What to Buy

[ScottFarm]

Do your research, because many people on here have not.. Montana is not a chinese tractor!! Research all the dealers in your area. Look at the engines, most of the 3 cylinder Deere engines are made in Peru India. The kubota makes there own 4 cylinder and Montana has the mitsibishi 4 cylinder. Research, Research, Research....

 

[JR LEWIS]

I can now speak from experience. Short but, nonetheless, experience.

I bought a new Kubota M7040 HD on Friday with LA1153 FEL. I LOVE IT.

I have 50 acres and have similar chores as you to do. I felt this was the tractor for me. I really researched and tested and visited many tractors, but always came back to Kubota. My nefew is a traveling service tech for a large dealer that carries several flavors and works on all of them. Straight from his mouth was " Kubota is what I'd get. I never have to work on them!! " Take it for what it's worth. To be fair, I did not visit the Kioti dealer. I checked them out on internet. I did call the local Kioti dealer/owner with questions. He was a complete a**. I'm not real sure how he stays in business, but regardless, did not touch one.

I think the resale will hold up on the Kubota, though.

My search was narrowed down to the Kubota M7040 HD and the Mahindra 6030. $3,000.00 difference, so went with the Kubota and picked up 10 hp.

My choice was a NON cab model. I'll be in the woods a lot. Have 30 wooded and 20 open.

Call me weird, but I enjoy being outside on the tractor. I like being cold. Not so much hot though..lol.. For me it's like riding a motorcycle compared to driving a car. I'm off and on a lot too.

In closing,

The Kubota 7040HD is very user friendly, great display of guages, powerful and down right sexy !! haha..

I'm sure most tractors out there all have very good features and expect individual owners to compliment what they have purchased, as I have. I can only be honest with my short experience of 25 hrs. on the machine. Been fun !!

 

[Soundguy]

It is posible to get folding 'V' wing 10' mowers... many places do ditch mowing with them.. couple diferent designs.. including an offset v-wing 10' that is not much more than a 15' batwing mower missing one of the sides. You can also get plain offset fixed deck mowers.. for mowing to one side.. etc.

soundguy

For mowing 30 acres, I would consider a batwing over a massive ten footer. The ten foot mower is a very large, flat deck with two blades. It will do a heck of a job, but it will also scalp and ride high over rough terrrain. The batwing will give you three seperate rotary cutters that will each follow the lay of the land allot better. It will get out into the sides more then the ten footer and it will cut just as big of stuff as the ten footer, but without the flat deck issues.

For the batwing, you'd want 80 hp. That will also give you enough tractor for doing everything else you want and then some.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[sirjohnathon]

John_Bud --- Thank you very much for your explanation on options. That is super information and will help me a bunch!!

Everyone else, thank you for all your input. I guess in the end it is like asking if I should buy a Toyota truck, a Ford truck, or a Chevy truck.

Any more input from anyone on the options / equipment I should be looking for?

John

 

[firefighter9208]

It is posible to get folding 'V' wing 10' mowers... many places do ditch mowing with them.. couple diferent designs.. including an offset v-wing 10' that is not much more than a 15' batwing mower missing one of the sides. You can also get plain offset fixed deck mowers.. for mowing to one side.. etc.

soundguy

To add to Soundguy's post. Bush Hog&reg - Performance You Can Count On . MSRP of $10,000 at a local dealer. This is what the highway departments around here use to mow roadsides.

Chris

 

[EddieWalker]

WOW, those Bush Hog cutters sure look nice!!!! I didn't know they had a 20 foot model. That's got to be the ultimate!!!!!!!

Just gonna have to keep on dreaming.

Eddie

 

[Soundguy]

I almost picked up a JD 20' hog a while back.. but a JD 15' became available much cheaper so i jumped on it.

soundguy

 

[john_bud]

Everyone else, thank you for all your input. I guess in the end it is like asking if I should buy a Toyota truck, a Ford truck, or a Chevy truck.

John

Exactly! Only tractors seem to engender a higher degree of owner loyalty. I have a kubota and 2 fords. I would not hesitate to buy a new kubota, not a second. Other people will say the same thing about other brands too. My "opinion" is that kubota has about the least failures of any brand, no data to back that up with, but from reading the forums I get that impression. But, I'm biased!

On attachments, if they are to engage the ground, buy the heaviest one you can get.


jb

 

[RollingsFarms]

just to clear up a mistake posted about Deere someone made earlier. Deere makes their own engines(called PowerTec engines) in every tractor from the 4000 series on up to the 9000 series. I cant speak for the Construction equipment though. Deere's 2000 and 3000 series are not switching to a Chinese engine, they have a Japanese Yanmar engine and those are some of the best engines made(though maybe not as good as a Kubota diesel. that's personal opinion though). Deere is not changing engine manufacturers of any of their engines in the near future. As for sourcing out their equipment, yes they are built in many different places but are made by Deere standards at Deere operated factories. for example, my tractor was assembled in India at the Deere factory, but the engine and transmission came from the Deere plant in Georgia, the front axle was built by Dana for Deere specifically for all 5000 series MFWD tractors(they are switching to Cararro this year), and my MX6 brush cutter was made in Italy at the Deere plant.

 

[sirjohnathon]

Exactly! Only tractors seem to engender a higher degree of owner loyalty.

jb

I am definitely starting to believe that statement!!!

John