Buying Advice Shopping for first tractor

   / Shopping for first tractor #11  
At 25HP, you can easily stay under $20K even with attachments. Mine was around $18K

I'd strongly advise NOT to pay cash for that amount for anything. Leave that somewhere it can continue to earn a rate to offset any finance charge, or at least most of it. I haven't even looked at the account my payments are being drawn off of in a few months, so I just did that. Even allowing for somebody's money wars that have caused significant market fluctuations (notably December 18 and May 19), the balance hasn't really dropped in nearly a year of payments. Without those two hits, I'd be up quite a bit.


0% for 60 months but there is finance charge, really end up being about even. If you have the cash its always better to not have a loan, but then again my 401k is rocking 12% right now.
 
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   / Shopping for first tractor #12  
Is getting the 3rd function added something that would be better to wait on until I'm ready to buy a grapple or would it be better to just include that right away?

When you negotiate on a $20,000+ tractor with remotes as part of the ensemble you have leverage.

Later, if you just want a remote, it will be MSRP for parts and labor.

Negotiate everything you can afford into the tractor purchase package.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor
  • Thread Starter
#13  
Again, thanks everyone for the information. This forum is such a valuable resource to have. My wife and I are pretty big Dave Ramsey followers so it will be a cash purchase but it is nice to get to see other opinions though.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor #14  
I bought a CK2610 hst last fall. Love it so far. Loader is very stout, especially since they now put the same loader as the CK3510/4010. Plenty of ground with a six foot box blade (in 4wd) and good fit and function. Checked out a lot of brands – Kubota, LS, Deere, Branson, and Mahindra. Half the fun for me was driving a different tractor every other Saturday or so. Based off internet research, I originally was set on the B2650, but the sales service at both Kubota dealers that I went to was unbelievable - and not in a good way. Once I made my mind up, I found that prices often changed month to month depending on promotions and, I suppose, how much the dealer needs to move a unit. I found a good deal by calling multiple local dealers multiple times. Usually, I’d call at the beginning and end of the month. I had in mind what I wanted to pay. A good local dealer had two locations. I called the smaller location near the end of the month and got a very low quote. I said, well confirm that for me, because if that’s the price, I’ll be by tomorrow to buy one. I showed up and they honored the price. Had three units in stock. I drove them all and picked the one I wanted.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor #15  
   / Shopping for first tractor #16  
I've been looking for a used tractor for a property I own in Oklahoma without much luck so far. I would add another factor in the tightness of the used tractor market that I have noticed - there are multiple individuals/companies who buy used tractors and resell them. A lot of them are just guys with a side business buying and selling tractors or farm equipment. The level of service that they perform on what they buy varies. Some simply turn and flip what they’ve bought. Some do basic maintenance - fluids and filters and powerwash it. Some will list a set of repairs that are optional if you want to buy. But, the important factor for you to consider in buying used is that you aren't just competing against some other guy who wants a tractor. You are also competing against guys who will see that "good deal" and see an opportunity to make some money.

That added competition means you will pay a little more for a used tractor. You can think of them as something like house flippers in a homeowner market. When the economy/demand goes up, they see opportunity and cause prices to increase because they artificially increase demand (not because they want to live in the house/own the tractor but because they see a way to make money by buying to sell it again). In a down market, they have the opposite effect. When economy/demand goes down, they are usually left with stock that doesn’t move, their capital is tied up in inventory and they try to cut it loose. So, prices move lower than they would have otherwise. I’m not saying tractors are a price bubble economy. I’m just saying that there are other reasons it can be hard to find that wonderful deal on a used tractor.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor #17  
Just get a Kubota L2501 and be done. Youll probably be glad you have the extra weight and lift capacities over a B. The Kioti is pretty cool too but at least for me the dealer that sells Kioti has New Hollands 10 to 1 on the lot so not sure how much effort they put in to Kioti.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor #18  
Think about the maximum PTO hp you might need in the future. I have 40 acres of trees that I use my L3301 with rotary cutter. The reason I went with 3301 size is to get more PTO hp to run the bigger rotary cutter. I probably should have just got the 3901 but it was $2k more.
The L2501 with FEL and 3rd function will run you about $21k.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor #19  
First tractor was a new 20hp Kioti. I traded it a few years later to a used 40hp Kioti I found out those small tractor loader capacities are almost useless.
I have a construction TLB with almost twice the capacity if the Kioti but still use the Kioti quite a bit since i put a grapple on it.
 
   / Shopping for first tractor #20  
Again, thanks everyone for the information. This forum is such a valuable resource to have. My wife and I are pretty big Dave Ramsey followers so it will be a cash purchase but it is nice to get to see other opinions though.

Good plan, I'm a big Dave Ramsey follower also. We just bought a 5-acre mini farm for our horses. I sold my boat for $10k so had the cash to lay out on a tractor. I looked at new ones but just couldn't justify the cost for the relatively small HP. I looked for 2 months but finally stumbled on the NH TC35 i now own. One owner barn kept since new in '99. Had 800 hours on it and everything looks new. Owner was older gentleman that used it on his small property to mow. Came with Rhino SE6 rotary and the LA16 FEL. He was asking $12,500 and i ended up trailering it home for $10,500. Everyone that sees it can't believe it's 20 years old. I've had it for a couple months and already have run the meter up 35 hours on it. IMO if you have time you can search for the right deal to come along. Cash money talks. I love the bigger frame TC35, it's super stable and does everything i need it to do. Just need to find a cheap box blade for it and I'll be set.
 

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