I have 3 old tractors around here that I use for all kinds of things.
Get the stick shift. Save a little money.
Get the larger horsepower
.
Get the stick shift. Save a little money.
Get the larger horsepower
.
Really really really want a tractor
- Thread starter husky455rancher
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I would like to try to keep the cost down at least where it makes sense to do so. I still want to get quotes from bobcat which are repainted kiotis. They seem to be the only people doing 0 down 0 interest for 84 months at this time. Kioti charges you more money for the tractor 1200/1700 to get the low rate 1.99 for 84 months. 1200 for the 2610 1700 for the 3510. I did the math and it’s cheaper overall to pay extra for the tractor to get 1.99 over the 4. Whatever it was.
I’ve wTched a lot of YouTube videos and have been trying to educate myself as best as possible.
I see myself doing a lot of loader work and fork or grapple work. I do want to kinda redo my whole yard but I have very little land so it’s not like I’m gonna plow a corn field or anything. I originally wanted a mower deck but now not so much since I’m looking at a little bit bigger of a tractor than say a jd 1025r.
I’ve wTched a lot of YouTube videos and have been trying to educate myself as best as possible.
I see myself doing a lot of loader work and fork or grapple work. I do want to kinda redo my whole yard but I have very little land so it’s not like I’m gonna plow a corn field or anything. I originally wanted a mower deck but now not so much since I’m looking at a little bit bigger of a tractor than say a jd 1025r.
Shop around and get the most for your bucks. I wouldn't have a gear tractor for what I want/do, I love the hydrastatic drive, yeah it whines a little but so worth it if you are doing a lot of loader work. Consider resale value too as you may want to trade up or just get rid of it down the road.
I'm partial to Kubota for a couple of reasons, 1 they have a great warranty and two they offer zero pct financing from time to time.
I'm not sure how the Kioti compares in price but they seem to be a well made tractor. I've installed third function remote on a couple of them.
The Kubota L250- which I have has no emissions, is more of a homeowner tractor and priced that way. I believe you can still get a L2501 for under 20K
My dealer is 6 miles from me, sale includes loaded tires, engine block heater and threw in wheel spacers for me so I could run chains. It has a lift capacity of around 1100 pounds but I don't believe it will lift that much. Of course they rate them "at the pin" so that's with no bucket. After owning it for 3 years and a hundred hours on it I love it. I got the industrial tires too.
Good luck
I'm partial to Kubota for a couple of reasons, 1 they have a great warranty and two they offer zero pct financing from time to time.
I'm not sure how the Kioti compares in price but they seem to be a well made tractor. I've installed third function remote on a couple of them.
The Kubota L250- which I have has no emissions, is more of a homeowner tractor and priced that way. I believe you can still get a L2501 for under 20K
My dealer is 6 miles from me, sale includes loaded tires, engine block heater and threw in wheel spacers for me so I could run chains. It has a lift capacity of around 1100 pounds but I don't believe it will lift that much. Of course they rate them "at the pin" so that's with no bucket. After owning it for 3 years and a hundred hours on it I love it. I got the industrial tires too.
Good luck
I bought a new Holland boomer 35 in 2012 and have been very happy with it. I got the std gear 4 speed with H M L and shuttle shift F R.
Came with the loader, a funny side story was I walked into the dealership in a town about 100 miles away and asked to talk to a sales manager. He came up to me and I said " you have one shot at selling me a boomer 35 gear with loader, how much " he stood there and looked at his phone and did some looking and came back with a price that was more than 4000 less than I had been quoted for by 3 dealerships I told him I would let him know by noon the next day. Next day I called and said I'd take it, he told me where to pick it up from, had 2 places in different towns. I got there when I was told to and went and did the paperwork and paid for it. We go out to load it and I'm parked close so I tell him he has to load it on my 16 foot car hauler so he walks over to the one that was mine takes a look and said " hay this has the quick change bucket and it isn't supposed to they put it on the wrong one. There was a 35 with backhoe next to it. Looks at the time and they close in 15 minutes. I told him I wasn't going to stick around or come back so they can change it. Told him load or get my money back. Gives me a puppy dog look and said" well you just got a 600 dollar upgrade and drove it on. Told him thanks and chained it down and drove 3 hours to home. Made a pallet fork setup this summer, my son found a set of forks in salt lake city for 150 nice set to.
MiserblOF
ArboristSite Lurker
Traded in my 2006 New Holland TC26DA for a New Holland Workmaster 40 this spring. I can understand the leaning toward a gear tractor, but the Hydro is very easy to get used to and not want to go back. I would suggest you look for a 3 speed Hydro. My TC 26 couldn't go up hills in high range, and the low range was very slow. It did crack the tranny case and cost me $4000 to get it fixed. Other than that it was a great little tractor. I like the extra horsepower of the Workmaster 40, but it is a much bigger machine. It's also a lot louder, between the engine, the hydro whine and all the rattles from the three point hitch. The older turnbuckle style side adjusters were hard to adjust but the new sliding type rattle quite a bit. The difference in stability between the smaller an larger tractor is almost impossible to explain. I go places without even considering it where the smaller tractor was pretty darn scary. The yard and field here aren't steep, but they are quite irregular, and the 26 would often lose traction with a tire off the ground due to it. Doesn't happen with the larger tractor. Bigger rear tires give a much smoother ride as well.
From what I've seen in the Northeast, the chances of getting a decent deal on a used compact tractor are pretty slim.
If you buy new, the dealer is probably half of your concern - a dealer you can depend on means a lot. Parts are VERY expensive and it helps to be able to order online and save. I like Messicks for that. They have parts for both New Holland and Kubota. Overall, it seems equivalent Kubota parts are modestly less expensive than New Holland, but if you think tractors are expensive, wait until you need some part that fits in your hand and costs $400..
A warranty is a good thing to have, and after much searching both in 2006 and 2021, I decided the only sane thing was to bite the bullet and go new.
From what I've seen in the Northeast, the chances of getting a decent deal on a used compact tractor are pretty slim.
If you buy new, the dealer is probably half of your concern - a dealer you can depend on means a lot. Parts are VERY expensive and it helps to be able to order online and save. I like Messicks for that. They have parts for both New Holland and Kubota. Overall, it seems equivalent Kubota parts are modestly less expensive than New Holland, but if you think tractors are expensive, wait until you need some part that fits in your hand and costs $400..
A warranty is a good thing to have, and after much searching both in 2006 and 2021, I decided the only sane thing was to bite the bullet and go new.
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Sportfury70
ArboristSite Operative
Bobcat CT2035 is the kioti 3510 version, if you need a model to research. Just figure a couple grand more than a CT2025 for the hurkier engine.
Though the tractor is made by kioti, the implements are all in house bobcat. The mower decks and loaders really are significantly heavier duty on the bobcat than any other CUT or SCUT brand I’ve seen.
Eventually Bobcat is going to make their tractors fully in-house. I think that’s projected mid 2020s or so? If they do I’ll likely trade mine in as the dealer was telling me they will have a brand loyalty incentive when that happens. Ive beaten on bobcat skidsteers for years, they have my confidence.
Started mine today, it was -5 out. Wanted to see how it handled the extreme cold. It didn’t appreciate turning over at first, but it started on the second turn and after a little high idle it was purring away.
Sportfury70
ArboristSite Operative
Yeah mine was 0% too, and a 5yr warranty to boot. No one else could beat the deal. Get the mower deck, you can always sell it for every bit as much as you financed it for if you don’t end up using it, it’ll only add a few bucks to the monthly payment.
My bobcat catalogue has a front quicktatch grapple in it, but I’m sure one from Titan attachments would be half the price.
So pleased to read this entire thread and not one person mentioned 'Jinma'.
So I will--STAY AWAY!.
No, I don't have one but looked at them in detail a couple of decades ago because the price looked so good, and determined they were junk; I grew up on a dairy farm in the 50's and 60's and knew what a real tractor should look like. A friend bought one without asking and it has spent almost the entire time since as an occupant of shop space because he can't get parts. And of course because it breaks parts.
'Entire time' is what--10 years?
Being an old guy now I have two Kubotas, 18 and 35 hp, one HST and one geared, and both are good tractors. Dealer support is a major consideration. Keep your eyes open around your area and note what colour you see a lot of; that will determine what dealers are still there in the future I bet.
Oh for the poster who dissed the geared transmission in his dozer--I agree and I don't. I own a D4D with geared, have spend a lot of time on a D6C and D8K--and have had to repair the power-shift hydraulic drive in the D8K. That made the never-fail, simple, gear-and-clutch system of the D4 look pretty good! But I'd not want to have clutched a D8, especially clearing winter snowpack in spring off of steep logging roads in west coast mountains. Anyone who has done that will know exactly what I mean.
If you get too big a tractor for your land?--don't worry, just buy more land to fit the tractor. Way more fun.
So I will--STAY AWAY!.
No, I don't have one but looked at them in detail a couple of decades ago because the price looked so good, and determined they were junk; I grew up on a dairy farm in the 50's and 60's and knew what a real tractor should look like. A friend bought one without asking and it has spent almost the entire time since as an occupant of shop space because he can't get parts. And of course because it breaks parts.
'Entire time' is what--10 years?
Being an old guy now I have two Kubotas, 18 and 35 hp, one HST and one geared, and both are good tractors. Dealer support is a major consideration. Keep your eyes open around your area and note what colour you see a lot of; that will determine what dealers are still there in the future I bet.
Oh for the poster who dissed the geared transmission in his dozer--I agree and I don't. I own a D4D with geared, have spend a lot of time on a D6C and D8K--and have had to repair the power-shift hydraulic drive in the D8K. That made the never-fail, simple, gear-and-clutch system of the D4 look pretty good! But I'd not want to have clutched a D8, especially clearing winter snowpack in spring off of steep logging roads in west coast mountains. Anyone who has done that will know exactly what I mean.
If you get too big a tractor for your land?--don't worry, just buy more land to fit the tractor. Way more fun.
JustPlainJeff
ArboristSite Operative
I've got a little Kubota BX 2350. Comparable to the JD 1023 or 1025. It's a fine little tractor. But I just purchased 40 acres, with 60% of it being wooded. I'm getting a larger tractor soon. Probably this coming Spring. Not that this will pertain to you, but it may help others. I've done A LOT of research. I've considered Kubota (as I've had a great experience with my current Kubota), Kioti, RK, TYM, and Yanmar. Yanmar is a darn good tractor, and probably has the best transmission (as far as hybrid hydros go), but their dealer/service network can be a problem. As well as obtaining parts. I think I'm going to get a 74 HP tractor, as "most" of them will still have a DPF, but not large enough to require DEF. DEF becomes required at the 75HP threshold. The RK 74 is made by TYM, and is essentially the exact same tractor as the TYM 754. 74 HP power shuttle shift. Hydros aren't available in this HP range. They pretty much stop offering hydro's at around 60HP. Hydros are the best there is when it comes to loader work, and a gear transmission is best when doing dirt work. Hydro's cost HP when doing dirt work. The power shuttle is an in-between. You can shift them on the fly without using the clutch, and can go from forward to reverse without using the clutch as well. There is a slight learning curve when going from a hydro to a shuttle shift, but nothing major. The reason I'm going with this size tractor is because I should be able to put a grapple on it, and pretty much pick up any size log on my property and haul it back to my processing area for splitting firewood. I can also use it for my snow removal business with a push box on the front, as well as pretty much anything else that I can come up with. And I'm going with a cab model as well. That's just a personal preference. Also, the larger you go with a tractor, the larger the tires, and the longer the wheelbase, giving you a much smoother ride. Just so some people know as well, not ALL tractors have a DPF or regen. On some of them, they just have the engine burn hotter, which burns off all of the byproducts (supposedly) meaning they're not required to have the other emissions stuff on them. I'm not an expert on any of that stuff by any means, I"m just throwing that out there in case some people care, and want to stay away from it. Also remember, when tractor manufacturers list their specs as lifting ability to full height, it's very misleading. Those numbers are AT THE PIVOT PINS of the bucket. Not when you have a set of forks, or a bucket attached, and the weight is actually 2'-3' out in front of the pivot pins. Whatever any manufacturer lists as their ability to lift to max height, you can realistically deduct 20% from that amount when using with a set of forks or bucket. In some instances, it will lift even more than 20% less. In any event, this is the one I think I'll be getting.
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For those in the used tractor camp, I have one caveat: Unless you want to drive yourself crazy chasing electrical bugs and neutralizing corrosion everywhere, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, buy a compact tractor that was used for spraying liquid fertilizer. Worse than termites - the little critters that eat your house not the tractor brand.
Ron
Ron
You are wise to check all lift ratings, both FEL and three point hitch. Some Manufacturers are more straight forward than others. Deere for example gives both the pin and 24" out from the pin for its FELs and it gives the rating for 24" out from the 3 point hitch ends. That 24" makes a huge difference.
Ron
Ron
SuperDuty04
ArboristSite Guru
My brother in law got the deal of a century this summer. He bought a JD 3720 full cab, 4x4, with loader, for $1600 off of the university. The mechanic determined it had a bad transmission so the director priced it as such, but my brother in law determined it was a bad relay instead and bought and replaced the relay. So be basically stole the thing and we’ve used it for everything under the sun.
Sportfury70
ArboristSite Operative
Well there’s a candidate for the you suck thread! Jeez $1600 even with a bad tranny was a great deal.
At first I thought 16,000.00 but 1600.00 is a give away.
SuperDuty04
ArboristSite Guru
Yeah he REALLY made out! I think the solenoid for the tranny was a couple hundred bucks but for less than $1800 he ended up with a 39hp diesel tractor that runs amazing. The heat and air even works perfectly. And since he runs the shop that always did all the maintenance of this tractor, he knew the maintenance history.
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Whats that tractor now worth 20 k?
SuperDuty04
ArboristSite Guru
I believe that’s the ball park of it.
edit: I guess it’s actually a 3520 so it must be a 37hp tractor. I thought for sure it was 39. His is a 2010 and i just googled them and looks like 30k is more of the ball park for that year.
Sportfury70
ArboristSite Operative
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