New CUT recomendations

[Egon]

Welcome n3ra77 !

You have an interesting problem in choices. All would seem good to me. Ride around on some of them and find out what fits.

Dealer support is important if you wish fast service and parts supply.

Last Thursday I broke one of the three point lift arms on my tractor due to operator incompetence. Phoned in for the parts and had them in hand the following day.

 

[Raptor53]

Go with Deere. They are the most established tractor company in the United States, and are known for being the highest quality tractors. Yes, they may cost more, but it's definitely worth it. Go look at the tractors, take a test drive, and compare build quality, weight, standard equipment, and you will most likely see that Deere comes out on top.

I was originally price shopping for a tractor, but I eventually came to the conclusion that when it comes to tractors, you get what you pay for.

 

[JDCOMPACTMAN]

Really need to demo each brand. One may feel better to you than the other.

 

[AchingBack]

I wouldn't spend any money on a ZTR mower. Put that money into a mower for the tractor. Unless you have some fairly smooth areas to mow, a ZTR, and you will take a beating.

 

[EdC]

I don't use my 2320 for mowing and there is no backhoe in the mix but my 2320 does all that we have asked of it. All of the tractors you mentioned will. Ergonomics is important to me so I pad attention to that and the 2320 fit me the best. Try the same things, operate each of these tractors and see how the fit you.

As far as distance and price I went to the farthest of three JD dealers; about 60 miles away one way. That was because the salesman spent hours with us answering questions and going over our needs. Of course it also helped that they were willing to negotiate. The Kubota dealer was not. The Massey dealer was more of an agricultural center and only had 2 CUTs that were way up there in price. The new Holland dealer did not have a salesman available. The first time I said oh well, the second time we had agreed on a time and they still did not have a sales person there.

 

[greggh]

Welcome to TBN... You are in the fun stage of tractor ownership. Going to all of the dealers in your area, sitting in the seats, driving them around to see which one fits you personally. Price is important, but it should be behind the quality of the tractor and the quality of the dealer.

Enjoy this stage, during the search phase you can learn a lot about tractors. Most dealers will give you answers to any of your questions. You may not like some of the answers but this is a learning experience. You have to take the difference answers about their tractor as compared to another brand with a grain of salt. Of course their tractor is a better tractor than the other brands.

Find the tractor that fits you personally and that you feel is the best quality and the dealer you feel that you can trust the most and buy that tractor. You will be happier in the long run and have a great tractor buying experience. Don't rush the process and enjoy the ride.

One you have made your choice and have purchased your tractor, remember to post pictures. We like pictures...

 

[n3ra77]

Thanks everyone for all the advice so far. TBN is a really tremendous resource.

Did visit the Kubota dealer over hte weekend a couple of times. THey had a B3030 (with cab) on the lot as well as a B26 and a BX24. If nothing else, we've confirmed the general size were are interested in.

Need to go back to the JD and Kubota dealers and spend some quality time in the seat.

We've basically dismissed the ZTR talk completely. We'd rather concentrate on the tractor first.

I've heard that Deere has a huge lead time for some of the Ag tractors. If we ended up with JD, I hope that isn't the case for the CUT's.

Any additional comments on 2 range compared to 3 range HST?

Thanks again. Looking forward to having pictures to post.

 

[MDM]

As far as 2 vs 3 range. Put the JD in High range and try pulling a hill and see how it responds. You will likely see the need for the extra range. Most tasks can be accomplished in Low and Medium and High is reserved for transport on flat ground.

 

[Egon]

More gears never hurts!

 

[IXLR8]

As others have said, you need to try each tractor, and dealer. All machines that you have listed are good tractors. Don't pass on the ones that are 40 miles out, there are some good value machines there. You need to find which tractor fits you best, which one is most comfortable, you will be spending lots of time in the seat. Are the controls comfortable to reach, is the platform large enough for you, is it too large? Do you like a flat or angled platform? How easy do you want your attachment hook up to be? It is very tough to beat how easy the JD Imatch system works.. but it comes at a price. It is also very important to buy from a good dealer, one that you can work with, one that will work with you. This is a long term investment/relationship so the dealer is important. Dealer is less important if you can do all your own maintenance, but needs to be taken into account.
Have fun in your shoping.