Buying Advice In a Quandry

[EddieWalker]

My small tractor is a Century, which was the same thing as a Branson before the dropped the Century name and just use Branson. Same thing as GMC and Chevy. I like it, but would never buy another. Their support is very slow at getting parts to you. Every year the fix it, and every year, it's just as bad. Rumor has it that they have been bought out, or partnered with another company. I'd have to look to be sure, but I think it's either TYM or LG? From what I've read, the main reason is to get the Branson engine.

If you decide to go with Branson, plan on doing your own repairs. Find an online source, like BigReds, to order your parts from. I gave up on my local dealer years ago and now get everything online. Amazon and Ebay will have all your filters for half of what the dealer wants, and a fair amount less then Napa or any other auto parts store.

When I decide to buy, I'll probably go to Kubota first, find out what they have, what they want for it, and then compare. Mahindra, TYM, LG and a few others are all in my area and worth looking at. At this period in time, technology is pretty much the same. Nobody has any trick over anybody else. Some have better quality control then others, and better finish then others, but you pay for that too. Kubota will charge you more for their name. So will Deere. They are good names, but that's not too important to me. Also be careful of who actually makes the tractor that you are buying, and where its made. Some companies farm out certain models to other companies, and then paint them to match their other tractors.

Be careful of advice that is based on what somebody has and has gotten by with. For a very long time, the Ford 8n tractor was what everyone used. Some still do. But just because there where so many of them, and they accomplished so much, that doesn't mean it's the best choice today.

Lastly, one tractor cannot do it all. For mowing around your house, get a riding mower or a zero turn. Don't waste your time trying to do this with your tractor, it will just create a mess.

 

[Citizen Dick]

Great background.

However, I would want a dealer within thirty miles, tops. You will not have any warranty coverage from 500 miles away. New tractors almost always have some new tractor issues.

yes, I know... that was one of the first things I was thinking of when I saw all the great deals on their machinery

 

[TractorGuy]

I have operated articulated loaders, fork lifts, man lifts etc., not farm tractors per se, and I am a mechanic by trade, so maintaining the equipment will not be an issue in my mind... nearest Branson dealer is 500 miles, so that may be an issue

Also consider parts availability. I have not researched that for Branson but my guess is parts may not be as readily available as some of the brand name tractors.

One thing I like about my old New Holland and John Deere is they both have parts listings online. Parts are relatively easy to look up. With my older equipment I often use the MFG parts website to get numbers and search Ebay for the part number. More often than not I find a deal on the parts I need if I am willing to wait on them.

 

[Tractorable]

I don't usually recommend off brands, but you may want to take a look at the new RK (Rural King) tractors. My understanding is they're Korean TYM tractors with Japanese Yanmar engines. They offer a great deal of tractor for the money and have an 8 year power train warranty.

55hp tractor with loader for $25K.

Available in Ashland, Kentucky

 

[teg]

Unless you are working full time ON the farm for it to pay for itself, the Branson 3520 shuttle shift, or 4520 shuttle shift will be totally fine for a part time farmer. Save your money... the bigger the tractor, the more the implements will cost you (much more). Unless you are in it as a business (tax deductions), so what if it takes a little long to get the job done... it's all in the journey!!

PS. All of this advice is just Opinions... if half of the 100 is woods, smaller (in my opinion) is better... put a big A$$ tractor with a cab in the woods and you'll be buying a mirror or a window. (again just an opinion!!)

PS the only problem with Branson... if for whatever the reason, you need to sell, you might not get top dollar for re-sale.

 

[ericm979]

You will not have any warranty coverage from 500 miles away.

Not true. Ask the dealer. If they're ok supporting remote customers they should be willing to ship warranty parts to you (probably at your cost). If it's a problem that you can't handle yourself then it'll be up to you to get the tractor to the dealer. Branson still uses mechanical injection and it's a common Bosch pump that's been around for a while. I'm 250 miles from my dealer. They sell another brand that I was interested in. That manufacturer has been releasing new fuel injection maps and the dealer has to have the tractor to update it. That eliminated it from my consideration even though it's a fine machine otherwise.

The local Kubota dealer is 45 miles away and will come get the tractor and maintain it for you. That service comes at a price of course. For some people that makes sense. I'm the kind of person who prefers to work on his vehicles (and chainsaws and bicycles etc) so that kind of service doesn't appeal to me. Nothing wrong with doing it the other way. It's a personal choice.

New tractors almost always have some new tractor issues.

Mine's had two- something was unplugged and the dealer installed tilt cylinder needed minor modification to lift my 3pt high enough (due to the smaller than typical wheels and tires on my tractor). Both were easy to do for an amateur mechanic.

 

[Streetcar]

As a mechanic, I would look hard at used equipment. You can get a small and large tractor. Larger tractor can be two wheel drive.

 

[rusty842]

If your going to bale hay you need to decide what size of equipment you want. Small square baler or round bales then size your tractor to the equipment you want. Not thing worse than trying to pull a baler with a tractor thats too small.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

If your going to bale hay you need to decide what size of equipment you want. Small square baler or round bales then size your tractor to the equipment you want. Not thing worse than trying to pull a baler with a tractor thats too small.

This.

Your haying needs are your biggest demands listed in your tractor needs. Don't pick a tractor (any brand) that won't power the hay equipment you have available. Large round bale balers take a big tractor, both weight and hp. Small round bale or small square bale balers are less demanding on your tractor, but they will be harder to work with for efficient hay production. Those small bales need to be picked up and stacked. Are you willing/able to pick them up, load on a trailer to take out of a field, and hand stack them somewhere? Used balers are more commonly had in the large round bale flavor. New balers are expensive, and new small balers (round and square) are really expensive.

Look hard at your hay equipment purchases before you settle on a tractor size and hp. You need weight AND hp to run most common balers.

 

[areid]

I have a small 30 hp, that would obviously be too small but small has its advantages also. I think 50 hp would do the job. Buy a 100 hp and forget about driving it up close to the house as you will ruin the lawn.

 

[bspeedy]

I have operated articulated loaders, fork lifts, man lifts etc., not farm tractors per se, and I am a mechanic by trade, so maintaining the equipment will not be an issue in my mind... nearest Branson dealer is 500 miles, so that may be an issue

This says to me that you are a perfect candidate for a used tractor. Most compact and many utility tractors are used by private owners who put 100 hours per year or fewer on them. Lots of cream puffs around. For 35 grand, you can get a used 50-ish hp 2wd utility tractor with loader for field work and a 40-ish hp 4wd compact with loader for other stuff. I have three - a SCUT, a large CUT and a small CUT on 53 acres. Part of the reasoning for that is to teach my boys how to run the equipment and help me out. This concept may be applicable depending upon the age of your grandkids.

 

[bspeedy]

^^and, by the way, I have much less than 35 grand in those three machines, including the equipment they operate. Maybe 30k, tops.

 

[2ndhalf]

Seems you are looking at Branson because of the bang for the buck. Don't forget to look at the Yanmar for the same reason.

TractorHouse.com | YANMAR YT347 For Sale

or

TractorHouse.com | 215 MASSEY-FERGUSON 1754 For Sale

 

[scaredychicken]

I agree with Jeff9366 also - made a lot of good points.
I have found this forum excellent for information, and then I go to the tractordata.com site for the specs and details, attachment options, manufacturing dates and information, for any machine that I want to know more about.
The Brand specific discussion forums on tractorbynet.com have been particularly useful for ownership perspectives and experiences. And this forum is the best that I have come across.

 

[coralhead]

...... nearest Branson dealer is 500 miles, so that may be an issue

Are you talking about KY or are you planning on buying in NY and then transporting to KY? There are several Branson dealers in/near KY.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I would think a 50-60 hp tractor would be about right. 4 wheel drive and a loader woud be nice. Might be outside your budget, but a cab is something to think about. Lot of different jobs on 100 acres and a lot of different weather in KY.