Buying a CUT, I think I have narrowed down some choices

[WillardinMaine]

I have and thank you all. Planning to visit a few of the dealerships this weekend to see the tractors in person. I do read over and over to buy bigger and recognize the common sense of that thinking. I don’t like the tier IV emissions on the bigger hp units buying used especially. So that limits the search further. A nice looking 40hp Kubota popped up when I first started looking, but I was not ready to jump. There is a descent 30hp Kubota, but I would like to see the price lower, but seller states it is firm. Used market is a tough one, but maybe I should give it more time.

 

[mikester]

If you are getting 3-5 feet of snow per year you will need a much bigger/heavier machine if you plan to push it with a plow...you are going to run out of space to dump the snow quick. A snow blower cuts and throws the snow away. A plow compacts and encloses you in. Unless you have a neighbor like me who is willing to dig you out with his snow blower and toasty warm cab. We get similar snow and my neighbor still hasnt figured out that his 10,000# one ton with plow cant get the job done half way through the season.

 

[Beeenvenue]

Pulling a tiller means HST unless you have very sandy soil. I am in heavy black clay and even my 35hp bogs down if I go too fast sometimes, so the ability to feather the throttle is very handy. I can’t imagine how much damage I would do being tempted to ride the clutch otherwise.

With respect to kioti - they have been around 30+ years. Not the 100 or so of JD but long enough that the idea they are a “newcomer” is false. I did a ton of research before I bought mine (first ever) and chose it at around 20k for a 3510 SE HST. To get the other orange L3301 similarly equipped was another 3000-3500, and close to 5k more for green. At 20k for a kioti the extra 15-25% was not worth it And allowed me to afford hst, remotes, independent pto, a couple extra HP, shredder, tiller, and box blade.

 

[mred2]

I got my tires loaded due to needing the traction while pulling 3 pt attachments. I have two rear remotes and wish I had 3. Rear remotes are a lot more expensive to add at a later date. I got the 3rd function due to needing it for my grapple. But the 3rd function can always be added later. Doing it now may save some on labor. TYM has been around for a long time, but I don't see dealers where I am at. They make a lot of tractors. Ls is the same. But I had a dealer within 60 miles. For me the LS was the best value and it fit me better. Test drive. And you will always want a bigger tractor (some of the time). My wife does not want my 50hp tractor close to the house, but has no problem with my son's 26hp. Size and weight for the job that needs to be done. Good luck!

 

[DK35vince]

Pulling a tiller means HST unless you have very sandy soil. I am in heavy black clay and even my 35hp bogs down if I go too fast sometimes, so the ability to feather the throttle is very handy. I can稚 imagine how much damage I would do being tempted to ride the clutch otherwise.

That's your opinion.
Been running a 6' tiller on my DK 35 gear for the past 19 years.
Handles the tiller no problem (no sand soil here or any need to ever ride the clutch)

 

[PEJ5]

I would not worry about owning a tier4 tractor, especially if a good used machine popped up for sale. On the geared CK2610, only 2Forward and Rev are synchronized. I understand that, for all other gears, you must be dead stopped to change/select...go HST.
Pallet forks should be high on your list. They double the usefulness of your tractor...place everything on pallets and stop lifting.
I agree that building a counterweight is critical asap unless you buy a heavy 3Pt implement and have lots of clearance/space. I have tight paths through the woods so a piece of concrete only 2 feet back will not get damaged like a $1000 implement might, wacking into trees.
Your PTO can run a 4" chipper so no chipper engine required. On the other hand your hydraulics may not have the pressure (psi) or flow (gpm) to run a 3pt splitter. A 20Ton splitter may only give you 10 or 12 and slow action. Get one with its own engine and hydraulics.
Just my thoughts. Have fun.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

LS has been around for a long time also, they are actually expanding their line currently, adding more options and standard features. One nice thing on the MT225E gear, is 12 forward and 12 reverse gears. I cannot think of any time that I would want to be in high range, 4th gear, and in reverse.... unless I had to back away from something REALLY fast!:shocked: low range 1st gear will move a house! It is a real cheaper gear. Have fun test driving a lot of tractors... you will find one that fits!

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Oh, the LS also has a 6 year warranty.

 

[finn1]

I would normally recommend a cab tractor and front blower, but sixty inches isn’t much as far as snow goes, so some sort of blade may work for you.

The fear of emission controls and the consequential limiting your tractor power to 25 hp is, in my opinion, a big mistake. Emission requirements nd control technology has been with us for nearly a dozen years, and I just don’t see problems with it anymore, once the teething pains have subsided.

That same 25 hp tractor can be had in a 40 hp model that has a much more civilized fuel system, with better nvh and cold starting characteristics, for a little more money.

Same with hst transmissions. They dominate the market in these small tractors, for hood reason.

A tractor should last twenty years. Why settle for the lowest cost, least frill, least capable model of something you will likely live with for years. Get something spec’d to do the job and make life easier and more enjoyable, for pennies more per week.

 

[jeff9366]

Tier IV emission standards require tractor manufacturers to add or revise pollution reduction technology on new tractors generating over 19 kW power = 25.4794 horsepower. Tier IV began phasing in during 2009, retail conversion was almost complete in 2013 when I bought my 'Tier IV' Kubota L3560.

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) captures exhaust particulates (soot) in a ceramic matrix. When tractor engine runs sufficiently hot, accumulated particulates burn off periodically without operator intervention. If engine is not run continuously hot long enough to burn off particulates, diesel soot accumulates in the matrix. Once heavy soot accumulates in DPF the tractor forces soot clearance with the tractor parked and throttle open to about 2,200 rpm for about sixteen minutes, which makes the DPF REALLY HOT to burn off all accumulated soot. Burning off accumulated soot, either during operation or parked is called REGENERATION.

My Kubota regenerates routinely every 60 engine hours in warm Florida. 60 engine hours = 3,600 engine minutes.
Stationary regeneration, which is about 60% of my regenerations because I work in the woods, takes consistently 16 minutes in warm Florida.

16 / 3,600 = .0044 = .44% engine time used in stationary regeneration. (Less than 1/2 of 1%)


Tire wear and tire replacement will cause as many headaches and more expense than DPF for most long term compact tractor owners who read and comprehend their tractor's Operator's Manual.

 

[WillardinMaine]

Again thank you all for your thoughtful insights.

Craigslist and FB are not producing much in the way of results for a used tractor and there is not much inventory in the local dealers. Patience is needed there.

You have me feeling a bit more comfortable on going with higher HP. I definitely have the feeling tractors should be simple machines to keep maintenance costs down, but it is 2020.

A local dealer, also about 70 miles, has an LS XG3140 with their 12 speed shuttle shift for just under 20k. I called him about it and he confirmed, but think they have it mislisted as it is 1K less than the XG3135. Believe the costs should be reversed. The Kioti dealer has the 3510 for also a bit under 20k in the manual transmission. Should be getting out to visit dealers this weekend. Those two are stretching the budget some. Any thoughts on the quality of the two? Roughly equal?

We have always used a brush hog to mow the field, but I have seen mention of using a flail mower. It is a well established field that has some roll to it, but no steepness.

 

[greginfinity]

I assume the TYM dealer you are talking about is Scott's Recreation. I am curious your thoughts about them or if you have ever been a customer there? So they don't service anything there? I posted here a week or so ago asking about TYM (maybe too provocative of a title), and it seems like the tractors should be just fine. Maybe more difficult to find parts but seems like they use a common engine platform. I am in a similar boat, don't really want to spend more that $20k, an want something to do what most here would consider light duty (moving trees, tilling, moving dirt etc). TYM seems to have a huge value, I could get a 37hp tractor with a cab and loader for $24k. I was at the local Kubota dealership and they can't even come close to that, probably $5k to $10k more. I am not sure that is worth it honestly. I think I priced out a JD and New Holland SCUT from around here with a loader and mower and they were around $18k, but much less machine. I am also unsure about snow removal, I do think a truck is better platform regardless. So after all that, I may just rent a tractor when I need one. I don't really have a place to store one anyways, so just getting one dropped off for $800 a week when I need it may be better for me.

Let me know what you find! And yes, our local craigslist is devoid of any good deals. Mostly people asking $2k off MSRP of a 10 year old tractor!

 

[WillardinMaine]

Yes, that’s the place. No direct knowledge, but have not heard the best from others. I looked at the TYM website and not much around for dealers. Put a message in through fb to the TYM distributor asking where warranty work would be done and have not heard back.

Right now number one is Bobcat CT2025 from Jordan power equipment. They are up in Bangor and down in Falmouth. Through end of month 15,300 for manual drive with a fel. Add 1K for hydrostatic. Two year number to bumper and six power train. Going to go have a look. This is the Kioti ck2610 in different paint

 

[WillardinMaine]

Thanks everyone I put down money on a Bobcat CT2025 (Kioti CK2610) with Manual transmission from Jordan Equipment in Hermon, Maine. Feel good about the price I paid. Robb was cutting their margin to help move product.

Going to post a couple questions in the Kioti section as I have time since they do not have a manual transmission in stock and will need to order. Salesman was very helpful, but the compact tractor line was new to him.

 

[Cruiserdog]

Again thank you all for your thoughtful insights.

Craigslist and FB are not producing much in the way of results for a used tractor and there is not much inventory in the local dealers. Patience is needed there.

You have me feeling a bit more comfortable on going with higher HP. I definitely have the feeling tractors should be simple machines to keep maintenance costs down, but it is 2020.

A local dealer, also about 70 miles, has an LS XG3140 with their 12 speed shuttle shift for just under 20k. I called him about it and he confirmed, but think they have it mislisted as it is 1K less than the XG3135. Believe the costs should be reversed. The Kioti dealer has the 3510 for also a bit under 20k in the manual transmission. Should be getting out to visit dealers this weekend. Those two are stretching the budget some. Any thoughts on the quality of the two? Roughly equal?

We have always used a brush hog to mow the field, but I have seen mention of using a flail mower. It is a well established field that has some roll to it, but no steepness.

I recently transitioned from using a finish mower AND a rotary cutter to using just a quality flail. So far very pleased. I’ve one of the Maschio Giraffe articulated units and it’s pretty slick. Not cheap, but solid and very capable.

 

[MaineGuy1]

Thanks everyone I put down money on a Bobcat CT2025 (Kioti CK2610) with Manual transmission from Jordan Equipment in Hermon, Maine. Feel good about the price I paid. Robb was cutting their margin to help move product.

Going to post a couple questions in the Kioti section as I have time since they do not have a manual transmission in stock and will need to order. Salesman was very helpful, but the compact tractor line was new to him.

If you plan on doing a lot of loader work, or anything back and forth you would love the Hydro.

 

[WillardinMaine]

Thanks on the hydro thought, but good with the manual.

I think we will stick with the rotary over the flail mower, but will take a second look

 

[3gunr]

If you plan on doing a lot of loader work, or anything back and forth you would love the Hydro.

I agree, I love my shuttle shift ,but age and bad knees have made me an hst guy for sure.

 

[WillardinMaine]

Came in a hundred over budget, before paying the governor. Pleased with that.

Ended up with a Bobcat ct2025 which is mostly a Kioti ck2610 in a manual transmission.

Loader is a Bobcat loader and they add in a horn and rubber floor mat.

I added a sixty inch rotary cutter, sixty inch tiller, quick attach forks, 2 extra rear pto ports and a side view mirror.

Elected not to fill tires both for garden work and because there’s wet areas we bush hog. Went with Ag tires.

Being delivered to the house around June 20th. We have borrowed family tractors for many years excited to have our own.

 

[jeff9366]

Congratulations on the Bobcat tractor purchase.