Buying Advice Is the Front End Loader worth it?

[TJP89]

Got a real chuckle out of that Dodge Man!

Especially the part about the kids, brings up childhood memories; equipment is expensive, kids are free (well, not really, but might as well get your monies worth, right?)

 

[k0ua]

Skip the end loader. Tractors waste fuel, wear out and depreciate. Once you buy a wheel barrow and a shovel, they are maintance free or cheap to fix. Getting older? That's why you have kids, they can do all the work.

Seriously, get the end loader.

I like it... Maintenance free, or at least easy to fix.. ha ha...:laughing:

 

[AGTtactical]

I bought my 2008 Mahindra 5525 new from Dave's Tractor in Red Bluff, CA. Dave posts often on TBN "DavesTractor".
He's a western states distributor for Mahindra. I'd say 99% of the tractors he sells has an FEL. Maybe 100%. And for the past several years, every one of those FELs has the skid steer quick attach (SSQA) option included in the package. That's how popular these things are. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. Get an FEL with SSQA and pass along the cost when you upgrade to a larger tractor (we all upgrade sooner or later).
Good luck.

If you are give up a larger tractor because of the cost of an FEL (as you suggest above), then wouldn't it make even more sense to not buy an FEL now if you don't think you need it, and spend the extra $6000 on a bigger tractor now so you don't have to buy a bigger one later? Not getting an FEL makes better sense than giving up on the tractor you need to buy an FEL you might not need (like a guy who is buying for mowing primarily). My dealer, who sells nearly everything with a loader, says adding a FEL later only adds an additional $500 over buying it with the tractor...this actually makes sense because Kubota dealers actually assemble the tractors at the dealership, and add the loader there too, so there's really no extra labor cost. For those with limited budget, seems much easier to get the tractor you want first, without having to sell it later to get the one you really want.

Not everyone needs an FEL. I find myself in this situation...I'm getting an L6060 and am trying to decide whether to skip the FEL because I have an SVL-95 Compact Track Loader. The SVL weighs 12,000 pounds and can do a far better job than the FEL it get with the 6060 (and does it safer and in less space). I do see the merit of an FEL on a tractor. If I didn't have another loader, I'd definitely get one. And even with another loader, the one on my tractor would help protect the front of the tractor, and would help in resale someday. On the other hand, if I buy an FEL I don't need, I'm tying up $6000 on something I'll have little use for while I have my SVL. Given this Trump economy, if I kept my $6000 invested until I sold my SVL and actually needed an SVL, say in 5 years, a reasonable 8% annualized ROR would mean that $6000 would be worth $8,815...plenty to buy a FEL then. Sure, FEL prices will have gone up too in that time, but there would still be a about a 5% delta in my favor. Still, I find it a tough call!!