New 4120 vs 5105

[AKfish]

I haven't completely made up my mind on which machine to go with, yet. I started this quest with a 40 hp@ PTO tractor as a starting point . My wife has finally wore me down after 23 years for her owning a horse. Well, you can't have just one (she wants me to ride with her...) and well, if we're gonna have horses why don't we build a small hog house and have our youngest son raise a 4-H pig? And maybe some chickens? We've been splitting about 90 chickens with 2 other families each summer and maybe we could give Kasey a break on raising them... So, our 15+ acres is morphing into Ol' MacDonald's place! That means I need to cut down, dig up and bury quite a few trees to increase the little more than 1 acre we currently have in pasture. I thought that since I was making the investment in a tractor that maybe I'd get something that I could do some landscaping on the side with -- 4120. Well, the wife is good friends with several neighbors (they have horses) who have large enough acreages to sell hay. They're gettin' older and always looking for help -- maybe I could trade tractor work for winter feed -- 5105. I'm still struggling with the idea of buying the hoe as well. I could probably clear everything with a grapple bucket and chainsaw then rent a track hoe to dig the stumps and bury everything (don't want fires). The 5105 has more heft and will likely stand up to the tree clearing work better than the 4120 -- I think. The 5105 won't be as manueverable for clearing snow and the manure work, though. The price (up here) is very close between them but the current JD financing favors the '05. The local dealer called me today and wants to sit down on Monday to talk. We'll see. I'm not gonna hold my breath for a great offer, though. More later.

 

[jimg]

This has to be Barnett's...right? If so, you might want to try out the Mount Vernon store. When I first started pricing I went to the Snohomish store and found them to be very unknowledgable about tractors which isnt the case in Mount Vernon. After my initial quote in Mount Vernon (23,800) I got a call yesterday from the salesman saying the price had dropped (23900). At the moment I really wasnt interested in getting best price (just best dealer and tractor). However, I got the impression he was concerned he might not be in the running and didnt want to miss out on a sale. Right now I'm trying to decide between a TC45 and 4120. I also dont have a place to put a tractor as Im still house hunting. All in all the 4120 is, I think, a better tractor on paper than the TC45. The prices above are for a PS transmission w/ loader and HD bucket. My initial quote for a hydro (which Im not considering) was 25800 w/ a loader.

The dealers in my area (Brim (NH) and Barnett (JD)) are the best I've ever dealt w/. Thats what makes the choice so difficult. Both seem very interested in having satisfied customers, have good parts and service depts and are more than willing to deal.

 

[jimg]

I think I'd just rent or hire the equipment to do the clearing and get a tractor that would handle (on avg) the remaining jobs best. An excavator and bulldozer will do the job better and quicker.

From the jobs youve listed (exc the land clearing) it sounds like the 5105 might be the best choice if youre really going to wind up haying. If not then Id go w/ the 4120. I dont think the 4120 would handle a baler that well.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Sounds like your AK dealer is definitely taking advantage of his "green monopoly". OTOH, I'm sure the cost of doing business is higher up there.

Rent or hire equipment for tree removal or prepare to sweat. The 5105 can knock over small trees if not deep rooted. If your land was already mostly manicured, I'd recommend the 4120. But, if your land is rutted and needs lots of work, get the 5105 with MFWD and the biggest R1 tires possible.

Keep us posted...Kyle

 

[BarryinMN]

Hiring out or renting a dozer & TLB is good advise. Gross cleanup means things falling on the hood, scratches scrapes dents etc. Makes a new tractor look old fast + expense of replacing broken lights & misc.

I initially looked on paper at the 40 hp level but rapidly ended up in the 60 hp utility class & a 10,000 lb tractor. A few test drives on slopes with weight (hay) made the decision easy in my case.

Have fun during the search. The work starts when you get it home!