What would you buy

oceaneer · Mar 14, 2009

Hi, I am in the market for a new tractor and just started looking a few weeks ago. I have never owned a tractor before. My work scope will be keeping up with 6 acres, tilling / grading and mowing. At this point I have only called a few dealers and inquired pricing. JD has the following pakage deal: a 32hp with hydrastatic drive with fel, bushhog, box blade, and tiller for right at 21,500 + 0% for 36 months. That seems to be a great price and the JD name is very popular. I also called about a kabota. the dealer didnt have any package deals but the pricing was similar for 30 hp + implements but without hydrastatic drive. I was hoping that someone could tell me if the JD deal is a great deal or if there is better deals out there possibly with another brand that is just as good as JD or Kabota.I havent priced models like Kioti, Montana, or any other but have seen a lot of advertising for them lately. In my area I only know of JD, Kabota, MF, and New Holland dealers. so I would have to drive out of town for service if I went with another brand. Any insight would be appreciated.

rcrcomputing · Mar 15, 2009

Best answer I can give you is to read these forums. This questions comes up almost daily. From what I've gleamed. Long term resale and dependability has been proven with JD, Kubota, Massey, and many others.
Much of the decision may be a good dealer as well as the brand.

My decision was easy, I couldn't have afforded the backhoe if I'd have gotten JD or Kubota. I'm a happy camper, and KiotiJohn was SO... persuasive.

jbrumberg · Mar 15, 2009

oceaneer:

Welcome to TBN

! To make your life simpler stay local and try not to believe all those glossy fancya$$ brochures that were written by Sales & Marketing people who never sat on a tractor. For a newbee I would recommend HST especially if one is planning on doing alot of FEL work. I swear by 4WMFWD(4WD) especially if one needs traction on hills. A 32HP tractor would definitely meet your power needs, but with a slightly smaller tractor you might have more available options. Jay

framer · Mar 15, 2009

I use B7800 30 hp. on my 6 acres.Works great for me.JD was my second choice.Kubota dealer was closer been in family business for over 50 yrs. with
a good reputation.JD dealer sold out to other dealer then change there name to prairie land. Dealer made choice easy for me.Welcom to tbn.Framer

smfcpacfp · Mar 15, 2009

That does sound like a good deal. I would definitely want the HST if I were going to do a lot of forward and reverse changes (like working with a FEL) - otherwise the standard transmission would be fine.

teg · Mar 15, 2009

"...Any insight would be appreciated..." First off, I would say; Take your time and get the correct tractor for your needs. The next thing for a new tractor owner is to test drive several tractors from a couple of dealers - again take your time. Going to the same dealer a couple of times should not be a problem for a dealer - if it is, I would think twice about that dealer.

As for size, every company should have a tractor that will fit your needs. There will be some that say bigger is better but smaller one have their place, too. Also, have the dealer show you how to hook up a few implements and test drive the tractor with them. Use the 3 point hitch and what not.

I would get HST and R4 tires but there is hundreds of threads on this subject that you can read about what is best for what conditions (do a search on TBN). As for package "deals" - It makes it harder for people to say which is the best, too many variables. For me, I didn't have the extra money (and I like to get used stuff, cheap). Deciding on which tractor to buy based on price alone is the worst thing that you can do.

Good luck and have fun stimulating the economy! Almost forgot... Welcome to TBN - We're here to help you spend your money!

nybirdman · Mar 15, 2009

Make sure to compare FEL capacity,all fels are note created equal.JD in particular sells a light duty and heavy duty on the same tractors.I too would reccomend HST on any brand.

RadarTech · Mar 15, 2009

I have to admit TEG has a number of good points.

Something to consider is comparing apples to apples..
The attachment quality from dealer to dealer is something to look at..
are the box blades the of the same duty?
who makes the bush hog?
tiller?

can you get a better deal on any of the attachments via other means? or is financing the big pull here?

I would highly recommend the HST if you get the FEL at all.

Check craigslist for the attachments in your area.I found a scrape blade for $100 and it works better than the $700 one a relative bought new..

I got a medium duty box at a local yard for $400. Of course I wish I had gotten a heavy duty one as I broke it after a year.

When I was looking for my bota, some of the things that were big deals:

1. a dealer didn't seem to want me to test drive one.. older guy, seemed like a jerk.- friends sent me there, and it got back to him that I went to a competitor. Got a real nice sale mailer later.. but that's another story!

2. Dealer delivery charge
JD dealer wanted $150 to delivery it after I was going to pay $18K,
1 kubota dealer wanted $200 --both were less than 30 miles
The bota dealer I bought from sold both bota's and JD. 50+ miles Free
delivery!!
The delivery charge was an insult to me..

3. the winning dealer took me in introduced me to the service manager, the office manager, and the secretary and then gave me a tour of the shop. put me on 3 different tractors, and made sure that what I was going to do was a fit for what I thought I wanted. NO upselling, just good ole taking care of the customer.

See how they treat you. Like many on here that is the best qualifying check..

While there was a rough spot getting the tractor ready (had to wait on R1s) I still like the dealer.

anyway just check everything..
price should be important but----

Check the ergonomics of the tractor seat and levers etc... being a short little guy, the Bota was good, the JD was so so.. the cubcadet/yanmar 3200 was nice- but too new not enough people had put it through it's paces.

Ask what they will charge you to load the rears..
the winning dealer did it free..
the others had a charge.

Ask about what they charge for 50 hour maintenance if you don't want to do it yourself.. check the costs of filters and other common parts..

compare the warrenties..
Kioti has the best I have seen but the dealer I visited- the only for 150 miles.. had only a 2 man shop and the owner was the only sales guy.
got the sales guy approach.. wanted to sell me a tractor that was on the lot for over a year... I was concerned about service and parts. his parts room was smaller than my carport..

As you decide- consider doing what I call a fly threw-- Think about all the things your gonna do with it, how might it work, what could go wrong, what parts might you need- what will break- is it a stock item at the dealer?
What will these little parts cost?

check out the book the Muhammed wrote.
maybe even rent a tractor- $200 for a rental may be better than spending $15-20K and then wishing for something different...

I don't think anything above has not been posted here before...

Well, that's my 10 cents worth-- inflation killed the opinion...

Later,
J

MtnViewRanch · Mar 15, 2009

I feel that you are looking in the right size category. But as others have said, look at several makes and models. Different tractors will fit you differently, even different models of the same make can be set up different. Look at all the close by brands first, if you are not happy with them then go looking farther away, but at least look at everything within easy driving distance. After you have looked at more tractors, come back here with any questions that you might have. Somebody here will have an answer for you.

Good luck and do not be in a hurry, take your time.