horseygal
New member
OK, for all you helpful souls that replied to my post both on the forum and privately.....here is the end to the story.
You all had great arguments for the larger tractor - point well taken. 3510 it is.
Next, I decided to shop around as suggested. Made several calls within a 100 mile radius - didn't really matter so much when you figure that we are going to have to have a trailer eventually anyhow and there is no dealer less than about 40 miles away. I did a search on the Branson site, got my names and numbers and hit the phone. I liked what I heard when I called River Valley Equipment and talked to Paul. He was very informative and didn't seem to be put off by dealing with a female (big mistake for you tractor selling types - never minimize the input of the lady of the house) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'm sure that most of you know this but I had not had it explained to me before so here it is: Branson had a price increase - in May, I think. The increase in the 3510 is a little over $1000. You will be able to identify these newer models by the electronic PTO - now standard on Branson models. My husband was much more interested in the old live PTO - have a friend with an electronic 4 wheel drive that was a real problem. Guess we just have this notion that the fewer electronics you have, the fewer problems you have. Chalk it up to being a couple of good ole Arkansas rednecks.
Anyhow, Paul had a 3510 that he had bought before the price increase with live PTO. I wired him a deposit and today we drove down to see the tractor and meet Paul and his partner, Allen. The tractor was bright and shinny, had a 6 foot mower hooked up to it, and my husband drove it around rising and lowering the mower and bucket. I'm quite sure he was making that manly Tim Allen guy grunt noise - I just couldn't hear it over the engine.
Paul and Allen went over the operation of the tractor - all the levers, switches, and buttons and even attached and reattached the bucket to show him how easy it is. They knew the tractor was sold but still took time with my husband to help make him feel comfortable. Our barn is not finished so we can't take delivery until the end of the month. My price - $15,575 delivered. (Did not include the mower, of course).
It was explained to me that the $16,000 for the 2910 was a good price with the price increase. Moral of the story: if you can live with a live PTO and find a tractor that was bought by the dealer prior to the price increase and IF the dealer is willing to pass the lower price on to you, you can buy a 3510 for less than the new 2910. By the way, Paul and Allen are looking for more of the older models for their inventory.
If you are in the market for a Branson, give Paul or Allen a call at 479-968-5900 in Russellville, AR. When you drive up, they both have their cell phone numbers and home phone numbers posted on the fence - I think that is a very good indication of what we can expect on the service side.
I might could have stayed with it and found one cheaper - probably could - but then you have transport costs, lost work time, etc. I don't feel like we got gigged. We liked Paul and Allen and felt comfortable writing a check of that size to them. I believe that they will take care of us and that is worth a lot - especially with your first tractor. I even have my very own Branson ball cap that I wore all the way home as promised.
So, thank to everyone who contributed information in helping us make this purchase. Your input got my husband upgraded to a 3510 for less money than he was going to pay for a 2910. I don't think that he will be making an issue about my "shopping" in the future!
All this effort on my part and I still have one question: How do you turn the darn thing on?????? (I'll post every once in awhile as I learn)
Gratefully,
Horseygal - Branson 3510 w/loader and 6' bush hog and a
happy spouse
You all had great arguments for the larger tractor - point well taken. 3510 it is.
Next, I decided to shop around as suggested. Made several calls within a 100 mile radius - didn't really matter so much when you figure that we are going to have to have a trailer eventually anyhow and there is no dealer less than about 40 miles away. I did a search on the Branson site, got my names and numbers and hit the phone. I liked what I heard when I called River Valley Equipment and talked to Paul. He was very informative and didn't seem to be put off by dealing with a female (big mistake for you tractor selling types - never minimize the input of the lady of the house) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I'm sure that most of you know this but I had not had it explained to me before so here it is: Branson had a price increase - in May, I think. The increase in the 3510 is a little over $1000. You will be able to identify these newer models by the electronic PTO - now standard on Branson models. My husband was much more interested in the old live PTO - have a friend with an electronic 4 wheel drive that was a real problem. Guess we just have this notion that the fewer electronics you have, the fewer problems you have. Chalk it up to being a couple of good ole Arkansas rednecks.
Anyhow, Paul had a 3510 that he had bought before the price increase with live PTO. I wired him a deposit and today we drove down to see the tractor and meet Paul and his partner, Allen. The tractor was bright and shinny, had a 6 foot mower hooked up to it, and my husband drove it around rising and lowering the mower and bucket. I'm quite sure he was making that manly Tim Allen guy grunt noise - I just couldn't hear it over the engine.
Paul and Allen went over the operation of the tractor - all the levers, switches, and buttons and even attached and reattached the bucket to show him how easy it is. They knew the tractor was sold but still took time with my husband to help make him feel comfortable. Our barn is not finished so we can't take delivery until the end of the month. My price - $15,575 delivered. (Did not include the mower, of course).
It was explained to me that the $16,000 for the 2910 was a good price with the price increase. Moral of the story: if you can live with a live PTO and find a tractor that was bought by the dealer prior to the price increase and IF the dealer is willing to pass the lower price on to you, you can buy a 3510 for less than the new 2910. By the way, Paul and Allen are looking for more of the older models for their inventory.
If you are in the market for a Branson, give Paul or Allen a call at 479-968-5900 in Russellville, AR. When you drive up, they both have their cell phone numbers and home phone numbers posted on the fence - I think that is a very good indication of what we can expect on the service side.
I might could have stayed with it and found one cheaper - probably could - but then you have transport costs, lost work time, etc. I don't feel like we got gigged. We liked Paul and Allen and felt comfortable writing a check of that size to them. I believe that they will take care of us and that is worth a lot - especially with your first tractor. I even have my very own Branson ball cap that I wore all the way home as promised.
So, thank to everyone who contributed information in helping us make this purchase. Your input got my husband upgraded to a 3510 for less money than he was going to pay for a 2910. I don't think that he will be making an issue about my "shopping" in the future!
All this effort on my part and I still have one question: How do you turn the darn thing on?????? (I'll post every once in awhile as I learn)
Gratefully,
Horseygal - Branson 3510 w/loader and 6' bush hog and a
happy spouse
