear wheel fills it is hard (heavy) on a manicured lawn, even with the turf tires, but personally I would not want anything less in case of further needs. I had the R4s and traded them straight out for the turf after one time on my yard. The turfs push the loader just fine, relative to the R4s. I am please with the turfs.

However the B7610 would serve you well, I'm thinking, as far as being on others' lawns and property. My yard is a regular old country yard so it sdoesn't really matter about wheel marks or tread divits. I like the B7610 at 24HP. The B7800 spec is 30HP.

 

[newred]

would suggest looking at a Farmall from CaseIH but they are the same as your NH`s . Personally , if your zero turns are Kubota and that dealer is close and good to deal with , I`d go with his NH or Kubota to make even reg. maintenance supplies easier to get.

 

[Raddad]

It all goes back to your use. Residential or commercial? Small tight lots? Big acreage? Moving lots of big rocks? Hauling pallets of sod? Soil conditions in your area? Truck and trailer hauling capacity? Back hoe? What impliments? Power rake? Rototiller? Landscape rake? Box blade? To haul a front end loader tractor, with an impliment mounted and a second impliment on the front of the trailer your talking a 20 footer. What size impliments will you need to run? When it's for your business are you sure you want to drive 40 miles for support? Have you done a good ROI calculation on all the costs including the added transportation costs, interest, depreciation, insurance and maintenence. This is a business not a hobby. Do you really have an accurate projection for the expected revenue for this added service. How much of it will be bid work at low margin? Cost justify the entire business. Renting the all the additional equipment for the first year will expose you to less risk while you try to expand into new services and create solid $ projections. The accounting you do is far more important than the brand of tractor you choose!