What to buy? Looked at MF1533, TC30, L3400, etc

[JCS_in_KY]

We've got 20 acres, about 13 of which are wooded. Uses for the tractor will be bushhog work on about 5 cleared acres and 3 wooded, we'd like to till up a few acres for farming, maintain about 1100' of gravel drive, do some grading, move trees, old sections of concrete, etc out of the woods, running a auger for fencing and planting, and some snow removal. I may also use the tractor for some occasional work around town doing bush hog work and some light grading. At some point in the future I may add a backhoe but I'm not sure yet. So far I've look at four tractors 1. A Massey Ferguson 1533 with 8x8 syncro shuttle trans and a Bushhog 246 midmount FEL. Tractor 2 is a New Holland TC30 with 9x3 trans and a factory FEL. Tractor 3 a Kubota L3400 GST with factory FEL. I also looked at a John Deere 790 but the Deere dealer here gives very poor service and it's a long drive to the next dealer so I think I'll stay away from them. I've looked over all four tractors and Monday am going back to test drive all of them. What do you all think of these tractors and which would be the best to own? John

 

[thcri]

I think you won't make a bad decision of any of the above tractors. I would spend more time with the dealer, which one do you think is going to give you the best service after the sale. Then which one fits your butt the best and gives you the best feel. Then if they are priced comparitively buy the one you like based on the above two questions. Otherwise all three are good rigs.

murph

 

[SWB]

The three tractors have very different transmissions with the 1533 being synchronized, and the TC30 not. I don't think the L3400 comes in a GST version. You either get a HST (hydrostatic) or a gear driven which is like the TC30. The TC30 also comes in a HST version. All three tractors will do the job. In my opinion, seat comfort and ergonomics are very important and that is an individual decision. But if you spend anytime in the tractor seat, the overall comfort should be a very important part of your decision. A good dealer is also very important and you will be lucky if you have more than one dealer for each brand of tractor near you. If the one servicing your brand of tractor is a bad dealer and he is the only one nearby, then you are stuck with having one bad experience after another. Good luck.

 

[JCS_in_KY]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I don't think the L3400 comes in a GST version. You either get a HST (hydrostatic) or a gear driven which is like the TC30. )</font>

You are right about the transmission, I meant to say gear driven for the L3400, not GST. Do you think it's worth getting the tractor with the syncro trans over the gear driven? Also what about the difference in PTOs, Live on the TC30 and L3400 versus the independent one on the 1533?
John

 

[JCS_in_KY]

Also I should mention that we have a dealer here that carries New Holland and Massey Ferguson. They have excellent service from what I've heard. I live 17 miles from their location and they will deliver free of charge to my home and spend some time going over the operation of the tractor and the use of any implements that I purchase with the tractor. During the two year warranty period if their are any problems with the tractor they will come to my home to pick it up and bring it back when the repairs are completed. Their reputation and excellent service is what is making me lean towards the Massey Ferguson or New Holland over Kubota or Deere. John

 

[kossetx]

If you want a raw opinion, out of those 3, I have liked the MF1533 the best. It seemed bigger, was more open, fit me better, I liked the transmision better and that joystick mount w/o having to hold your arm up all day for FEL work seemed to be a plus, had tilt, folding rops, which also was nice. I may end up with one.

 

[SWB]

I have sat on all three and driven the L3400 and the 1533 around the tractor yard. I have owned a Massey Ferguson before and currently have a Case DX35 which is essentially a New Holland painted red. Although Case doesn't have the equivilent of the TC30, all the other tractors in the boomer line are duplicated in the Case line and made in the same factory. All three manufacturers make good tractors. The L3400 gear and TC30 gear are more basic tractors. The 1533 is more refined and the syncro should make it a lot easier to shift. I also like the ergonomics on the 1533 with the joystick on the fender rather than on the FEL for the L3400. For me the 1533 seat is a lot more comfortable and the L3400 the least comfortable, but the comfort of the seat is an individual thing, although there have been many negative comments in this forum about the Kubota seats on their basic tractors. You have to decide yourself which fits you better. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the tractors, but personally I lean towards the 1533.

 

[SWB]

I should probably point out that the quotes I got on the 1533 were the highest: around $15,000 for the tractor and $4,000 for the FEL. The L3400 and TC30 should come in at around $12,000 for the tractor and less than $4000 for FEL. At least around here. An internet site in Texas shows that you can get an L3400 and FEL for as little as $14,570. Go to: www.deenimplement.com/ and click on monthly specials.

 

[JCS_in_KY]

I'm not home now so I don't have the exact prices I was quoted but I believe that the MF1533 was roughly $17,500.00 with loader (I'll post the exact prices later and see what you think of them). The loader they want to sell me with it is the Bushhog 246, it looks like a good loader but I didn't see the control for it. Will it use a fender mount joystick like the MF one does or is it in a different location? I've never bought a new tractor from a dealer before but we are assuming that it's like buying a new car where the dealer normally has a little room for play with their asking price?????
John

 

[N80]

I know it is frowned upon to suggest other tractors than what the original poster mentioned, but given your needs and your price ranges, I'd look at the Kubota L4400 rather than the L3400 _if_ you are truly considering tractors in the $19,000 range. I went through this process myself and got the L4400. As mentioned, any of the tractors you've listed will be great, including the L3400 which represents a real value in the gear drive model. But the 4400, I think, gives the most power for the dollar. I'd say its JD counterpoint is the 990, another great machine worth looking at.

But a lot of it comes down to what you really want and need. The reason the price of the L4400, which has more hp than most CUTs, is low is that it is very basic. Gear driven. No frills. It does have a cupholder. I just feel that in order to use the tractor in the widest variety of situations power is an issue and the L4400 has a lot and yet remains a small tractor that can still operate in tight places (like woods and trails and around a house.)

Apologies if this is off topic, but having similar needs and having gone through the same research for machines in roughyl the same price range, the L4400 turned out to be the right machine for me.