chatcher
Silver Member
After several weeks of studying paint color chips (as well as a million other details from sales brochures, manufacturer websites, TBN, and tractors on dealer lots) I have finally made my color choice. It's blue!
Today I purchased a shiny New Holland TC35DA, 16LA loader, and 758C backhoe. I'm happy to have the tractor on its way, but maybe even more than that I'm happy to have the decision making over with. The short list included the new JD 3000 Twenty series, the Kubota Grand L series, and the NH class III Boomers. (I know these tractors are not the same size, but most of you know there are no real apples-to-apples comparisons to make between brands, and my own convoluted criteria finally led me to that point.)
After I had narrowed my selection, I went to my nearest (1 mile) JD dealer and got a quote on a 3320 with 300CX loader and 448 backhoe. It wasn't too bad, but I was a little worried about the complexity of all the electronics on the tractor, and wondering how they would hold up over the next twenty years. My current tractor is a Ford 601 and although it won't go slow, and doesn't have a live PTO, it does still run well and is easy to work on. After that I tried my nearest (10 miles) NH dealer. He quoted $16,300 for the TC35DA with R4 tires, $3,900 for the 16LA loader with HD (I think) bucket, and $7,100 for a 758C backhoe with 12-inch bucket, or a total of $27,300. A lttle high, I thought, and after looking at various NH quotes here at TBN, I really wasn't happy with it. Next I went to another Kubota dealer (the closest NH dealer sells both brands, but I didn't ask him for a Kubota price) and got what I thought was a much better price on an Kubota L3130, and thought at that point I would end up with an orange tractor. Another day of worrying about it and I was back to thinking green again. Which brings me to yesterday when I decided to check another (50 miles) NH dealer and got what I thought was a killer quote. He offerred a TC35DA with R4 tires, 16LA loader, Quick Attach faceplate, 72-inch QA bucket, and 758C backhoe with 12-inch bucket, for $25,070, or by my reckoning about $2,500 cheaper than NH dealer #1 (considering the addition of Quick-Attach to the loader). I came home to think about it, and by the end of the evening I was almost convinced it was too good to be true. This morning I considered giving the closest dealer a chance to match it, but then I figured, I already asked him for his price, he gave it to me, and why should I reward him for the other dealer's better offer? So I went back to dealer #2, added a grille guard, a tooth bar for the loader bucket, and 400# of rear wheel weights (all New Holland) for a total of $25,880 plus tax, including delivery to my door 50 miles away. This seems to me like an extremely good price, and even if it isn't, I'm very happy with it anyway.
The bad news is that the dealer had to order the 758C and wheel weights (he usually sells Bush Hog backhoes with the NH tractors, and stocks aftermarket brand wheel weights, which surprisingly cost considerably more than NH weights). So it may be a week or two before we welcome the new addition to our family. It's probably just as well, my land is still very wet and the clay mud bogs are more treacherous (part of what led me to rule out anything with 19.5 inch rear wheels)than usual, so I undoubtedly would have buried it right away.
I didn't have a camera with me at the dealer's today, so photos will have to wait until delivery day. Tell me again how long humans can go without sleep?
Today I purchased a shiny New Holland TC35DA, 16LA loader, and 758C backhoe. I'm happy to have the tractor on its way, but maybe even more than that I'm happy to have the decision making over with. The short list included the new JD 3000 Twenty series, the Kubota Grand L series, and the NH class III Boomers. (I know these tractors are not the same size, but most of you know there are no real apples-to-apples comparisons to make between brands, and my own convoluted criteria finally led me to that point.)
After I had narrowed my selection, I went to my nearest (1 mile) JD dealer and got a quote on a 3320 with 300CX loader and 448 backhoe. It wasn't too bad, but I was a little worried about the complexity of all the electronics on the tractor, and wondering how they would hold up over the next twenty years. My current tractor is a Ford 601 and although it won't go slow, and doesn't have a live PTO, it does still run well and is easy to work on. After that I tried my nearest (10 miles) NH dealer. He quoted $16,300 for the TC35DA with R4 tires, $3,900 for the 16LA loader with HD (I think) bucket, and $7,100 for a 758C backhoe with 12-inch bucket, or a total of $27,300. A lttle high, I thought, and after looking at various NH quotes here at TBN, I really wasn't happy with it. Next I went to another Kubota dealer (the closest NH dealer sells both brands, but I didn't ask him for a Kubota price) and got what I thought was a much better price on an Kubota L3130, and thought at that point I would end up with an orange tractor. Another day of worrying about it and I was back to thinking green again. Which brings me to yesterday when I decided to check another (50 miles) NH dealer and got what I thought was a killer quote. He offerred a TC35DA with R4 tires, 16LA loader, Quick Attach faceplate, 72-inch QA bucket, and 758C backhoe with 12-inch bucket, for $25,070, or by my reckoning about $2,500 cheaper than NH dealer #1 (considering the addition of Quick-Attach to the loader). I came home to think about it, and by the end of the evening I was almost convinced it was too good to be true. This morning I considered giving the closest dealer a chance to match it, but then I figured, I already asked him for his price, he gave it to me, and why should I reward him for the other dealer's better offer? So I went back to dealer #2, added a grille guard, a tooth bar for the loader bucket, and 400# of rear wheel weights (all New Holland) for a total of $25,880 plus tax, including delivery to my door 50 miles away. This seems to me like an extremely good price, and even if it isn't, I'm very happy with it anyway.
The bad news is that the dealer had to order the 758C and wheel weights (he usually sells Bush Hog backhoes with the NH tractors, and stocks aftermarket brand wheel weights, which surprisingly cost considerably more than NH weights). So it may be a week or two before we welcome the new addition to our family. It's probably just as well, my land is still very wet and the clay mud bogs are more treacherous (part of what led me to rule out anything with 19.5 inch rear wheels)than usual, so I undoubtedly would have buried it right away.
I didn't have a camera with me at the dealer's today, so photos will have to wait until delivery day. Tell me again how long humans can go without sleep?
