Newbie here, not afraid to ask for advice and opinions on a new tractor, etc

[IslandTractor]

Nobody has mentioned Kioti- maybe they don't make a machine large enough for what you want to do? I am a die-hard Kubota lover, but were I in your situation, I guess I would be open to any and all. Also, cab or no cab will come up. If you are going to be working in nasty weather, then cab. Working with a post hole auger, maybe not, unless you go with a hydraulic auger on your FEL like a skid steer would use. If you will be drilling a LOT of holes, then give that STRONG consideration. It'll cost a lot more, but after 100 holes, you'll be glad you did. They also make hydraulic post drivers for SSQA use. All this sounds like fun!

Unless the OP has a very fat wallet, he will eventually face the sticker shock associated with JD and Kubota. That is the time to start considering Kioti and Mahindra, both excellent tractor brands that make machines capable of the tasks he listed. I'm more familiar with Kioti having owned two but Mahindra is also a great tractor. In the Kioti range the decision would be whether to go with the NX range (45-60hp) with HST and a loader that lifts 2700lbs to full height or the larger RX range which goes up to ?90hp but does not have HST. Both can be had with very nice cabs and both are many thousands less costly than the JD or Kubota equivalent. The compromise is not in the quality of the tractor but rather the dealership network. Kioti and Mahindra are very well established manufacturers but their dealer networks are small compared to JD and Kubota.

 

[concernedcitizen]

Let me say again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post on this thread with my questions.

I Don't have a million dollars to spend on a tractor that fits my needs, but during the process of researching I did manage to see prices (most of them were MSRP prices at first) but did manage to navigate my way around the Case IH site and build a tractor (admittedly without knowing what "options" I would really need, so I leaned towards the side of clicking almost every option, especially the ones I didn't know much about, such as hydraulics and thumbs, etc.).

What came out of the building trial run was a Case IH 100C Cab with just about every option available for a price of (rounding up) $85,000. That is within my budget for just the tractor (I wanted to keep it under 100k, or would have to do another round of negotiating with the wife, where I doubt I would make out as good as the last negotiating round did).

I'm guessing here that the building price listed on a manufacturers website is a price higher than one will likely pay once at the dealership and post negotiations, is that a correct?

 

[IslandTractor]

Let me say again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post on this thread with my questions.

I Don't have a million dollars to spend on a tractor that fits my needs, but during the process of researching I did manage to see prices (most of them were MSRP prices at first) but did manage to navigate my way around the Case IH site and build a tractor (admittedly without knowing what "options" I would really need, so I leaned towards the side of clicking almost every option, especially the ones I didn't know much about, such as hydraulics and thumbs, etc.).

What came out of the building trial run was a Case IH 100C Cab with just about every option available for a price of (rounding up) $85,000. That is within my budget for just the tractor (I wanted to keep it under 100k, or would have to do another round of negotiating with the wife, where I doubt I would make out as good as the last negotiating round did).

I'm guessing here that the building price listed on a manufacturers website is a price higher than one will likely pay once at the dealership and post negotiations, is that a correct?

Typical discounts of 10% to max of 15% are possible with most brands. Depends a bit on the dealer obviously and some deal more than others. If you are in a rural area without much competition you might have a tougher time.

 

[jeff9366]

You are contemplating much too large a cabbed tractor for a beginner, located a long distance from your dealer.

Inevitably, you are going to bang up the behemoth, especially the cab, learning to operate it.

Only the dealer will have a truck and trailer legal to transport a 100-hp tractor for service. Figure on a transportation charge of $ $2.00 per mile for HD truck, HD trailer and driver/mechanic.

70 miles = 70 X 4 = 280 miles X $2.00 = $560 Round Trip Transport Charge.

Buy a 45-hp tractor, with or without cab, new or used, to learn on. Sell it after two years if it does not meet your needs.

Construct a concrete block loading dock equal to the floor height of contemplated trucks making deliveries. Tow the 4,200 pound pallets off the truck, with a chain from your tractor drawbar to the pallet. Pull the pallet down a plank-over-earth ramp from the dock height to the ground. MUCH SAFER.

 

[jeff9366]

Typical discounts of 10% to max of 15% are possible with most brands. Depends a bit on the dealer obviously and some deal more than others. If you are in a rural area without much competition you might have a tougher time.

There is limited volume in large tractors. Pricing is not competitive as with 'Category 1' tractors. OP may get a 5% discount. That has been my experience negotiating with Deere.

Montana is a thin ag tractor market.

OP has been primed to expect a lot of 'free' attention from dealers, three hours round-trip distant. Dealer time is not 'free'.

 

[MF283]

There are dealers out there that go beyond the normal call of duty, that's why i always recommend a buyer to feel the dealer out regardless of color(tractor), under warranty, it is the dealers dime on work to be performed, something that needs to be discussed during the buying process.
I can't begin to list the things my JD dealer has done for me & i haven't spent 100K with them throughout the time i've dealt with them.I wouldn't buy a vehicle from a car dealership if their service was rumred to be horrible, it's up to the purchaser to deem which one best suit's his needs.
I'm in sales & know that it takes a lot to make people comfortable to keep coming back, sometimes you can't no matter how hard you try. They have to be comfortable before & after with their needs.

Asked earlier about the 5100M, i know some of them are built in GA, can't say all are. My 5303 was built in India, 700 hours & no problems so far other than one sensor & electronics are going to fail, no complaint's from me.

Ronnie

 

[concernedcitizen]

You are contemplating much too large a cabbed tractor for a beginner, located a long distance from your dealer.

Buy a 45-hp tractor, with or without cab, new or used, to learn on. Sell it after two years if it does not meet your needs.

Construct a concrete block loading dock equal to the floor height of contemplated trucks making deliveries. Tow the 4,200 pound pallets off the truck, with a chain from your tractor drawbar to the pallet. Pull the pallet down a ramp from the dock height to the ground. MUCH SAFER.

My wife said the same thing, I should have listened, but many of us know that usually works, lol. I did think to a lesser degree than the wife, that I was putting the cart in front of the horse and going to large on a tractor.

I am definitely going to be purchasing a fork lift for the pallet duties. For the construction of the house and other buildings on the property there will be some lifting jobs that will be upwards of 8,000-9,500 lbs, so I am considering a Cobra Series 50 series diesel forklift. They have a solid warranty and the reviews I was able to find online were vastly positive and the dealer is no further away than that of Toyota or Yale. I considered renting one, but the number of months the construction will be underway made that not so much a great deal and we will likely be adding buildings and items through the years, so it just seemed to make sense to purchase.


While I hate having to sell something just to go bigger, at least I can give the smaller one to the wife :laughing:

Do you have any recommendations for a tractor in that size range with a cab? As I seem to have got caught in the bigger is better get as big as possible newbie syndrome.

Thanks Jeff9366 for the advice

 

[concernedcitizen]

There are dealers out there that go beyond the normal call of duty, that's why i always recommend a buyer to feel the dealer out regardless of color(tractor), under warranty, it is the dealers dime on work to be performed, something that needs to be discussed during the buying process.
I can't begin to list the things my JD dealer has done for me & i haven't spent 100K with them throughout the time i've dealt with them.I wouldn't buy a vehicle from a car dealership if their service was rumred to be horrible, it's up to the purchaser to deem which one best suit's his needs.
I'm in sales & know that it takes a lot to make people comfortable to keep coming back, sometimes you can't no matter how hard you try. They have to be comfortable before & after with their needs.


Ronnie

That is exactly what I am looking for in a dealer. I want a solid relationship with the selling dealer. The lowest price for me is not my main objective (a fair price is), I want the best relationship I can have with the dealer. I know that with limited knowledge and being a newbie that I will indeed need to lean on a dealer for things. I want to be able to call and know that the person on the other end of the phone is not just answering the phone, but knows me and genuinely wants to help me solve my issue.

 

[jeff9366]

Sub-contractors, working for your General Contractor, will each provide the equipment required to do their specialized job.

Don't buy a fork lift for building construction on a farmette.

ENOUGH tractor is important. ENOUGH is different from "bigger is better". ENOUGH for you is 45-hp to 50-hp.

I would skip the cab. You cannot imagine how many times per day you will get up and down from your tractor, which is cumulative arduous from a cab. You are more or less a more-or-less a recreational tractor user as your Montana property cannot possibly turn a ROI net profit.

So just tractor on days when the weather is fair, as I do. I tractor summer mornings, beginning at 6:00 AM, in high humidity Florida at age 68 years. Mid-day I take a nap. Florida winters on the tractor are a pleasure.

The average residential tractor user logs eighty hours per year, according to TBN and dealer surveys. Perhaps you will log 240 hours per year, should you do four hours per occasion, that is only sixty days per year, or a bit more than one day per week. (Four engine hours is a FULL DAY on a tractor.)

Forget the cab. Just tractor during reasonable weather.

 

[IslandTractor]

My wife said the same thing, I should have listened, but many of us know that usually works, lol. I did think to a lesser degree than the wife, that I was putting the cart in front of the horse and going to large on a tractor.

I am definitely going to be purchasing a fork lift for the pallet duties. For the construction of the house and other buildings on the property there will be some lifting jobs that will be upwards of 8,000-9,500 lbs, so I am considering a Cobra Series 50 series diesel forklift. They have a solid warranty and the reviews I was able to find online were vastly positive and the dealer is no further away than that of Toyota or Yale. I considered renting one, but the number of months the construction will be underway made that not so much a great deal and we will likely be adding buildings and items through the years, so it just seemed to make sense to purchase.


While I hate having to sell something just to go bigger, at least I can give the smaller one to the wife :laughing:

Do you have any recommendations for a tractor in that size range with a cab? As I seem to have got caught in the bigger is better get as big as possible newbie syndrome.

Thanks Jeff9366 for the advice

Listen to your wife. Even if you have an occasional five ton lift you would be far better off to subcontract that out rather than buy and maintain a piece of equipment to do such a task three or four times. Better to aim for equipment that will easily do 80% of what you need, can safely handle another 15% of needs less efficiently and plan on farming out the 5% left over to someone who does it regularly and has the right equipment.

The amount of mowing, land clearing and other tractor work you listed initially (BTW, well thought out list) can be done without trouble by a 40hp tractor like mine (Kioti DK40se). I know because I work on almost exactly the same size plots and do the same basic tasks. I don't try to do it all at once. I can lift 2700lbs and would likely figure out a ramp system to unload heavier materials rather than bring in a forklift unless it was a daily occurrence. As someone earlier noted, if you want to quickly mow 20 acres you will need a batwing mower ($$$$$) and 60+hp but virtually all of the other tasks are easily managed with 40hp and six foot implements. In my case the larger acreage only gets mowed once per year so I do it in dribs and drabs. Mowing five acres with a flail or bush hog is pretty easily done in a long afternoon. Mowing twenty acres to look like a magazine farm on a monthly basis would certainly justify a batwing but if you are just trying to keep pasture land from turning into forest there is no reason to mow more than once a year.