Looking For a Tractor - Using the "Price on Craigslist" Method

[madmax12]

madmax I googled coldwater but I didnt come up with anything,do they have a website?
Brian

They r members of this forum. From the posts I have read, they do not write well, however, members here seem to support them as a reputable tractor/loader supplier. Start a thread in yanmar forum expressing interest in buying a tractor, and sort thru the responses/info, disregarding proper use of grammar.

I have exchanged info with them on this site, however, I have not done business with them. There r members here that have. See if any give u feedback on their experience with coldwater.

There used to be a website, but it was not updated. Coldwatertractors.com

Also, there r new tractors available for just north of 10k. Have u priced LS, Mahindra, Kubota? U might be surprised of actual "cash" prices. Get the loan on your own, the dealer sells tractor at cash price. Big difference from MSRP. Only brand I think may not change price, is deere...but not certain of that, either.

 

[Mudfarmer]

Bought a Kubota B2710 last year on CL for $9500 and had $1000 of repairs and tune done on it at the dealer before I took it home. I'm very happy with it. I would budget in that last $1000 when you buy used, just in case. Concerning crigslist scams - they are usually too good to be true and want the money (or a serious deposit) before yo see the tractor. In my opinion they are pretty obvious. When you see them flag them to be un posted.
Mf

 

[joshuabardwell]

Will you have a dirt road to maintain and if so how long? Will you have to clear snow, if so how much and often do you get it? - I want to just go with a rock drive, but my wife seems to think we need concrete. I am sure when the estimates come in I will win that one. :laughing: So, I will probably have rock drive a couple hundred yards long to maintain. I live in North Texas. Sometimes we get snow and sometimes we don't. Don't ever see a need to do any plowing of snow unless we have significant climate change.

The gravel drive makes a lot more sense compared to concrete or asphalt once you have a machine to maintain it with. When you own your own tractor, you can touch up the gravel as needs be, instead of waiting until it gets really awful and then hiring it out or renting something. Consider that the difference between the price of a concrete drive and a gravel drive might be more than the cost of the tractor, depending on the length of the drive.

 

[joshuabardwell]

Best wishes in regards to your search. If your can locate the tractor of your choice, equipped with a FEL, you will never regret it. A FEL comes in handy so many times. Just a thought.

People told me this when I bought my tractor, and they were right. A loader is used for digging, carrying, lifting, pushing, squashing, even basic grading can be done with it. You need your mower lifted up to get under it to clean the deck? Loader can do that. You need to butcher a deer and don't have a hanging rack? Loader can do that. You need to pull fence posts out of the ground? Loader can do that. Lifting heavy things onto and off of your truck bed or trailer? Etc...

If you were going to use your tractor more in a traditional "farm" sense of plowing, discing, mowing... well, maybe you could pass on the loader. But if you are going to use it more in the general "utility" sense that most CUTs are used in, you really want a loader whether you know it or not.

EDIT TO ADD: Oh, and let's not forget, "You need to take off your front wheel and don't want to get out the jack to jack up the tractor? Loader can do that for sure!"