I am considering a new tractor purchase in the $15,000 to $20,000 range and have a general idea of what I need but have yet to make a final decision on brand, dealer, etc...
From my research, I have tended to favor either Mahindra or Kubota because support is limited for the other "colors" in my area. There are some Deere dealers here but I have ruled them out because they are far too pricey and seem to give much less "bang for the buck" in my humble opinion. Sorry Deere fans.
I have 5 acres of property and a 1000ft gravel driveway to maintain so durability is my #1 concern. I do not abuse equipment but I will not baby it either and will certainly use it frequently. Some of the things I would be doing with my new tractor (in order of priority) include:
1. Grading and adding gravel to the driveway.
2. Clearing and grading medium-sloped land.
3. Brush cutting.
4. Plowing and tilling several gardens.
5. Loading and unloading topsoil & manure.
6. Miscellaneous tasks as needed.
To date, much of my preliminary research has been limited to the internet and a few phone calls here and there but today I visited a Mahindra "dealer" and got a "quote" for a new Mahindra model 3215 4wd (Gear) tractor with FEL for the first time.
The Mahindra tractors were somewhat impressive looking but I was not impressed with dealer at all. From the moment I walked on the lot I felt like I was at a used car dealership, as if my mere presence was a bother to them. To make matters worse, the "salesman" blew it within the first 30 seconds of speaking to me by telling me a lie when I made an off hand comment about them being a new dealership.
Basically, they are a brand new dealership (2 months old) and the salesman tried to make it appear that they had been in existence for much longer. I am a local and have an intimate knowlege of the entire area and know exactly when they opened. Additionally, they have pictures of their dealership on their poorly-designed website which were dated 2004 to make it appear they have been around much longer than 2 months. In 2004 their dealership was a vacant lot. Seriously, do they think I have stupid tatooed on my forehead? Otherwise, I just had a really bad feeling about them from the very beginning. Additionally, the salesman informed me that they did not let anyone "demo" tractors but I could sit on it and start it up if I liked. He also "highly" recommended a gear version rather than an HST for the type of tasks I listed above, which conflicts with everything I have read.
The quote I received was: Mahindra model 3215 (gear) with FEL $16956.00 Backhoe with 16 inch bucket would be $5555.00 extra. Personally, I felt like the prices he quoted me were a bit high but since Mahindra chose not to post the MSRP's on their website, it is difficult to be sure. When I am about to spend this much money, trust is NOT an option. I would like to have a baseline price to give me some idea what the price actually should be. For this reason alone, I may ultimately buy a Kubota.
Kubota or Mahindra?
Mahindra MSRP's not keeping dealers honest?
Mahindra quote too high?
Gear or HST?
Thats my story so far. In a nutshell, HELP!
And I thought getting the wife to let me buy a new toy would be the hard part. LOL
From my research, I have tended to favor either Mahindra or Kubota because support is limited for the other "colors" in my area. There are some Deere dealers here but I have ruled them out because they are far too pricey and seem to give much less "bang for the buck" in my humble opinion. Sorry Deere fans.
I have 5 acres of property and a 1000ft gravel driveway to maintain so durability is my #1 concern. I do not abuse equipment but I will not baby it either and will certainly use it frequently. Some of the things I would be doing with my new tractor (in order of priority) include:
1. Grading and adding gravel to the driveway.
2. Clearing and grading medium-sloped land.
3. Brush cutting.
4. Plowing and tilling several gardens.
5. Loading and unloading topsoil & manure.
6. Miscellaneous tasks as needed.
To date, much of my preliminary research has been limited to the internet and a few phone calls here and there but today I visited a Mahindra "dealer" and got a "quote" for a new Mahindra model 3215 4wd (Gear) tractor with FEL for the first time.
The Mahindra tractors were somewhat impressive looking but I was not impressed with dealer at all. From the moment I walked on the lot I felt like I was at a used car dealership, as if my mere presence was a bother to them. To make matters worse, the "salesman" blew it within the first 30 seconds of speaking to me by telling me a lie when I made an off hand comment about them being a new dealership.
Basically, they are a brand new dealership (2 months old) and the salesman tried to make it appear that they had been in existence for much longer. I am a local and have an intimate knowlege of the entire area and know exactly when they opened. Additionally, they have pictures of their dealership on their poorly-designed website which were dated 2004 to make it appear they have been around much longer than 2 months. In 2004 their dealership was a vacant lot. Seriously, do they think I have stupid tatooed on my forehead? Otherwise, I just had a really bad feeling about them from the very beginning. Additionally, the salesman informed me that they did not let anyone "demo" tractors but I could sit on it and start it up if I liked. He also "highly" recommended a gear version rather than an HST for the type of tasks I listed above, which conflicts with everything I have read.
The quote I received was: Mahindra model 3215 (gear) with FEL $16956.00 Backhoe with 16 inch bucket would be $5555.00 extra. Personally, I felt like the prices he quoted me were a bit high but since Mahindra chose not to post the MSRP's on their website, it is difficult to be sure. When I am about to spend this much money, trust is NOT an option. I would like to have a baseline price to give me some idea what the price actually should be. For this reason alone, I may ultimately buy a Kubota.
Kubota or Mahindra?
Mahindra MSRP's not keeping dealers honest?
Mahindra quote too high?
Gear or HST?
Thats my story so far. In a nutshell, HELP!
And I thought getting the wife to let me buy a new toy would be the hard part. LOL
