First Tractor. Deere 3720???

[Greyfields]

If you are tooling around with the configurator on the JD website, be aware those are MSRP prices. Expect to get 10% off those as the starting point for negotiations. If you don't have tons of experience with tractors, JD is a good starting point. The HST models drive just like a lawnmower. This leaves your focus on what you're doing with your loader and 3-point (oh and making sure you're not running into things) without having to worry about stalling the engine.

Similarl to your situation, I'm a Civil Engineer by day. I work out of a home office now on our farm (15 acres + 30 leased acres). I've never really had an issue not having work lights, since the days are so long in the summer. What I generally do is knock-off up here in the office about 3 pm, work outside on the tractor or weeding the garden for several hours, then do another hour up here before bed time.

 

[Greyfields]

p.s. Get to know your neighbors with bigger tractors very very well. Feed them, booze them, ask them about their grandkids everytime you see them. There is no way anyone can move into a new place and have the foresight to know which attachments you may need, or not get the wrong ones. You'd spend a fortune!

So, right now, I'm cutting for silage with my brush hog set as low as it will go. My neighbor then comes down with his 125 HP JD and is bailing & wrapping it for me... for nothing, except that he likes to see people farm. So the beauty is to make friends, keep an affordable tractor to operate, then get people to do the really heavy work for you!

 

[metroski]

I just called a Kioti dealer and they quoted me over the phone $25k for a DK45s with an air conditioned cab and a loader. It is a manual trans but I'm not thinking thats a major problem for close to $8k savings over the JD 3720. It is 3 less horsepower but I'm not sure thats a huge deal.

Is this a good price? Kioti's web site doesn't seem to post msrp's like JD does so I'm not sure if this is a good number or not.

Mike

 

[metroski]

actually correction. The DK45s is 1 more hp than the JD 3720. 45 vs 44

 

[Z-Michigan]

Back in January I was quoted $23K for a DK45S with loader, and ROPS open platform. So based on that, $25k for the cab model sounds great. Definitely worth a look. It will be somewhat bigger and heavier than a 3720, but IMHO not too big for your uses. I believe the DK45S has a 12-speed manual trans which will give you a lot of speed options, always a good thing. Gee, if I had been able to get (or had known) about that price for a DK45S with cab, I might own one now!

 

[metroski]

one website I saw listed Kioti as "service challenged"

any foundation to that claim?

 

[Oleozz]

That's a real good price.
I had owned a Farmall, Ferguson 30, and a JD 870 before I bought my Kioti and had no reservations at all about buying one, I liked what I saw and how they were built and so far it has lived up to expectations.
As far as speed options I am always either in 3 medium or 4 medium and probably could get along with a lot less than the 12 speed but the different gears are there if you need them. They do make a 45 hydro but you can't get cabs for them yet.
The Kioti 45 will not be as "nimble" as the smaller framed JD tractors and it does weigh a bit more, the 45 cab with loaded tires and FEL weighs in at about 6500 lbs.

 

[Oleozz]

one website I saw listed Kioti as "service challenged"

any foundation to that claim?

Never heard that expression before but I have a dealer 32 miles from my house and their dealership is top notch, as nice as any tractor dealership in the area.
Go to the Kioti dealer and see how he's set up and if you don't like what you see then head for the door.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Go to the Kioti dealer and see how he's set up and if you don't like what you see then head for the door.

+1

A major reason I own Deere instead of Kioti is having several great Deere dealers nearby and having only a few Kioti dealers in the entire state, none of them close to me.

If the dealer is good, I would have no hesitation on Kioti. For any brand (including Deere), if the dealer is bad, I would look elsewhere for a brand with a good dealer.

IMHO, your tasks won't benefit from filled tires on something as big as a DK45, so if you go that route I would leave the tires with just air, get some weight on the 3ph for FEL ballast, and save yourself 1000lbs or more that would otherwise be compacting soil. (My view would be different if you planned heavy loader work or heavy tillage.)

 

[DK35vince]

one website I saw listed Kioti as "service challenged"

any foundation to that claim?

Not quite sure what that means, but I have a 2001 Kioti DK 35 with just under 1000 hours. Works great, no problems.
I have been pleased with the dealer, pleased with the machine.