New Purchase

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that tractor owners have different opinions just like any other group.

Welcome to TBN blue

What other brands should I look at? Are they really that different? Looks like there is a John Deere dealer about 40min away, New Holland about 30min and another Kubota dealer about 55min.

Yes they are believe it or not. John Deere and Kubota are both price gouging customers really bad right now but I would still recommend you go take a look at both of them. New Holland I could not tell you as I have no NH dealer anywhere near me. I will say that I really like their Boomers from the looks and specs of them. Go visit all three and see what you like and feels best to you. Only then will you have clearer perspective on this.

 

[rbstern]

Blue, I have a lot of experience running zero turns and I will tell you that their biggest weakness is hills. Yes they can be more stable on hills due to their lower center of gravity but they have no brakes or gear reduction like tractors do. So when they are pointed towards the downward part of a slope they can lose traction due to a shift in weight and they can run away from you. They also do not perform well in over grown grass. Zero turns perform best on flat, smooth terrain with well maintained and manicured turf.

I agree about the hills. We have some slopes on our property that are not particuarly comfortable on a zero turn or a tractor. Both require care to navigate safely. But I'd rather spin out on a zero turn than tip over a tractor.

 

[dodge man]

I own a John Deere so people tend to recommend what they have. I don’t think Deere and Kubota are price gouging, like a lot of things, prices have gone up and discounts have gone down. I got my JD 2025r, 60” mower deck, front end loader, loaded tires, and pallet forks for a little less than $21k three years ago. I suspect you can add at 20% to that now, maybe more.

Other brands? I’d sure look if I were you. I think of JD and Kubota as the best but they are also local for me. They aren’t the only ones making good tractors. For some reason I like the look of Kioti. (Pronounced coyote). I’ve never ran one but have looked at them. They always looked like quality machines to me.

 

[ericm979]

On a separate note, how do folks feel about a backhoe w/thumb, indispensable tool or rarely used accessory?

I got a thumb with the used BH I bought from the dealer. Until I convert it to hydraulic operation it's not very useful. It's a pain to get off the BH and swing the thumb out, and then it's often not in the best position. I think that once it's hydraulic it'll be more useful.

However I have a grapple which stays on the front unless I need to move dirt and I do a lot of picking up with that.

 

[blue9steel]

I got a thumb with the used BH I bought from the dealer. Until I convert it to hydraulic operation it's not very useful. It's a pain to get off the BH and swing the thumb out, and then it's often not in the best position. I think that once it's hydraulic it'll be more useful.

That's good feedback on the thumb, makes sense. What about the backhoe in general?

 

[ericm979]

That's good feedback on the thumb, makes sense. What about the backhoe in general?

I got a used one for about half the price of a new one, a couple years after buying the tractor. I didn't think a new one was worth the cost.

I got a short time operating a mid size mini excavator and it works so much better than my backhoe. Even though I didn't have much time on my backhoe at the time, it was easy to immediately operate multiple motions at the same time on the mini. I have since learned to do that with the BH but it took a while and I'm still not as proficient as I'd like. The mini ex controls are just that much better.

If you have a few widely spaced jobs and a rental yard that's close, it might make more sense to rent a mini ex when you need to do some digging.

Another thing to look at is the effort to install and remove the BH. On my tractor I have to remove the 3pt hitch assembly to install the BH, which adds to the time it takes. I can store my tractor and implements under cover but the BH is too big and has to sit outside.

 

[Cahaba Valley Farm]

That's good feedback on the thumb, makes sense. What about the backhoe in general?

Here is a video from my friend Mike that talks about BH. Mike is a veteran of the tractor industry and someone that I highly value the opinion of.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

You had asked "what other brands should I look at?"....
There is Branson, Kioti, LS, Massey, Yanmar, TYM....That's six more to compare. All are good.. New Holland was mentioned... they are built by LS for them.

You may be surprised at what else is available.

 

[Randy Gann]

Concerning Z turn mowers. Not all are created equal. You can get good ones (not at big box stores like Lowes) at dealers in the farm or estate mower lines that are good machines and will last many years and save thousands compared to the full commercial models. Also some designs are more stable on hilly ground than others. Front mount decks are usually more stable because of longer wheelbase. for mowing Kubota makes a line of lawn tractors that I would consider better quality than the big box stores. Another consideration is a walk behind with a sulky or a stand on machine.

 

[jyoutz]

Fair point. I could buy an MX if I really wanted one but I don't think it would be a good use of funds, lots of other stuff to buy around here. The tractor itself is reasonable but when you throw in implements it got over $70k. Not mention I was already in sticker shock over the smaller sizes given that I've never bought a tractor before. I was just trying to point out that it's not going to be a "work" tractor in any sense of the word. Also, I need to park the darn thing somewhere so that's a consideration. Haven't really got a clue what I'm doing yet, just doing a lot of reading and watching videos. I've basically been thinking what's the smallest tractor that would do the job, then go one size larger. I appreciate all the feedback.

Can someone explain how I should be thinking about stability given the slope? Is that just a factor of weight and wheel base or is there more going on there?

Weight and wheelbase/width is what makes the MX far more stable. But if you don’t want to consider one, I recommend that you consider an L series with ballasted tires and rear wheels set at maximum width. I would forget the mid mount mower. If you can’t afford a zero turn, just get a cheap riding mower. Mid mount mowers on CUTs are a PITA.