Thanks everyone. I do appreciate the input. I'll keep learning and seraching and looking for the best dealer. That too, I'm beginning to believe is probably the most important factor. That seams to be a very consistant theme from most folks. I'm still thinking the Mahindra Max28 or 3016 are great tractors and will be evertything and most likely more that I need.
Agian,
Thanks much!
69runner
I am certainly one of the few on this forum who don't really care about the dealer selection process. I don't think they are nearly as important as everyone says. However, that is probably because I bought used with no warranty and also do my own work/maintenance. A main factor is whether you use your tractor for a living or not, I don't, so if it breaks and I need to order parts online and wait a few days, it's no big deal. This has yet to happen though. If your going with a new purchase I think the dealer is important, but not as important as what you want. Of course you need a dealer who will fix your tractor and honor the warrenty, but if you find yourself at the dealer every other week, then you probably want to go with another tractor.
My selection process was pretty simple for my first tractor (and current). Prior to my Kubota
L4610 I used my fathers Case 275 and some old tractor that I don't even remember what it was. I knew I wanted hydro and I started looking around for used Kubota's and John Deeres. Mostly because I didn't know much about other manufacturers and was ready to purchase. I found a good deal on my tractor with low hours and went for it.
My current process is much different though, now I'm looking to buy a tractor in the next 2 yrs or so as an upgrade to my current tractor. I bought this tractor full well knowing that it would not be my last, but more of a stepping stone. If I can afford it, I would like my next one to be around for many many years, and I'd like to get exactly what I want.
I started listing all the implements I wanted to use on the tractor, as well as what they're weight and power requirement would be. I then thought of all the options I would like to have, and narrowed it down from there. I'm still narrowing. :laughing:
I currently have a running list on my notes app on my iphone and everytime I think of something else, I add it to my "tractor preferences" list. This includes any other attachments I may want in the future. No tractor will do it all, but I'm trying to narrow it down to the one that I would most prefer that would do 95% of what I would like to do.
I think it's important to decide what implements you want to use as well as what size, and what quality (as in light, medium, or heavy duty) and choose your tractor based on the best "fit" to those implements.
I bought my tractor without thinking much about what implements I would use on it, aside from the front end loader (FEL), this was a mistake, because I should have bought bigger, however it does most of what I need/want it for.
I'll probably catch **** for this, but honestly I don't see why many hobby tractor users think it's so vitally important to put the dealer first, unless like I said, if your going to buy brand spanking new. If your not mechanically inclined, or just prefer new, this is a good way to go. :thumbsup: (for the record, I would prefer to go new, but my price range would have only bought me a bx model kubota)
For my next purchase, I'm considering many more models and it most likely will not be a Kubota.
If this is your first tractor, I'd encourage you to go used with low hours. There is a good chance you will want to trade up (or even down depending on your uses) at some point in the next few years, and you will lose a lot less money if you buy/sell a used vs. a brand new tractor (of course, there are always exceptions.)
Sorry for the long winded reply, and WELCOME to the forum! :thumbsup:
