Raspy
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,636
- Location
- Smith Valley, Nevada
- Tractor
- NH TC29DA, F250 Tremor, Jeep Rubicon
To me it seems silly to buy a tractor and plan on selling it in one year. Or plan on it's resale value after you're unexpectedly gone. Buy it for you and get one you'll be able to use for years.
A good example is where so many people build their new dream house and take into consideration resale. In other words, they are building it for someone that they will never meet and they have already decided that that person will not like the features they want to build in for themselves.
Buy the best quality tractor you can after doing research on what breaks, how available parts are and how well they operate. Look at the backhoes and loaders that are available for the model you like.
I picked the machine I wanted first and then negotiated the price. A few dollars more for a NH or Kubota, from a dealer that is easy to get to and has parts, seems like money well spent. Every time I get on it I'm happy and know I did the best I could. I really like my tractor for much more than the original purchase price. Operating them can be way different between brands too, so try a few out and see what fits you. A couple of examples of this are that I think Masseys are good machines, but the controls were awkward for me. Mahindras are good, but lighter duty and harder to service than NH. Their dealer was way out in the country and was not willing to deal at all. The Kubota I liked was not rated for a backhoe, etc. Look around and do the research in the size you are interested in.
Finally, if you plan to do heavier work later, add a backhoe and take on some construction or firewood work, etc. You might consider the next larger size than what will just do the mowing now. A slightly bigger tractor will drag bigger things, dig deeper, lift more with forks and load dump trailers with higher sides, etc. I'm not one of the "bigger is better" guys, but to a certain degree, you'll keep finding more and more jobs to do with your new tractor. I ended up clearing a lot of land, scraping roads, building a large foundation, lifting steel posts and digging a 7' deep septic tank hole with mine that I never expected to be doing. I've dug about 800' of utility trench on my place with the hoe. All on property I didn't have when I got the tractor.
A good example is where so many people build their new dream house and take into consideration resale. In other words, they are building it for someone that they will never meet and they have already decided that that person will not like the features they want to build in for themselves.
Buy the best quality tractor you can after doing research on what breaks, how available parts are and how well they operate. Look at the backhoes and loaders that are available for the model you like.
I picked the machine I wanted first and then negotiated the price. A few dollars more for a NH or Kubota, from a dealer that is easy to get to and has parts, seems like money well spent. Every time I get on it I'm happy and know I did the best I could. I really like my tractor for much more than the original purchase price. Operating them can be way different between brands too, so try a few out and see what fits you. A couple of examples of this are that I think Masseys are good machines, but the controls were awkward for me. Mahindras are good, but lighter duty and harder to service than NH. Their dealer was way out in the country and was not willing to deal at all. The Kubota I liked was not rated for a backhoe, etc. Look around and do the research in the size you are interested in.
Finally, if you plan to do heavier work later, add a backhoe and take on some construction or firewood work, etc. You might consider the next larger size than what will just do the mowing now. A slightly bigger tractor will drag bigger things, dig deeper, lift more with forks and load dump trailers with higher sides, etc. I'm not one of the "bigger is better" guys, but to a certain degree, you'll keep finding more and more jobs to do with your new tractor. I ended up clearing a lot of land, scraping roads, building a large foundation, lifting steel posts and digging a 7' deep septic tank hole with mine that I never expected to be doing. I've dug about 800' of utility trench on my place with the hoe. All on property I didn't have when I got the tractor.
