help identifying a good deal

[byrd]

The L4400 will move round bales with the loader, but only if they're dry and even then you wouldn't want to be driving up, down, and across too many hills. The 3400 is out as far as moving rounds. I know, as I once owned a 3400. Sold it because it was too tippy and simply couldn't lift enough.

I think the 4400 is the bare minimum to consider for this task. You could go smaller if you bought a spear for your 3pt hitch and moved 'em like that. If you're going to be moving a lot of round bales, and want to stick with a lower-horse tractor, you should maybe consider one of the heavier brands (Kioti, Mahindra). I say this having owned neither.

My father-in-law owns a 30HP Montana (not sure of the model), and I've moved fresh 5x5 round bales with that and haven't felt too unstable. The Montana feels considerably wider and more substantial than the 30Hp L2800 though. If you drop the loader two quickly you can pop the rear tires up a bit. Moving bales over a distance isn't bad if I just lower the loader quite low. His neighbor owns a New Holland TC35 and that seems to do really well with the bales.

I haven't compared the size specs of the Montana and TC35 to the L4400, but based on my own impressions, the L4400 seems more similar in size to the TC35.

Based on these experiences and what I was told about the L3400 (your input included), I think the 45Hp L4400 should work out okay for me with the round bales. I'll be moving maybe 60-70 bales a year, max off of a trailer and into a storage shed, then later into the pastures one at a time. So it's not an activity that will be done on a continual basis.

I'm still having a tough time wrapping my head around laying out the extra cash for a brand new tractor, but I'm also having a tough time passing up a 0%, 5yr interest deal. That's why I'm wondering if the prices I was given sound like they're worth it.

 

[quackaddict]

it should be 0% for 6 yrs

 

[Snead Tractor LLC]

So, I'm hopefully going to be a first time tractor buyer soon... I was originally down to the New Holland TC1520 and Kubota L3400. However, I recently came across a what seems like a good deal on a new Kubota L4400.

I can get the L4000 with LA703 loader, Skid-Steer Quick Coupler,and Ag tires, box blade, 5ft bush hog, and an 18' by 60"w trailer for just under $25K.

For an additional $500 I can swap out the Ag tires for Industrial Tires. For another $550 I can swap out the trailer AND bush hog for a 6ft bush hog and 18' by 82"w trailer with electric brakes. That would be a total of just around $26K.

My problem here is that, this being my first time purchasing a tractor, I really have no idea what's a good deal and what's not. ...Sure would be nice to have a blue book value for tractors! Originally, I hadn't even considered buying a new tractor, but it seemed that a lot of the good condition, low hour tractors in the 35hp size range were in the $17K range (with fewer add-ons). The above deal is a larger tractor, has 0% financing for 5yrs, and of course has the warranty.

As a side note, I will use the tractor to move 900-1100lb round bales on the loader. The sales guy told me that I'd be better to stick with the L4400 over the L3400. He said that power-wise, the L3400 is fine, but that stability-wise it would be a problem. He said the L3400 is too narrow to remain stable with that load on the loader. Of course he's trying to up-sell me to the L4400, but I'm still wondering how true this statement is. The L3400 is not offered as part of a package deal, so I'd have to purchase everything separate. Which isn't a problem if the prices mentioned above aren't really that good of a deal.

Thanks for the help and taking the time to read through my ramblings!!

I know this is a hard task to figure out, but being a MF and Kubota dealer, I can tell you that you will want the R4's over the AG's if you are going to use your loader to lift hay. Its safer, more stable, and they will not mess up your ground near as bad. Trust me when I say go with the R4's. Also, that price you were given for $26000.00 is waaaayyy to high for this package. We can sell you the same tractor setup, 6ft cutter, 6ft box blade, and trailer, and deliver it to you for a lot less than that. Plus the warranty will transfer to where you live. If you are interested feel free to send me an email, and I'll contact you. Also, it seems that you are nervious about taking the plung for the new tractor, but one thing you can keep in mind is that you will at least have a full warranty. If you buy used, you never know what you are going to get, and one break down will make that new tractor look very very cheap!!!!