Buying Advice Cab or no cab?

[tacticalturnip]

1. yes
2. No, you don't. Not for how you explained you're using a tractor..

All you need is a tractor set up to weigh 4000 lbs with 25 hp...
A backhoe simply is complicating things.

Here's the problem with tractor forums: 1. you will get advice based on "personal" experience which may or may not pertain to you whatsoever.
2. It is very easy to spend someone else's money.
3. People have different attitudes toward tractoring with the predominant one being: always get a bigger tractor than you think you need which may pertain 80% of the time and thus, appears to give the idea credence.
4. The entire point of this forum with its plethora of opinions, is to sift through all the contributions, be honest w yourself, get educated and arrive at a decision based on YOUR needs.

I work for a company that sells tractors. We are very careful not to under sell or over sell customers.
We "listen" to the customer first and foremost on what they wish to do w their machine.
Based on this compilation of information, we then give the customer choices within their range of explanation of usage and price point.
We very seldom, if ever get customers with "buyers remorse" if they explained their usage accurately.
Even in the totally rare instance ( like 2 in the seven years I've been there) of that happening, we simply trade them out of their current machine and give them what they paid for it toward the trade.
That acts like a "safety net" to assure the customer that they have their hand held if need be.

We are not the only company that does this sort of thing where virtually "no purchase or tractor chosen mistake can be made without it being covered".

This is the brand we sell. I believe there is a Mahindra dealership near you in Thomasville Florida.
This or another brand in this size range, is all the tractor you need for your explained usage.

That's a lot of really good advice; also you're right about the nature of forums, and of the opinions to be found on them. I'll admit, it can be much to easy to push ones home team, so to speak.

 

[Rich_Z]

Found a couple of videos on YouTube going into this sort of decision concerning cab or no cab....

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Ah, been wanting to try to find one of those. Thanks for the link.

As for latest developments, been talking this over with my wife and she is all gungho about me getting a tractor. Matter of fact she thinks I should get the backhoe add-on too. On one hand I think that might be a good idea, but on the other hand, well, I want to get a cab for the tractor, but when using the backhoe, then that cab will be "over there" while I am "over here". Not sure if that is going to make any logical sense or not.

Then my wife starts talking about building something to keep the tractor in along with all the attachments I will likely accumulate. That starts to complicate things. But she says that with Kioti offering 0$ down and 0% interest, I could take the money I was going to use to pay cash for the tractor and put that into the building instead, while we just make the monthly payments. Which would be easily covered by our social security monthly payments.

Things seem to happen to me this way all of the time. I get a simple idea, and then the overthinking gene kicks in and next thing I know I have an overcomplicated mess to try to wade through. Sometimes I can't even remember how the heck I got there.

Wife wants you to get a tractor and also encourages you to build a pole barn to store new tractor along with new implements that you will aqquire , this sounds like you have a very smart caring wife who is looking out for you and I would encourage you to take her advice.

 

[2manyrocks]

Ive always looked at a cab as a luxury item, but I could change my mind if I lived in Florida.

Fwiw, I haven’t found any new cab tractors priced below $29k.

Consider your dealer carefully. You may not need dealer service at first, but if your tractor needs repairs in the future, then your dealer service department will be important. It is hard to find a tractor mechanic around here other than at a dealership. Dealers also don’t like working on brands they don’t sell. If you buy a brand with multiple strong dealers near you, the odds are better of being able to get service when needed.

 

[chim]

In 2018 Wifey was talking with her brother who lives next to us. He had already gotten his L4740HSTC. He mentioned to her that at my ripe age of 69 then it would be nice to get me out of the elements, bugs, pollen and dust. She told me it wasn't something she had thought about (even though she frequently complained about my coughing up "lungfung" after mowing in the Summer).

That started a year-long search for a clean used pre-Tier4 cabbed tractor. At the end of 2018 we found the L4240HSTC to replace the L3200. Looked at a lot of tractors before finding one that was satisfactory. It's quite a blessing to be able to spend an hour or so in the tractor and step out ready to go out for dinner regardless of the weather.

 

[jwmorris]

I like AC and heat until I have to maintain or repair the systems.

I still think I should make lexan windows for common tractors. Around here broken windows cutting hay is ridiculously common.

 

[2manyrocks]

they probably figure polycarbonate gets scratched up quickly in dusty tractor use.

 

[chim]

That's why I used real automotive safety glass when I built the cab for my last tractor. Just cleaning Lexan or Plexi windows causes scratches. Wipers are a real non-player.

 

[Rich_Z]

Another benefit of the cab that I have been thinking of is that at best, any new tractor I might get will be living under the open sided car port for at least a little while. I guess some people just leave their tractors outside in the elements, but I don't suppose that would be real good for them. Even under the carport, the tractor would be subject to the typical heat and humidity that north Florida can provide. So I am thinking that the cab would provide at least a little bit of protection to all of the control mechanisms inside of it. Heck, for that matter, at all of the tractor dealers I have been seeing, they ALL have their tractors for sale just sitting out in the elements anyway. So maybe it's not any real big deal for them.

Another issue is going to be rodents. We seem to have our fair share of them around here. Had some vehicles get the wiring chewed up a bit, and prompted me to sell some of my gun collection to pay for having a garage built. So if I leave the tractor outside, I have to figure out a way to rodent proof that tractor as much as possible. I have snap traps out right now, as one of my security cameras saw a rat scampering across the porch several nights ago. Almost caught a racoon by the nose in one of them.

My wife has been talking about getting a building to put the tractor within, but that would mean having one built on site, since there is no way anyone would be able to get a pre-constructed building big enough for that purpose down our driveway, much less be able to make the turn off of our dirt road onto that driveway.

As for local dealers, well that is a problem. Options are kinda slim around here.

 

[2manyrocks]

Long term, it is better to have a tractor protected from the elements.

The nearest dealer to me is 30 miles away. His shop won't repair my Mahindra because he says its hard for him to get parts. The nearest Mahindra dealer is 60 miles away. Used to be solid, but changes at the dealership..........

Unless you have a trailer and truck capable of hauling the size tractor you are buying, that means paying the dealer to haul it both ways if you require dealer service.

It is important to consider whether the dealer will be there to service the tractor or if they are just there to sell new machines, do the warranty work on them as required, and then not be there for support after the warranty is up.

Something must be drawing rats. When we lived in Nashville, we started having a rat problem after a warehouse was demolished a few miles away. Do you have outdoor bird feeders or some other source of food supply that the rodents are after?

 

[Rich_Z]

Yes, we have bird feeders and fruit trees. The bird feeders should be pretty much rodent resistant, but as for the fruit trees, well, not much I can do about that. I could set out a game camera and monitor them to make sure. And/or put a small live trap at the base of the feeders.

A friend of mine has a trailer that he uses with his older Kioti tractor. He says I can use it any time I need to. He is retired too, so I suspect he would suggest using his truck and going with me anyway. He has been doing the tractor shopping with me, since I am leaning on his experience with his own tractor to point about things I might not think about myself.

Honestly, I have looked at the Mahindra line, but just don't get a warm fuzzy feeling about them. The Kioti dealer in Marianna, FL also sells that line. Red Dirt Outdoor Equipment is their business name. I looked at a few Mahindras while I was there and just was not impressed compared with the Kiotis.

 

[2manyrocks]

If there's a food source, there will be rodents.

I own a Kubota, a Yanmar and a Mahindra, but I would never buy another Mahindra after my experience trying to get service for it.

 

[arrow]

Yes, we have bird feeders and fruit trees. The bird feeders should be pretty much rodent resistant, but as for the fruit trees, well, not much I can do about that. I could set out a game camera and monitor them to make sure. And/or put a small live trap at the base of the feeders.

A friend of mine has a trailer that he uses with his older Kioti tractor. He says I can use it any time I need to. He is retired too, so I suspect he would suggest using his truck and going with me anyway. He has been doing the tractor shopping with me, since I am leaning on his experience with his own tractor to point about things I might not think about myself.

Honestly, I have looked at the Mahindra line, but just don't get a warm fuzzy feeling about them. The Kioti dealer in Marianna, FL also sells that line. Red Dirt Outdoor Equipment is their business name. I looked at a few Mahindras while I was there and just was not impressed compared with the Kiotis.

I don’t get warm and fuzzy about equipment.
l buy what l need and the closest shop wins.
I’ve seen everything break.
I’ve had this Mahindra for 10 years and it does logging mostly which is tough on tractors but it does this kind of stuff every season.
When l went to the dealer 15 minutes away, l had never even heard of the brand.
The tractor l ended up with did not impress me either but as l said, closest wins. lt just keeps chugging year after year and has done everything l’ve asked so l can forgive its simplicity.

 

[arrow]

If there's a food source, there will be rodents.

I own a Kubota, a Yanmar and a Mahindra, but I would never buy another Mahindra after my experience trying to get service for it.

That’s unfortunate rocks.
lf there’s anything l can help with, let me know.

 

[2manyrocks]

Thank you. One option for me is to buy the parts and replace the bull pinion axle seals myself this winter, but I'd rather not be the one to have to disassemble the 3525 down to the transmission case because of the weight of the components that have to be removed.

Before this situation, I didn't think so much about the importance of having a supporting dealer close by. Now it's a different story.

 

[LouNY]

Long term, it is better to have a tractor protected from the elements.

Unless you have a trailer and truck capable of hauling the size tractor you are buying, that means paying the dealer to haul it both ways if you require dealer service.

It is important to consider whether the dealer will be there to service the tractor or if they are just there to sell new machines, do the warranty work on them as required, and then not be there for support after the warranty is up.

Growing up on a farm, my Father never had a trailer that could haul the tractors, when he retired my brothers bought him out and keep on farming, still no trailers that could haul the tractors, now my Nephew is buying the farm. Guess what still no trailer that could haul most of the tractors. He does have a trailer rated for 14,000 pounds so it could handle the smaller ones. But not the half dozen or so larger ones.
I've had my own tractors on my home properties for 50+ years very seldom had a trailer that could handle them. And still don't.

 

[2manyrocks]

Was your Father one of the guys who'd fix things himself before hauling anything back to a dealer?

 

[Rich_Z]

I don’t get warm and fuzzy about equipment.
l buy what l need and the closest shop wins.
I’ve seen everything break.
I’ve had this Mahindra for 10 years and it does logging mostly which is tough on tractors but it does this kind of stuff every season.
When l went to the dealer 15 minutes away, l had never even heard of the brand.
The tractor l ended up with did not impress me either but as l said, closest wins. lt just keeps chugging year after year and has done everything l’ve asked so l can forgive its simplicity.

Sorry, seems kind of limiting to me to limit your choices of equipment based solely on the distance of the nearest dealer, regardless of brand. I do not share that philosophy. I want the best bang for my buck, with that "warm and fuzzy feeling" leading me to believe which one(s) will be most robust and reliable. If there were a study on which brands and models have proved to be most reliable and less likely to require warranty service, I would give such a study a LOT of weight in making a purchasing decision.

Which, in my opinion, forum based websites such as this are helpful in providing (hopefully) unbiased feedback and opinions. Will there be individual shining stars and bitter lemons in all brands? Probably. Does bad news travel faster and further than good news. Certainly. My friend tells me that he spoke to a tech at a tractor dealership dealing in several brand tractors. This tech told him that, by far, the most commonly seen tractors in that shop for repairs were Mahindras. The dealership we drove to the other day sells Kioti and Mahindra. ALL of the shop bays were filled with Mahindra tractors. No Kiotis in there at all. Circumstantial evidence? Certainly. They appeared to have more Mahindras for sale than Kiotis, so that could explain the ratio somewhat. But not totally, I would think.

But as I said, while I was there I did look at the Mahindras. And to me, and in my person opinion, they just looked cheesy and flimsy. Maybe it was just the particular models I was looking at. But an opinion is made up of individual data points rolled together to create an image. One thing I have learned for certain over the years is to not ignore my own "spider sense" opinions about such things.

Not to belittle anyone or any brand, but right here and right now, IMHO if it came to a choice of MY buying a Mahindra or MY buying nothing, I would choose nothing.

Am I opinionated? Certainly! And proud of it. No one with a real working brain can, nor should, be without them. I work hard at forming my opinions. But that being said, they are not hard set in concrete. There is always room for persuasive contrary facts and opinions that could change my opinion about anything.

And to bring this back on topic, from the data points accumulated from this thread, my OPINION is that I really SHOULD get a cabbed tractor. So everything else concerning a tractor I would consider buying has to be centered around that detail. Which, of course, may mean some compromises will be in order. But story of my life..............

 

[2manyrocks]

One of the problems for tractor buyers is there is no 5 star rating system for them that I know of to inform a potential buyer about issues with a particular tractor.

There was a thread here about 6 months ago where one particular model was being talked up, and then a guy who had one for a year posted what his experience and opinion was after a year that threw cold water on the talk.

Another issue to me after talking to dealers in my area about service and about sales is it seems like the majority maybe don't really care whether they sell a tractor or not. Whatever you do, I suggest you go look at what the dealer's business and service department looks like. One dealer I visited had a lot that looked like a mix of junkyard and new tractors, with emphasis on the junkyard part. So I didn't feel too comfortable about what kind of service I could expect after the sale.

 

[LouNY]

Was your Father one of the guys who'd fix things himself before hauling anything back to a dealer?

Certainly, as are all of us. Also our dealers make farm calls for minor work we don't want to do. Even my Branson dealer had a man bring a power steering hose up to replace a leaking one under warranty on site.
Why take a tractor back to a dealer if it's not necessary.