JD 5325 to replace M6800?

[MtnViewRanch]

I don't know of a Montana or Kioti dealer around here. There are a couple Mahindra dealers. While I'm sure there is nothing wrong with any of those tractors, they lack the refinement of a JD or Kubota. A Massey Ferguson or NH would be a consideration, but around here its all green or Kubota orange.
quote]

Not to argue with you, and what you have said might very well have been true many years ago, but it simply is not true any longer. I have looked at about all the different brands, the quality is all fairly close and should not be a deciding factor. With most of the brands the differences are what is offered, what is offered std and what is offered as options. I'm sorry to hear that there aren't more dealers of different brands in your area to look at. Best to get what you like from one of your local dealers if you can.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Dargo]

Not to argue with you, and what you have said might very well have been true many years ago, but it simply is not true any longer. I have looked at about all the different brands, the quality is all fairly close and should not be a deciding factor.

Um, if that were true wouldn't everyone be driving Jinma tractors or the inexpensive Fotons from Rural King? Sure, they all have 4 wheels and diesel engines, but there are huge differences in quality. Saying that they are all the same sounds like a guy who bought a Yugo trying to justify his purchase. Just my opinion, like yours of 'they are all the same'.

BTW, the only real big difference I noticed between the Kubota and JD tractors of similar size was the cab. The JD cab seemed nicer and was most definitely larger. Maybe it sounds trivial, but the larger cab with the "buddy seat" option moved me to JD from Kubota this time. On your options dilemma; I've always found that I have regretted buying the 'cheaper' model later but have never regretted buying the model I really wanted with the options I really wanted. My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to buy what you want. Good luck!

 

[tjkadar]

Dargo,

Thanks for help! I agree, I think the JD builds a better cab. I'm also leaning towards loading up the 5325 and enjoying some tractor work. I think the dog has already called the buddy seat as his own.

Regards,

Tim

 

[bjcsc]

The EH 3pt. is great. It's a major time saver and very accurate...

 

[froggy]

The EH 3pt. is great. It's a major time saver and very accurate...

Doesn't the NH TN/4000 series have this feature, too? Seem to remember seeing it mentioned in their literature.

 

[Builder]

Um, if that were true wouldn't everyone be driving Jinma tractors or the inexpensive Fotons from Rural King? Sure, they all have 4 wheels and diesel engines, but there are huge differences in quality. Saying that they are all the same sounds like a guy who bought a Yugo trying to justify his purchase. Just my opinion, like yours of 'they are all the same'.

BTW, the only real big difference I noticed between the Kubota and JD tractors of similar size was the cab. The JD cab seemed nicer and was most definitely larger. Maybe it sounds trivial, but the larger cab with the "buddy seat" option moved me to JD from Kubota this time. On your options dilemma; I've always found that I have regretted buying the 'cheaper' model later but have never regretted buying the model I really wanted with the options I really wanted. My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to buy what you want. Good luck!

I agree. I've regretted almost every "cheap" product I bought. I'd rather buy a 1-2 yr old quality machine than a cheaper, less known new machine.

 

[VistanTN]

TJ,
The bottom line is you have to decide -- all we can tell you are what things went into our thought process. But the "answer" is still ultimately yours. We've bought three tractors -- and each did what we wanted it to do and they are very different. The AC-5020 was to get a "basic" tractor to maintain a 5 acre property in FL -- and it did that well and is still my go everywhere, haul lots of things (with a carry-all), hack around tractor. Can't beat it running the fence line fixing boards, getting the 5' hog along the fence, going through the tight spots in the woods. The Mahindra 6500 is the heavy beast -- not all the glitz, but the draft horse, so to speak. Hauls a square baler all day without beating you to death, dragged a 10' no-till drill up and down our hills with ease. Ya need brute force, it has it, but just a canopy, no cab. Now the Kubota L4740 HSTC -- that's the good wife's tractor (and she said I can use it too). Not the beast of the Mahindra, not as small as the Allis, but it has its place -- which is good wife raking in front of me baling. I like the free flow of air -- even TN in August, she likes the cool. I like the "control" of a manual tranny, she likes the ease of Kubota's HST. For some summer jobs and some winter jobs, I'll use the Kubota for the comfort factor -- and I have to say we tried everybody's HST in the around 50 HP range and Kubota is the easiest/smoothest/best (for US) by far. As for any of the "easy hitch" 3-pt systems, I have all our 3-pt stuff on dollies on concrete, so the time savings is not a major factor -- ditto the QA stuff. So, take all our inputs as what matters to us -- weigh in anything that matters to you that you hadn't thought of, and go buy YOUR tractor for YOU.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I agree. I've regretted almost every "cheap" product I bought. I'd rather buy a 1-2 yr old quality machine than a cheaper, less known new machine.

+1

And in tractors/heavy machinery more than anything.... where stuff is dirty and "used" within the first 5 minutes of taking it home new.

I'm still on my first tractor and will be for a while, but if I did it all over again, I would consider the same size machine but with a cab, and used, hopefully for the same or less than what I paid for a new open platform machine.

I try not to insult any brand, but I've looked at several of the 2nd/3rd tier brands and they are clearly nowhere close to the big 3. They may be functional and adequate, but they aren't the same.

 

[Z-Michigan]

As for any of the "easy hitch" 3-pt systems, I have all our 3-pt stuff on dollies on concrete, so the time savings is not a major factor -- ditto the QA stuff.

Not sure if there's any confusion here, but the "EH" hitch on the JD machines from 5x25 on up is not "easy hitch" but I believe "electro hydraulic" and is quite nice if you have to raise and lower implements precisely hundreds of times, like a farmer doing row crops may do. It's much more than just a control lever at the rear in addition to at the operator station.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Um, if that were true wouldn't everyone be driving Jinma tractors or the inexpensive Fotons from Rural King? Sure, they all have 4 wheels and diesel engines, but there are huge differences in quality. Saying that they are all the same sounds like a guy who bought a Yugo trying to justify his purchase. Just my opinion, like yours of 'they are all the same'.

BTW, the only real big difference I noticed between the Kubota and JD tractors of similar size was the cab. The JD cab seemed nicer and was most definitely larger. Maybe it sounds trivial, but the larger cab with the "buddy seat" option moved me to JD from Kubota this time. On your options dilemma; I've always found that I have regretted buying the 'cheaper' model later but have never regretted buying the model I really wanted with the options I really wanted. My suggestion, for what it's worth, is to buy what you want. Good luck!

Dargo, You like twisting things don't you? I never said that they were all the same. I said that most were fairly equal in quality, and that quality being close should not be the deciding factor. The deciding factors would be what was available for the tractors that you are looking at. Some things that are std on one make may be an option on another make and may not even be available on yet another make. What I said was that the quality of the products are fairly close on most makes. Not all of them, I guess that next time I should list every make and model so that you will know exactly each tractor that I'm referencing.

As far as me trying to justify what I bought, I don't need to justify anything, and I have asked many times when people make comments about my tractor to show me a better tractor in the same size class that I have. I have not seen any yet. I'm not saying that there is not any, but nobody has said that they have or know of one.

Oh, you fall into the exact category that I listed. You liked the JD with the bigger cab and the jump seat. Kubota does not have what you wanted, so you bought the JD. Does that make the Kubota junk because their cab is smaller and no jump seat? Kubota is still a good tractor, they just didn't have what you wanted. A lot of the other makes are the same way, just because every make is not the exact same doesn't make one inferior to the other. The overall quality of most of the makes is fairly close in my opinion. If is wasn't, then they would be the price of the Jinmas and Fotons.

Enough said for now, hope that the OP buys what he wants.