Newbie here

[Doug62]

First time buyer here as well. I've been using a buddy's Massey 1726e over the last year. I am hooked on a compact tractor but need something a little different.

I'm in the market for a tractor with 35-40 HP, FEL, 4WD, hydrostatic transmission and a cab with AC. Where are the best places to find the best deals or is it just find the best dealer sort of thing? Are there any really good online places to shop, especially for used tractors? If I buy used, is it better to buy older than a certain year to get before the emissions rules changed? If so, what was the cutoff? I'd like to stay in the high teens, a buddy just bought a 2006 Kubota 30HP with a factory cab, AC, 4wd, Hydrostatic transmission and only 100 hours for 17K. That seemed like a heck of a deal but he also had a Kubota dealer looking for him for almost a year before they found that one. But it also seems like many folks think it is best to just buy new due to the low financing rates.

If it helps to know it's use, it'll be used to haul a lot of dirt for the first year, as well as spread it, level it, etc. Later I'll add a bushhog to it and maybe a pull behind mower.

Any advice on how to find the best tractor to fit the description above would be much appreciated.

 

[jeff9366]

There are 242 tractors for sale on eBay today, priced at $3,500 +.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Tractors/91953/bn_1511512?rt=nc&_sop=15&_udlo=3,500



Tier IV emission requirements phased in over several years. Nearly all new tractors sold in 2013 were Tier IV compliant. 2010, 2011 and 2012 new tractor sales were mixed.

Because of Covid-19 factory closures, new tractor inventory is restricted at present and "deals" limited.

GOOD LUCK.

 

[Thomas]

:welcome: to TBN Doug...enjoy.
Lot of good info here to be read...SEARCH.

 

[chim]

Your buddy DID get a great deal. I've had a mix of new and used tractors. My "final" tractor was going to be the L3200 bought new in 1012. The strategy was to get a new tractor before the Tier IV required DPF. Even though it had a nice home-brew cab, the desire for a few more horses and A/C drove me to look for another about 6 years later. It took the best part of a year to find the L4240 that replaced it.

I bought mine from BWS in Quakertown PA. He is a dealer in used equipment only. My one BIL bought his L4740 ffrom BWS a few years before that. I originally contacted BWS about a John Deere, but dropped interest in that one because of my concern that it may have been a tad short of HP. I spoke with Barry about what me needs were, and he called me when he found the clean L4240.

I did go to a Kubota dealership and spoke with one of their salesmen. He said that clean used tractors like I wanted were scarce and I should watch Craigslist.

BWS – Quality Used Equipment

 

[rScotty]

I did go to a Kubota dealership and spoke with one of their salesmen. He said that clean used tractors like I wanted were scarce and I should watch Craigslist.

BWS – Quality Used Equipment

At this point, I am starting to see that clean used tractors are becoming less scarce... but there aren't yet enough to make an organized used tractor market. It is still mostly a matter of each owner advertising their used tractor. The best ones are sold to to neighbors or other people in the same community. Look for small rural or suburban community newspapers and sale sheets. I see these in our local rural stores like the rural feed and seed stores. There's often a bulletin board and a rack with local classifieds by the front door.

You could ask at the dealership - some salesmen do know of good used tractors and it never hurts to ask. But don't be discouraged if you find that many tractor dealers don't feel comfortable about used tractors. Not even their own brand.
When I run into that, I always wonder if that is because they understand sales, but don't really understand machinery. Or maybe they prefer new tractors so much that they don't maintain a full warranty&repair shop. If you are looking at a dealership, check out their shop as well as the showroom. Their shop will tell you a lot.
rScotty

 

[Aquabird]

I just saw a used one down the road at the Kubota dealer. It was around 50 hp maybe a shade under, I did not see the model. It had a cab, was in fairly decent shape from a distance, had loader and cab for $28,000 but it did have 700 hours. I do Know anymore about it. The dealer told me it was in really good shape. He knew I did not want to buy it as I just got one a couple weeks ago.
He said it was a $47,000 tractor. Maybe a 4070 or something like that?

 

[MF2604h]

I bought my tractor in Hollywood SC from Herrington equipment. Great people to deal with. Might worth your time to go see what they have.

 

[Doug62]

I bought my tractor in Hollywood SC from Herrington equipment. Great people to deal with. Might worth your time to go see what they have.

What sort of tractor did you get?

 

[MF2604h]

I have a MF 2604h 4x4, fel, loaded rear tires. It痴 45 hp utility tractor. It痴 probably more than what you need.
When I bought mine they had everything on the lot from under 25 hp up to around 80 or 90 hp.

Look them up online they have specials all the time. The website is tractorfamily.com

Good luck

 

[Doug62]

I have a MF 2604h 4x4, fel, loaded rear tires. 45 hp utility tractor. It騾橸ｽｴ probably more than what you need.
When I bought mine they had everything on the lot from under 25 hp up to around 80 or 90 hp.

Look them up online they have specials all the time. The website is tractorfamily.com

Good luck

Funny you mention them. My buddy bought the 1726e I have been using from there last year. It also is on the way between my house in Charleston and the property I would use it most which is on Edisto. You have to pass right by it on the way.

I am rarely going out there during the week so most times I pass by they are closed. I had to go there once to buy a side light I managed to crack one day while spreading dirt in tight quarters.

My comfort level is high teens or low 20s but I really want a cab. So at 35 hp I need to find a used one at some point. Right now l guess I will sit tight until the market to buy improves I don稚 have to have one because my friend lets me use his and he bought property next door. But I WANT one. I bought his trailer a few weeks ago, so I now have the fever. It is an 1 year old 18 ft Big Tex 70Pi. Got a super good deal on it because he wanted a 14,000 lb GWVR model.

 

[MF2604h]

It痴 hard to find a good used tractor. Most want almost new prices for a used tractor. Good luck on your search. Once you get one you will wonder why you didn稚 do it sooner.

 

[Doug62]

Found one that just came in at my local dealer. MF 1835M with a deluxe cab, hydrostatic and FEL. It has 36.2 hp, whilce the 1840M only goes up to 39hp. So you gain very little between this and the 40. He didn't have a 40 so it really didn't matter. It's mine if I want it so I need to make up my mind tonight.

Does Massey Ferg still do their Equine discount? He said he knew they did a Farm Bureau discount but wasn't sure about the equine discount. He was going to check in to it.

 

[rScotty]

Found one that just came in at my local dealer. MF 1835M with a deluxe cab, hydrostatic and FEL. It has 36.2 hp, whilce the 1840M only goes up to 39hp. So you gain very little between this and the 40. He didn't have a 40 so it really didn't matter. It's mine if I want it so I need to make up my mind tonight.

Does Massey Ferg still do their Equine discount? He said he knew they did a Farm Bureau discount but wasn't sure about the equine discount. He was going to check in to it.

I don't know if they still do the Equine Discount. Last time I looked they did.

Frankly I like good used equipment. I think of it as "proven" rather than used, and might even prefer a tractor with a few hundred hours over new. Especially if it still looked and sounded right. Hours are everything. I sort of draw the line at 500 hours. At that point I am beginning to think about buying new, and at 1000 hrs I am definitely looking to buy new. - Although I'll admit the three best tractors we've owned had over 1000 hrs when bought.

If you like and understand mechanical machines, there is no reason to avoid used tractors. Tractors are made to last.
Much more important than being used is whether this one is the one that you like.

As far as used by new goes. My favorite type of equipment would be something used that came from a really excellent and caring owner. Someone who was trading in a good tractor for a larger size for example. I don't mind if it no longer has factory warranty. That just tells me that any factory issues due to poor assembly have been taken care of.

Most dealers will give a 30/60 day warranty and I've most will set you up to chat with the previous owner. It is the overall condition that will let you know if you want to pursue this particular used tractor. But if you like the dealer, the tractor, perhaps can talk with the previous owner. and the dealer says he will stand behind major problems for a month then I'd feel comfortable about going used.

Brand new tractors aren't perfect either, there are several recalls going on right now.

I see your message in the Massey Ferguson Forum on this TBN website. You can also do a search on that MF 1835M model - or any model = and spend the rest of the evening reading through old conversations by owners of the particular tractor you are interested in.

One last piece of newby advice. You are looking for a tool to last decades. Quality - not cost - should be your criteria. And quality is where you find it.
And if your interest is mowing - as it seems to be - then either universal or turf tires are what you want. Ag tires are going to rut that red clay.
Turf tires are often a rather expensive cost adder, but are better on side hills. All three types of tires require different rims so it is no small matter to change from one style to another.
good luck,
rScotty

 

[MF2604h]

Not sure about the equine discount either.
Check the Columbia Craigslist there was a MF on yesterday under $10,000. It had low hours I think it was a 2003 model.

 

[Doug62]

Not sure about the equine discount either.
Check the Columbia Craigslist there was a MF on yesterday under $10,000. It had low hours I think it was a 2003 model.

I tried but couldn't find it. At least not a cab model.

Thanks to everyone who has had helpful advice. Seems like a good place to hangout and learn.

 

[Doug62]

I don't know if they still do the Equine Discount. Last time I looked they did.

Frankly I like good used equipment. I think of it as "proven" rather than used, and might even prefer a tractor with a few hundred hours over new. Especially if it still looked and sounded right. Hours are everything. I sort of draw the line at 500 hours. At that point I am beginning to think about buying new, and at 1000 hrs I am definitely looking to buy new. - Although I'll admit the three best tractors we've owned had over 1000 hrs when bought.

If you like and understand mechanical machines, there is no reason to avoid used tractors. Tractors are made to last.
Much more important than being used is whether this one is the one that you like.

As far as used by new goes. My favorite type of equipment would be something used that came from a really excellent and caring owner. Someone who was trading in a good tractor for a larger size for example. I don't mind if it no longer has factory warranty. That just tells me that any factory issues due to poor assembly have been taken care of.

Most dealers will give a 30/60 day warranty and I've most will set you up to chat with the previous owner. It is the overall condition that will let you know if you want to pursue this particular used tractor. But if you like the dealer, the tractor, perhaps can talk with the previous owner. and the dealer says he will stand behind major problems for a month then I'd feel comfortable about going used.

Brand new tractors aren't perfect either, there are several recalls going on right now.

I see your message in the Massey Ferguson Forum on this TBN website. You can also do a search on that MF 1835M model - or any model = and spend the rest of the evening reading through old conversations by owners of the particular tractor you are interested in.

One last piece of newby advice. You are looking for a tool to last decades. Quality - not cost - should be your criteria. And quality is where you find it.
And if your interest is mowing - as it seems to be - then either universal or turf tires are what you want. Ag tires are going to rut that red clay.
Turf tires are often a rather expensive cost adder, but are better on side hills. All three types of tires require different rims so it is no small matter to change from one style to another.
good luck,
rScotty

Thanks. I did search on the MF Forum for the 1835M and there were only two posts total. One was mine. I guess it is too new.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks. I did search on the MF Forum for the 1835M and there were only two posts total. One was mine. I guess it is too new.

Here's a you-tube link: We Bought a New Tractor - Massey Ferguson 1835M 221 - YouTube

In the forums, I usually read through the owning/operating forum rather than the buying forums and try also to look at previous models to get an idea of how they design of any model has evolved.
Tractors these days don't go in such natural small model step improvements like they used to do, but there is still design continuity through the years. You can follow this by putting in a model number on TractorData.com. But it is no longer simple as it used to be, with modern manufacturing, the MF 1700 and 1800 series could be designed and built on different continents. Or even by some contract manufacturer who had never seen a tractor.

Massey Ferguson is part of a huge multi-national Ag manufacturing group, whereas some other companies - JD, Kubota, Yanmar and others are more closely focused on their tractors. You may see evidence of that as you follow a model for a decade.

BTW, tractor design doesn't go by model years like cars do. Tractors go by model runs which may be made all in one year and then warehoused until called for. A model run is usually good for 3 to 7 years, depending on popularity and sequentially by serial number. It is even possible that a later serial number gets sold years before an earlier one....depending on the dealer.
Small changes can happen throughout a model run and are noted by serial number, major changes in design usually mean a new model series.

But by reading through some of the owner/operator info you can get a good feel for how any one particular design series is working. And if it has any particularly good points or design flaws. One thing I always like about Massey was the seating positon. They seemed to have a lot of operator comfort. Nice engines, too. Something I didn't like is they always looke base-narrow to me unless equipped with lower wider turf tires.

On any new tractor purchase I urge buyers to put right on the sales contract who is responsible for hauling the tractor for warranty work, and under what conditions a "loaner" tractor is to be provided by the dealer. Just write those conditions right on the sales contract which both parties sign. Simply defining those two things would completely avoid most of the problems that come up in warranty service.

Do NOT be in a rush! Get yourself educated. It is well worth the money to educate yourself by renting a tractor for a few weekends. Do that and you will learn more than you ever believed possible.
rScotty

 

[Doug62]

Great info rScotty. Than you.

The M1800 is a gen 5 diesel so it is an entirely different motor then the 1700 series. They have made some nice improvements over the 1700.

I drove one yesterday. It was hot and humid. We were pouring sweat after talking outside for 5 minutes. Got in the cab which was pretty toasty and within a few seconds is was nice and cool. I am hooked on the cab now for certain. I felt like I had more room than an open station because you have room to put stuff without writing that youæ±*e going to drop it and run over it. and could see just as well or better. That will be a must have option now. Lol

 

[rScotty]

Great info rScotty. Than you.

The M1800 is a gen 5 diesel so it is an entirely different motor then the 1700 series. They have made some nice improvements over the 1700.

I drove one yesterday. It was hot and humid. We were pouring sweat after talking outside for 5 minutes. Got in the cab which was pretty toasty and within a few seconds is was nice and cool. I am hooked on the cab now for certain. I felt like I had more room than an open station because you have room to put stuff without writing that youæ±*e going to drop it and run over it. and could see just as well or better. That will be a must have option now. Lol

I don't know that many of us on TBN have experience with the new Gen 5 engines. We are still sort of feeling our way around the Tier 4 engines. It seems that Europe is on a different emissions schedule than the US. And Europe determines MF emission specs because that is where the large Ag company that bought the MF name is headquartered.

Of more concern to me is that highly stressed parts of the MF frame are built to handle the twisting loads. I am always concerned about twisting loads on large tractor components. The traditional way to handle twisting loads is with strong sub-frames of formed and welded steel backing up cast components. Still, there are many ways to add strength to tractors. Simply increasing the bulk of the metal is a time-honored way and results in a nice heavy tractor, too. Weight is an advantage with tractors. To reduce the negative effects of weight on soil and plants, you will see tractor owners going to a wider flatter profile tire to reduce the lbs/sq. in. of contact. Industrial tires, turf specialty tires, and now the fantastic new radial tires.


Cabs.... well, we have both an open station and a cabbed tractor. Honestly if we had to choose one or the other it would probably be the open station that would stay. But that's because we don't have a lot of the kind of land where you just get on and go back and forth doing something - like mowing, or moving snow, cultivating, plowing, baling, or demoing at the dealer

We don't do much of any of those things here that make a cab so nice. The closest we come is moving snow for a few hours in the wintertime, or an afternoon of hauling a FEL bucket of slash or hay or dirt or rocks to their respective piles. Most of our time with the tractor is what I would call dirt-shaping or landscaping type work. We are working an area of say 100 by several hundred feet to flatten dirt, build berms, or stack rocks, or put in posts...that sort of thing. Doing that type of work we are on&off the tractor constantly and a cab just gets in the way. Plus, when it comes to inching delicately up close to something - like lifting the edge of a rock with the FEL, the visibility from a cab is suddenly just OK; the open station is way better.

I used to do field mowing on 20 to 35 acre parcels. For that, you want a cab. Back when I was plowing and harvesting, cabs were uncommon. But I sure wished for a cab back then.
rScotty

 

[Doug62]

I don't know that many of us on TBN have experience with the new Gen 5 engines. We are still sort of feeling our way around the Tier 4 engines. It seems that Europe is on a different emissions schedule than the US. And Europe determines MF emission specs because that is where the large Ag company that bought the MF name is headquartered.

Of more concern to me is that highly stressed parts of the MF frame are built to handle the twisting loads. I am always concerned about twisting loads on large tractor components. The traditional way to handle twisting loads is with strong sub-frames of formed and welded steel backing up cast components. Still, there are many ways to add strength to tractors. Simply increasing the bulk of the metal is a time-honored way and results in a nice heavy tractor, too. Weight is an advantage with tractors. To reduce the negative effects of weight on soil and plants, you will see tractor owners going to a wider flatter profile tire to reduce the lbs/sq. in. of contact. Industrial tires, turf specialty tires, and now the fantastic new radial tires.


Cabs.... well, we have both an open station and a cabbed tractor. Honestly if we had to choose one or the other it would probably be the open station that would stay. But that's because we don't have a lot of the kind of land where you just get on and go back and forth doing something - like mowing, or moving snow, cultivating, plowing, baling, or demoing at the dealer

We don't do much of any of those things here that make a cab so nice. The closest we come is moving snow for a few hours in the wintertime, or an afternoon of hauling a FEL bucket of slash or hay or dirt or rocks to their respective piles. Most of our time with the tractor is what I would call dirt-shaping or landscaping type work. We are working an area of say 100 by several hundred feet to flatten dirt, build berms, or stack rocks, or put in posts...that sort of thing. Doing that type of work we are on&off the tractor constantly and a cab just gets in the way. Plus, when it comes to inching delicately up close to something - like lifting the edge of a rock with the FEL, the visibility from a cab is suddenly just OK; the open station is way better.

I used to do field mowing on 20 to 35 acre parcels. For that, you want a cab. Back when I was plowing and harvesting, cabs were uncommon. But I sure wished for a cab back then.
rScotty

Some of the mowing will be on that size property and it's just hot as heck here most of the summer. Super high humidity so I'm all for the cab. lol.