Kubota L4200 value / life expectancy

[RollingsFarms]

He is the original owner, and it was a sod farm tractor. They got out of the business. How'd you guess that? The industrial turfs?

Sod farms are popping up around here and I know what types of tractors they use. With the information you gave about the tractor I would pull the trigger if you like what you see and it drives good. Those sod farm tractors usually have high hours but it's not from hard use, they'll pull those batwing flail type mowers over grass that looks like a big lawn. They get used weekly but they're also usually kept up well.

 

[RollingsFarms]

On second thought that tractor may not have been used to mow but perhaps spent its life loading sod pallets onto trucks. The reason I guess that is because you said it had a loader and doesn't have a canopy. Those tractors that are used for mowing typically have a canopy and very rarely have loaders on them. That still wouldn't bother me none though.

 

[rootex]

Thanks for the info guys. I do think that the tires will work for our application as it'll be used mostly on turf, once I get about 2 tri-axles of sand spread and 2 of black dirt, it'll be used mostly to mow our runway, looking for one of those bat wings mowers as well. and it'll till the big garden each year.

 

[rootex]

Thanks again for the info quick replies.

 

[Jay4200]

Too much money. Closer to $9-10k would be more like it. I bought my L4200 (1994) with just over 2000 hours on it with a fairly beat up 9' Woods backhoe and an almost new 16' equipment trailer for $15,000 in 2007. The PO paid $21k for the setup two years earlier from a dealer, but he got porked, IMHO. The machine had fair condition turfs and was in good shape for the hours, although the loader was fairly worn and the seat needed replacement. It was plumbed only with power beyond for the backhoe with no additional remotes. The only issue were the control arm ball joints were shot, so I changed out the arms (~$200) and the starter crapped out a couple of years ago, so I changed that too for ~$200. I ended up re-plumbing the hydraulics so I could run external remotes with the 3pt or PB for the backhoe. I also added a roof, front and rear work lights, added a big fat glow-plug bypass button, and made a new cutting edge for the loader last year out of an old town plow blade. I never did replace the seat, so it is absolutely atrocious now... OTOH, my L4200 now has close to 2700 hours and still runs like the day it rolled off the lot.

 

[rootex]

Thanks again, unfortunately it sold. Found another on craigslist, but it looks a little rougher, with lower hours and at $11.5k. May take a look at it tomorrow.