Not to start an argument..............

   / Not to start an argument.............. #41  
Based on some replies in this thread we should only buy Ford, GM, or Toyota trucks because parts will be hard to get for Nissan or Dodge in a few years. Posts as to parts being hard to get for "off brand"/"third tier" tractors I have a JD mower (GT235) and a Mahindra tractor (2615). The Mahindra dealer has always had what I needed on the shelf while the JD dealer had to order a belt tensioner last summer. It took the dealer over a week to get the part. Do any other "off brand" owners have a hard time buying parts or accessories?
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #42  
Based on some replies in this thread we should only buy Ford, GM, or Toyota trucks because parts will be hard to get for Nissan or Dodge in a few years. Posts as to parts being hard to get for "off brand"/"third tier" tractors I have a JD mower (GT235) and a Mahindra tractor (2615). The Mahindra dealer has always had what I needed on the shelf while the JD dealer had to order a belt tensioner last summer. It took the dealer over a week to get the part. Do any other "off brand" owners have a hard time buying parts or accessories?

GM parts are hard to get now.
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #44  
Other than resale and dealer attitude, what made you pick an Orange or Green over other brands? (if you shopped other brands).

It has been 5 years but....
I started the search for a tractor with no background nor real experience. I knew I wanted size and weight for stability. I also wanted HST for ease of operation. Features options, etc really were not being considered as they should have been.

Emotionally I wanted a John Deere for no other reason than brand recognition. Something about all those cast toys of years gone by. Brilliant marketing by JD!

Reality got in the way due to sticker shock. I don't recall the model nor exact price, but it was enough to make me look at other brands.

A nearby dealer stocked Mahindras and Kubotas. When the dealer heard me mention size and weight, he steered me towards a Mahindra. I liked the price but the brand name did not do anything for me.

After some reflection I returned to that dealer and looked over the Mahindra and the Kubota of similiar size. I was really turned off by the rusty bolts and poor finish of the Mahindra. (yes, I realize that probably has nothing to do with reliability)

I settled on the Kubota and have been happy with it. The hardware on that 5 year old tractor is still free of rust and the Kubota body panels are still bright orange despite never being parked inside a building. (The woods attachments are all faded)

Is it as strong as the JD, I have no idea. It it as stable as the heavy Mahindra, I will never know.

A friend who bought a JD at that time has had all kinds of problems. He is a long time JD owner and has said that he will never buy another one. I wish I could recall the model. Something about it having been made in multiple countries? No idea but he is very unhappy.
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #45  
differences.. but not huge disparities in technology and fit/finish and quality.

soundguy

I don't know, maybe it's because I'm picky but I was able to tell some very big differences in virtually all the tractors that I looked at before I bought my NH. Granted I didn't look at Kioti, Mahindra or any of the other smaller brands, but that was because they weren't represented in my area and there were numerous dealers for NH, MF, JD, IH and Kubota. Anyway, just because say a NH Boomer 3045 and a JD 4320 appeared roughly equivalent as far as specifications, I found them to be very different tractors. I didn't really like the JD's because their cabs were much smaller than NH and MF, and to me they even felt smaller than the Kubotas. Also they were by far the most narrow in stance and I didn't like that so I personally wouldn't consider them equivalent to something else. Similarly I found some things like Kubota's hydro pedal placement to be different enough that I felt that even though specification wise, a certain model Kubota may be equivalent to say a certain model MF, there were significant differences. So I guess what I am saying is that money was not even close to the main reason that I bought what I bought. Frankly I wouldn't consider any two tractors (with the exception of a NH vs. CaseIH version of the same model) to be interchangeable. To me despite their proximity in price or horsepower or hydraulic flow, etc. each one of the colors was different enough from the other color that there was no "equivalent" tractor that was just painted a different color and priced differently.
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #46  
Please elaborate on what makes some brands ok and others questionable. Is green plastic really worth that much more than red, orange, etc metal? I do know that green plastic is expensive to replace. Ask me how I know.


I was referring to resale value. JD & Kubota are on top of that list. It's hard to find a used Kubota with a loader. They don't stay on the market long. I have seen some of the other brands bring 50% of new list after only 2 years. One guy near here was trying to sell a year old Jinma with a loader and a 5ft snowblower for 5K. He had it for sale on cl all last winter.
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #47  
Ive started wishing i would have bought a JD. I cant find any accessories like wheel weights 3point hitch parts ect. without ordering online and paying tons extra for freight. but if i owned a Deere i could get anything i needed right down the road I can buy almost any hitch or wheel part and fix my tractor right in the feild. I like the DK40 until i need to buy common supplies like oil and air filters i cant get anything from the local tractor deelers around here. even the Cub Cadet dealer doesnt keep anything on the shelves for my tracter i have to wait for it to be ordered. but not with a JD its on the shelf.
 
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   / Not to start an argument.............. #48  
Got a Deere and a Kioti.

My first was a Deere and this is green farm country. Great dealer, bought it at the same time as two other guys I knew bought tractors, and got a great deal. Been a good tractor, still had some warranty work, small parts here and there. Bottom line on this tractor is that it breaks too, but in our country whatever you broke can be at your door by the next morning. When it comes to parts and service, it is very hard to beat John Deere. I have not found a reason to trade for a new Deere. I think every time I have priced, I did not feel the cost was going to be worth it for me.

Now, on to the Kioti. It is a CK20. When shopping for a tractor, the comparable John Deere was a 4100. The main turn off was the lawn mower dash, and the overall feel of a overgrown lawn mower for about $3K more. Bought the Kioti from a dealer I think is 660 miles away from me. I use it in a landscape business. I had the hydro fail in the middle of season. This is where I learned the value of parts and service. I also learned the value of a great dealer. James Little took care of me and I had the tractor back on the job in a week. Put 800 hours on in less than 4 years. I decided to trade. Looked at the 2000 series Deere. The wheelbase is a little longer than the Kioti, and I need to fit this tractor into some pretty tight spots. I was hoping for a little more hp, and we had a new Kubota dealer in town. Priced a trade. Way out of line. For that, I would have bought a Deere. So, I called James Little on a whim. Traded for a CK20S for around $1K/year. So, I am not too worried about resale. This tractor has a little more power that has made a huge difference. 150 hours in a summer and no problems to date. 4 year warranty. I am happy. I hear they might put more hp in the CK20 chassis. I will have to take a look when that happens. I have had no memorable problems getting parts shipped to my door.

Find the features you want first. If it has what you want, it will pay for itself. Both of my tractors have more than done that.

Next, find a dealer that can service it. Deere may have the model on how to get it done, but make no mistake, there are competitive dealers out there that can run right with them.
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #49  
One thing that I do not see is a big difference in price. Around here NH was the highest, Deere second, Kubota 3rd. But Kioti was only about 1K less than Kubota. Not 3 to 5K. Mahindra used to have a dealer here, but he dropped out. MF was comparable to Kioti. But even Deere & Kubota were within 1K, not a lot of difference. Example DK35SE Hst / w loader was $21,760. A L3400 HST with QA loader, QA bucket, forks, grill guard, loaded tires with rimguard is 21,671. And Kubota has their own financing, not a 3rd party thing.
 
   / Not to start an argument.............. #50  
differences.. but not huge disparities in technology and fit/finish and quality.

soundguy


I would agree with that statement. I felt the quality to be pretty comparable across the board. I would say that technologically no tractor was appreciably more advanced than another either. I guess my observations were more geared towards each tractor having a different way of getting the job done. Even still though it did leave me with a feeling of definite preference of some tractors over others. Regardless of price, I definitely would not have been as happy with certain tractors as I would have been with others, even though they had similar specifications. At the end of the day though I'd be hard pressed to single out any tractor as "better" than another based on my experience in testing a bunch of them out.
 

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