Close to Pulling Trigger on JD 4300

[beenthere]

<font color=blue>Won't my local Deere outfit have to service my JD if it is under warranty even if i purchased it elsewhere?</font color=blue>

Well, 'have' to and 'want' to are two different things, and I prefer to have my dealer in the frame of mind that he 'wants' to service my tractor. But your experiences and knowledge may be different from others.
But yes, he should service your tractor, regardless of where you purchase it. But hopefully you will understand when he charges you for his time that is not covered by John Deere, and that he doesn't feel he owes you because you didn't leave any money with him. Most dealers (Hmmm? - maybe all of them) have to have cash flow to keep the doors open. I don't think John Deere pays them to stay in business, so it has to be us.

 

[rkrynch]

I live in the Albany, NY. area and was tempted at first to try to avoid the sales taxes. Based on the experience/advice of TBN community, decided to do business with a local dealer.

As others have suggested, spent a LOT of time with area dealers, all three major brands, a lot of test driving, and finally a demo on my own property. Final decision was JD4300 from an excellent dealer a mile away (Clifton Park Lawn & Leisure). Would have gone with another brand/dealer in my area had that not worked out. For me, having a a good relationship with with a local dealer means a lot, as I expect to have this machine for a long time.

I'm still "on the road" and don't have access to my price breakdown, but as I recall getting close to 20% discount.

It was very difficult choosing between the brands, as all three are excellent machines. Dealer satisfaction was a big part of my decision. I think if you spend time with each of the dealers and are up front with them about your issues and concerns, you'll be able to sort out the brands and dealers and choose one who is best for you.

 

[kevinro]

I would strongly recommend using a local dealer. With any complicated machine, there are bound to be a couple of things to be fine tuned. Having the local dealer on the hook to do things right is important. Many will do things like come get your machine at no charge for warranty repairs in the first hundred hours or so.

The truly big one is getting training and advice. There are quite a few little things you have to learn to own one of these machines. There is much to be learned from a good dealer about how the machine works and what needs to be done to maintain it. I found my local dealer to be quite helpful about going over the machine and giving helpful advice. You can find advice here on the net, but it just isn't the same as standing next to a machine and seeing the advice in action.

The 'savings' of 8% sales tax won't seem nearly as big if there is a problem, especially once to figure in transportation costs, long distance phone bills, and the overall hassles involved in buying a tractor out of your 1-hour drive radius.

Kevin

 

[sagaponack]

Why did you pick JD over NH? Dealers aside... How did the machines compare in your mind?

 

[rkrynch]

Had a difficult time sorting out the machines alone, as there were many things I liked about each. The things I especially liked about the JD4300 are subjective:
1. The separate HST pedals. We had a small mishap while testing one of the machines with the rocker-type pedal. No doubt this was a matter of inexperience, not a flaw with the NH/Kubota style HST pedal. But the JD style pedals felt safer to me, still do.
2. It felt most stable on slopes/embankments.
3. Liked the JD operator's station and relatively flat floor pan. Liked the JD controls. (Would have liked a swivel seat though)
4. FEL on/off process seemed a little easier.
5. Liked the MMM mounting/suspension system - altho this ended up being a moot point as I went with 3pt mower in the end.
5. Liked the fiberglass - a lot of the older metal machines looked as if they'd been 'rode hard and put up wet' after a few years. Kind of a silly criteria, but I was hard pressed to find real sustantive discriminators.

My 2nd choice was the Kubota L3010 (liked it's reputation for quality, and love the sound of that engine) and it could EASILY have been first choice. In final decision, dealer proximity and satisfaction made the difference.

Repeating what others have said - all three are great machines, one can hardly go wrong, based on the machines alone.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Your Dealer should be able to give you some info on the xx10 series tractors, I also am in the process of ordering a 4710 and the dealer provided me with a recopied booklet showing the changes from the xx00 to the xx10 series, you will definetly want to wait for the 10 series, It is a "drive by wire" hydro unit, there is no linkage from the peddles to the hydro, Using this setup allows JD to add some neat features to the hydro,
This booklet he gave me is a salesman info booklet and is very informative, I would think any dealer that wanted to sell a tractor would be willing to do the same? Find one that does and buy the tractor from them.