Buying Advice Looking for a tractor

[rademamj1]

OK, so one of my local dealers just got a trade in that looks pretty good.

2006 BX2350 with turf tires
630 hours
Very clean
Includes loader, 60" mower deck and a 50" front mount snowblower with the chute rotation.

I'd be about half the price of a new one on this setup.

Seems like a perfect setup for me. I could either sell the belly mower, or sell me zero turn depending on which one I prefer.

I get that with 1 acre I don't *need* a tractor, but we are constantly moving rocks, spreading mulch, digging things, etc. The one that I have borrowed from a friend several times has turf tires and doesn't mark my lawn at all.

Thoughts?

It sounds just like what you wanted. If the price is right, make the purchase. Unless the dealer already has excellent maintenance records on this tractor, change all fluids and filters for future peace of mind. Also, have the dealer check all pedal linkage adjustments. At 630 hours is light use for a diesel.

 

[Raines]

That is not the way I read the fine print on my Kubota Credit documents, nor is my monthly billing calculation showing any interest payment on a 0% interest rate. In fact my online Kubota account has a payoff tab, which does remaining balance billing and cancelation of all future insurance payments.

You can negotiate a cash price discount, and still are allowed financing at 0% interest for 3 years if you make a down payment.

Likewise, you can also elect to finance at MSRP less the 5% discount, and choose 0% interest for any term length your comfortable with, depending on credit agency approval.

Ok , well my shopping experience for a tractor has led me down a different road. I have visited Kubota, John Deere, Kioti, Massey, Mahindra, Ls, New Holland, Branson, and IH case dealerships. All of these, except for LS, had 0% down, 0% interest for 60 to 84 months. LS just had 0% down with low interest rate for 60 to 84 months. The Kioti, Mahindra and Massey dealers all spoke up and told me upfront that the 0% interest thing was a wash as I could just finance it at a low rate with a cash price and if I paid it off early then I saved money.
If you look at these 0% specials you don't get other specials like cashback, or free loader, or other gimmicks they put out there. I ran the numbers on each brand and at best I saved 8 dollars a month on one of the 0% interest offers. But if you take that route then you just paid more for the tractor upfront, meaning you just paid more in taxes and you now have more showing up on your credit.
It's a business. Nothing is free. It is all smoke and mirrors so you can't see them picking your pockets, lol. Now of course you will not see any interest being charged on your statements because there is none. You have 0% interest. They just had it figured in on the original price they gave you.
Anyways this has been a frustrating part of my tractor buying experience as I always have to ask for cash price to actually compare prices. I don't like the gimmicks these brands throw at you. Just sell me on your actual product, show me how much better it is than the other guys. Don't try to sell me on some financing scheme, or free loader scheme. I just want the best tractor for my needs. Period.

 

[Citydude]

Ok , well my shopping experience for a tractor has led me down a different road. I have visited Kubota, John Deere, Kioti, Massey, Mahindra, Ls, New Holland, Branson, and IH case dealerships. All of these, except for LS, had 0% down, 0% interest for 60 to 84 months. LS just had 0% down with low interest rate for 60 to 84 months. The Kioti, Mahindra and Massey dealers all spoke up and told me upfront that the 0% interest thing was a wash as I could just finance it at a low rate with a cash price and if I paid it off early then I saved money.
If you look at these 0% specials you don't get other specials like cashback, or free loader, or other gimmicks they put out there. I ran the numbers on each brand and at best I saved 8 dollars a month on one of the 0% interest offers. But if you take that route then you just paid more for the tractor upfront, meaning you just paid more in taxes and you now have more showing up on your credit.
It's a business. Nothing is free. It is all smoke and mirrors so you can't see them picking your pockets, lol. Now of course you will not see any interest being charged on your statements because there is none. You have 0% interest. They just had it figured in on the original price they gave you.
Anyways this has been a frustrating part of my tractor buying experience as I always have to ask for cash price to actually compare prices. I don't like the gimmicks these brands throw at you. Just sell me on your actual product, show me how much better it is than the other guys. Don't try to sell me on some financing scheme, or free loader scheme. I just want the best tractor for my needs. Period.

Schemes? They are just giving you options. If you want easy shopping buy one off of eBay. Lol

 

[Egon]

The used tractor sounds good.

If you are doing rock work a backhoe is very handy. On top of that they are just plain fun to use.

 

[shooterdon]

I had a 3/4 acre lot when I lived in the suburbs. Cannot imagine "needing" a tractor and a BH is a real stretch.

The used machine is a good deal and you will lose little if you decide to sell it later. I would keep the ZT if you have space for it. You will never use the MMM if you have a ZT. Taking the MMM off to mount the blower gets old. Then you need to store the MMM.

For snow in the burbs, I used an Ariens 30" blower. It is almost too big but nothing will stop it. Cost $2000 US.

I doubt you will put more than 20 hours a year on a tractor after the first two years. Think about the projects and jobs you need done once and repetitively.

 

[chim]

I had a 3/4 acre lot when I lived in the suburbs. Cannot imagine "needing" a tractor and a BH is a real stretch.

The used machine is a good deal and you will lose little if you decide to sell it later. I would keep the ZT if you have space for it. You will never use the MMM if you have a ZT. Taking the MMM off to mount the blower gets old. Then you need to store the MMM.

For snow in the burbs, I used an Ariens 30" blower. It is almost too big but nothing will stop it. Cost $2000 US.

I doubt you will put more than 20 hours a year on a tractor after the first two years. Think about the projects and jobs you need done once and repetitively.

Many of us cloud the difference between "needs" and "wants". I'm guilty and it's fun

 

[rademamj1]

Anyways this has been a frustrating part of my tractor buying experience as I always have to ask for cash price to actually compare prices. I don't like the gimmicks these brands throw at you. Just sell me on your actual product, show me how much better it is than the other guys. Don't try to sell me on some financing scheme, or free loader scheme. I just want the best tractor for my needs. Period.

Raines, have you decided on a specific tractor yet?? You certainly have done alot more comparative shopping than I ever did. For my first tractor I was far more concerned about equipment reliability and maintenance than financing. However, my local Kubota dealer sales staff refused to work with me or even discuss my basic tractor questions. So i went with a Kioti and have not regretted it.

Fast forward three years, and I just went back to that same Kubota dealership this spring, its under all new management and now its free coffee and let's sit down and talk attitude. I got exactly what I needed.

 

[Raines]

Raines, have you decided on a specific tractor yet?? You certainly have done alot more comparative shopping than I ever did. For my first tractor I was far more concerned about equipment reliability and maintenance than financing. However, my local Kubota dealer sales staff refused to work with me or even discuss my basic tractor questions. So i went with a Kioti and have not regretted it.

Fast forward three years, and I just went back to that same Kubota dealership this spring, its under all new management and now its free coffee and let's sit down and talk attitude. I got exactly what I needed.

I have narrowed it down to a Massey gc1725mb (currently my favorite), branson 2510 or 2505 ( Still have to go physically see them), or an LS Mt225s (still need to physically see one) I found a Branson dealer not too far away that has both those models and closest LS dealer says he is getting a mt225s in next week but I also am not sure if realizes there is a difference between the Mt225s and the Mt225e. So not sure which one he actually has coming in.
Anyways , I was just a little aggravated yesterday, sorry if I came off grumpy. It is just frustrating when I compare prices of the exact same tractor from 2 dealerships and there is a $4,000 difference. I called one place as they had a tlb model advertised for $21,500. After talking with them they sent me an email quote and suddenly it turned into $28,000. I have just been trying to find a tractor that I like, that has the features and capabilities that I need, within a budget and with a good dealer. Not so much to ask, lol.
Anyways the Massey seems to check off all those boxes right now but I am just waiting to go sit on those last couple tractors to see how they are. I have just about every brand dealer in 50 miles radius from me except for Tym and Yanmar. So I have looked at them all. I will say I like the smaller dealers better. Feel more welcome there. The Massey dealer has been great and I will probably end up buying one from him but not in a hurry and I want to look at the last few I haven't seen yet.

 

[GeneV]

No 2 properties are alike, some have a flat acre of grass, others have a bunch of work to do on it. I'd say if you do your own landscaping and snow removal, having a scut with at least a loader is quite nice.

Per what the o/p is describing, I'd skip the backhoe. If you got some minor digging to do, you could just get a spade attachment for the bucket or even get a spade bucket if you got ssqi on the loader. You could dig a little with forks too.

Depending on your driveway, you could just use your bucket for snow removal. I do, it's fun. I screw on a snow edge onto the bucket to protect my blacktop.

But as others have said here, there's "need" and then there's "want". Personally, I see nothing wrong with fulfilling wants if you're in the position to do so. Life is short, do your thing while you can.

 

[DMW]

OK, so one of my local dealers just got a trade in that looks pretty good.

2006 BX2350 with turf tires
630 hours
Very clean
Includes loader, 60" mower deck and a 50" front mount snowblower with the chute rotation.

The BX is lightly used. Try it out before making a decision.

If you remove the mower deck, get a skid(protective) plate for the hydro filter.

You will need a counterweight to use the loader safely. Either a weight box or box blade (a rear blade isn't heavy enough and provides little benefit)

Forks for this size tractor are of limited benefit. You would have to use clamp-on style. Weight capacity isn't really that great.

Bucket hooks are a necessity with a couple 8' lengths of Gr70 1/4" chain.

 

[fried1765]

Ok , well my shopping experience for a tractor has led me down a different road. I have visited Kubota, John Deere, Kioti, Massey, Mahindra, Ls, New Holland, Branson, and IH case dealerships. All of these, except for LS, had 0% down, 0% interest for 60 to 84 months. LS just had 0% down with low interest rate for 60 to 84 months. The Kioti, Mahindra and Massey dealers all spoke up and told me upfront that the 0% interest thing was a wash as I could just finance it at a low rate with a cash price and if I paid it off early then I saved money.
If you look at these 0% specials you don't get other specials like cashback, or free loader, or other gimmicks they put out there. I ran the numbers on each brand and at best I saved 8 dollars a month on one of the 0% interest offers. But if you take that route then you just paid more for the tractor upfront, meaning you just paid more in taxes and you now have more showing up on your credit.
It's a business. Nothing is free. It is all smoke and mirrors so you can't see them picking your pockets, lol. Now of course you will not see any interest being charged on your statements because there is none. You have 0% interest. They just had it figured in on the original price they gave you.
Anyways this has been a frustrating part of my tractor buying experience as I always have to ask for cash price to actually compare prices. I don't like the gimmicks these brands throw at you. Just sell me on your actual product, show me how much better it is than the other guys. Don't try to sell me on some financing scheme, or free loader scheme. I just want the best tractor for my needs. Period.

Me thinks your reasoning is the exception, rather than the rule!

 

[fried1765]

Many of us cloud the difference between "needs" and "wants". I'm guilty and it's fun

BINGO !!!!

 

[rScotty]

The used tractor sounds good.

If you are doing rock work a backhoe is very handy. On top of that they are just plain fun to use.

Yes, I always get a chuckle out of seeing posts that say, "There's no need for a backhoe; if you need to dig a hole just go rent one."

I don't think we've used ours to dig any holes this year - definitely no trenches. We've used the hoe to lift some landscaping size rocks out of the creek and place them around the yard. Just before the snow came a few weeks ago we used the hoe to straighten up some of our fruit trees so we could support the branches - that's normally a heavy job. After the storm it was handy raking downed slash into piles and loading it onto the trailer. Plus the usual chore of holding broken trunks and limbs up for chainsawing.

Last week we used the hoe to push on the side of our old woodshed and hold it nice and square while we rebuilt the corner supports. That job also involved lifting off the ridge beam and part of the roof - easily done using the hoe as a crane.
rScotty

 

[Diggin It]

We've used the hoe to lift some landscaping size rocks out of the creek and place them around the yard. Just before the snow came a few weeks ago we used the hoe to straighten up some of our fruit trees so we could support the branches - that's normally a heavy job. After the storm it was handy raking downed slash into piles and loading it onto the trailer. Plus the usual chore of holding broken trunks and limbs up for chainsawing.

That needs an add-on thumb. Not included as standard, can be pricey and may not be self-installable. Might even need hydraulics.

Last week we used the hoe to push on the side of our old woodshed and hold it nice and square while we rebuilt the corner supports. That job also involved lifting off the ridge beam and part of the roof - easily done using the hoe as a crane.

Mine only goes to 6', not hardly enough to be a crane.

 

[Parrotman409]

I went and looked at the used BX2350. It is in very nice shape with 630 hours. Mower, loader and blower also all in good shape. Clearly stored inside. With it being an older BX, it doesn't have any of the fancy quick-connect stuff.

I also stopped at the John Deere dealer and looked at the 1023e and the 1025r. They seem quite a bit bigger and more 'solid'. Very clever quick connect systems. Certainly beefier.

In addition to my own yard, I will also be doing snow clearing for my wife's parents down the road and 2 other neighbours (close by, paid work).

The warranty on something new is appealing... Challenge with financing is something used at 48m is similar payment to something new at 84m....

 

[Diggin It]

I also stopped at the John Deere dealer and looked at the 1023e and the 1025r. They seem quite a bit bigger and more 'solid'. Very clever quick connect systems. Certainly beefier..

But as I understand it, not readily interchangeable with non-JD implements.

and 2 other neighbours (close by, paid work).

Read any warranty carefully. Paid work can be considered commercial use and may void or alter warranty terms.

 

[chim]

............................. Challenge with financing is something used at 48m is similar payment to something new at 84m....

A warranty is attractive, but if the cost is nearly 2X for new I'd be getting the used one.

 

[Parrotman409]

But as I understand it, not readily interchangeable with non-JD implements.

Can anyone explain this further?

 

[Raines]

But as I understand it, not readily interchangeable with non-JD implements.

Can anyone explain this further?

The John Deere QA system is different from the Skid steer quick attach system that is commonly found on other brands. So you would have to buy John Deere attachments to use with the John Deere QA system and could not be used on other tractors. There might be adapters out there though if needed. Maybe a John Deere guy could explain better.

 

[chim]

The short video below is a good illustration of the differences. The pins JD uses for the bottom don't look like they provide a very robust connection when compared with the standard SSQA tapered pins, but I never saw anyone complain about them. The JD system could be better or worse than the standard SSQA. It does limit your choices when shopping, renting or borrowing implements.

John Deere vs Kubota: Quick Attach Buckets - YouTube