Trading for a used Cab tractor?

[npaden]

Well all this talk about Cabs has got me thinking. (Plus getting stung by a bunch of bees while mowing).

I've just been looking around at tractors again, and found a 1998 L4200 that is basically my tractor but a couple years newer and has 640 hours instead of 993 hours and it has a Cab with AC and 2 remote hydraulic ports and R1 tires. Per their description it is a 1 owner tractor.

I've always wanted a couple (actually three) rear remotes and I've always thought R1 tires would be better suited for my needs than the R4 tires that I currently have. I really never thought I wanted or needed a cab and actually thought that I preferred the open station because I could smell the dirt and enjoy the outdoors, etc.

Based on my description of my tractor that I was 110% honest on and some pictures that I sent them they have tenatively offered a trade for $4,500 difference. They are a small time tractor jockey type place that looks like they just buy and sell used tractors.

My tractor needs new front tires and that is $200 minimum. Putting in 3 remotes on my tractor would cost around $800 if I did it myself, so there is $1,000 difference in the price. Their tractor does appear to be in better condition than mine with lower hours and that is probably worth $1,000 so that leaves me with around $2,500 to attribute to the Cab and AC.

I put about 50 hours on my tractor in the last year and historically if it isn't nice outside I don't use the tractor. It doesn't get very cold here but it does get warm in the summer but I have a canopy on the tractor and with a wide brimmed hat and some hydration I've never really had any problems even on a really hot day. I'm going to be using my tractor more now that I bought another 160 acres (but will only be actively working on about 20 acres of that) but probably will be using it less around my house since I got a bunch of chores that have needed done for years and don't need to redo those.

My current pickup can pull the L4200 and an implement on the existing trailer that I have but if I upgrade to a larger tractor I will no longer be able to pull it on the trailer I have or with the pickup that I have. I already have manuals for the L4200 and all of my implements are right at the limit for what it can do. If I upgraded the tractor I would probably feel the need to upgrade my implements.

Money isn't a giant issue but it is a factor. The first conversation I had with the guy they offerred a $5,000 to $6,000 tentative trade difference based on my description of my tractor and I replied that I was thinking more along the lines of $3,000 to $4,000 difference. After a while they emailed me back and said that they could probably do the deal for a $4,500 difference. They are 400 miles from me so I would have to haul the tractor to them to swap it so I will be looking at $250 in gas money for the round trip.

If I do this I can already hear my wife saying "when is it going to stop?". So, I'm looking for any advice. I would appreciate any input or comments positive or negative. I'm really on the fence here.

Thanks, Nathan

 

[radman1]

A few years newer, few less hours, 3 rear remotes and cab for $4500 difference. Sounds like a good deal. (if you want to spend the money) And you want R1s instead of R4s. List price for a cab is about 5K for most CUTs. Am I going to have to drive you there?

 

['Bota Fan]

If I do this I can already hear my wife saying "when is it going to stop?".

Thanks, Nathan

Years ago, had a friend who was much longer in the tooth tell me, "It's the same the world over."

 

[texasjohn]

I've discovered that a cab is:

warmer in winter
cooler in summer
keeps sun off
makes things much quieter when shredding, etc.
keeps dust storms (you are in Lubbock), bugs out of your hair and teeth.
dry when it rains
very tight (kubota), likely to assist with killer bee attack defense
safer, doors more likely keep you in, even if not wearing seat belt
ROPS is always up
handles/rests on doors make for smoother, less tiring ride
easy mount for front and rear lights

What's not to like! How much is that worth?

I love my cab!

 

[gemini5362]

When I got in the market for a new tractor my wife told me that she did not mind me getting the new tractor but she wanted me to get a cab. I pointed out to her that real men dont have cabs with stereos and air conditioners on their tractor unless they were farming hundreds of acres. She insisted that if I bought a new tractor it has a cab. To make her happy I went ahead and got a 49 horse montana with a cab. I can say this much in the 54 years I have been on this good earth I have never been more happier about a lost arguement. I cannot imagine having a tractor without a cab now. I absolutely love my tractor with the cab. The first 6 months I owned it I would have to set a time limit on how long I could spend finding stuff to do with it, otherwise I would have played with it all day and not gotten anything else done. It is so decadent to sit on your tractor during a 100 degree day and turn the stereo and the AC on and work with the tractor.

 

[MarkV]

Doesn’t sound like too bad of deal to me. My biggest question would be if it is a big enough tractor for all of your tasks now that you are up to 200+ acres? The $4500 would be a good start towards a larger used Ag tractor and there is a lot to be said for owning two tractors with that much property.

MarkV

 

[npaden]

Mark, that is probably the other option that I should consider. For not much more than the cab upgrade on the Kubota I could probably buy a 30 year old 60 - 70 hp tractor and for another $1k or $2k I could probably get an old 12' tandem disc and that's really all I need to do alot of work on my newer property. (I will be planting 16 aces in winter wheat each fall and 5 acres into a food plot each spring).

I'm currently trading with my neighbor that he plants 35 acres in winter wheat for me and then he gets to graze my entire property for the first 3 months of the year and July and August each year. (This coincides with the time that his cows will need more forage and pulling the cows out for April - June allows warm season grasses to grow for quail and having them off from September through December is during hunting season).

I really don't "need" the cab. But I'm for sure thinking about it.

 

[texasjohn]

if you were row cropping 200+ acres, I might think that a bit larger tractor would be worth it. But, sounds to me like you have many different things to do with your tractor..only some of it is plowing and planting. IMHO, under these multipurpose scenarios a CUT of about 50 hp is just right... I have similar acreage, see my implements, etc... love the cab...lets me work and do things with much less strain on the body... sun, heat, cold, dust, etc. tire me out!

 

[npaden]

Yes, I have 42 acres around my house but currently only am planting 5 acres in food plots at the house and the rest of the tractor use is in maintaining my 1/2 mile driveway and mowing about 1 acre around my house. Every couple years I mow the entire place and that is a 2 or 3 day chore with my tractor but it's not something I'm doing regularly.

My new 160 acre property is 105 acres of pasture, creeks, hills, etc. and 55 acres of cultivation. I'm trading for the cultivation on the 35 acres and I'm doing the cultivation on the other 20 acres because the neighbor can't get his bigger tractors in to those areas. I could get an old tractor with a 60-70hp with a 12' disc in there but he's using a 150 hp tractor with a 24' disc and has a hard time manuvering it to get to those areas. My big worry on a old tractor is that I would spend as much time working on it to keep it running as I would spend using it. I can do minor maintenance and repairs but I'm not a mechanic by any means.

I really am on the fence here. I'm not sure if this is a great deal and I need to jump on it or if I should just wait around and eventually another deal will come around. The $4,500 would be a tight squeeze right now but in a couple months it wouldn't be.

When I was originally tractor shopping I had pretty much settled on the Kubota 5030 as the ideal tractor for my needs but then found my used L4200 which has served my needs at 1/2 the price of a new 5030.

I think the 5030 would exceed the capacity on my 7,000lb trailer and the L4200 with a cab wouldn't. Plus it would probably be closer to a $12,000 - $15,000 upgrade for me to go to a 5030 with a cab!

 

[texasjohn]

yep, I feel your pain.... I can only tell you that the 5030 has been totally and completely a joy for me... I've done things with it that I wouldn't even have considered doable before having this tractor... and, am convinced that any smaller tractor would not be able to handle the chores. Yes, the $$ are a hard thing to get around.