first time tractor buyer needs help choosing

[roisin]

hi we have 158 acres, we have priced a couple of tractors one an LS J2030 with attachments and trailer for $25,000 and the other a Kubota3000 with loader for $20,000 no other attachments, while talking to the local kubota dealer he said that if we got the LS deal then we would find it hard to get parts as they come from Korea and if we wanted to trade it in in the future we would have a hard time trading. So as we are new to the tractor world which one would be the best one to buy for what we need, we have horses and we are hoping to start a meat goat farm plus have a few more animals, so moving hay bales, manure etc.
thanks in advance for any advice

 

[Ted Summey]

LS and New Holland are the same tractors in the compact utility and many utility sizes, so the other dealer is giving you a "sales line." Personally, I prefer a dealer who sells their product without putting down someone else's product. I had the opposite experience - New Holland dealer spent a lot of time telling me what was bad about Kubota. I bought the Kubota because the dealer there told me about KUBOTA tractors not the competition.

I wouldn't worry about buying the LS. I believe they will be around for a long while plus the New Holland parts cross reference to LS as has been posted in other threads on TBN.

Both LS and Kubota make good tractors. Which one fits you best is going to depend on you. Will either of these do all the expected tasks you will do? Do you like the seat, the controls, the pedals, the "feel" of it. Imagine sitting in the set for a couple of hours at a time, will it still be comfortable?

 

[roisin]

Thanks Ted.

 

[vtsnowedin]

First welcome to the forum.
Being JD biased I can't help you choose between those two. I would advise you to plan out what equipment you want to operate behind your tractor for the next ten years or so and be sure you get a tractor that will handle all of it with ease plus safety factors. One that can just pick a bale on dry level ground in summer might be a hazard to you on sloped snow covered ground in winter. Once you define your requirements you will find there are plenty of brands and models that will do the job with ease and the fun of shopping begins.

 

[DKCDKC]

A big part of choosing a tractor is also choosing a dealer. As a new tractor owner you will have occasion to need your dealer for service and information. Make sure you like the folks, even if you have to go a bit further. You do need to look carefully at what you intend doing with the tractor, cause that will determine a lot about which you choose. And do try to run your top choices around a bit if you can. The feel of a tractor, control placement and the like can be very important. If you're not comfortable, try something else. LS and Kubota make good machines, but you want it fun to operate and you want the assurance that there is a dealer who will work with you when problems arise.

I've found it is also useful to seek out some local farmers and tractor owners who have similar land and see what they use, and listen to their advice and experiences. As you see on TBN, tractor folks are generally more than willing to offer an opinion. Of course, always recognize that most of us do have a bias toward a particular tractor, but few of us demean others. Personally I'm all green. But that was originally driven by price and dealer factors, not by manufacturer.

 

[rmorey]

:welcome: to TBN!

Always a problem when the dealer beats down the competition, rather than selling his own products. You needed to find out what features his product offered not how poorly he thinks the other guys works. :thumbdown:

I would research the brands available from local dealers, then talk to each and see which dealer/brand impresses you the most. Determine the size of tractor based on your needs and budget, then drive each machine and see which fits you the best. Take your time and have some fun with it. Good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[roisin]

Thanks everyone for the information, still looking and thinking about it

 

[vtsnowedin]

Helping someone else spend their money is a lot more fun then spending what little is left of our own.!!:confused3: The best of us try to resist the temptation to suggest the biggest tractor that will serve with every bell and whistle that is available from factory or after market sources.( we sometimes fail miserably at this) There is a lot of good advise mixed in and as long as you take everything with a grain of salt and a bit of humor it will serve you well. When you get down to hard questions you will find that hard answers come to the top when you need them.

 

[rmorey]

Helping someone else spend their money is a lot more fun then spending what little is left of our own.!!:confused3: The best of us try to resist the temptation to suggest the biggest tractor that will serve with every bell and whistle that is available from factory or after market sources.( we sometimes fail miserably at this) There is a lot of good advise mixed in and as long as you take everything with a grain of salt and a bit of humor it will serve you well. When you get down to hard questions you will find that hard answers come to the top when you need them.

Well said!