Need help deciding what my first tractor should be

[zachm24]

Hey all. Let me first start out by saying I am a new landowner and have come to the easy conclusion that I need to purchase a tractor in order to keep said property in shape. I know virtually nothing about tractors. No one in my family has ever owned one, therefore I have not had the luxury of growing up around anyone with any knowledge. I have spent countless hours on google, forums, and youtube for the past couple months gathering any and all information I can. The basic idea i have at the moment is, I would like to keep it as affordable as possible, but I realize it will still be a sizable investment. I believe something in the category of "compact" tractor should suit what I need taken care of. The property is 16.2 acres, with approximately 4 of those acres being a field that is overgrown with 1-2" saplings and weeds. The other acreage is covered with an even split of what I would consider light and heavy timber growth. The field is my main area of focus for reclaiming. I did want to get a tractor with a loader in order to knock out some heavier but not too heavy trees and fill in a few ditches that seem to hold water for any period of time that the weather isn't unusually dry. I have been leaning more towards flail mowers instead of a standard rotary cutter as I like the fact that they cut closer and are more compact. However, finding one large enough for my applications and preferences has proven to be a little difficult considering when you go bigger on flail cutters, they tend to bump the HP requirement of the tractor into a whole new cost bracket. I have visited the John Deere and New Holland/Massey Ferguson dealer as they are very local. JD wanted to sell me a 3032, but for a hair more cost and a HP boost I was more interested in the 3038e myself. The NH/MF dealer didn't bother showing me all he had to offer. He instead showed me a MF GC1720 and acted like it was the only tractor they sold. I realize a sub compact tractor can suit many for their purposes, but i just feel that a tractor that's only marginally larger than a lawn mower won't do what I need to do. And in any case, the issue of PTO HP comes up with that option. With about 45 minutes of traveling south, I can go to a Mahindra dealer. And 45 minutes north I can go to an LS dealer. I have still not visited the Kubota dealer that is relatively local. So, I apologize if this thread, or type of thread, comes up often. I'm sure it does. As I said I have searched high and low and it mainly seems to be like asking which truck I should buy and you'll have your chevy guys vs your ford guys etc etc. If anyone has any suggestions, testimonials, or general opinions about tractor/implement choices, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[dickfoster]

Welcome to the club. Most of us here started just like you. I know I did. Here's my :2cents: Dealer dealer dealer. You will find that even the best tractor made can be a miserable experience if your dealer is crap and won't give you good service and guidance so shop your local dealers very carefully. If they don't give you much help now you can just imagine how they are going to be when it comes time to get the machine serviced, especially during the warranty period. You'll get a lot of people here saying to buy what they have at least as far as brand but remember what I'm saying about the dealer can take all of that right into the tank. After all that I like my Mahindra but the dealer had a lot to do with that, other than the fact that I don't care of the DPF thing on the others either. The choice of gear/shuttle of HST is largely a matter of personal preference and what you'll be doing with the machine however I did not like the way HST was implemented on the Mahindras I looked at (rocker pedal) so I ended up with a gear machine. Test driving is important so be sure to do it.
I would tend to put price toward the bottom of the list of priorities because this is a long term purchase and the difference is price is usually pretty small percentage wise. Remember the quality is remembered long after the price has been forgotten.
Ask your dealer who takes care of transportation for the warranty work, who pays for delivery etc. This will be a good indicator of how dedicated that dealer is to his customers. Mine also provided a few small freebies as a matter of course like filling the tires, welding a hook to the front bucket etc. As far as the Mahindra brand goes, I like the tractor but I find their aftersales and even presales support to be a bit lacking but so far that has been offset by my local dealer who is about 50 miles away. When I was shopping some dealers showed little to no interest in me or my business so I kept on moving along till I found the one with the lights on. Guess who got to sell me a tractor? I went out shopping for orange but wound up with a red tractor. That's OK, red a prettier color anyway and I can't get any traffic tickets on my own land.

 

[zachm24]

What you're saying makes sense. Just like I bought my truck from a dealer 50 miles away because the one here sucked. It's only logical that a "dealer" of anything needs to be chosen wisely. I believe I'll go visit a few more on Monday. In any case I'll visit Kubota, Mahindra, and LS all before I buy anything. So far, Neither of the dealers I spoke to were rude in any way. The JD man talked to me for maybe 15 minutes and gave me a few price sheets. But the NH/MF guy was just bent on showing off that little MF sub compact. I realize I'm 24 and probably look 18 at best. I realize I don't look the part of a person who is serious about making big purchases such as this. But at least when I ask to see another tractor, don't tell me I don't need it. That just seems to be costing himself more money with a lesser sale. But that was the story when I bought my boat and truck. Several dealers missed on a sale since I guess they wouldn't take me seriously. Anyway, thank you for your input. I'll definitely talk to the dealers and have a few more questions to ask them now.

 

[TripleR]

What kind of budget are you working with?

Off the top of my head I can think of probably 25-30 models that would work.

Bare minimum, in my opinion, would be a 25HP CUT with an HST with FEL. I find for new owners a good dealer is really important. HST vs gear is never ending, I use both.

I would rent something for a weekend in the size you think you want or as close as you can and that will help more than anything any of us can say.

 

[zachm24]

I'm leaning more toward a HST just for sheer simplicity (of use that is). 25 HP sounds like a good minimum HP, however I have been trying to pair up a decent sized flail cutter with a tractor that has adequate PTO HP for it and that has proven to be a headache in and of itself. FEL is a must for me also. I was hoping to stay under 25k with being under 20 very nice if find good quality for that cost. 25k is my ceiling though. I could go higher but I am the type that sets a limit and I always tend to find what I'm looking for eventually if I stick with it.

 

[TripleR]

If price is paramount forget Kubota, John Deere etc. Go look at LS first then you'll know what I mean. I don't own one, but you get a lot for your money and the make many of the CUTS for Case and New Holland that get rebadged.

Sorry, but my knowledge of flails is not much. I looked at them and the price, hp requirements plus maintenance was not encouraging.

 

[zachm24]

Well, the price of the JD 3038e was 19k flat before taxes and all. But I'm far from sure of anything at this point. I've looked at many flail mower brands and so far Caroni is the most affordable one I can find with good reviews. Thanks for your input!

 

[TripleR]

We have two Caroni finish mowers that have been used and abused for years; good product line for the price.

Good luck.

 

[motownbrowne]

A Kubota L2501HST would fit your needs just fine. I think you can buy one with a loader and a couple of implements for about $22k. They also have really cheap financing right now. Worth looking at. Lots of bang for your buck, low tech emissions system, simple no-frills tractor. It'll run a 5' or light 6' bush hog, pull a 6' box blade, run a finish mower, whatever you need. If you want more HP, you can spend more money and get a more complicated emissions system, but 2501 is a bit of a sweet spot in the lineup right now.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

You're going about purchasing your first tractor the right way = research and setting realistic goals. You've also discovered that 'local' dealerships have their own, shall we say, attitudes. The key is to find the one that supports you after your purchase [parts & service]... local knowledge (talking to neighbours) as to reputation + your own experience at the various dealerships will weed out the unsupportive ones. Sales and the Service Departments are two separate sides of the dealership.

It sounds like, so far, the local JD dealership wants your business AND wants to sell you the tractor you need (as opposed to what's "flavour of the month"). By all means check out the other 'colours'.

Here's what Tractordata.com has to say about the 3038e; TractorData.com John Deere 338E tractor information

This website is a great asset for comparing tractors... bookmark it.