Is Zetor better?

Bird · Jan 21, 2003

Good web site for the specs. Zetor is an impressive tractor, but of course I have no idea how well they hold up, and what the parts and service situation might be. If you were near the one dealer I've visited, then I would expect service to be pretty good (one of his mechanics drove a long ways a couple of times to work on a neighbor's baler on site).

RanchMan · Jan 21, 2003

Hello Bird -

Regarding the Mahindra clutch - I have not driven (or even sat on) any of their 2wd models, so I can't comment on them, but regarding the Korean 4wd ones I played with, I didn't think their clutch was overly hard to depress. I actually found it a little easier to depress than the clutch on the Kioti DK40 (the other model I was seriously considering). I'm pretty used to using a clutch in all my driving (either on or off road) as we only have one "automatic" transmission in the family (my wife's vehicle), so it is something I was actually kindof sensitive to when I was doing my tractor shopping.

I find myself using the clutch a lot with the type of work I do on my place, and haven't found myself fatigued to date (even after several 14 hour days of work - yes, lights were involved /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif). Again, if you were playing with the 2wd models, I can't comment, but if it was the 4wd ones, I'd be real curious as to why they were apparently "stiff."

Incidentally, the dealer leaves everything he has sitting outside in the weather and I have no idea how long those tractors had been out there.

Hmmm - I've never even seen a tractor dealer who had any type of cover over any of his stuff. I regularly pass 4 different dealerships in daily driving (JD, NH, Kub, Case/IH) and none of them have covers. I didn't know anyone did this other than car dealerships.

cold air-conditioning

Ahhhh. Boy, I'd like to have THAT during the Summer!!! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I've never known anyone personally who owned one of them. 

Me neither - and I've only seen them at a distance. From what I could tell they looked good, but the old saying about judging a book by its cover comes in to play. They may be a great tractor - or they may not - I really don't know. I just get perturbed when people espouse a bunch of advise against something to which they have absolutely no experience with. Kindof a pet peeve of mine I suppose.

gerard · Jan 21, 2003

No personal experience but a few years ago while farm shopping one place we looked at had a brand new 50hp zetor with an enclosed cab. I spoke to the owner at length cause I was more interested in the tractor than the farm! Anyway he was a mechanical engineer so I assume he knows his around specs and mechanical things a little bit. He told me after shopping all the biggies he just couldn't justify paying 30 -40 % more for a more well known name. He only had 800 hours on it but used it for snow removal and haying about 40 acres and was very happy with it so far. Glad we didn't buy that place though - they just got 51 inches of snow over the weekend course I would have been moving it from a nice enclosed cab, not sitting out in the weather on my "bota........... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Youare · Jan 21, 2003

Up to six months ago my brother worked for the local New Holland dealership, he was there for a good 10 years. This dealership also sells the Zetor line of tractors, they have for quite a while, they have several different models to look at all the time.

When I was in the tractor market I asked my brother what kind of experiences he has had working on them and using them. He said they are an ag. tractor not a compact and will do a lot of work. As far as problems they are no worse than the New Holland/ Ford tractors.

They did sell for less money than the NH and Fords which generally translated to a lower resale value, but if you paid less for it to begin with you would expect it to be worth less when trade-in or sale time comes.

The dealership is still selling them and I never heard that parts were any more of a problem to get than any other brand. Seems to me the value of a tractor is in the eyes of the beholder. I personally bought a Kubota for the resale value.

I have no plans to sell the tractor, but if anything hapens to me my wife should have an easier job selling a name brand tractor and she knows what it is worth. Maybe in another 5 years some of these other brands now will be well established and then the prices will be equal, both new and used.

Randy

Bird · Jan 21, 2003

Well, the ones I looked at, and sat on, were from India and were pretty big 2WD tractors (I was with a neighbor who briefly considered buying one - he also "considered" buying a Zetor[laugh). Fact of the matter is that I knew he wasn't going to buy either one unless he could find a bargain in a used one because this is a guy who has never bought a new car; said he told his wife before they got married 36 years ago that she'd never have a new car. He has 5 tractors and the newest one is over 20 years old./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif He drives an '89 pickup, but I think his wife's Lincoln is only about 10 years old. But it was interesting shopping with him anyway.

And I, too, don't think anyone should give authoritative advise for or against something they have no experience with, but don't mind at all if they give their opinion when it's either clearly stated or understood that it's just personal opinion. I do that enough that I couldn't object to anyone else doing it./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Woodbeef · Jan 21, 2003

Hey Grimreaper,

The pto you are talking about is called a ground speed pto . A few of the European tractor manufacturers like Valtra and Zetor offer it. Like you say they come in real handy when you put something pto driven in a bind!!

dancce · Jan 22, 2003

Here is a picture of my 9641 Zetor Foterra that I use on the farm. It is fitted with a Quicke (Alo) 770 loader with the "soft ride" option. I have it set up to carry four 1000 lb. round bales--two on the loader end and two on the rear.

Dancce

grainger12002 · Jan 22, 2003

Hi Ranchman: It is hard to relate, I have been on tractors all my 40 years and can remember when the(new) IH 784 was delivered to our farm(197?). We had 2 farmall A's,a JD B,Farmall H, and then the 784,what a nice tractor. I think alot of folks have not seen anything other than hydrostat or the like. Like you said there are alot of opinions out there that are judged soley on perception, I think if we keep in mind the chores we are doing and how the machine is used it will be clearer to seperate fact from opioion. tractors sure have come along way,and people are demanding comfort vs neccasity. Bet alot of the seat time is spent riding around and thats o.k. too. I am guilty of that from time to time. Just my 2 cents-Lloyd

Anonymous Poster · Jan 22, 2003

Woodbeef: Yeah, I know-just trying to keep it simple. By the way, saw Valtra at a show in Dec. Really impressive. And . . . you can pick your color!!!! That should shut them up (or, confuse 'em)! I think one problem about "brand" arguments is that there seems to be two classes of "tractor" people here. One has no background in the origins of tractors as farm equipment to replace the horse, and the other has background, or at least knowledge of, farming operations. They're coming from different backgrounds, almost, if I may, reality vs make-believe, or, hierarchical vs egalitarian, or . . . In any event, that Valtra is indeed a real piece of equipment.
Dancee: Nice pic, nice tractor - ah well. I'll have to make do with my TC40 for now.
Ranchman: see comments above. Too many have been raised to believe that anyones "opinion" is just as good as anyone else's "opinion" since they are unable to grasp the epistemological difference between fact (as independent from perception) and opinion (as subjective), i.e. one "culture" is just as good as any other culture, or, everyone's "vote" should count just as much as anyone else's vote.
emernst: Re: Zetor, forgot to mention in my prior post that I did get information from several dealers who participated in a mass sale to MoDot (Missouri department of transportation) and had a bunch of off lease units for sale. The dealers were 100+ miles away, but the units they had were really too big for my needs. Anyway, both dealers related the only problems they had (they had serviced them on the lease) were with some overheating. The dealers felt the reason was they were pulling larger mowers than they should have been and the operators were very rough with them. One dealer said the workers were pissed they weren't green. True or not can't say. But, they seemed to be straight about it.
JEH