A Long Wait for a TN60A!

[Larry-On-The-Hilltop]

Greetings, All-

I'd been poking in the corners here for a while and finally decided to purchase a NH TN60A to replace my overworked 3415. As I wanted the 16X16 power shuttle with a 2WD tractor, it had to be special ordered (groan!). The 4WD was a little pricey for me, and if I can't get there with a good set of skidder chains on the back of a 2WD, I probably shouldn't be there with a tractor anyway For those of you who might be curious, I ordered:

TN60A, 2WD, with the F3 fronts and the 14.9x28 rears
16X16 Power Shuttle
16.9 GPM Hydraulic Pump
Horizontal exhaust
Mid Mount Remotes
Front Weight Kit (for when the loader's off and I have the heavy 88" Alamo Flail on the back)
Rear Weight Set
759C Backhoe with 24" HD bucket (from my old 759C)

I was going to get the 32LC loader until I found there simply weren't any to be had. My dealer is really good about things, and he warned me that the new loaders weren't nearly as nice as the 32LC. When I compared the specs between the 32LA (MSL), 32LC, and the new 810/820, I was shocked at how weak the new TL loaders are! Anyhow, I scoured the countryside and bought a new 32LA MSL to put on the front and dropped it with my dealer for installation (nobody would transfer for me - too precious!) I've ordered the 84" HD bucket and a set of pallet forks to pop on the front of the loader and think that I should be one happy camper when it all comes in!

The bad news is that production isn't scheduled until January 18th, 2007, and I ordered in late October! So much for the 3 year/0% finance offers... Well, I needed it anyway. My question for all of you would be is there anything in particular or special for which I should watch for on late model TN-A tractors when I take delivery or in the first 50 hours? Granted, it's not for a while yet, but I'm getting new tractor envy... My dealer seems to be pretty well on the ball, but like me, he's not perfect and I'd like to make sure neither one of us misses anything. I've enjoyed reading all of your posts, including those with RickB's awesome diagnostic skills, and would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks for the input,
Larry

 

[Doc_Bob]

Get a "skid plate" for the tank. Since yours has not been built, easy enough to add.
Bob

 

[IH3444]

That's a real disappointment about the 32LC loader, and the reduced specs on the new loader. I spoke with an engineer from Miller Loaders, whom told me they build the 32LC loaders for the TN series NHs. The 32LC loader is a very powerful loader, and will be sorely missed in the NH lineup.

 

[Larry-On-The-Hilltop]

That's not a bad idea about the tank shield; you'd think it would be standard. I'll have to call the dealer tomorrow about that one.

Yes, it was pretty disappointing to see the loader specs trending down from model to model. The last thing I wanted was a new, larger loader that was only as strong as the smaller older loader I was trading in. I'll blame it all on the corporate bean counters as opposed to the engineers... Both the 32LA and the 759C backhoe were/are manufactured by Alamo-SMC (used to be Schwartz), which I believe is out of somewhere in South Dakota. The 32LA is still sold as the 4211 loader, and the 759C as the 95 backhoe, and both are distributed through Rhino (another Alamo label.) IMHO, they make very strong and serviceable implements, as I've never had any problems with either my old 759C or the 7309 loader after the delivery was finished.

 

[Big_Cajun]

Larry:

Congratulations on your purchase. I went to the NH dealer yesterday and sat on one of these...a very nice unit. Would you be willing to share what the tractor cost you? Just the tractor itself. Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post it.

Thanks.

BC

 

[Larry-On-The-Hilltop]

I ended up paying cost plus $1K for whatever I wanted, and that's after all the various program discounts on the tractor and backhoe are applied, which is my kind of bargain. Assembly, prep, and delivery is an extra $400, which also isn't bad, considering I'm really not inclined to do that work (let alone potential warranty issues.) I can't really begrudge my dealer his due, as he's not even being greedy! Some other local places from which I quoted were almost $4500 higher than what I'm paying for this unit, and others told me they just don't sell anything bigger than the TCs anymore. My dealer's certainly earned his keep so far; we'll see if the service after the sale is as good (and I've no reason to think it won't be.) My only hope is that NH doesn't jack up the prices before the end of the year, as I don't have 'price protection' on the tractor

 

[PineRidge]

I'm curious Larry, just how much extra was 4WD and how long do you plan on keeping this tractor working?

 

[Larry-On-The-Hilltop]

If I remember properly, the 4WD was an extra $3750 or so. The cab was an extra $6700 on top of that. I would have loved a 4WD with cab, but the total for the entire tractor was becoming mich greater than the down payment on my house, and I hope the house lasts a little longer If you're really curious, MN DOT has a real nice webpage with reasonably current NH order guides as Acrobats for download, and list prices on which to reckon any guess. Cost appears to be roughly 76% of the retail list prices.

With any luck, I'll be keeping this one for at least thirty years, like Dad's old 8N. If I were to trade, then yes, 4WD would have made more sense as I'd always get the money back out of it. I found that I've never needed 4WD when I had a good pair of chains on the 2WD. That, and there are all those extra parts up front, leading to a lot of friction, wear, and both tire and other expense down the road. Fortunately, I live on the hilltop, so there aren't too many steep grades with which to contend. I'd also have bought the TN70A or 75A, but I didn't need the extra horses for the flail. The 3415 drives the Alamo just fine though fairly heavy grass with a couple less horsepower, but it simply isn't up to all the use, between the mower, hoe (yes, with a subframe) and flail. Besides, according to the Nebraska tests, the TN60A burns less fuel than a TC55 at max power under loads. (The TC55 appears to have the same N844L Shibaura motor as my old 3415)

 

[PineRidge]

If I remember properly, the 4WD was an extra $3750 or so. The cab was an extra $6700 on top of that. I would have loved a 4WD with cab, but the total for the entire tractor was becoming mich greater than the down payment on my house, and I hope the house lasts a little longer If you're really curious, MN DOT has a real nice webpage with reasonably current NH order guides as Acrobats for download, and list prices on which to reckon any guess. Cost appears to be roughly 76% of the retail list prices.

With any luck, I'll be keeping this one for at least thirty years, like Dad's old 8N. If I were to trade, then yes, 4WD would have made more sense as I'd always get the money back out of it. I found that I've never needed 4WD when I had a good pair of chains on the 2WD. That, and there are all those extra parts up front, leading to a lot of friction, wear, and both tire and other expense down the road. Fortunately, I live on the hilltop, so there aren't too many steep grades with which to contend. I'd also have bought the TN70A or 75A, but I didn't need the extra horses for the flail. The 3415 drives the Alamo just fine though fairly heavy grass with a couple less horsepower, but it simply isn't up to all the use, between the mower, hoe (yes, with a subframe) and flail. Besides, according to the Nebraska tests, the TN60A burns less fuel than a TC55 at max power under loads. (The TC55 appears to have the same N844L Shibaura motor as my old 3415)

$3750. divided by 30 years is only 125.00 a year. Worth every penny IMHO. I tend to look at the cost of additions over the life of the tractor. And if you decided to sell it your resale would be higher with 4WD as that's what the majority wants. Either way it's still a great tractor.

 

[Doc_Bob]

$3750. divided by 30 years is only 125.00 a year. Worth every penny IMHO. I tend to look at the cost of additions over the life of the tractor. And if you decided to sell it your resale would be higher with 4WD as that's what the majority wants. Either way it's still a great tractor.

Mike, we think a like. MY FWA has been a lifesaver and allows the tractor to go places and do things that 2WD would never allow. I run in 2WD all the time until I get into a low traction situation. Then I engage 4WD. This way I keep the wear and tear factor down. The safety factor is to great to ignore.
Bob

 

[PineRidge]

Bob years ago when I purchased my 1st new auto, at that time I was set to purchase just the basic stripped down car. My old man, (now deceased) told me to add some bells and whistles and take the difference divided by the number of years that I would be driving the car. For just a few bucks more a month I ended up with a really great car that was a pleaseure to drive.

 

[Larry-On-The-Hilltop]

Yes, you could think of amortizing the cost of 4WD over the life of the tractor, but I'm not using the tractor as my primary means of support. I still have a Ford 1600 2WD from 1978 that has 3100 hours on it now that's mowed the lawn with a 74" flail, dragged a single bottom moldboard plow and disc harrow, and driven a snowblower many winters faithfully for the last 28 years. May it last many more! Hopefully the TN will offer the same great level of reliability and durability; I've no experience with European-built tractors, only ancient domestics and units from ol' Nippon, but it was on the strength of what I read here that I plunked for the NH TN series as opposed to JD, Kubota, or some other brand.

In my case, I had a threshold level of indebtedness that I didn't want to exceed, as I'm a little old fashioned and prefer not to overextend myself. Besides, there are other places to park the extra cost that offer a significantly better ROI (return on investment) for me

 

[Big_Cajun]

Valid points Larry...thanks for letting us know what it cost you. I see the point of cost averaging the initial cost of 4WD over the working life of a tractor as the other guys have explained...makes darn good sense. I'll stick with the 2WD as it is what I can afford, and hopefully later the difference will pay off in a down payment on a new house and many new tractors down the road (necessary tools as I refer to them so that my wife will understand my need for the iron and diesel).

Congratulations again.

BC

 

[JerryG]

My FIL thought the same things about 4wd. That was until I worked with him one fall and winter. It didn't take very long for him to buy a 4wd after that.

 

[DmansPadge]

My FIL thought the same things about 4wd. That was until I worked with him one fall and winter. It didn't take very long for him to buy a 4wd after that.

It sounds like Larry is very comfortable with a 2wd tractor... I'm sure he'd have a 4wd if he really needed it.

We just got a TN60 at work. It's a really nice unit. I was surprised at how open and easy to get to the engine was. Maintenance will be real easy on this one. This is our second NH.. the other is a TS90 (used as a slope mower) with around 3000 hrs and little or no problems to date. I'm sure the TN60 will be the same.

Don't go crazy waiting on your new tractor!!

 

[Larry-On-The-Hilltop]

Thanks, BC. Trust me, I thought about the 4WD, but at the end of the day would rather have had a really well-optioned 2WD for the same $$. I'll just try not to get too bad a case of tractor envy in the meantime With the holiday season coming up, I probably won't have time to worry about it until after the new year, and a new tractor coming in during February is a nice way to break up the winter doldrums. I just keep hoping that the financing deals are favorable then...