NH TC 30 or what? I need to decide

[indianatruck]

I need to make a decision on purchasing my first tractor. I need it to bush hog 3-10 acres of varied ground, moving mulch, some rock, and logs. I have been looking at the Farm Pro 2430 4wd, but I wonder if the New Holland TC30 would be a better choice. I have both dealers within 1 mile. confused::

 

[Todd_C]

I have a TC 30 fwd gear tractor with a 7308 fel and filled R4 tires. The TC 30 is a workhorse but it doesn't have tilt steering and foldable ROPS. I have nothing but praise for my TC 30. I paid $14,500 for the package. I looked at all brands in my area and liked the NH dealer best.

 

[KiotiJohn]

On a few different levels, the NH would be better.
The Farm Pro is Chinese and probably only has a short warranty. Most I've seen is 1 year parts/labor with many only being 6 months parts/labor and some only parts.
From reading several chinese forums, it's come to my attention that most purchasers end up changing out things like gauges, and sometimes wiring harnesses on these. If you're not up to doing the work, you'll have to pay for it when these things go bad.
The NH, on the other hand, has a great warranty, parts are readily available and the fit and finish will be far superior. Some posters have mentioned that many of the Chinese models begin to leak after not too many hours because of the way the parts join together. Many people are using the Chinese tractors successfully, and they can be much less expensive on the front end, but if you're not a mechanic, I'd stay away. John

 

[thcri]

There has been other posts out there on the Farm Pro tractors. It seems they have a pretty good price but you do have to spend a lot of time doing minor repairs with them. A friend of mine bought one thinking for the price he could have a few items go wrong and still be a head of the game. He told me it was a mistake and he has spent more time fixing than tractoring. Now he may have gotten a lemon but he is not happy. Others have posted good things and some have posted bad things. If your mechanical then maybe ok, if not I wouldn't touch it.

murph

 

[RodgerF]

I have the same package as Todd C. I paid 15,000 with a toothbar and canopy. You may want to consider the HST option on the TC30. It adds $1200.00 +/- but comes with mid PTO. The mid PTO is extra cost option on the gear model. It depends on your needs/wants and budget. I've had no issues at all with mine so far.

I think the Chinese tractors are good tractors overall. I did alot of research on them before buying my tractor. I ended up with the NH because I move my tractor between two places and wasn't sure about support for a "non-standard" tractor.

If you can get good dealer support with the chinese tractor it may be worth considering. There's alot of good information here to help you decide.

Good luck. What ever you decide, you can always paint it blue!! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jinman]

Paul, your being a master carpenter makes me want to ask what makes two houses of the same square footage different in price if they look the same on the outside? Your answer would probably be that it's what's inside that makes the difference. That's what I think about the difference between the NH TC30 and your Farmpro choices.

I don't know about your Farmpro dealer. They may be an established and well respected business in your area, but I am sure of the NH dealer's ability to tap into a large support network. I went to my NH dealer between Christmas and New Years to order a part (on a Thursday). The parts man checked his inventory and told me the part wasn't in stock, but would be there on Friday afternoon or the following Monday. The part arrived on Monday morning, just as promised.

When I have a job to do that needs a special attachment, I just stop into my NH dealer and tell him what I want to do, and ask if he has any suggestions. Every time I've done this, my dealer listens carefully and then draws on years of experience relating to product lines and quality tools. If I didn't have that kind of support, I'd probably find something to work, but I'd spend a lot of time and frustration before I solved my problem.

I think the NH TC30 is a great little tractor. It can be loaded with nice features like a hydrostatic transmission even though it's a budget model tractor. Its simplicity is one of the things that endears it to me. If I needed a tractor in that horsepower range, the TC30 would be my choice.

So, I'd say you have to look a lot deeper than price and appearances when you go tractor shopping. I think that's what you are doing by asking this question here. The TC30 has the quality and support you will like. The Farmpro? I'm just not sure what's below it's skin.

 

[JDgreen227]

Jim,

Excellent and well written post on your part. Prior to buying my JD I looked long and hard at the NH TC 30 and drove two of them, in some ways it was a better tractor than the green machine I ended up purchasing. One of my best friends has a Ford 1520 hydro which is basically the same machine the TC 30 is, he has run it over 10 years and 2500 hours with minimal repair and upkeep.

One of the reasons I chose the JD over the NH was because there was only one dealership in my area that sold the TC 30
and it was a small operation an hour away, whereas there were 6 JD dealerships close by my home. That was the major deciding point on what I purchased...I wanted assurance parts and service would be available. Two years later, that one NH dealership is now closed...

I've never seen a Farmpro except in pictures so I can't say anything about how well they are built and engineered, but I can say the TC 30 is the better choice if you plan to keep your new tractor more than a few years. Parts and service will always be available, and the resale value high.
Can you say that about Farmpro?

 

[Soundguy]

I think it is safe to say that farm pro / jinma ( chineese tractor) is coming into its own as a discount/ economy '3rd' brand. However.. due to price and manufacturing process.. it just is a hard comparison to a 'big 3' brand like NH or JD. In other words.. it's hard to compair a 7k$ tractor to a 12k$ tractor. Besides. Chineese tractor value/price starts to erode a bit at the upper end of the hp range. A small jinma like a 204 / 20hp in the 3500$ range just blows away any other new tractor in the 20hp range. Sometimes by a factor of 2-3x As you move up in hp.. that price/value drops to as low as 1.5.

I also look at the 'tinker' quotent. I like antique tractor / old gas tractors... I have a high 'tinker' threshold.. Meaning.. I don't mind if I have to tinker with the tractor to make it run, keep it running, or otherwise attend to special needs for operation. Most 'big 3' tractors will be low on the tinker quotent.. meaning that in-between servicing.. little or nothing is required to keep them in operating condition, or no post delivery actions need to be taken after the dealer drops it off at your door, prior to use. Thos users that like 'hands off' tractor work.. or like their tractor to be as completely ergonomic or hands off / trouble free as a modern automobile.. should probably not get an antique tractor.. or a '3rd' brand.



Just for reference... here's my overall 'idea' of what I'm refering to as #1,2,3 brands. Being in a number does not denote more or less quality specifically.. but may also take into account market share and distribution, pricing, availability, and even history / age. etc. These tend to be soft designations, and some makes may actually be in transition, or not sit cleanly in one category.. etc. Don't be offended if your tractor falls in a category lower than what you think it is, or should be...

For reference.. I lump NH, JD, and kub as 'big 3'. Mf fits there as well as case.

I would rate makes like: agco variants, kioti, mahindra, etc as #2 brands. ( challanger is a hard fit. No doubt it is a #1 in quality.. but for distribution.. perhaps better in a #2 slot?) (And.. kioto popularity and reputation is growing.. perhaps it is also a transition between #1 and #2 ? ) Deutz and zetor may fall here as well.

#3's being branson, jinma varaints, benye, foton and variants, eicher, montanna .. etc. ( branson may be on the move to #2.. again.. a hard to place unit ).

Soundguy