About to Buy, Need Advice

[RAMARSDEN]

This site is GREAT! I recently bought 20 acres, part mountain/canyon, part gentle sloping meadow, and have plans to build a new home for myself and my wife next year. There's a sandy dirt road up the mountain (5-12 %) which needs repair and maintenance, and a lot of construction, fencing, and landscape related work ahead.

Long term, I'll be doing routine maintenance, forest management, drainage, etc.. I plan to buy a tractor with a loader and box scraper, and rent things like post hole digger and chipper/shredder as needed (at least at first). After initial landscape and construction is over, my usage will be occasional.

Researching this, I find the options mind boggling. Can you folks help me? I want a powerful unit with strong lifting and dragging capability, at least through the first few years, and then I'll decide whether to sell it and scale down or not. I want good resale value and low maintenance. I can afford to spend 20K if necessary, but I'd want to be able to get most of it back in three years if I sell. I am an inveterate buyer of newer used cars, trucks, and boats, and I'd prefer to buy used as long as it isn't a total crap shoot. I have never used a tractor, but I have construction experience, am mechanical, and good with tools.

Intended Uses:
Lifting/moving earth, gravel, yard waste, etc.
Mowing two acre meadow 2x per year.
Lifting lumber piles with forks.
Grading dirt road.
Post holes.
Chipping forest refuse and deadfall.

I'm looking at a used 2004 Kubota L3130 GST with new loader, digital dash, canopy, R4 tires, 112 hrs, in great shape, 500 miles away for $17,900, no tax. (est. $400.00 shipping). Would need to add box scraper.

I've seen lower prices on B2910, Kioti LB 1914, Deere 790, Deere 4210, etc., as well as much older equipment for much less. Don't know where to start.

Also, there are loads of brands with oriental names I've never heard of, like Hinomoto, Iseki, Shibaura, Suzue, etc., with used prices in the 5-10K range: Do I want to get into smething like that? Is parts/maintenance/repair a problem with these?

Zen-noh appears to be built by Kubota, but I assume there's a difference. The prices are attractive, and there are a fair number available. Worth a look?

Your comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Randy Marsden
Santa Cruz, CA

 

[Bird]

Randy, the trouble with giving advice to questions like this is that it's like giving you advice as to whether to buy a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge; personal preference is a major factor. That L3130 is probably a good choice, although personally, I'd much rather have a hydrostatic transmission instead of the glideshift, while others might even prefer a manual transmission. If you've never used a tractor, of course there are lots of member on the forum who can and will answer nearly any specific questions you might have. You might also click on the "STORE" above and consider buying Muhammad's book Compact Tractor Buying & Basics eBook for some good information. In most cases (not all, of course), and for most jobs, a small tractor can do the work; just takes longer than it would with a larger tractor. Visit different dealers, test drive different tractors, and ask any questions you wish on the forum. Good luck, happy tractor hunting, and welcome to TBN.

 

[frank_f15]

The 3130 sounds ok, but would you be buying sight unseen? what area of the country are you in? you might want to fill in your profile a bit to help the guys give you better advise.

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> Zen-noh appears to be built by Kubota, but I assume there's a difference. </font>

RAMARSDEN,

I'm not a betting man...but I would be willing to be the house that Kubota builds Kubota tractors and NOT Zen-noh tractors...not even close...

Do your homework and don't get sucked onto claims like this. It is hard enough to make a decision between the main tractors brands. Anyone who claims falsely that his tractor brand is built by one of the well known names, when it is not true, is someone to stay far away from.

Choosing a tractor is a tough job. Whatever you end up with will be a wonderful tool. Y ou want to size the tractor to meet your needs, but without experience you don't ( and probably can't anyway) have a basis for making a good decision.

I don't know all the tractor models and sizes. But for your stated needs I think if it were me I would be looking at a Kubota L3130 size machine. Color doesn't matter. My guess is that all the well known brands are pretty much equally reliable.

A name brand would give better resale in the future...

Tractors get smaller with use, so even if the L3130 size looks big to you at first, by the time a couple years goes by, you will likely find it suits you just fine on 20 acres. I think my B2910 is about perfect on my 3.7 acres.

<font color="blue"> Also, there are loads of brands with oriental names I've never heard of, like Hinomoto, Iseki, Shibaura, Suzue, etc., with used prices in the 5-10K range: Do I want to get into smething like that? </font>

Short answer: No.

These are most likely gray market tractors, which means you may find little or no support if you run into problems. They are probably great tractors till they fail. Then the tractor will sit until you scrounge up a part that you need. You likely will not find a part locally, or even a local source to order one from. Three of those four names are Japanese by the way, but that means nothing if you cannot get parts to fix them.

I don't know if anything I have said will be of any use or not.

Do keep in mind though, that tractors get smaller the more you use them. Don't go too small to begin with...or you may be unhappy in the long run. When I was tractor shopping a couple years ago, when I saw a Kubota B2910 I wrote it off as too big, period. On a whim I bought one without even sitting on it. Best move I ever made...

 

[RAMARSDEN]

Frank_F15;
Thanks for the reply. I'd like to fill in my profile, but I can't figure out how. This is like bumming a smoke and then having to ask for a light...want me to smoke it for you too???

I'm in Santa Cruz, on the Monterey Bay, not far from San Jose. Know the way?

I think maybe I should follow my friend's advice and rent one for a day and get an idea what I'm getting into. I can rent a B2910 for +/- $300 a day. If I get some work done, that might be worth it. Also, the L3130 is in San Deigo, a place I go to on business occasionally; I wouldn't want to buy anything sight unseen.

Randy

 

[thcri]

RAMARSDEN,

I think Henro and the others are giving good advice. If re-sale is of great concern I would stay with New Holland, John Deere or Kubota. Not necessarily in any order. If one of the above is more dominent then that would be the one to kind of stay by. If you can find a good one of them used approx 2 or years old that would be even better for re-sale. These compact utility tractors hold their value pretty good but you still loose some when you take it off the lot new. Your idea of renting is not a bad idea. Give you a feel of each one.

Take your time if you have it in selecting a tractor. Also I really think that once you bring a tractor home you won't want to downsize. You will want to stay where your at or larger. Just a thought.

murph

 

[Golfgar4]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Thanks for the reply. I'd like to fill in my profile, but I can't figure out how. )</font>

Randy,

First, welcome to TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Second, don't feel bad about not being being able to fill in the profile information. The majority of TBN members went through the same thing when they got started, including myself! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

It really is easy. Just go to the top of the page and click on My Home . From there, you'll be at a screen that is called Main Configuration . Page down on that screen until you see Personal Information. To the right of that you'll see the word Edit . Just click on that and it'll open up the screen where you "fill in the blanks" so to speak.

After you've finished doing that, I would encourage you to check out the other areas of the My Home screen so that you become a little more comfortable with using it. You should also read through the FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions screen. You will find answers to most of the common questions asked by new members.

And last but certainly not least, post a question in a forum or you can even send a private message to any of the moderators. We'd be happy to assist you anyway that we can.

We look forward to your future contributions! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[SteveM]

Zen-Noh is a Japanese goverment cooperative that provides leased machines to member farmers. You will find tractors of a variety of brands in Japan with the Zen-Noh label. In the US, Kubota has taken aggressive steps to litigate anyone selling grey market Kubotas in this country, so the crafty grey market importers simply bring in the Japanese market Kubotas with the Zen-Noh label. Anyhow, if you are concerned with resale, you are forced to stay with the big three. Even Kioti and Mahindra - which are both excellent tractors - suffer from lower resale. Other than us tractor-hobbyists, most folks have not heard of these newer brands; so when you go to sell, the off brands take a beating on price. Also make sure to get hydrostatic, 4wd and a front loader - these are the options most folks want, and will help resale.

 

[RAMARSDEN]

Steve;
The used L3130 I saw is GST, not HST. Someone else mentioned not liking the Glide Shift transmission. Can anyone explain the basic difference?

Also, any negative opinions about buying through Ebay? I talked to the L3130 seller on the phone, and he will sell now for the minimum bid. Any risks invbolved in this, if he guarantees satisfaction and I go there to see and test the tractor before transferring funds?

Randy

 

[Soundguy]

I'd like to add that for 18K, you can get a new tractor with loader.. though probably not as big as the kubota you looked at. Something like a tc29d.. etc.

With grades, and hills.. go 4wd and probably hydro.. both will be nice for the loader as well. If you had more flat property.. I'd deffinately reccomend more into a 30-40 hp machine.. but with lots of woods, hills mountains and canyons.. a smaller more agile and decked out tractor may suit you.

One other thing.. With only 2 ac to mow... I'd go ahead and buy the rotary mower.. a 4' can be had in the 500$ and a 5' in the high 5 or low 6 hundred range. A 5' mower is decent for the 30 hp tractors.. and I don't doubt that a tc29d would tote it.. however.. a 4' may make you more maneuverable.

Soundguy

 

[DavesTractor]

Mahindra, Kioti and Branson/Century are great machines and you get a lot for your money. The resale issue has been debated so many times, but essentially you pay less for the machine and it is worth less when you sell it. So where is the loss? At least here in California where I live (and sell tractors), we never see people trying to give away a used Branson, Mahindra or Kioti. As soon as one is advertised, it is gone. It may be different elsewhere, but that is the case here.

The Chinese tractors are worth a lot less, but again they are very cheap to purchase. In my opinion, they aren't a good value unless you enjoy working on your tractor and are willing to accept old technology and poor ergonomics. Some really like them though, so to each his own. Certainly you get a lot of metal per $$.

On the grays, you likely will not get power-steering and you will not get a ROPS. Parts are available, but they will often need to be ordered and sent to you. Sometimes you will have to settle for a used part or an aftermarket part, or have a dealer order the part direct from Japan. Quality is good, but they certainly have issues, especially if you don't have a capable dealer behind you. I sell them, as well as Mahindra and Branson, but a gray market tractor isn't for everyone or every application.

On a world-wide basis, Mahindra sells about the same amount of units as John Deere and Kubota, sometimes more. They are relatively new in the USA, about 10 years, so the dealer network is still being developed, but it is growing very quickly. The smaller Mahindra's are built in Japan by Mitsubishi, the medium size in S. Korea, and the larger ones in India.

Back on resale for a minute, all brands suffer a loss from new to used. If you finance, there is more to consider. For example, a used JD (or other major brand) with let's say 100 hours on it will generally not be offered with 0% financing (unless it is a rental return). If you have to finance through a typical used tractor rate you will pay about 7.5%. That will cost you about $2000 in interest. So right off the bat, the used tractor is worth $2000 less to the typical buyer. Then deduct a little for the 100 hours and a few scratches and you will see that if you can't buy it for $2500 off of new price, it isn't a savings at all.

I've talked a lot about the ones I sell and like, but I will be the first to say that JD, New Holland and Kubota make fine machines. The are recognized by everyone and have well established dealer networks. They are a great choice, but don't be afraid to look at some alternate makes.

 

[ALBALD1]

Just another newbie opinion. I've been comparing different brands too. It's definitely mind boggling to look at all the choices. I made a chart on one page to compare the specs for the different makers. I'm looking to buy in the spring, but right now I'm leaning towards the Century 2535. 5 more hp than the Kubota L3130, but no hydrostat. I've seen a wide variety of opinion on that here. Bottom line though, was talking to my local dealer yesterday & I can get a new century 2535 w/ loader for $14,500. Resale means nothing to me as it will probably be here a really long time. I keep looking for something wrong w/ it because more horsepower for less money doesn't make sense, but other than name brand & hydrostat, it just seems like more tractor for less $$.

 

[BigAl]

Very well said ,and may I add my two cents please . KIOTI,KIOTI,KIOTI ! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Big Al

 

[johnday]

That looks like 3 cents /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ALBALD1]

I'm not sure if I've seen a Kioti locally, but I think I've read enough to look into them some more. Pricing & power similar to Century?

 

[bugstruck]

Randy. I'm on lunch at work right now so I had to lift my L3010 pricing from another post. This is a new machine priced in Maryland about 2 weeks ago. I don't have the quote in hand but as I recall the hoe was about 5,900.00 and the front snow blade w/ quick attach about 2,600.00 (loader mounted). Doesn't take much to figure this tractor new, no canopy with the 513 loader w/ quick attach 60" bucket , & filled tires was a little under 19,000.00. I had them price this with all the attachments severable from the deal so I know I can do a little better on the entire package deal.

If you are buying used, the interest rate assuming you are financing, and warranty limits, assuming this machine even has some warranty left, become something of real consideration. I wouldn't pay 18K for that machine by the time you get it home and potentially 2K more than the new machine would cost if you are doing a mimimum down payment/financing. I wouldn't even pay that for it outright. I'd buy the new one in that instance and take my good old time at 0% interest. 3 years I think on the new Kubotas. If you can buy it outright that money could be working elsewhere while you do the slow paydown further reducing the costs of the purchase. Even if you are in a tax/no-tax (sales) environment here (I wouldn't bank on that) I'd still buy new. It's a no brainer. You're already there.

L3130 HST
R4 filled tires
LA 513 FEL w/ quick attach and 60" bucket (was thinking narrow that day)
BL 4690 Backhoe w/ 16" bucket
84" Front P/A??? blade w/ quick attach (thought they quoted a 72" blade. That may be a dealer typo??
Total before tax $27,720.00

Happy hunting!!!