1 tractor rest of forever -- what brand?

[5030]

My take on any tractor is, they will all last a long time if taken care of properly. My 2000 and 2002 Kubota M9's with 4000 and 6000 hours respectively have been trouble free but I'm careful about their care and feeding always. Those are farming hours, not hobby hours as well.

 

[Jstpssng]

Yesterday I had the displeasure of operating a JD 3038. My knees were in my chest with little room for my size 12 feet. Seat was

I'm just a little guy. But I looked at one of those when I was shopping 5 years ago and just burst out laughing!
My Kubota has both the electric PTO and a clutch. I tried engaging it without the clutch just once, and that was enough. When I have my rotary mower on in particular I ease it out very slowly. It's a heavy 5 foot 1976 IH, and and the steel drive shaft cover probably weighs more than a pto shaft today.

 

[ericm979]

The electric over hydraulic PTO on my Branson had a soft start feature. It slips the PTO wet clutch just a little when engaging it. It will start up my Woodmaxx chipper with a 200lb flywheel that's geared up 2x (so it has the inertia of a 400 lb flywheel) at idle without even slowing down.

 

[Ricn]

My last tractor will be the Kubota MX5200, but keeping all others I now have.

 

[billknecht]

If you want brand new, then ease of working on it is going to be a problem. 2012 was the last year of tractors being easy to work on. Maybe 2013 with certain models, but that's hit or miss.

When I was buying brand new, I wanted the most HP I could get with a cab tractor, and not have DEF fluid. I felt that Massey Ferguson had everything I wanted. If I wanted a smaller tractor, I was impressed with Yanmar.

I have an older JD 5065E that is very simple to work on and I can buy parts for it online. I love buying online and not having to drive to the dealer, then waiting for them to come in, and then driving to the dealer to get them.

I believe there are also a lot of sources to buy Kubota parts online too. I'm not sure about all the other brands, but I would check before buying anything.

This post frankly scares me, re where America is headed. Call me an old f**t, but I am FIRMLY a "Right to Repair" guy.

My two machines are circa 1971 and 1997. I just changed out the water pump myself on the '71 MF135, and it was doable, even for a newbie like myself. In contrast, we bought a JD 560e Gator UTV, and it quickly began dieseling, resulting in a bent pushrod & a trip to the dealer for repair. There was little I could see in that machine that was user-repairable.

If you want "new", that's your choice. My only advice is to beware of critters. A wood rat decided to build a nest in my NH6610, and I'm still working on that fix, two wiring harnesses @ two grand later. Wiring is quite complex, but, still, at least not impossible. A dealer would've advised selling that machine for parts (I paid 18K for it). I also have game-camera video of another wood rat trying to nest in the MF135. I now leave the hoods of both open, and no further problems. Peppermint oil is what I use in my cars to keep out mice, but nothing I've found yet seems to work for wood rats. I can only imagine what they'd do to a machine that requires dealer fixing.

 

[daugen]

I thought John Deere lost the class action suit on right to repair and had to open up more.
maybe they appealed..............

 

[5030]

Having said that, I wouldn't expect that from a newer model.

I would so long as the unit is maintained correctly and not beat on. All about taking care of them correctly and properly and not flogging them all the time.

My 6000 plus hour M9 has never had any mechanical issues other than routine maintenance and having the overhead set when required and I suspect it will outlast me and probably the next owner so long as they maintain it properly.

 

[billknecht]

I thought John Deere lost the class action suit on right to repair and had to open up more.
maybe they appealed..............

You're correct. JD lost. 1 tractor rest of forever -- what brand?

However, I think we all realize what that means. It's not like they're going to abandon their computerized engines and displays, and go back to parts we can order from Yesterday's Tractors or Amazon, and replace ourselves. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to diagnose an ECU, or rewire a modern tractor. I have a Ph.D. in experimental psychology, with a minor in computer science, and took an electronics class (undergrad), and the main wiring harness on my '97 NH6610 is still so complex it's almost incomprehensible. Trying to deal with anything 2020-ish is just unimaginable.

 

[livemusic]

This post frankly scares me, re where America is headed. Call me an old f**t, but I am FIRMLY a "Right to Repair" guy.

My two machines are circa 1971 and 1997. I just changed out the water pump myself on the '71 MF135, and it was doable, even for a newbie like myself. In contrast, we bought a JD 560e Gator UTV, and it quickly began dieseling, resulting in a bent pushrod & a trip to the dealer for repair. There was little I could see in that machine that was user-repairable.

If you want "new", that's your choice. My only advice is to beware of critters. A wood rat decided to build a nest in my NH6610, and I'm still working on that fix, two wiring harnesses @ two grand later. Wiring is quite complex, but, still, at least not impossible. A dealer would've advised selling that machine for parts (I paid 18K for it). I also have game-camera video of another wood rat trying to nest in the MF135. I now leave the hoods of both open, and no further problems. Peppermint oil is what I use in my cars to keep out mice, but nothing I've found yet seems to work for wood rats. I can only imagine what they'd do to a machine that requires dealer fixing.

A rat got into my niece's car at her brand new home and chewed up the wiring harness and it was over $4,000 to fix. Thank goodness, her insurance paid. Such expense is nuts! That is scary! Modern vehicles of any sort are way too complicated, it's just crazy. Bells and whistles, technology made it possible but it is ruining it for the average person.

 

[Mike1955]

For me, it would

I would guess that Kubota is the most popular compact tractor these days. Thinking that it and John Deere are 1 and 2? So, I have a Mahindra but I might sell it in order to get exactly what I need in a tractor. Primary needs are pasture clipping 7 acres and use in a 50-acre woodlot for managing trees and trails. Was thinking that JD or Kubota would provide...

- parts availability
- dependable
- design
- performance
- ease of maintenance
- resale ability down the way
- plenty of dealers

If you could find exactly what you want in a tractor, what brand would you buy? Being as dependable as possible, easiest to maintain, parts availability and ability to resell down the way are very important in this discussion. Easiest to maintain probably No.1 because I am age 70 and do maintenance and repairs that I can but I am not the type that relishes tinkering, lol, plus, I work alone mostly. Buying used would be great if one is found but not averse to buying new if have to. Should be my last tractor.

Doesn't have to be JD or Kubota but that's my thinking.