New to the forum, new tractor in the near future. Help?

[wallab]

Great forum with a lot of great information. I have 11 acres and about 1.5 miles of driveway to take care of in Central Washington. Plus the horses and everything else that goes along with home ownership.

Well its time to retire the old Ford 1300. It's been a great little tractor and runs like a champ, but the wife said I'm due for an upgrade and its not my place to argue with her.

So I'm going 33-38 hp with loader, mower, and rear blade. Has to be hydrostatic for the wife. I did my research and narrowed it down to a Mahindra 1533. Pretty much because of the price, dealer, and the way they handled the Tier 4 emissions. Plus the tractor felt comfortable and drove nice.

So I made up my mind, but decided I should probably look at New Holland and Yanmar just to be sure. Thats when a wrench gets thrown into my plan. I can get a Yanmar EX 3200, NH Workmaster 35, or Workmaster 40 that are left over Tier 3 for quite a bit less money then the Mahindra 1533. Plus they are Tier 3 engines which is a big selling point in my opinion.

I'm not tied to any brand of tractor and want something that will be dependable for the next 20-30 years. I'd rather spend extra to get quality. So is the Tier 3 vs. Tier 4 worth worrying about and is there something I'm not looking at that should help make my decision. Any opinions or advice would be helpful. FYI there is no Kioti or LS dealers anywhere remotely close to me. Pretty much JD, Kubota, Mahindra, NH, Yanmar, or Massey.

Thanks

Brad

 

[Omega Woods]

If money's no object, Kubota. If it is, at least take a look at Branson.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum Brad. If I was getting another tractor I would definitely look for a Tier 3 if all else was the same. The money you could save for the left over tractor would allow for more attachments.

 

[2ndhalf]

I would go with your first choice... Mahindra.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm not tied to any brand of tractor and want something that will be dependable for the next 20-30 years. I'd rather spend extra to get quality. So is the Tier 3 vs. Tier 4 worth worrying about? Brad

Simpler is more reliable than complicated. Inside storage preserves better than outside storage.

Reliability will be further dependent on how prudently you operate your equipment, including effecting repairs when necessary rather than procrastinating until minor repairs cascade into bigger problems, and how diligently you keep up routine maintenance.

Do not forget yourself: wear safety glasses and steel toe boots.


Ellensburg is on the dry side of Washington. For that 1.5 miles of driveway, consider a Land Plane Grading Scraper in lieu of a rear blade, unless you need the blade for moving snow. Optimal for 1.5 miles of dirt or gravel driveway is a multipurpose TR3 Rake.


Purely from curiosity, how many years did you operate the Ford 1300?


LPGS LINK: Google:T-B-N

LPGS VIDEO: land plane leveler - YouTube

TR3 RAKE: TR3® Rake - Tractor Implement - ABI Attachments



An EXCELLENT first post.

 

[HD4848]

wallab,

I'm new to the forum as well. I recently purchased my tractor and shared some of your concerns.

I was dead set on a certain tractor until I compared the specs and realized they were pretty much the same tractor, with different paint. Then after contacting 5 different dealers I found out that red paint is $3400 more expensive than blue :shocked:

I did a complete change up simply based on the dealer not trying to bs me on price, and knowing that they will take care of me when maintenance time arrives.

Know how strong of a machine you need and find a dealer/service center with a good reputation.

 

[wallab]

Thanks for the advice. The more I talk to folks the more I see the importance of the dealer over a specific brand. The tractor will be stored inside.

Also I have had my Ford 1300 for 10 years now. Been a great little tractor.

Keep the advice coming. I appreciate it.

Brad

 

[fried1765]

Thanks for the advice. The more I talk to folks the more I see the importance of the dealer over a specific brand. The tractor will be stored inside.

Also I have had my Ford 1300 for 10 years now. Been a great little tractor.

Keep the advice coming. I appreciate it.




Brad

The real answer to dealer proximity is to buy a trailer.
With a trailer you can buy from any dealer anywhere!
If the tractor breaks under warranty, ask the dealer to come pick it up. If he refuses to pick it up because it is too far, you can take it to him.
If the tractor breaks outside the warranty, you can trailer it to the dealer wherever he may be, or to any other repair shop that you might choose.
You can buy a new 16ft. 7000 GVW (5000 usable load) equipment trailer for $1840 on E-Bay, so would assume you might do that for only a bit more in the Seattle area, or over in Spokane.
The EX3200 weighs 2500#, and the loader with bucket weighs 855#, the empty 16' trailer would weigh 2000#, and a blade + mower might weigh a total of 1000#
That gives a total of 6355# GVW , which would be a very comfortable load for a 7000 GVW trailer.
You could probably buy a used trailer for less money, but if you do, you should figure that you will need all new wheel bearings, and tires.
I have had three trailers, but I do not buy used trailers.The money/time you spend on a used trailer purchase, plus bearings, and tires is usually not worth the difference when compared to buying new.
Once you have a trailer you will find many other handy uses for it.

 

[dickfoster]

Great forum with a lot of great information. I have 11 acres and about 1.5 miles of driveway to take care of in Central Washington. Plus the horses and everything else that goes along with home ownership.

Well its time to retire the old Ford 1300. It's been a great little tractor and runs like a champ, but the wife said I'm due for an upgrade and its not my place to argue with her.

So I'm going 33-38 hp with loader, mower, and rear blade. Has to be hydrostatic for the wife. I did my research and narrowed it down to a Mahindra 1533. Pretty much because of the price, dealer, and the way they handled the Tier 4 emissions. Plus the tractor felt comfortable and drove nice.

So I made up my mind, but decided I should probably look at New Holland and Yanmar just to be sure. Thats when a wrench gets thrown into my plan. I can get a Yanmar EX 3200, NH Workmaster 35, or Workmaster 40 that are left over Tier 3 for quite a bit less money then the Mahindra 1533. Plus they are Tier 3 engines which is a big selling point in my opinion.

I'm not tied to any brand of tractor and want something that will be dependable for the next 20-30 years. I'd rather spend extra to get quality. So is the Tier 3 vs. Tier 4 worth worrying about and is there something I'm not looking at that should help make my decision. Any opinions or advice would be helpful. FYI there is no Kioti or LS dealers anywhere remotely close to me. Pretty much JD, Kubota, Mahindra, NH, Yanmar, or Massey.

Thanks

Brad

I just got a 1538TLB and love it so far. I got a shuttle for my place and what I do but they have the HST for just a grand more so they have either one. I think both of the other brands do the DPF thing which is one of the reasons I settled on the Mahindra. I could have gotten a New Holland from the same dealer but felt the Manidra was a better tractor. The dealer was also an important part of the equation along with warranty, weight etc. etc. etc. To me the dealer choice is right up at the top of the list because a bad dealer and poor support can make the worst of the best tractor made.

 

[AxleHub]

Brad,

If you have access tongetting a new full warranty Yanmar EX3200 . . that would be a very fine unit to own. The dealers loved them because they were very reliable and very easy to work on. They slso liked them because the customers just didn't have many problems.

I know a couple dealers that would love to get more of them . . but can't. They were actively selling them until there were no more.


Also . . I'm curious . . . how does a guy have 11 acres but 1.5 miles of driveway ?