Another confused first timer

[paulfun9]

I do not understand how some people equate a small market share to not a good product. A company can be a excellent company and have a excellent product but only have a small part of the market share. Also to think that Massey and New Holland are not major players is ridiculous.

When you go out to eat, do you only go to the big chain restaurants? What about automobiles? What is Tesla's market share compared to Ford or Chevy? It just is not a reflection on quality or anything else.

And for some reason, Mahindra is the No1 selling tractor in the world but they do not make your list.

There is a bunch of good quality tractors out there made by different manufacturers. Good luck to the OP with his hunt.

Half of the reason that some of the other brands can’t break more firmly into the market is due to the naysayers who just repeat over and over again the same garbage they have been spoon fed for years.

My favorite is when the uneducated say things like they didn’t see the quality as being the same but yet have no real understanding of the processes needed to ensure quality and no clue the quality parts needed for longevity are not the parts we can see when we visit the dealer to start looking.

I will say loudly that my Kioti has been the best tractor purchase out of all brands I have owned over the years and that includes a lot of years of experiance going back long before Kubota was even a real player. I can actually remember some folks back then saying some of the same things about them then as they do now about other brands. The only real difference then was more people were smart enough not to listen to bull crap, propaganda, and statements that clearly showed the persons ego needs uplifting and support.

 

[Hoodoo]

I think the tough reality that you are starting to face is you purchased a piece of rural property with some acreage and now you're starting to figure out that it's not cheap to own and maintain it. You would not be the first to be a little shell shocked by the real cost of ownership to have the privilege of living out on some land. It's a cowboy dream many of us have but few of us like paying for. I wish you well in your journey to buying your first tractor and I believe with enough research and study you will make the right choice.

Thank you for your long and well thought out reply. I really appreciate all of the thought that you guys have put into my 'problem'

I just wanted to respond to the final part of your post - we had a smaller country property before and knew exactly what we were getting into. As a matter of fact the wife and I both relish the lifestyle and the tasks a great deal. I knew a tractor was on the horizon a long time ago, Its just trying to figure out a) the right one, and b) how to wisely afford it

As of right now, I think I am leaning towards Kubota - simply because they have the nearest dealership, and it has a very good reputation around here. If I were closer to a big city, I would get a Branson based on bang for the buck, but that dealer is 2 hours away.....

I know I need a front loader, a rear box, and a brush hog. And a good tractor to attach them to......

 

[deereman75]

The only two brands I would consider are Deere and Kubota.
You spend more up front but they hold their value.
You can buy a brand new Kubota, use it for a few years, and sell it with 2-300 hours for about the same as you paid for it today.

One of the Chinese/Korean/Indian brands you are paying less up front, but you have a lesser machine and you WILL be loosing money if you ever decide to sell it.

It is probably obvious where my color loyalty is, and most of the tractors I've owned are green. But for what it's worth I'm looking at adding a subcompact next year and intend to buy a Kubota... I deal a lot with a big Kubota dealer near me, and have spent quite a bit of time in their shop, seen a number of the models split in half or stripped apart, ect. On the tractors in the size range you would be looking at, the Kubotas seem to be substantially better built where it counts.
I like the control layout and overall operators station more on the Deere. But the Kubota certainly seems like a machine that you'd be able to keep running a lot longer than the equivalent Deere.

The other bit of input I have is that unless you really think you need more, keep it to 26hp or less. Like a BX2680 or B2601. They just slip under the cutoff for emissions so you avoid the often troublesome EGR and DPF systems.
They even still have a mechanical fuel injection pump like my old Deeres and construction equipment. That is a very big selling point to me.

 

[rScotty]

Thank you for your long and well thought out reply. I really appreciate all of the thought that you guys have put into my 'problem'

I just wanted to respond to the final part of your post - we had a smaller country property before and knew exactly what we were getting into. As a matter of fact the wife and I both relish the lifestyle and the tasks a great deal. I knew a tractor was on the horizon a long time ago, Its just trying to figure out a) the right one, and b) how to wisely afford it

As of right now, I think I am leaning towards Kubota - simply because they have the nearest dealership, and it has a very good reputation around here. If I were closer to a big city, I would get a Branson based on bang for the buck, but that dealer is 2 hours away.....

I know I need a front loader, a rear box, and a brush hog. And a good tractor to attach them to......

That makes sense. Hard to go wrong with a local dealer who has a good rep and sells Kubotas.
You will often find that a given model of tractor will have a choice of two loaders. Unless you have unusual requirements, you should get heavier duty loader with SSQS, a bolt on cutting edge, and some reinforced chain hooks + chain. You will eventually accumulate a number of implements. And you will probably find that used ones work pretty much the same as new implements... and that all implements benefit from basic maintenance.
Good luck,
rScotty

 

[deereman75]

The other thing I would personally add is skip the mower attachment, and spend the little bit extra to get a standalone zero turn.
I got a lightly used Kubota 54" zero turn (a trade in from the dealer) for about what a 3pt finish mower costs.
Having previously mowed everything with an 84" finish mower there is no comparison.... The smaller zero turn will do the same area in well under half the time. Mainly due to no wasted time turning around, no overlapping, ect. Also able to eliminate any push mower work, and greatly reduce weed whacker time going to the zero turn.

It's another machine, but you're also putting less hours on your much more expensive tractor that way. Extra resale value without 10 years worth of mowing hours could very well pay for the zero turn.

 

[k0ua]

I have owned 5 tractors since I started down tractor road in 1992 after I wore out a couple of garden tractors in a hurry trying to mow and keep up the land I had then. They have been in order a 2360 Long, a New Holland TC33da (then made by Shibaura) than a Kubota B7500 DT and a Kubota L3400 Hydrostatic, and Now my present tractor a Kioti DK35se Hydrostat. They have all worked pretty well and did most of the things I needed done at the time.

While I have over 500 hours on the Kioti, I haven't put many on in the last couple of years as all of the big jobs around here have been taken care of. Of all of the tractors I have owned, I like the Kioti the best. It is the most refined and best equipped tractor i have owned.

But if the Kubota dealership was the only close one as in your case, I would probably lean to the Kubota also. Most likely what ever brand or model you choose will probably be fine for you and do the work you want to do.

I could go on about making sure you get enough tractor to do what you want to do, and things like getting SSQA so you can change front implements easily and getting things like extendable rear 3point arms to make hook up easier, and making sure you have at least one rear remote, but a lot of this you won't fully understand at first, and besides you can learn the hard way, just like the rest of us did. Good luck in your tractor journey.

 

[Hoodoo]

I looked up Kioti near Prescott and found these guys 1-1/2 hrs away..... what are the groups opinions?

https://www.shoppok.com/prescott/a,50,203209,2020-KIOTI-CX2510H-TL-25HP-HYSTAT-4X4-Tractor-GEAR-UP-OFFER--249-mo----18490--We-Deliver-to-You--.htm

 

[rScotty]

You asked for opinions, so here is one:

Ask both dealers if they have a service truck so that they can come to you if necessary. Or do they offer trailering - especially during warranty. Both of those things are often the mark of a dealership with a more professional service dept.
And then ask both for some customer references...neighbors you can talk to.
rScotty

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I looked up Kioti near Prescott and found these guys 1-1/2 hrs away..... what are the groups opinions?

https://www.shoppok.com/prescott/a,50,203209,2020-KIOTI-CX2510H-TL-25HP-HYSTAT-4X4-Tractor-GEAR-UP-OFFER--249-mo----18490--We-Deliver-to-You--.htm

I was dealing with them way back about 4 years ago.... answered all of my questions, no pressure, and made a really good deal. Unfortunately, another dealer (LS dealer) made a better deal.

Just for info, my dealer is over 10 hours (550 miles) away from me. I have never had to take either of my 2 LS tractors back to the dealer for anything. There were a couple of minor things with my second one, which the dealer took care of without question and shipped me the parts. He even threw in some goodies like a radiator genie set just for my trouble.

Locally, there is Kubota, JD, Mahindra, and NH. The Kubota dealer was down right arrogant and I felt like he couldn't be bothered to make my sale. The JD dealer was the same. They were both charging 15% MORE than the "build your tractor" price on the corporate websites. The Mahindra dealer was a long time mom and pop dealership, but they set their prices high like the others. The NH dealer was over an hour away, but again seemed like I was bothering them, and the prices weren't competitive.

Then I found LS (who makes the NH tractors), I saved over $7500 going with LS vs. the same identical NH. I didn't look back.....

Oh, and for the argument about resale.... I sold my first LS after 2 years and 220 hours for $500 bucks less than I paid for it! I am sure that not everyone will be able to sell so easily, especially if they are in a predominantly orange or green area......

Just my 2 cents......

 

[paulfun9]

The only two brands I would consider are Deere and Kubota.
You spend more up front but they hold their value.
You can buy a brand new Kubota, use it for a few years, and sell it with 2-300 hours for about the same as you paid for it today.

One of the Chinese/Korean/Indian brands you are paying less up front, but you have a lesser machine and you WILL be loosing money if you ever decide to sell it.

It is probably obvious where my color loyalty is, and most of the tractors I've owned are green. But for what it's worth I'm looking at adding a subcompact next year and intend to buy a Kubota... I deal a lot with a big Kubota dealer near me, and have spent quite a bit of time in their shop, seen a number of the models split in half or stripped apart, ect. On the tractors in the size range you would be looking at, the Kubotas seem to be substantially better built where it counts.
I like the control layout and overall operators station more on the Deere. But the Kubota certainly seems like a machine that you'd be able to keep running a lot longer than the equivalent Deere.

The other bit of input I have is that unless you really think you need more, keep it to 26hp or less. Like a BX2680 or B2601. They just slip under the cutoff for emissions so you avoid the often troublesome EGR and DPF systems.
They even still have a mechanical fuel injection pump like my old Deeres and construction equipment. That is a very big selling point to me.

Please bring you tractor over and show me how you determine I have a lesser machine?
Again just more bull crap spoon fed to the unknowing easily manipulated mind!

By the way you also don’t carry more value!
You pay up front a higher cost and sell for about the same percentage less than someone who paid less to begin with and sells for about the same percentage less. This means the only difference is how much you have tied up in the machine while you have it.