Tractors, anyone bought a new one?

This thread from 2017

I've been looking for a used tractor with a front end loader for 2 months now to do general dirt work around my property, moving rocks & stones around, towing things, knocking down trees, etc. I have one specific immediate issue where I am building a wall on my dam with 4.5 to 5' stones that weigh 800 lbs or so. Manuevering space is at a premium so I can't go a full sized tractor. I need a mid sized or one of the smaller ones, or so I thought. A neighbor called me last night with one of the smaller tractors with a 4' bucket, which would give me the most manueverability, but I quickly found out that my stones aren't 4' and slightly under like I thought, but are just over 4' so they won't fit in the bucket and the smaller tractor was having a lot of trouble with 750+# of the smaller stones that would fit. I had shopped a few new ones just to get an idea of price point so I would know what was a good price for a used one and now it's looking like a new one might be the only way I can get one as used ones are scarcer than hen's teeth and twice as dear to the owners. So my question is do the tractor dealers haggle on the prices? They want to give the impression they don't, but I haven't gone in and looked at the new ones in earnest with the intention of actually buying one. Any words of wisdom on tractor shopping or buying. I have owned a new John Deere before when I was building my house, but the payments made me sell it when I thought I was through. Boy was I ever far from through with needing a tractor!!

Sounds like you need a little backhoe. Look at used JCB midis, Yanmar CBL 40's and John Deere 110's. Also Kubota L45 and M59. They will all lift 2000 pounds no problem and are hydrostatic so more suited to excavating/landscaping type work than farm tractors which tend to have geared transmissions and are more suited to pulling implements and running PTO's. You can pick them up for $15,000 if you do your homework, but $25,000 would buy a nicer one. But if you insist on new then you will need deep pockets. Can't really help you with the haggling. Supply and demand.

Been there. Almost exactly. I haunted the local JD shop for a while. They did negotiate a bit but in the end I just couldn't deal with a $30,000 tractor when I drive (max) $15,000 cars. I took my time and ended up with a well cared for JD 870 from the '80's and bought a new westendorf loader. It does everything I need and under $10k. Plus, I like the look of a slightly older tractor. It makes it all a little more Green Acres for me.

I have bought 3 new tractors over the years. Dealers do not negotiate to the dame level as a car dealer. The market is too different. The manufacturers just dont put thousands on the hood. They are also much more straight forward with pricing. Ask for OTD cost and you get it without 400 trips to the sales manager. I have found most dealers are priced in the same ballpark (at least in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan). I would shop a dealer based off attitude. Some get kinda snotty with homeowners buying sub 40 horse instead of farmers buying combines. Some dont think the little ones are worth messing with.

I have found you get you negotiation in with add-ons bought at the time of purchase. Need a box blade and loaded tires? Most dealers will cut a better price if you buy the package. I have got smaller accessories like a log splitter and back blade at big discounts when they were purchased with the tractor. Sometimes you can get the 50 hour service filters thrown in for free.

I would strongly recommend checking out Kioti tractors. They are a helluva lot of bang for buck. We had a DK40 (recently sold it with the farm) and I was constantly impressed with its performance. Plus they are aggressively priced compared to Kubota or Deere.

Currently we only have our Kubota Bx1860 (the super wheelbarrow) which sounds like something similar to your neighbors. I would look at something in Kioti CK line since size is a concern.

As I am sure you have seen used tractors don't really drop in value like cars. Ours were bought new with 0% financing and warranty. We got almost full purchase price back when we sold.

If you need maneuverability in tight spaces and versatility, why not look into skid steers? My local CL usually has a pretty wide selection and the various attachments for just about any job.

I've got a New Holland 3415 with a 7309 loader. Has 740 hours on the clock. Needs a clutch. Engine runs strong, all hydraulics work. Paint faded, some tin dented, but no real damage. Always ran great.

Include bush hog, box blade, and shade roof.

$8000 for all. 31721

A farmer friend owned Massey Ferguson all his life. His last new puchase was Mahindra and he was thrilled. This from a man that wouldn't smile if he won the lottery.

By the way Tractor By Net is the official home of small tractors on line

Every time I've looked, and everybody I've known who has bought in this segment, has ended up buying new. Used ones are scarce or so close to new prices as to be irrelevant.

What is OTD cost?

A skid steer or back hoe won't do the job as well as a tractor, or at least as many jobs as a tractor. I have one specific tight space job, but all the rest of the jobs are open space jobs and I need the ability to get around better than a skid steer.

I know a medium frame tractor will do what I need done because that's what I had before.

Thanks for the info on the Kioti. The only one I've seen was one they were selling at an auction yesterday and it didn't run. The city uses them. Now to find a dealer so I can compare them.

I've been looking at New Holland, Mahindra and Kubota simply because I have those dealers near me. I really didn't want to buy new but if I can't find a used one in the next 30 days I will have no other choice because the dam wall job has to be completed by a certain date.

All of the tractors I've looked at have been in the $15,000-$16,000 range with a front loader, loaded tires (filled with water & antifreeze for weight) and a box blade. I had a back hoe on the last one and it got used very little and was always in the way. It is not a simple job to remove & replace it.

I'll try to find the Tractors by Net and see what they can show me.

In reply to carguy123:

The tires on mine are foam filled.

carguy123, I bought an '03 JD4410 ehydro (35hp,68tq) MFD in 2005 with 1360hrs. Came home with a front end loader (300x) and a mid mount 5' mower deck for right at $20k. Probably too much then but, here it is 2017 (2640 hrs) and along with a sundry assorted implements, including the woodmax6600 backhoe, this has been THE best $$$$ I've ever spent. Check the local JD toy store for used/trade in's. Have any questions PM me. late

In reply to TRoglodyte:

How long has he had it, and does he still like it? I've not heard too many positive Mahindra experiences.

In reply to bigdaddylee82:

Haven't seen him in a while, don't know how he likes it now?

Almost everything I've heard about Mahindras has been good.

I've had a JD so I know they are good, but they are priced like Porsches, far beyond what they should be for what they are and the competition.

Several of the JD dealers have recently closed their doors so it's a long haul to find a dealer and the used ones I've found have been twice the price of all other brands. I just don't have enough need for a tractor to warrant spending megabucks. If I were farming and needed a tractor every day then I'd probably look at them again.

My Nortrak (Jinma) 20hp from Northern Tools has been utterly reliable despite my shocking lack of maintenance. It's got a lot more in common with my 40s Farmall than a new Kabota, feature wise, but it is simple and reliable.

I bought mine with 80 hours for half the new price, but I think you can still get one in a crate with loader and backhoe attachment for under $10k if you're willing and able to do the final assembly yourself.

Edit: Looks like $16k with backhoe.

With tractors, I always buy used.

With cars, there is something to be said for the crucible of time. Wait a few years, let someone else take the depreciation hit, and any problems that are known to be rampant will show up on the forums.

Tractors are even better in the used world. They hold their value a little better than cars, but they hold their quality darn near forever. One of my best workhorses is a 1961 Ford 901 diesel. The hour meter broke with 8100 hours on it. It cannot be broken.

If I were shopping right now for a compact or mid-size tractor with a bucket and/or backhoe, I would be trolling for a 1970s Ford 1700, or anything in the 80s-90s Kubota or Mahindra. Major bang for the buck at 1/10th the cost of new.

I have a 1700 like pictured below. 4wd, diesel, 5' bucket and I put a backhoe on it. There isn't much it won't handle around the farm. Bought it for $3200 from a Mennonite family. Workhorse.

The only "new" tractor in the stable was a JD compact lawn tractor (x485), and even it was slightly used.

The issue is I'm having trouble finding a used one. Good to know about the old Fords. I've seen a few of them, but never one with a front bucket.

Northern Tool tractors, are you kidding? No you're not, they really have tractors. I am amazed. Harbor Freight doesn't have tractors, I looked.

But they aren't any cheaper than Mahindra or Kubota and I would have to pay to get the loaded tires.

In reply to felixphindela :

Hi. Dearest, But how would  are their canoes? A 20 hp caboe sounds like just what I need.

My dearest darling Felix

i prefer kubota tractors. 

bigdaddylee82 said:

How long has he had it, and does he still like it? I've not heard too many positive Mahindra experiences.

I haven't heard that at all.  I grew up in a farming community in PA where conservative and camo and gun racks are the norm.  When I saw a Mahindra dealer open up I thought, "this is JD and New Holland territory, they'll never sell."

We're quickly becoming Mahindra territory.

New Holland is still holding strong, as is International, but two JD dealers have closed.

In fact, if I were buying new right now I would likely pick a Mahindra over a Kubota.  The only nod I would give to Kubota is the more widely available options and proprietary accessories, but most of my stuff is 3-point anyway.

Zombie thread.  Canoe deleted.  

But since the thread is back let me give you an update.  The LS does everything I want it to do and more.  It's been awesome.  It isn't as powerful as my previous John Deere, but I knew that when I bought it and it was less than half the cost.

I've been hauling around 800# blocks in my bucket with ease.  Since I bought it I've found out many other tractors the same size won't do that.  It seems that's a weakness in Kubota's & Mahindras.

I pick them up with alacrity, raise them as high as I want and tote them wherever I want to go almost like they aren't there.

The water filled back tires have been the ticket.  I've gotten it stuck a couple of times when I was cleaning out one of my ponds, but I was able to get it out pretty easily. 

My Deere had the back hoe in the rear which would have made getting unstuck much easier, but then I'd have had to be toting that thing around all the time with it always getting in the way.

It's heavy enough to knock trees over with ease.  That's something I seem to have to do with regularity.

No maintenance and nothing has broken. 

So the LS (really a New Holland) was a good buy.

 

Kinda glad this got zombie canoed to the top.

Sounds like lot's of people here have tractor experience.  I on the other hand, other than growing up in the town where David Brown tractors were made have zero tractor knowledge.  From one of the long time owner/users, can someone give the rest of us a primer on tractors, sizes, types, attachemnts, how they are used etc?

I have no use or need for a tractor, other than a long time daydream of one day leaving the rat race and suburbia to have 20 odd acres up North and be able to build my off grid family compound. 

Curtis said:

bigdaddylee82 said:

How long has he had it, and does he still like it? I've not heard too many positive Mahindra experiences.

We're quickly becoming Mahindra territory.

I have a buddy who runs a little 5 acre truck farm, and he swears by his small-frame Mahindra.