Post COVID CUT tractoring “truths”

[Paystar]

I’m going to “red pencil” through anything I don’t like on the CNH sales contract I’m doing on a NH wheel rake in the next few weeks and see what the sales team from Messicks says about it.

Stay tuned.

Know what dealers (auto, tractor, class 8 truck, etc) up here would say? "Have a nice day, good bye. We're selling everything that comes in, don't need you."

There is ZERO bargaining in this neck of the woods. Can't even get 2 front floor mats thrown in with a $90,000 pickup.

 

[Hay Dude]

Know what dealers (auto, tractor, class 8 truck, etc) up here would say? "Have a nice day, good bye. We're selling everything that comes in, don't need you."

There is ZERO bargaining in this neck of the woods. Can't even get 2 front floor mats thrown in with a $90,000 pickup.

Exactly.

 

[Matlax]

Started with a 25 hp for my hunting land. Used it with the grapple and 4’ tiller and box blade for fighting tooth and nail to establish trails and small (.25 acre) food plots with the grapple. I was fretting over spending another $1500 for the 35 hp model with rear hydraulics. Fast forward four years and I’ve had the land logged and now have much more trail to maintain and a couple 3 acre plots to plant and keep up with. A 4’ tiller ain’t gonna cut it and an all-in-one food plot machine would be a massive pain (if possible at all) with a manual top link. So I cheaped out and now I’m into a bigger machine for a good amount more than it would have cost four years ago. I had the money and knew I’d eventually log the land but had a bit of sticker shock and didn’t see how much my needs would change. That 35 hp would have been fine for what I need now (though it would have been working hard and made my jobs take longer on the plots). Instead I had to pay the higher price after the fact. Went up a frame size and with 50 hp. If I outgrow that, i cant even imagine what jobs I'd be into. Motto of MY story is to buy bigger than you think you need if you're still in the "developmental" phases of your project(s). Would have saved
me money in the long run.

 

[Bison]

If i had only 14 acres i would fence it and raise some goats or sheep instead of buying stuff that costs money and breaks down anyway( but then thats just me)
I you don't want livestock then i would buy a used tractor with loader
( belarus 925 or similar comes to mind, They are cheap and reliable and can prob still be had for pre plandemic prices).
I ranch on 1800 acres and all my equipment is pre-nineties( most of it pre-eighties), i started out with used and never bought any new but a stock trailer), I never even had a new vehicle.
As a result i am now debt free.

 

[DanBick]

Here's something to think about also. I've been following all these tractor forums for many, many years. Remember way back when the John Deere threads were the only ones absolutely booming? And there were many members buying multiple tractors, and bigger tractors. And now a LOT of them just disappeared. I knew many of them. Know why they disappeared? Because they lost their tractors because they couldn't afford them.

Notice now......John Deere is the most expensive tractor and all the Deere forums have almost no activity on them any more. LOL

I see plenty of activity on the Deere forum...won't start...this won't work...that broke, etc. My next tractor will be red.

 

[check]

Know what dealers (auto, tractor, class 8 truck, etc) up here would say? "Have a nice day, good bye. We're selling everything that comes in, don't need you."

There is ZERO bargaining in this neck of the woods. Can't even get 2 front floor mats thrown in with a $90,000 pickup.

Hey, I got front AND rear floor mats thrown in when I bought my F150.

 

[jdmeth]

Three years ago I saw an add for a Kubota B7100, $2500. It had a bad motor but it came with a full set of implements. Roto tiller, brush hog, disc harrow, box blade, angle blade, three point frame with 2" receiver hitch, and a boom pole. I bought it planning to overhaul the motor but wanted something with a front end loader and HST. Last year I bought a JD 1023E. Small but I don't have that much land. Now I wish I had got the 1025R,It has a suspension seat, tilt steering wheel, and you can set the position on the power lift. Money wasn't the problem, I am just cheap. I do not do that much with it but I am 70, in a few years having a better seat woud nice and not having to look around to see where the implement is every time I have to lift and reset it.

 

[JoeBee]

These are my opinions. There are tons of newbees getting into CUTs and hobby farms; I think it is time to review some “facts”. At the very least I look at this like PCs now - buy what works for YOU!!

“Never ending ‘add this’”. I was on a budget of $25k in 2019 and made it. Just barely. Cab? Nice to have, would have added $5k or more and weight (see below). More hp? I bought 35; mine was available in 40 (same machine otherwise) for $2k more; couldn’t stay in budget. Weight? Frame? Even more hp. See next comment

“Get as big as you can” aka “get one size bigger than what you think you need”. Not for me. I’m a hobby farmer. With 14 acres of prairie to mow and generally keep up with I chose 35hp hst. The perfect machine for me. Would I like to have more hp? Once in a blue moon when grass gets really high and I have to slow down, but so what? Doesn’t affect loader work. And a bigger frame to allow more loader capacity isn’t really a need either (besides I bought kioti with best in class lift already). An extra hour added to 12 hours of mowing 4-5x/year is negligible. Besides I LIKE riding and using my machine!!

“Non-tractor considerations”

“Truck”. I have a 2005 small block f150. I have no plans or other need to replace it. But I can only pull 6700#. Going larger frame or bigger trailer etc would mean a different truck if I EVER need to pull it

“Trailer”. For me 7k is enough. Sure 10k is nicer. And 14k as well. But also heavier and this impacts total towing weight (see truck comments above) plus more $.

“Dealer importance”. I’ve been back twice in 5 years. Didn’t and don’t care. It’s a hobby farm; I don’t need to rely on my dealer nor build a relationship. My CUT is not used for my livelihood and if I don’t have it for a couple of weeks it is simply an inconvenience not a problem. I bought the best deal and shooed dealers until I got it.

“Resale”. I didn’t and don’t care. Some do. For me I wanted a machine to last for 20 years not to trade out like a car (which I don’t do either). Besides kioti sells (or sold) for 80% of a similar kubota new. Most of them near me sell for 80% of similar kubota used. So yes they resell for less but they cost less up front and retain about the same overall percentage value.

“Weight vs affordability.” I bought the kioti ck3510. Love it. Sure I’d like to have had the dk for more weight and larger frame. But extra $ and extra weight driving me to a bigger trailer for more $ and a new truck for more $

“Don’t buy new, buy used implements”. Have you really looked lately - like in the last 6 months?They aren’t the same prices they were 5 years ago; heck not even the same price as 1 year ago. And availability isn’t good either; people recognize what they have and are hanging onto them, or selling for extra $. It may still be cheaper to buy used but that’s IF you can find it.

“Xxx hasn’t been around as long as JD or Kubota.” So what. For CUTs those names aren’t the same as they were nor the same as their real Ag machines. The one I chose - kioti - has been in the US for more than 30 years; I’ll likely have left my machine to my survivors in 30 years. And EVERY brand has recalls, detractors, supporters, and (especially since 2021) parts issues.

Many own the same tractor for 15-25 years—-Keep that in mind when deciding what you would like but decide to save some $$$. It may cost less than 1 car payment a year over the tractors lifetime.

 

[3 Horse Ranch]

Yeah right.... YOU don't have a clue about arbitration! Arbitration is far easier and much cheaper than a lawsuit.
Arbitration is done by an independent, non biased, legal authority. If a consumer can prove that they have a faulty tractor, the arbitrator can actually grant the consumer a new tractor.

If you were to file a lawsuit, now your lawyer goes up against the corporate lawyers..... who do you think is going to win? Then you are on the hook for your attorneys fees, plus, possibly the corporate costs..... Not to mention, if it's a jury trial, how many of those jurors know anything about tractors.....

You need to get out from under your rock every now and then.....

Exactly my point, but I decided arguing against a brick wall was futile.

 

[jdmeth]

This comment doesn't apply to all JD guys but often those guys are what I call "Image" guys. They have an image to uphold and wouldn't get caught dead without a green tractor. I have a BIL like this.

It bugs me to see that. I know there are plenty of JD guys who buy for other than image so don't get your undies in a bunch.

You guys who are the image guys, you know who you are.

I am a green tractor guy, when I owned a farm we had 7 green tractors and one blue one. My neighbor has 7 big green tractors and two smaller orange ones. I think the fact that his wife's uncle owns the Kubota dealership might have something to do with those. I wanted to buy a CUT but all the red tractor dealers are 50 miles away. The Kubota and John Deere dealerships are both 10 miles away. I had borrowed the neighbor's wife's little Kubota, hate, hate, hated the treadle for the HST. My JD 1023E has the two HST pedals just where they need to be. Same dealer my grandfather and dad bought all their tractors from. I do not think I will have any trouble getting service if I need it.