Buying Advice tractor choice

[ben5500]

hi guys havn't posted for along time have sold the last property and the machinery with it.
we are now on a thirty acre spread in central victoria.mainly flat country.
out looking at tractors today with front end loaders
choices 4105 jd hst
5045 jd 2wd gear
5100 kubota gear
2605 massey gear
they are all in the 28-33k range
will be used to move round bales tidy tracks ect a bit of slashing an a little bit of tillage .
the 4105 is tempting with 1.99% finance but its loader is just on the limit for unloading round bales and i am weary of the hst for tillage allthough prob only 5 acres a year.but i imagine it would be a very handy tractor for tidying ect.

 

[bigbull338]

for the hp id go with the 5100 no q.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I wouldnt be overly concerned with damaging the HST transmission doing minor tillage work. They have been used in tractors for well over 40 years (International Harvester had one around 1965 that I remember in a 75 HP farm tractor) and I would think that they are perfected now. The down side to a Hydrostatic is more maintenance of the hydraulic system with oil/ filter changes much more frequently than gear and they are fairly costly filters and oil for that matter. Go with the one you like to operate and dont let the durability of the transmission be a deciding factor.

 

[TripleR]

I don't know much about any of the tractors other than the Kubota, but I drive an HST and geared unit and agree pretty much with Gary, I would go with gear for a lot of tillage, but for your uses it should be fine.

 

[Bluegill2]

All good machines.

I'd go with the MX5100 w/4wd. And prefer a gear drive. Very nice machine!

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have one of each hydrostatic drive in my B26TLB which is the only way to go for a TLB. For tractor with FEL like my LS P7010 gear model, you could go either way and be happy even though the clutching might be a little tiresome with a gear. I perfer gear for tillage,bushhogging etc when you want to run the same speed all the time and little reversing to be done. I like the B 26 with hydrostatic for easy of maneuvering back and forth and moving around with the backhoe. I have a rod that I use to press the hydro pedal to move forward and back when on the hoe (I think one safety is disconnected to allow this) and it sure would be a pain if everytime I neeed to move, I had to reverse the seat and get back to the tractor, put it in gear and move it up 5 or 6 feet then reverse the movement and get on the hoe again.

 

[adirondackmtnman]

I cannot say anything for the other tractors, but I picked up a 5045D a little over a week ago, and I can say I'm VERY impressed...You get an awful lot for not too much $$. Mine was $22K with a 512 front loader, frontier pallet forks, 16.9 rear tires, block heater and hood guard with loaded tires...I prefer a greared transmission to a hydrostatic any day, but that's just a personal preference, and may not be for everyone, but I can say the syncro transmission on the 5045 works great.... almost as good as a shuttle shift...

 

[ben5500]

I cannot say anything for the other tractors, but I picked up a 5045D a little over a week ago, and I can say I'm VERY impressed...You get an awful lot for not too much $$. Mine was $22K with a 512 front loader, frontier pallet forks, 16.9 rear tires, block heater and hood guard with loaded tires...I prefer a greared transmission to a hydrostatic any day, but that's just a personal preference, and may not be for everyone, but I can say the syncro transmission on the 5045 works great.... almost as good as a shuttle shift...

the little 5045 has come in at 32k over here in aus with 6 foot slasher.loader and bale forks.and shade canopy/tyres 13.6 28 on rear no options 7.50 16 on front
i must say it has a very solid front axle should be able to handle the loader no pprobs.will check out another dealer next week and compare.the 4105 was 500 dearer with same options/

 

[bglz42]

+1 on the 5045D! I've had mine for over three years, and have had ZERO issues! It's a workhorse!

 

[adirondackmtnman]

the little 5045 has come in at 32k over here in aus with 6 foot slasher.loader and bale forks.and shade canopy/tyres 13.6 28 on rear no options 7.50 16 on front
i must say it has a very solid front axle should be able to handle the loader no pprobs.will check out another dealer next week and compare.the 4105 was 500 dearer with same options/

I'm not sure what JD's pricing is in australia, but base price here in the states is 16,090 for the bare tractor with no options... with everything I ordered on mine, it ended up at 22K US, which is a little under 21000 AUD...the loader on mine is the 512, which should be enough to lift the bales you're lifting, not sure if they are quoting you for that loader, or for the 553, which is a significant amount higher in price with the added hydraulics...I would think that being built in India, these tractors should be at the very least equally priced if not a little lower for you than in the states...not sure how the taxes are over there either and if that is factored into the price you presented us? At a minimum, in my opinion, one option you should get is the wide tires, and definitely load them with fluid, you'll thank yourself later for it...