New 4120 vs 5105

[AKfish]

I'm a new poster on TBN and have been trying to absorb the collective wisdom of the many folk's who contribute to this site for enough months now that my wife is complaining about "tractor obsession". Nonetheless, I'd like to thank everyone for the kind of knowledge that is usually only available from a handful of neighbor's and/or the school of "hard knocks". Recently, I sallied forth with a folder of estimates from the Deere configurator and a fistfull of posts from TBN to my local dealer to see what kind of deal he might offer on either a 4120 or a 5105. I requested a FEL and a hoe for both models. Since I'm in Alaska, the dealer would only offer a flat 10% on the 4120 and 8% on the 5105. Ok, this is Alaska and it would cost me $2500 to saddle up my Duramax and tow a package home. So the flat rate wasn't great but I could almost abide with that position. The kicker to this was when the salesman tacked on more than a $1,000 to each model for freight ($1,170 for the 5105 and $1,014 for the 4120) and parts. Then he got me with the other foot for $1,200 for setup and delivery (I live 14 miles from the dealer)! Needless to say, I'm pretty convinced that I'm wasting my time with those folk's and I'm REAL interested in the poster who indicated that he got a bid in Washington state for a new 4120 with FEL for 24,800. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Thanks again for all the good news on this site and my chance to vent a bit. AKfish

 

[dmp437]

It sounds like the dealer thinks he has a captive audience or he's used to selling to the government.

 

[timb]

High freight seems perfectly understandable given your location. But even if Alaska tends to have a higher wage/cost-of-doing business than the average lower 48 - the high margins and especially ultra-high set up fees just don't seem acceptable. My setup (albeit no hoe) was a third of that for the tractor, fel, and cutter. Not only was delivery free, but so is warranty pickup/return. Is this guy the only dealer within 800 miles or something? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[jimg]

Were you thinking of driving down here and picking it up? At any rate the dealer is Barnett in Mount Vernon, WA. He's located on Old Rt 99 right off I5.

 

[AKfish]

The Deere dealership is part of a four store "chain". In effect, there is no real difference shopping in Anchorage or Fairbanks or Wasilla or Soldotna. It's the same outfit. So, they've got a captive audience all the way to Washington state -- 2,200 miles. I guess a guy could try to deal in Canada but I have no idea how that might work?!? Yup, I'm very serious about trekking downhill to tow a package deal home. Working from the numbers that I've seen on TBN and what the dealer quoted -- he's somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,500 above what I might expect in the lower 48.
AKfish

 

[jimg]

Consider doing business in Canada . Im familiar w/ tractor dealers in the US who do business there. So, I would figure that it could be the other way round too. They should be adept at whats needed to export. If that doesnt work then a road trip isnt your last alternative unless you must have a Deere. When I bought my first tractor I ran into the same situation. The Deere dealer was thousands off and unwilling to deal. So, I wound up w/ a New Holland machine which has worked out nicely.

 

[AKfish]

I'd like to own a Deere. Growing up in So. Dak. I spent summers mowing, raking, baling, cultivating, etc. I have memories of the quality and rock solid machines that Green is famous for. As well, I have some inclination to buy "American". Although, in this day and age of "Internationalism" that may be a foolish holdover. I've gotten an intial quote from the Kubota dealer on the comparable L series machine -- 4330. He's a couple of hundred dollars less than JD. Not enough that I'd seriously consider going Orange. I'll give him another jingle and see if he really wants to sell me a tractor. As well, I'll try a couple dealerships in WA, OR, etc. and see how that shakes out. Canada would be a last resort. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Ledgemere Farm]

Ironically, I almost think that some of the Kubotas may be more American than the Deeres... My brother-in-law's Kubota has "made in The USA" stamped all over his loader and hoe. Mine are Deere, but I can't find anything that tells where they came from. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[timb]

Out of curiosity, what tractor features will end up deciding it for you (if you go Deere) between the 4120 and the 5105? I really liked the '05's but decided to get the more flexible PR tranny of my 4710 over the extra beef of the 05's. The equivalent in a 5220 was just too much more tractor and $$$ for my needs.

 

[Jkline]

I got a quote yesterday in Snohomish, WA for a 4120, Hydro, loader, R1's for $26,500. Here in Moscow, ID I just got this quote: hydro, R4's, 400x loader, hood gaurd, 73" bucket, weight ballast for $25,570. No charge for freight, setup, or delivery to my home, which is 4 miles away.

Can any of you guys tell me if these are good prices? Thanks,

 

[AKfish]

I haven't completely made up my mind on which machine to go with, yet. I started this quest with a 40 hp@ PTO tractor as a starting point . My wife has finally wore me down after 23 years for her owning a horse. Well, you can't have just one (she wants me to ride with her...) and well, if we're gonna have horses why don't we build a small hog house and have our youngest son raise a 4-H pig? And maybe some chickens? We've been splitting about 90 chickens with 2 other families each summer and maybe we could give Kasey a break on raising them... So, our 15+ acres is morphing into Ol' MacDonald's place! That means I need to cut down, dig up and bury quite a few trees to increase the little more than 1 acre we currently have in pasture. I thought that since I was making the investment in a tractor that maybe I'd get something that I could do some landscaping on the side with -- 4120. Well, the wife is good friends with several neighbors (they have horses) who have large enough acreages to sell hay. They're gettin' older and always looking for help -- maybe I could trade tractor work for winter feed -- 5105. I'm still struggling with the idea of buying the hoe as well. I could probably clear everything with a grapple bucket and chainsaw then rent a track hoe to dig the stumps and bury everything (don't want fires). The 5105 has more heft and will likely stand up to the tree clearing work better than the 4120 -- I think. The 5105 won't be as manueverable for clearing snow and the manure work, though. The price (up here) is very close between them but the current JD financing favors the '05. The local dealer called me today and wants to sit down on Monday to talk. We'll see. I'm not gonna hold my breath for a great offer, though. More later.

 

[jimg]

This has to be Barnett's...right? If so, you might want to try out the Mount Vernon store. When I first started pricing I went to the Snohomish store and found them to be very unknowledgable about tractors which isnt the case in Mount Vernon. After my initial quote in Mount Vernon (23,800) I got a call yesterday from the salesman saying the price had dropped (23900). At the moment I really wasnt interested in getting best price (just best dealer and tractor). However, I got the impression he was concerned he might not be in the running and didnt want to miss out on a sale. Right now I'm trying to decide between a TC45 and 4120. I also dont have a place to put a tractor as Im still house hunting. All in all the 4120 is, I think, a better tractor on paper than the TC45. The prices above are for a PS transmission w/ loader and HD bucket. My initial quote for a hydro (which Im not considering) was 25800 w/ a loader.

The dealers in my area (Brim (NH) and Barnett (JD)) are the best I've ever dealt w/. Thats what makes the choice so difficult. Both seem very interested in having satisfied customers, have good parts and service depts and are more than willing to deal.

 

[jimg]

I think I'd just rent or hire the equipment to do the clearing and get a tractor that would handle (on avg) the remaining jobs best. An excavator and bulldozer will do the job better and quicker.

From the jobs youve listed (exc the land clearing) it sounds like the 5105 might be the best choice if youre really going to wind up haying. If not then Id go w/ the 4120. I dont think the 4120 would handle a baler that well.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Sounds like your AK dealer is definitely taking advantage of his "green monopoly". OTOH, I'm sure the cost of doing business is higher up there.

Rent or hire equipment for tree removal or prepare to sweat. The 5105 can knock over small trees if not deep rooted. If your land was already mostly manicured, I'd recommend the 4120. But, if your land is rutted and needs lots of work, get the 5105 with MFWD and the biggest R1 tires possible.

Keep us posted...Kyle

 

[BarryinMN]

Hiring out or renting a dozer & TLB is good advise. Gross cleanup means things falling on the hood, scratches scrapes dents etc. Makes a new tractor look old fast + expense of replacing broken lights & misc.

I initially looked on paper at the 40 hp level but rapidly ended up in the 60 hp utility class & a 10,000 lb tractor. A few test drives on slopes with weight (hay) made the decision easy in my case.

Have fun during the search. The work starts when you get it home!