What's your top five?

[maxtractor]

Re: What\'s your top five?

<font color="green"> </font> My main problems with the "B" models by Kubota is they don't have fixed ROPS that are low enough to drive underneath normal doors, and they have horrible foot ergonomics compared to JD. <font color="black"> </font>

I too want to know what height is a normal door. My B7610 with fixed ropes has no trouble going in and out of my standard height garage door. As far as the top five. The B7610 would be a good choice. I had no problem clearing 8+ inches of snow off my drive with the loader and rear blade. My drive is fairly steep and I could plow both up and down hill. I mowed three acres with it all summer. The lighter weight is a plus for mowing. The truth is all of the tractors mentioned are pretty good. You really have to make your decision based on what you like and the dealer you will have to use for parts and service. I chose Kubota because the price was good,the dealer was good and the tractor was good. I didn't consider New Holland, Case, Kioti and some others because the dealers were just too far away for me. I didn't like the John Deere dealer or the price. I guess no one else liked them either because they closed their doors a couple of weeks ago. The main thing to remember is it is not just the tractor, the dealer is just as important.

 

[stevenf]

Re: What\'s your top five?

Matt I realize that some of these folks are pretty serious about their tractors and Bob and John have their own ideas which it doesn't sound like they agree on to well so heres mine and its not mine originaly. I had no experience with tractors whatsoever in the real world my dad had an old ford and I just had a Kubota M9000 90HP machine delivered to my ranch but I can tell you that the most helpful and comforting deciding point was those that say (and I truly believe this) all tractors are basically the same in cost and quality. I don't care orange, safety red, green and yellow or blue. Unless you know a lot about tractors a big part of your choice should be the dealerships around you and their willingness to spend the time with you before and after the sale. Its hard to know about after but if you go to a dealership and pay attention to what is going on both with you and how other customers are handled I think you can get a good idea of how you can expect to be treated later. Go talk to the service people is their shop clean and organized or does it look like some of the recent news from the East. I just invested a lot of $ in this equipment and Kubota made sense for me and I love it but my choices were New Holland 5 miles, Kioti 6 miles, Kubota 9 miles or John Deere 11 miles. I narrowed my choices doing exactly what I'm recommending that you do spend some time in the dealerships get to know them a little because when or if something goes wrong with your machine the dealership is all that matters a good one can make life easy and if you read a good portion of the buying and owning post you can see that a crummy dealer can make your life really, really bad. As a matter of fact some people have had such bad experiences that they've taken some big financial hits to trade in virtually new machines because their dealership was either unable or unwilling to fix their problems in a timely and acceptable manner. These are just my thoughts but I'm sure many will agree if they can be just a little colorblind. In conclusion I do love my Kubota but my decision was based on the dealership not the machine, I'm sure the New Holland would have been the perfect machine if they had known anything about their product and their service department hadn't looked like a bomb had gone off, they are the newest dealership in my area and to this day the salesman and the salesmanager haven't called me back with a price and availability after multiple phone calls to them prior to Thanksgiving.
Steve HAPPY NEW YEAR! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[02_powerstroke]

Re: What\'s your top five?

I have found that I can get a slightly smaller tractor (CASE DX24E) for about $1900 cheaper than the B7610 HST.
B7610 HST $10,100 + RCK 60" Mower $2,200 + CA272FEL $2,500 + Woods RB 60" Blade $375 = $15,175
DX24E W/ 60" Mowing deck $10,500 + LX110 FEL $2,400 + Woods RB60" Blade $375 = $13,275.
The one drawback is that the DX24E is only available with the Ag or Turf tires (No R-4's available).
So, if I don't have any luck at the sale & I decide to buy new, would this smaller tractor be a good choice? I can basically get it for the same price as the BX2230 and with the same attachments. All of these prices are from the same dealer and are within about 15 miles from where I live. They have about twenty of these CASE DX24E tractors in stock and I got the feeling that they need to move them! By the way, this dealer has been in business for several years and seem to have a very good reputation in this area. I also know one of their mechanics which might come in handy as well. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Thanks to everyone for all of the information.

Matt Sullivan

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: What\'s your top five?

Matt, yes the Sub-CUT size tractor will work well for you given your property size. The Case DX-E series is one of the newer models of the breed, the BX series Kubota founded the entire category. Case/New Holland makes the Case DX-E and the NH TZ sub-CUTs, same machine, different paint and headlights (I prefer the look of the DX-E, but the functionality is the same). You maybe able to get a larger tractor for about the same price if you think a larger tractor will suit your needs better, but for a 3 acre property many folks on this board will tell you that size tractor is going to a great size. This size tractor has limited ground clearance which may be an issue if you plan on working in the woods, on the other hand, these are superior tractors for mowing, they are lower and can fit under tree branches than the small frame CUTS simply can't fit under. These tractors also have tight turning abilities allowing for easy mowing around your landscaping. Put a front mount snowblower on this tractor and you will easily clear your 400' driveway in short order.

The Sub-CUT class of machine is very popular, they are very capable as small tractors and will do far more work than many give them credit for. Within this class of tractor your choices are the Kubota BX, John Deere 2210, New Holland TZ 18 and TZ 24, Case DX 18E and DX 24E and Massey GC2300. All of these tractors will have hydrostatic transmissions.

 

[JDFANATIC]

Re: What\'s your top five?

02 powerstroke,

Test drive some of the sub-CUT's, I think they'll be right up the alley for your needs. After that, the dealer is going to be the deal-maker or breaker. I have the 2210, and it is a good fit for my similar needs: sufficient power, easy availability and changeover of attachments, relative low center of gravity, efficiency, and overall size and maneuverability. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[weesa20]

Re: What\'s your top five?

Matt: This is the way I would buy them if $$ was not an issue. Since money is an issue, I bought the GC2300. Money was not an issue for my father and he bought the 2210. We both love our machines, they do exactly what we need them to do.

1. Kioti CK25
2. NH TC24DA
3. Massey GC2300/2310
4. JD 2210
5. Kubota BX 23

Andrew

 

[zekeman]

Re: What\'s your top five?

Matt
KiotiJohn is right, its natural to be biased towards your own brand
of tractor so I'll give you my "biased opinion" for Mahindra. The majority of compacts are foreign- either with major components from overseas but assembled in US or entire tractor
imported. That seems to be the major reason most people stay away from considering Mahindra, its foreign made, it kept me away when I was looking, until I got on one. The price is usually a couple thousand cheaper (if you compare apples to apples) than the "American- US" IMPORTS (what a contradiction of words)
The Company and Dealer go out of their way to take care of their customers ( not ALL dealers , like any other brand). I own a 4110 which would be to large for you but they do make smaller tractors like the 2810 ("Bob" don't yell at me - its 1 HP over your instructions to KiotiJohn). I will admit - I'm
biased towards Mahindra, but why am I biased? because I'm a satisfied customer with no regrets about buying this Mahindra tractor. just in case someone thinks I'm a dealer - I'm not ,
I'm just a customer who thinks I got a good machine for a good price, and I don't have any experience with the smaller 2810, but maybe you would be surprised if you stopped at a Mahindra dealer- both price and quality are good

Ron

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Re: What\'s your top five?

If a subCUT is a good solution for you, I personally wouldn't mess with the used equipment sale and concentrate on getting the best deal on a new one. But going to the sale sure would be fun!

Kioti CK25
NH 24
Case 24
Kubota BX
Deere 2210

Did I really put Deere last? Wow! But these are all great machines! With the right dealer you won't go wrong with any of them.