Small Tractor Purchase Decision

[jeff9366]

When we first got a zero turn my wife hated it.
She had a hard time figuring out the steering.
Once she got used to it she liked it.
Now she absolutely loves the zero turn. She flies around the yard mowing with the thing like she is racing a go cart.

We shared this experience in our household.

 

[arnoldziffel]

UOTE=paulfun9;3944144]With the price of a new machine being less than a thousand for two of your choices I would definitely be looking at NEW with Warrantee before even thinking about used.[/QUOTE]

If I buy the used machine WITHOUT a loader the price is about $4000 less than a new machine. I don't need a second loader during my ownership. Therefore, do I still spend the extra $4000 and park the loader in the barn so that IF I ever sell the tractor it may help it sell more quickly?

Keep the thoughts coming.

Thanks.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I put a loader on my 1720 3 years ago and it has not been off the machine since I got it...
Since you have a tractor with a FEL it looks like to me the NH sans loader is the way to go...
I really don't worry about selling a tractor when buying it...
I plan on keeping it...
JMHO...

 

[arnoldziffel]

Thanks Turbys.

My thoughts echo your thinking. However today I will ask the dealer of the NEW LS tractor what discount there is if I buy a new LS 2023h WITHOUT the FEL.

 

[QuasarZ]

If it is for only mowing and she wants a steering wheel why not a big riding mower to save a lot of money?

 

[TJP89]

If it is for only mowing and she wants a steering wheel why not a big riding mower to save a lot of money?

Because even the biggest riding mower out there isn't going to cut 7 acres of grass a quickly as a small tractor with a 5' mower

To the OP, 2 things I would consider. As this a mowing machine, you don't want it to beat up the yard. So weight is bad, and tires are a consideration. What tires are on the machines? Turf would be best, Ags the worst, and industrials OK. If the tractors have different tires, take that into account. Also, if there is a significant weight difference look at that too. For a 5' mower, you need at least 20 PTO HP, and preferably 25, so many SCUTs wouldn't be big enough.

The 5' mower fits the 30HP bobcat, why not use that instead of paying for a new machine?

I know nothing about the NH and the LS, and only that the bobcat is the white Kioti CK27, if I recall correctly. As you have a bobcat already, why not stick with the same brand? On the other hand, the CK is significantly heavier than most CUTs. All 3 tractors should be good machines though.

If I could get a tractor with a loader, I would never say no. You already know how useful a loader is, so I'm sure you will find many uses for a 2nd one. One that immediately springs to mind is if you want to use a loader on the wet lawn, where the big tractor will rut it up, but the little tractor will be OK, if you have the loader on the little tractor, you won't have that problem. I would bet that if you get a loader, it will spend more time on than off.

Just my :2cents:

 

[paulfun9]

UOTE=paulfun9;3944144]With the price of a new machine being less than a thousand for two of your choices I would definitely be looking at NEW with Warrantee before even thinking about used.

If I buy the used machine WITHOUT a loader the price is about $4000 less than a new machine. I don't need a second loader during my ownership. Therefore, do I still spend the extra $4000 and park the loader in the barn so that IF I ever sell the tractor it may help it sell more quickly?

Keep the thoughts coming.

Thanks.[/QUOTE]

That's a harder question than you think (at least for me). If I have the room and money isn't an issue I would definitely get the loader. Having 4 machines with loaders and 3 with a backhoe, I could not count all the times that we had the smallest machine out there doing light clean up work or even running 2 backhoes at the same time in order to get a job done quicker.

One thing I don't see mentioned here is which machine your wife likes best? What is her thoughts on the different machine, which machine does she find most comfortable ?

 

[arnoldziffel]

- My wife likes all 3 machines.

- Our Bobcat CT230 is too heavy for this field until it dries out in July and this fall we've been wet and some of the field has standing water. I think we need a light, 4 wheel drive machine.

- Our Bobcat is frequently away on assignment at other properties we own. Therefore, not available for regular mowing.

- The used New Holland has R4 tires. The LS I get to select my choice of tire. The Bobcat CT122 has turfs.

- Dollars is why I'm considering the lightly used New Holland. $4000 is a fair amount of bread.

- I did get some LS tractor price feed back mid-day today. Dealer #1 said there is a $200 saving on a new machine delivered without a loader. Dealer #2 thinks and is double checking that there may be a $2300 discount for tractor only.

- For light duty loader needs close to our house we have a 1400 lb. Toro Wheel Horse 522xi garden tractor with a Kwik-Way FEL. It is my wife's go to, "motorized wheel barrow."

Thanks for your thoughts and I'm all ears for more.

 

[buck boost]

OK, I'm giving serious thought to buying a small tractor to use to finish mow a 5 - 7 acre lawn (wide open, flat RECLAIMED farm field.) This would be a dedicated mowing machine. (3 point, five foot finish mower we already own)

My finalists:

- 2006 New Holland TC26da. 68 hours. Nice shape. Has FEL. $12,200 bottom line price. (FYI this is a pre LS tractor, a Shibaura built machine. Some would say, "one of the good ones".)

- 2012 Bobcat CT122. Brand new. Warranty. Has FEL. $12,400 bottom line price.

- 2014 LS J2023H. Brand new. Warranty. Has FEL. $13,100 bottom line price.

This would be a second tractor for us. We already own a 30hp CUT.

I don't know why, but I'm leaning toward the New Holland. Am I nuts????

Not crazy at all.

- My wife likes all 3 machines.

- Our Bobcat CT230 is too heavy for this field until it dries out in July and this fall we've been wet and some of the field has standing water. I think we need a light, 4 wheel drive machine.

- Our Bobcat is frequently away on assignment at other properties we own. Therefore, not available for regular mowing.

- The used New Holland has R4 tires. The LS I get to select my choice of tire. The Bobcat CT122 has turfs.

- Dollars is why I'm considering the lightly used New Holland. $4000 is a fair amount of bread.

- I did get some LS tractor price feed back mid-day today. Dealer #1 said there is a $200 saving on a new machine delivered without a loader. Dealer #2 thinks and is double checking that there may be a $2300 discount for tractor only.

- For light duty loader needs close to our house we have a 1400 lb. Toro Wheel Horse 522xi garden tractor with a Kwik-Way FEL. It is my wife's go to, "motorized wheel barrow."

Thanks for your thoughts and I'm all ears for more.

I have a few thoughts.

The CT122 weighs 2056 pounds (the heaveist) and has the least PTO HP at 16.2. 16 horse is getting low for a 5' finish especially is the grass is a little tall. And it is heavy, and have to add the weight of the mower. I don't know if land is rolling or flat, but the heavier the rig, more power is needed just to propel it. HP goes away fast on inclines.


LS J2023H weight 1565 pounds and 17.5 HP. That near 500 pound weight difference with just a pinch more HP is huge. IMHO, a much better choice over the Bobcat in this particular scenario.

NH TC26DA other than not having a warranty IMHO probably the best choice based on solely the numbers. 20.5 PTO HP, and 1600 pounds is a nice balance. R4 tires aren't the best choice for strictly mowing, but should work just fine with a little care behind the wheel.

Now, if the '12 bobcat sat outside for 2ish years and the '06 NH did also, I wouldn't want either of 'em.

68 hours is basically zero, same as buying a car 500 miles IMHO. Not having a warranty is more dicey, but would not be a deal breaker it the NH was really the tractor I wanted.

As far as the FEL, that is totally up to you. As far as resale, generally speaking the less expensive something is, the easier it is to sell. But on the other hand, a FEL, even a little one like something on a machine in this size range, adds a great, great deal of versatility. But 4K is a lot of dough.

If the NH is super nice for its age, have the seller throw a new battery in it (or deduct for a battery allowance) and get that and the loader. If the loader is new, that should have a warranty. Sounds like the best machine for the job. And if your primary machine is out on assginment, you will be surprised how handy that little new set-up will be.

Keep us posted!

 

[TJP89]

- My wife likes all 3 machines.

- Our Bobcat CT230 is too heavy for this field until it dries out in July and this fall we've been wet and some of the field has standing water. I think we need a light, 4 wheel drive machine.

- Our Bobcat is frequently away on assignment at other properties we own. Therefore, not available for regular mowing.

- The used New Holland has R4 tires. The LS I get to select my choice of tire. The Bobcat CT122 has turfs.

- Dollars is why I'm considering the lightly used New Holland. $4000 is a fair amount of bread.

- I did get some LS tractor price feed back mid-day today. Dealer #1 said there is a $200 saving on a new machine delivered without a loader. Dealer #2 thinks and is double checking that there may be a $2300 discount for tractor only.

- For light duty loader needs close to our house we have a 1400 lb. Toro Wheel Horse 522xi garden tractor with a Kwik-Way FEL. It is my wife's go to, "motorized wheel barrow."

Thanks for your thoughts and I'm all ears for more.

With more info, I would change my thoughts. If you have a light loader, you don't need another one. It won't lift anything heavy, but that's what the bobcat is for. Don't worry about resale value, save 4K, and forget the loader. 4K is a lot of cash, more than my H cost. As someone was nice enough to post specs, and knowing the tires, I would vote for the NH. The tires are OK, the weight and HP are good. As long as the tractor is in good shape, I would go with it. No warranty is not a problem, it's a used machine, what do you expect. Just make sure it can physically handle the mower, that's going to weigh a lot and 3PT lift on some SCUTs is low.