Hello. Shopping for tractor

[LostintheNW]

Hmmm, I found the Nebraska Tractor Test site. Didn't see either of the manufacturers I'm interested in listed. I checked if Kubota was there, but like GManBart noticed with the JD's nothing listed for the compact or subcompact tractors.

Yes, nybirdman, I have found that to be true. Most of, if not all, the compact and subcompact tractors are Japanese, Chinese or Korean made. And many current and past tractors have the Yanmar engines.

So am I on the right track here for a good tractor??
The Yanmar EX3200 w/ TLB (CL300 & CB75) & mech thumb, hydrotate & R4's $25,900.
The Mahindra 3616 w/ TLB (ML115 & 3720) & mech thumb, hydrostat & R4's $27,275

But the Yanmar is 25.5 at the pto and the Mahindra is 29 at the pto. Is 4 hp critical to good performance at the pto?? And is that extra 4 hp worth $1,375. I stand corrected on my earlier post about price differences. Lot closer than I thought.

And another thing to think about is the Mahindra 5 year, 3000 powertrain warranty with ZERO deductible.

 

[deerseeker001]

Welcome from Wisconsin

 

[cmkh3]

Welcome from Washington state.
Just a note here that I was told that Branson uses a smaller version of the Ram Cummins turbo diesel.
Best
Chris

 

[LostintheNW]

I looked at the Branson. Anythg I was looking at in the hp range I wanted was just monstrous compared to the other compact tractors. Just too big for me. Thx

 

[whizdbiz2]

Yes, nybirdman, I have found that to be true. Most of, if not all, the compact and subcompact tractors are Japanese, Chinese or Korean made. And many current and past tractors have the Yanmar engines.

And another thing to think about is the Mahindra 5 year, 3000 powertrain warranty with ZERO deductible.

I was looking used for some time, but the wife pushed us toward the new and Mahindra in particular because of the good finance rates and the 5 yr. warranty. She hates to buy someone elses problems. Their insurance was also cheaper than I could get from my farm carrier. Tractor is made in Korea, Daedong engine (not sure about the rest of it, presume they did the whole thing) Daedong builds Kioti tractors. I will say that even though my eMax 22 is fairly small, that's what we wanted to get into the barn to clean manure and etc., it's been a tough little beast so far. Wife even says it's "our" tractor instead of your tractor, as she refers to the Fords.

 

[nybirdman]

Check with the Mahindra forum here:I thought I read somewhere the small Mahindra's were built by TYM which is Korean.As far as PTO hp,don't know how you would notice 4HP difference.I ran my brush-hog and tiller on a 31 HP &44 HP tractors........didn't see a lot of difference.All depends what you are going to do with the PTO.I forgot ,I have a 10K PTO generator but never ran it on the 31 HP tractor....may see a difference there with power out put.Never owned one but I would lean towards Yanmar and stay away from any of Chinese stuff.

 

[Grandad4]

Thanks for the responses. Here's what I know so far. I'm going to be doing excavating around my shop/house. To eventually wrap around building with a steel roof lean-to. Giving me a walk around covered porch like area. Will use the loader to dig out 8 feet around. Rent or buy a post hole digger for all the posts I'll have to set. Plus future fencing projects. Plus posts to mount a gate to keep the riffraff off the property when I'm gone.

Talked to a friend that had a subcompact they he found did not have enuf hp to the pto to drive the bit into the ground. So I've decided to jump up one category for the added hp....

You've got some serious dirt work in your future. If that "8 feet around" is how deep you are going, you're talking many, many cubic yards of material, and it may be more productive in time and money to hire or rent equipment for the job. Even so, once you're in the mid-30 hp range and above, there are light, medium and heavy footprint models available. All are able to do many things, but a heavier tractor will be more capable for dirt work; conversely, less weight has advantages for mowing, turf work, soft ground, etc. Your construction agenda argues for heavy... you'll have to decide if that's a one-time thing or not.

As for the post-hole digger and needing enough pto hp to drive it in the ground, these tractors don't have downforce on the 3 point linkage... it's just the weight of the attachment pushing it down. Even a subcompact like my little one has plenty enough hp to spin the auger, but if the auger tip is worn or the soil conditions are poor, you could put the PHD on a 100 hp tractor and still not be able to dig any holes. If you're digging in really bad conditions, rent a skidsteer with a hydraulic powered auger on the boom.

Don't just buy the cheapest tractor you find. If you're going to keep it 20 years the way most people here seem to do, you should choose the one you really like.

 

[GuidoSarducci]

Thanks for the responses. Here's what I know so far. I'm going to be doing excavating around my shop/house. To eventually wrap around building with a steel roof lean-to. Giving me a walk around covered porch like area. Will use the loader to dig out 8 feet around. Rent or buy a post hole digger for all the posts I'll have to set. Plus future fencing projects. Plus posts to mount a gate to keep the riffraff off the property when I'm gone.

+1 on what Grandad4 said,

I have a Deere 3038E (38hp) and there is no way I could get down 8ft all the way around my barn without spending a year's worth of digging. The horsepower isn't the issue it's the weight of the machine, most of these smaller CUT's weigh between 1800 & 2200lbs. A 2000lb tractor just doesn't have the mass to do hardcore ground engagement tasks let alone the breakout force of these smaller loaders leaves a lot to be desired.

For the kind of work your describing a large track loader will serve your purpose. I would probably go the rental route in that case as you probably won't need it much once all your heavy dirt work is done.

If your looking for a machine that will do it all you are looking for a full size tractor, in the neighborhood north of 50hp.

 

[LostintheNW]

Well this shopping for a tractor has turned out to be like buying a used car. The numbers change and some of the sales men are slippery as eels. So the Yanmar EX3200 jumped in price approx. $3000 from original negotiations (all linked to the financing). The Mahindra 3616 has stayed the same. And now I've looked at a Kubota L3800 TLB at $28274. Which includes a lot of discounts becuz these are a model that is going away with the entry of the new Tier 4 tractors. Buy to add the quick release loader is another $600. So that would up the price to $28,874.

My neighbor is selling a JD subcompact 2305 for $13k. I brought it over to test it out on my project. The loader was able to cut into the ground and do some work, but I could see the tractor didn't have the weight or power to push through an grab a big chunk of ground. The backhoe was a joke. You would be all day to dig any depth.

So it's between the Mahindra 3616 @ $27,275 & the Kubota L3800 @ $28,874. What's your feelings about the choice??

 

[grm61]

I looked at the Branson. Anythg I was looking at in the hp range I wanted was just monstrous compared to the other compact tractors. Just too big for me. Thx

Why? Can you not fit it where you need to go?

For dirt, ground engaging work, weight is king.

I'd look at a Kioti DK40.

I used my Dads 970 Deere at my place, 33hp, before I bought my DK 45, the Deere is a good tractor, but the difference is night and day when moviing to the 40 horse frame size.
The DK is wider, heavier ,and much more stable and capable, twice the lift capacity of most tractors in the 30+ hp class.

Kioti I believe still has the free loader program going on for DKs, they come standard with one rear remote, telescoping 3 point arms, lever at the back of the tractor for running the 3 point up and down, tilt wheel etc, skid steer QA bucket, they are a deluxe tractor.

Guys are paying around 21 to 23K for a HST DK 40, they are tier 3, get em before they are gone.


My .02