Tractor Buying Help

[Rigor Mortis]

Nothing runs like a Deere. Buy from a dealer, not Walmart.

 

[LostintheOzone]

I don't know anything about tractors but I will say this.

30 HP, Hydrostatic transmission and power steering.

Everything else can be fixed if you screw up.

I bleed Kubota orange.

 

[Targets Guy]

I have a John Deere compact tractor. Going into my 3rd year. Trouble free on my 4 acres.

 

[finesse_r]

Sounds from your story you need a Bobcat , You can rent needed demolition equip for it till your done , then buy the bucket / blade you need .

While a tractor can do driveway work, a bob cat is much better at it. A good bob cat can whip out a driveway in no time at all.

 

[model70hunter]

While a tractor can do driveway work, a bob cat is much better at it. A good bob cat can whip out a driveway in no time at all.

When I had the 160 acre farm I wanted a bobcat for specific jobs but survived without it.

Besides Bobcats look out of place pulling a wagon on a hay ride.

 

[model70hunter]

One thing on Mahindra quality. My brother can tear up an anvil with a rubber hammer. He bought a 65 HP 4 WD Mahindra 10 years ago, it is still going strong. He has a river bottom farm and after every flood a tree will fall or be washed up in his lower fields. He has moved some trees that looked like catapilar jobs. He would back up and drive into the big trees hard to move them. He has had only basic maintenance on it yearly. And that is what sold me on the brand. Just wished I'd listened and got 4 wheel assist. But I have learned to use the bucket like a crawdad when stuck in the soft black Kansas dirt.

 

[ockgator]

41 horse Mahindra here, Also an old JD 2010 diesel in barn.

Mahindra has 4wd, and a loader. IMO JD and Kubota are nice toys but you pay dearly for them. A comparable JD or Kub was $4K + than the Mahindra when purchased. Something as small as the remote hydraulics were optional on the green and orange tractors.
Only issue in nearly 10 years is it gets a bit warm when mowing heavy grasses, Just pop out the screen in front of radiator and blow the crud out. Actually my biggest gripe isn't the tractor itself but the bush hog Dad bought for it, A measly 5 footer instead of the 6 footer, And yes 12" makes a huge difference as you're lapping a field.... Anyway reason he bought the smaller mower was because it was $150 cheaper

First time you mow 9+ acres with a rider you'll be putting a mower on the tractor... trust me

These are only ones I'd consider IMHO

JD, Kubota, Mahindra, Massey, CaseIH

 

[tops]

I am not an expert by any means when using a Bobcat and I will admit it is unreal what they can do but every one I have used tried to beat me to death. Larry

 

[Zipdog]

You don't need a tractor. You just want one. So it doesn't matter what you get. You'll just have to keep inventing reasons for having bought one.

 

[WC145]

You don't need a tractor. You just want one. So it doesn't matter what you get. You'll just have to keep inventing reasons for having bought one.

Geez, you say that like it's a bad thing. This is a gun forum, it is driven by want, there's very little need going on anywhere around here.

 

[BuckeyeS&W]

I've owned a few, Deere, Case, ford, Farmall, Allis Chalmers.

I have a JD 3020 for bigger things and I bought a Mahindra 55 HP new.
My only error and my brother told me so was in not getting front wheel assist. Big error.

All tractors this size, are made overseas, JD is China I believe. In the smaller MAhindrs it is an Asain engine. Mine is a MAhindra diesel

It starts no matter how cold with direct injection.

On the bucket, it will beat JD of the same HP. I bought a 12 foot disk, the guy and his 50 or 55 hp Chinese Deere could not load it on my trailer. I had him lift half and backed under it I had him struggle mightely to get it slid over. All the time I'm thinking wow I'll never get the heavy thing off with my Mahindra, The little girl lifted it straight up, I backed up and set it down.

Look up some Mahindra commercials, they show a Mahindra lifting a JD and a Kubota front and rear at the same time.

Too much HP is never bad on a tractor, you can work at lower RPM with more torque and do better on fuel that a little one thats revved up and screaming.

My son did due diligence and was going to pop for a Mahindra 30 or 50 HP 4 WD for his 30 acres and somone told him of a 55 HP Fored, 2 wd, for sale, it was pocket change cheap. HE bought it, the bucket works great. Runs great. He sanded and painted it and it looks new, some days it pays to be lucky.

Kubota is nice and was higher when I bought. One I would have also considered is th Kioti,

Stay away from some blue off shore tractors made in India. I know a guy who was a dealer, his brother wanted a new tractor, he drove him to a Mahindra dealer so he wouldn't get screwed. Too much plastic, leaks that can't be fixed and not durable. I do not remember the brand, only the couyntry of origin.

I would look at the pricing of the used one, then go get a dealer price. You can go through the dealer for farm financing and get a great rate.

At one point Mahindra made the smaller Farmalls prior to their merger with Case.

Scuse any spellin airs, my checker isn't workikng.

Go drive a Mahindra 30 HP, new ZERO hrs, 5 year financing, 3 WD, you will get a nice tractor and cheaper than the other brands.

I went to buy a new JD 55 HP, it ended up being almost exactly twice what I paid for the Mahindra. Mine has been paid off for a while so it's been over 5 years and no complaints.

John Deere are not made in China,may have parts from China. The motors on their compact tractors are Yanmar diesels , that have been made a very long time in Japan and are bulletproof .The tractors are assembled in USA . I own a John Deere 3720 and have 970 hrs with no issues at all. One big thing to consider is how good your local dealer support is that goes a long way in my book. New this year John Deere has 6 year power train warranty on all 1-3 series models. One other thing to think about is resale value if you ever trade or sell. Also they usually offer 0% financing on new models and low financing on used tractors.Dont make the mistake I made with my first tractor I bought to small more horsepower is always a plus. I suggest you check out these forums Tractors by Net and Green Tractor Talk.

 

[raver]

Gah, I don't know what I'm gonna do! I went and sat on the Mahindra, and cramped doesn't begin to describe it. There was no room at all for my size 15 clodhoppers. I couldn't get comfortable. Not a good thing for a piece of equipment I plan to spend quite a bit of time on.

I "fit" on a Kubota L, so I now have a request in for pricing on a new L2501 and L3301 with HST, 4x4, loaded tires, and FEL. I expect it will be more money than I wanted to lay down, but with the 84 month financing, I should be able to swing it.

 

[WC145]

Gah, I don't know what I'm gonna do! I went and sat on the Mahindra, and cramped doesn't begin to describe it. There was no room at all for my size 15 clodhoppers. I couldn't get comfortable. Not a good thing for a piece of equipment I plan to spend quite a bit of time on.

I "fit" on a Kubota L, so I now have a request in for pricing on a new L2501 and L3301 with HST, 4x4, loaded tires, and FEL. I expect it will be more money than I wanted to lay down, but with the 84 month financing, I should be able to swing it.

Hey raver! Did you ever make a decision? Got pics?

I thought I'd follow up on my post since the weather has improved and we're getting into spring so I'm really starting to use my JD 1025R. In addition to everyday stuff like hauling manure, wood, etc., I've use it to clear and level an area that I'm going to have a building set. I had a load of crushed stone brought in and made short work of putting several buckets full where I wanted it so we could spread it out and make a pad.

Also, tilled the garden, including turning a few hundred pounds of rabbit manure into the dirt, and expanded it by about 30%. Having the tractor and the tiller made this job a breeze. I have a big walk behind that I used for a couple of years and it would have easily taken me two days to finish what I got done in under an hour with the JD. Not to mention saving me from getting the tar beat out of me working the walk behind!
Need to get a load of loam today to work into the new area and I'll probably expand it some more and work up some sort of hiller/bedder to attach to the tiller to make raised rows.
This is the original garden area after I got done with a few passes with the tiller, it does a great job breaking up the soil. Some of the chickens were helping but they don't get down deep enough to just rely on them.

If you haven't made a decision yet, I can't recommend this tractor enough, you really should go by a Deere dealer and check one out.

 

[raver]

I guess I did leave this hanging, didn't I?

Pulled the trigger on a Kubota L3301.

Loader
Loaded R4 Tires
Box Blade
3 Rear Remotes(Top N Tilt prepping)

I literally took delivery on Friday. Went for 0% 60 instead of the 84 month.

So far I used it for a bit on Saturday to get the spot on my driveway that bottomed out my truck, and to move some dirt to the base of a flight of stairs I built last year.

 

[model70hunter]

John Deere are not made in China,may have parts from China. The motors on their compact tractors are Yanmar diesels , that have been made a very long time in Japan and are bulletproof .The tractors are assembled in USA . I own a John Deere 3720 and have 970 hrs with no issues at all. One big thing to consider is how good your local dealer support is that goes a long way in my book. New this year John Deere has 6 year power train warranty on all 1-3 series models. One other thing to think about is resale value if you ever trade or sell. Also they usually offer 0% financing on new models and low financing on used tractors.Dont make the mistake I made with my first tractor I bought to small more horsepower is always a plus. I suggest you check out these forums Tractors by Net and Green Tractor Talk.

Whoops on the china remark. I did belong to both forums. Some of my absences here was tied to tractor forums.

I originally went to Deer to get a 55 HP tractor. By the time all the options were added on it was about 12-14K more than the Mahindra. At that time the Mahindra 55 HP with bucket was 16, 999. Mahindra gave me 2 K on a little Ford 8N I restored. JD suggested I keep the Ford and sell it.

Deere was not easy to work with, the Mahindra dealer said what do you want? We did the papers and it was home the next day.

I do like Deere and do not disparage the tractor, just the pricing.

 

[dusty3030]

I guess I did leave this hanging, didn't I?

Pulled the trigger on a Kubota L3301.

Loader
Loaded R4 Tires
Box Blade
3 Rear Remotes(Top N Tilt prepping)

I literally took delivery on Friday. Went for 0% 60 instead of the 84 month.

So far I used it for a bit on Saturday to get the spot on my driveway that bottomed out my truck, and to move some dirt to the base of a flight of stairs I built last year.

Awesome choice! That will do some work!