Buying Advice looking at Kubota project 6950 for $9900? Or should I go new(er) ...

[africa932003]

Dealer is almost as important as brand when picking out a tractor. There are three dealers near my land and only the John Deere is interested in the rancher business. The other two only care about farmers. I have no experience with the Kubota dealer.

Also, 12k hours in 25 years is a hard life for a 65 hp tractor.

Yeah, I'm definitely getting more determined in wanting to get a Case (IH) or Kubota, given the good rep of the mechanic who is near me.

I didn't make it clear in my previous message: the 2009 M7040 has a cab, which is why I'm looking at it for 45 k.

 

[africa932003]

The Chinese tractors do not have a good reputation, I would steer clear of them.

You said that you are not super mechanically inclined.

Get yourself something new, or newer.

Save yourself some headaches:thumbsup:

Good advice. There are some good Korean tractors out there ... but the parts situation 10-15 years from now is what concerns me if the brand doesn't catch on. I know of a Montana tractor owner with a nice machine that is perhaps 5-6 years old with less than 1000 hours, and he is already having to get creative to find parts.

 

[grm61]

There are some good Korean tractors out there ... but the parts situation 10-15 years from now is what concerns me if the brand doesn't catch on.

So this has put Kubota and Case IH at the front of the line for me ... at least until I can be convinced otherwise.

LS Tractor, a Korean company, makes the compacts for Case IH, they also make the compacts for NH. You can buy the same tractor with the LS badge for cheaper.
Kioti, also Korean, was making tractors for Bobcat until this year, I don't think parts are going to be a problem for either of these two brands, and they are good tractors, they have more than caught on

FYI here is a link to the Kioti site http://www.kioti.com/products/tractors/compare-models/

They also have the free loader program going on. http://www.kioti.com/

 

[africa932003]

thanks GRM61. All this is good info. I drove a Kioti at the farm of a guy I know a couple of years back and It's just a bit harder to get it serviced at a good dealer around here ...
Just went to a Kubota customer appreciation day at a dealer near here this morning. I do like their tractors, though their prices are dear. I can't get the M7040 out of my head. I can't justify a cab, and thank goodness there are no new M7040's with cabs left in Canada, as far as I can tell, but there are still M7040SUHD models (open station, economy tractor with few frills). I like 'em ... it's just the price.

 

[grm61]

thanks GRM61. All this is good info. I drove a Kioti at the farm of a guy I know a couple of years back and It's just a bit harder to get it serviced at a good dealer around here ...
Just went to a Kubota customer appreciation day at a dealer near here this morning. I do like their tractors, though their prices are dear. I can't get the M7040 out of my head. I can't justify a cab, and thank goodness there are no new M7040's with cabs left in Canada, as far as I can tell, but there are still M7040SUHD models (open station, economy tractor with few frills). I like 'em ... it's just the price.

My dealer is not close.
I service my tractor myself, mine is a Tier3 machine, so I can work on it myself if I ever have to, no emissions or computer controls.

I looked at the Kubotas as well, and I like them, heck they are all nice, but I could get a Cabbed Kioti with money left over for what they wanted for a open station machine that would lift as much as my 45 horse Kioti.

This is a big purchase, you need to be happy in the end, if you really want a Kubota than you should get one, However I think if you don't get a Cab model you will regret it forevever.
That's a lot of money to spend, and not wind up with what you really want and need.

OK, I said my peace, Good Luck and happy shopping:thumbsup:

 

[varmint]

I have heard, from folks who know what they are talking about, that diesel engines, in general, are good for about 12 hours IF run under good/ideal conditions, and after that, considered junk. A lot of these were used for stationary power, which is probably easier that in a tractor. So, I would stay away from a high hour machine, just for peace of mind. If you buy right, think of it as an investment, not a purchase. Take care of it, park it out of the weather/sun, and when it's time to sell, you should recover most of what you paid. I just sold a 25 year old Kubota for about $600 less than I had in it. It was well cared for, kept well, and looked and ran well- I had it for about 12 years.