45-55HP choices

[PatMcD]

I think I'm in the market for a basic 4WD tractor with loader in the 45-55HP range. Use will be mostly bush-hogging and logging/firewood woods work. It seems if I go to any of the brand specific forums with comments, I'll just get answers from satisfied owners, and not much criticisms. That's human nature; I understand.
I guess what I need to know is if there are any brands in my HP range that I should stay away from, or, are there any bad manufacturers?
The dealers I have available to me are New Holland, LS, Mahindra, Deere, Kubota, Kioti, Massey, and Yanmar. I can't find many bad things about any of these.

 

[GManBart]

Odds are you can buy any machine in that size range, from any of those manufacturers, and be very happy with it's performance, and quality. If you have a problem with any of them, it's really just bad luck. R,

 

[wolftree]

I agree with GManBart, find the tractor that fits you and your needs best. Try them all out. It will come down to a knob fitting your hand better on one brand of tractor over another brand.

 

[dusty3030]

That's a "in between" range though. You are going to find choices all over the board and different prices.
That is on the higher range of horsepower and size on the compact tractor lines and the bottom end of the utility lines.
The compact will be lighter / smaller / usually more nimble and easier to transport (1/2 ton towable in most cases)
The Utility tractor will be a little bigger and heavier and more capable at some things than the same horse smaller one (ground engaging stuff)
As far as the brands you mentioned in your first post - all of them are great brands and I personally would be happy owning any of them.

So, just be sure you compare apples to apples and try a few first before you buy.
As in you can't fairly compare a John Deere geared tranny basic utility 45 horse power against a Kubota Grand L compact hydro of the same horsepower or vice versa.

 

[flusher]

The dealers you mention all have good tractors. Most important factor is the dealer. Your best bet is to buy from a dealer who has decent service and parts departments, who sells dozens of tractors per year and who has been in business for at least 5 years.

If you plan to do your own periodic maintenance, carefully check the access to air, oil and hydraulic filters, brake adjustments, grease zirks, etc. All the filters on my 2008 Mahindra 5525 are readily accessible except for the wire mesh filter in the hydraulic return line. It's a struggle to get to that part, but you don't have to clean it very often. Had the same problem on a 2005 Kubota B7510HST that I owned before getting the 5525.

Good luck

 

[Corey MARSHALL MACHINERY]

The best way to observe each tractor is from the seat,
to see what works best for you.
All of them are set up a little different

 

[doxford jim]

Just a thought though many will not agree (brand loyalty), what about looking at other tractors outside of the major brands. They cost much less and can be a good buy in certain circumstances. I say this because I bought a Jinma 554 (4WD and 55HP, geared) tractor with FEL for $15,000 (US) new including delivery. It was a crated tractor and came with just parts warranty, no labour covered - I assembled the tractor myself..
For me it was just fine as I have a good sized workshop and can do my own maintenance. I have had a few small problems which were easily fixed (minor electrical).
I went from a 1959 MF65 to the Jinma - I am retired and live on a low fixed income. Buying one of the major brands was out of the question. Buying a used major brand was prohibitive where I live. To get a new tractor and FEL at 1/3 to 1/4 of the cost of a major brand was attractive to me and it has worked out just fine. If I win the lottery then I will get another new tractor with cabe etc., but for now can live with what I have.
I would look at Foton and Dongfen - both have good writeups. I bought Jinma due to parts availability.
Good luck with your choice and ignore the "nay sayers" - they spent tooooo much money to be taken seriously

 

[DarkBlack]

Buying a used major brand was prohibitive where I live.

Why is that?

Personally, I believe a high quality brand used tractor is better than a brand new "Chinese quality" tractor. I think this is true at the purchase time, and even more evident when some years go by.

 

[doxford jim]

Why is that?

Personally, I believe a high quality brand used tractor is better than a brand new "Chinese quality" tractor. I think this is true at the purchase time, and even more evident when some years go by.

Dealers quoting $1,00 per hp as a rule of thumb

 

[grm61]

Dealers quoting $1,00 per hp as a rule of thumb

About half that for a Kioti or LS with a loader.......

 

[GManBart]

Dealers quoting $1,00 per hp as a rule of thumb

Must be a crazy market there. Rounding up to the next thousand, you can get a 47hp LS for $22K or a 45hp Kioti for $25K around here, and even the more expensive brands like Deere and Kubota can be had for way less than $1K/hp.

 

[doxford jim]

I am just repeating what the local dealers in central BC (Canada) use for pricing. We have gotten used to being screwed up here on most things as our prices are probably double what you guys in the US pay. Just ask any Canadian and you will spend a long time listening LOL.
Just so you don't misunderstand, I would like a major brand tractor, but being a pensioner and on a low fixed income dictates what I can afford. For what I spent, the Chinese tractor has more than met my needs. Could be better but money is not just a consideration but a controlling factor.
Also, buying used can be a big headache and cost far too much money to repair - why do you think a lot of tractors are sold used ! There are good buys out there, but finding one is the big problem.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

To the OP, I don't think you can find a "bad" or unreliable tractor among those dealers you listed unless you just get unlucky. They are all good. The important thing is to drive them and see which ones feel the best.

When I was shopping, I had a really hard time deciding. There will little things I liked about one over another, but other things I liked about the other one. In the end, I finally decided there is no perfect tractor and simply chose the one that I thought provided the best combination of value, useful features, ergonomics and dealer support.

Doxford jim, thumbs up to you for finding what you could afford and having the skills and tenacity to assemble it and maintain it yourself. That's exactly what my dad and grandad did. They bought what they could afford, and they made it work.

 

[PatMcD]

I did a little bit more calling around yesterday and today. John Deere and Kubota are out. I know it's been said before, but I think you're paying for paint color with those 2 brands. New Holland, also to a lesser extent.

I'm interested in the LS R4047. Dealer gave me a phone price of $22,250. Just not sure how I'll like going from a small but heavy utility-type tractor I have now (Long 460DT) to a large compact. Probably a mental thing.
Another dealer has a LS U5530 for $27,500. I liked it, but I like $5250 in my pocket, too.

 

[GManBart]

I did a little bit more calling around yesterday and today. John Deere and Kubota are out. I know it's been said before, but I think you're paying for paint color with those 2 brands. New Holland, also to a lesser extent.

I'm interested in the LS R4047. Dealer gave me a phone price of $22,250. Just not sure how I'll like going from a small but heavy utility-type tractor I have now (Long 460DT) to a large compact. Probably a mental thing.
Another dealer has a LS U5530 for $27,500. I liked it, but I like $5250 in my pocket, too.

Those are both solid machines, but the U5030 offers a couple of things that can make a big difference. For one, the FEL goes nearly 20" higher, and lifts 400lbs more to that height. If I could change any one thing on my R4047, it would be to add maybe 10-12" of FEL lift height. It's normally not a problem, but when I load my neighbor's small dump truck, I'm right at the limit. The other big thing is the 5030 has 10hp more at the PTO, which will let you run bigger implements. If there's any "downside" other than $, it would be that they don't offer the 5030 with HST, but that won't mean anything to some folks.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

The LS U5030 also has a self-leveling loader, which would be nice.

The U5030 is quite a bit larger than the R4047, and it feels like it too. At the time I tried both of them out, I preferred the size of the R4047. But now that I've used my Kioti DK50SE for a while, I think the U5030 would be a perfect size.

 

[PatMcD]

I'll be running a 6' bush hog and a Fransgard logging winch on the PTO. I think either of the the 2 LS tractors I mentioned will handle that no problem.

A lot of my mowing and log-twitching takes place under low tree branches. I can see me bending (at the very least) the upright exhaust on the U5030 if I'm not careful.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I think I'm in the market for a basic 4WD tractor with loader in the 45-55HP range. Use will be mostly bush-hogging and logging/firewood woods work. It seems if I go to any of the brand specific forums with comments, I'll just get answers from satisfied owners, and not much criticisms. That's human nature; I understand.
I guess what I need to know is if there are any brands in my HP range that I should stay away from, or, are there any bad manufacturers?
The dealers I have available to me are New Holland, LS, Mahindra, Deere, Kubota, Kioti, Massey, and Yanmar. I can't find many bad things about any of these.

Kubota MX 4700 or upgrade to 5100. These are incredible work horses without all the girly frills.

 

[GManBart]

I'll be running a 6' bush hog and a Fransgard logging winch on the PTO. I think either of the the 2 LS tractors I mentioned will handle that no problem.

A lot of my mowing and log-twitching takes place under low tree branches. I can see me bending (at the very least) the upright exhaust on the U5030 if I'm not careful.

The R4047 will run a 6' brush hog like it's barely even there. Because of that, I've been considering getting a 7' model to save a little time. I've never used a logging winch, but looking at the Fransgard specs you should be able to run all but their very largest model with no problem.

 

[terryknight]

OP - it sounds like you are leaning more towards a no frills utility tractor, but that is a decision you're going to need to make. also new or used. with the prices of used round here (don't know about you) and the financing buying new makes more sense and you get a warranty. for deere i would suggest the 50xxE series, for NH the workmaster series, case has the same tractors, massey the 2605,2615, 2635, LS has the 5020 and 5030, kioti the DK55, Mahindra 5530, kubota the mx4700/5100, m5460