advice on buying used Kubota 2320, 2920

[tractchores]

Hi,
I'm a new member, but long time lurker. I'm looking at getting a used CUT and think I've narrowed it down to the Kubota 2320 or 2920 (the 2620 would be fine too, but I can't find any in my area). I think the JD is ruled out by price and limited dealers near me.
Usage will be on 6 acres, mostly wooded and relatively hilly (property is lake front and has a brushy hillside down to the lake). I'm looking to use the tractor to maintain the woodlot, some trails, mow the brushy hillside, do landscaping work and drainage. I will also use it for quite a bit of loader work around the property and I also want to use it to move a 6,000# boat around on a pretty level driveway. I have another tractor for mowing already that I'll keep.

My questions are that given my intended use is this tractor configured with a FEL, backhoe and eventually a chipper and maybe a box blade (re-doing the lawns) a good fit? Is there anything I might be missing that I should be thinking of? Am I crazy to think it will move the boat around on mostly level ground without causing damage? Currently I'm looking at lightly used models (2008 - 2010), given that I'm not a diesel or hydrolic expert is there anything specific I need to look for in tractors of that age? Prices also seem to be close to 20k for the ones with < 100 hours and slightly lower for more, does that seem reasonable? I guess the other obvious question is should i just buy new given the price? Thanks!!

 

[bp fick]

Personally, when shopping used, don't be so narrow in your search perimeters. That would be my advice. You're not ordering new, so when I shop used, which I do quite often, I let each thing that washes up on my beach stand on its own merits as to condition and price.

If we pre-determine too much, as humans, we have the tendency to overlook diamonds in reach for lumps of coal.

I'd personally throw a couple other "color" of tractors in my search perimeter. We can spend a lot of time with the differences between a B2320, B2620 and B2920. That's fine. But needless to say, they are Orange B series tractors with more or less HP and more or less FEL lifting power. That kind of nit picking is fine when shopping new, but fairly meaningless when searching high and low for good used machines.

Anyhow, I'd have my eyes WIDE OPEN to Green, Blue, the other Blue, Red, etc. Finding a good, clean, late model, well cared for, priced right machine is tough enough, at least it was in my universe. In fact, it was so tough that I ended up buying new with incentive financing.

So sure as the world, a year or two later, I've spotted a couple of good buys, but I never regretted calling an end to my lengthy used search. I've had real world work to get done.

 

[Tompet]

Have you looked at the slightly larger framed B3200 or B3300? Since you mentioned BH and you have another machine for finish mowing you may want to consider something slightly larger than the 2320 and 2920 for your listed usage.
And like BP stated if going used look at some other brands. I had a B2920tlb and traded it in on a B3300tlb mostly for BH capabilities and am very happy with the increased performance of the BH and PTO power. The 2920 was pretty nimble in the woods etc. and the B3300 is not quite as nimble but pretty close compared to some larger framed tractors.

BTW, you didn't list where you are located, but go to Barlow's site on used. They have a used 2920, 3200 and 3300 that you could e-mail to ask priced out with adding a BH w or w/o the MMM on 2920) with shipping. Excellent to deal with and would at least give you some pricing and info background or baseline. Or even get a quote on new!
In any event you will love having a tlb setup for your property!

Used Kubota Tractors

 

[tractchores]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I'd definitely consider a JD if I can find one (probably 2,000 series or its predecessor), but for whatever reason there seem to be very few used and there's only one dealer in my area. There are many kubota dealers so service for them would be easy, NH would be another option, though I didn't like it as much as the others when I tried one out. I'm definitely open to suggestions on other models to consider (but do want to be within ~1 hr of a dealer for service)
One thing limiting the size of tractor is that some of the work I'd like to do is on a septic leach field, so I am hoping to keep it under 3k lbs so I don't damage anything. The ground is also somewhat soft so I'm hoping a lighter tractor will sink less. I'm located in MA. I just found Barlow's site a few minutes ago in another post, so am checking them out as well, it seems like the prices are pretty good!

 

[CharlieR]

BP Fick is right - look around at other brands - AND - don't be afraid of an older tractor as you might find one with low hours.
I was ready to buy a new Kubota (even the wife agreed) but I found a 22 year old, garage kept Kubota B7200 with only 600 hrs on it at 1/3 the cost of new.
I didn't want the MMM so I sold the mower on ebay and lowered my cost by another $725 when they handed me the cash!
I already had decided to have a separate backhoe and bought a trailerable one from Harbor Frt Tools for $3060 delivered!
It goes over soft ground that the tractor would mire in and goes into the woods where the tractor can't go.
So, there are options - use them and good luck.

 

[tractchores]

BP Fick is right - look around at other brands - AND - don't be afraid of an older tractor as you might find one with low hours.
I was ready to buy a new Kubota (even the wife agreed) but I found a 22 year old, garage kept Kubota B7200 with only 600 hrs on it at 1/3 the cost of new.
I didn't want the MMM so I sold the mower on ebay and lowered my cost by another $725 when they handed me the cash!
I already had decided to have a separate backhoe and bought a trailerable one from Harbor Frt Tools for $3060 delivered!
It goes over soft ground that the tractor would mire in and goes into the woods where the tractor can't go.
So, there are options - use them and good luck.

Thanks. An older tractor would definitely be of interest, though the backhoe seems to really limit the number available. I am keeping my eyes open though and trying to figure out if it may be possible to buy a tractor and put a backhoe on it, which would widen the field considerably. How does that towed backhoe work? I didn't realize they made those, that's a very interesting idea, but I'm wondering if it does ok with big rocks etc, or if it has trouble because of the weight? Any drawbacks you've found compared to a regular one?

 

[s219]

No reason to think you have to find a tractor with the backhoe already -- if you get a recent model year, chances are you can still add the backhoe (though who knows what the cost would be).

For reference, I got a new B2920 at the end of December for $15400 with the front loader. It seemed like a great deal to me. I am a longtime Deere customer, but Kubota earned my business this time around -- just seemed like a better combination of features, quality, and price/value.

 

[tractchores]

Thanks for the help and suggestions. I ended up going with a '10 Kubota 2920 with a FEL and BH and less than 100 hours on it. I figured with my relatively small amount of tractor experience getting something in great condition with a bit of warranty would be a good way to get into it and learn without having to fix things right from day 1. Definitely looking forward to getting it later this week!