Buying Advice Looking for a tractor

[Parrotman409]

Hello! New to the forum. I'm looking to buy a small tractor. I have just under an acre of manicured lawn and garden. It's all fairly flat without much grade. Application would be gardening, trees, snow removal. I'd like a loader, forks, front mount snowblower and possibly a backhoe (just not sure I would use it much to justify cost but also know you can't really get them 'after the fact'). I have a zero turn mower so I could either keep it, or get a mower deck. Would likely get turf tires as well. I have borrowed a neighbours New Holland Workmaster 25S with loader a few times and it seems to to what I need it to.

All my research and looking so far is leading me to either Kubota BX series or John Deere 10xx series. The zero percent long term financing is attractive as I would prefer that to paying outright. I've narrowed it down to these 2 brands as though they command a bit of a price premium, it isn't much, and they seem to hold their value well. Also have great dealers for with within about 20 minutes of my house. I live in Ontario, Canada. Any thoughts or advice is welcome.

 

[jeff9366]

VIDEOS: The ONLY BX that gets a backhoe - WHY IS IT ONLY 23 HORSEPOWER? - TMT - YouTube

*NEW* Kubota BX23s BT6?3 Backhoe removal - YouTube

Installing a french drain with a Kubota BX23S - YouTube

 

[dodge man]

Both are good choices. A JD 1 series is a little bit bigger tractor with a more powerful loader. JD also has a better auto connect mower deck. Both make good mowers. I owned a BX for 10 years before I bought a JD 2025r and the Kubota and now my JD are what I mow with but if you have a zero turn that you can afford to keep, have a place to store both, I would keep the zero turn.

Google “Tractor Time With Tim” and he has a series of videos comparing a BX with a JD 1 series. Tim is a JD guy but his comparison is very fair. Both are also pretty common used.

 

[rademamj1]

Well both the BX or JD1025 with turf tires make a great landscaping tractor. The front bucket becomes a moving wheelbarrow for many tasks. The midmower cut is zero turn quality, but not the maneuverability. Front snowblower is a must in Ontario, and the turf tires will work extremely well in heavy snow.

You can always purchase and install the backhoe later when needed. However, the dealer can deliver your tractor with backhoe rear remote hydraulic lines installed, even though you did not buy the backhoe yet. Rear remotes are good for many hydraulic powered attachments that you can rent, like stump grinders, power rakes, aerators, etc.

 

[Raines]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam. They just raise the price on you and get the interest up front. You will get a lower price on the tractor with a cash price but you can also finance it at that price, just not at zero percent. The payments come out almost identical. Plus you can always pay it off early and save money on interest. If you go with zero percent you automatically pay all the interest even if you pay it off early.

 

[Roadworthy]

You have a zero turn mower for your yard. I get the impression the tractor would be for "projects" around your place. You may be able to rent a tractor or a backhoe locally. You'd have to do a lot of renting to reach the $15,000 or $20,000 or more the tractor would cost. After the initial shock there's only maintenance to pay for - unless you start collecting attachments. I suspect the only really critical use would be clearing the snow. Everything else could be planned.

 

[fried1765]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam. They just raise the price on you and get the interest up front. You will get a lower price on the tractor with a cash price but you can also finance it at that price, just not at zero percent. The payments come out almost identical. Plus you can always pay it off early and save money on interest. If you go with zero percent you automatically pay all the interest even if you pay it off early.

"zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam"

Truer words were never spoken,..... but some are easily hooked!

 

[jeff9366]

The zero percent financing is nothing short of a scam.

At its monetary policy meeting ending on September 17. 2020, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) maintained its monetary policy unchanged, a decision widely expected by market analysts.

In terms of rates, the BoJ left the short-term policy rate for current accounts held by financial institutions at the Bank unchanged at minus 0.10%. It also continued to not set an upper limit on the amount of Japanese government bonds (JGBs) it will purchase in order to cap the ten year JGB yield at around 0.00%.

Japanese interest rates have been zero or negative since 2015.

Kubota can borrow at negative interest rates in Japan and use the borrowed money to move Kubota machinery in the United States with 0% financing. One reason Kubota's compact tractor market share continues to increase.

NEW YORK TIMES: Japan’s Negative Interest Rates Explained - The New York Times

 

[mcfarmall]

Unless you dig holes for a living, I'd skip the backhoe. You'll never get enough use out of it to justify the cost. If you need a trench to run your downspouts or an electric line to your pool, rent a trencher. FEL on the other hand, I wouldn't want a tractor without one. You'll use it for everything imaginable from a wheelbarrow to a water tank.

 

[Diggin It]

I have just under an acre of manicured lawn and garden. It's all fairly flat without much grade. Application would be gardening, trees, snow removal. I'd like a loader, forks, front mount snowblower ...

I honestly can't see a SCUT for your needs. You're talking $15-20K no matter how you go. You already have a mower. Unless you have loader work every weekend, do you really need one? I use mine a lot, but I have about 4 acres and a yard that needs a lot of dirt moving. And keep in mind what a 1500-2000 pound machine is going to do to your 'manicured lawn'.

You might look into the older style garden tractors, but they tend to need a lot of TLC. If you can find a good one, they'll handle a front loader and snowblower.