OK, now I'm really confused

[gumshu]

I thought I had my mind made up that I wanted a Kubota B3200. I liked the size, I like the power and based on the comments posted here, I liked the reviews.

I stopped at the closest Kubota dealer today and sat down with a salesman. I'm looking for a B3200, RH4, FEL with QA, BH with mechanical thumb. No MMM, no rotary mower, no tiller. He came back at me with a price of $28,044 plus sales tax. The only thing he added extra that I didn't have on my list was loaded tires.

A good chunk of the price you first posted was is in the backhoe. You may want to check the price of a Woods backhoe as opposed to a manufacturers brand hoe.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

... I figured OK, so much for Kubota...let me take a look at Kioti because everyone is saying their prices are much better. I then stopped at the only Kioti dealer that I know in the area. For a CK30HST, R4, FEL and BH they're looking at $33,000.00. On top of that the salesman at Kioti tells me that I better buy now because Tier 4 is coming and it's going to increase the price 25%...WTF?

Anyway....I'm confused...what do you guys think?

I bought a new DK50se without a backhoe for way less than that. In fact, if I added the approx $8k for the BH, I would have been only slightly higher that your $33K price.

You need to talk to another Kioti dealer sir...

Best of luck whatever you buy.

David

 

[Carl Bert]

If your paying cash, you would be crazy not to look for something a year or two old. You can easily find one with under 250 hours, which is the same as new, and you will be saving a lot of cash. I know, I made that same mistake 2 years ago. Wish I could do it again.

I learned the hard way that tractors take a huge hit in the first few years. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[94BULLITT]

I think you need to find another dealer. I recommend checking with at least 3 for the best deal and to find the best dealer.

 

[MHarryE]

I would also be concerned about warranty on a new tractor because the probability of a failure is relatively high at the start. For tractors it is called a bathtub curve. High rate at the start dropping quickly to a low, flat line once early hour failures are fixed, followed by a gradual upsweep as it nears wear out. Having said that, I am near the end of the warranty period of my second Kubota, have only the winter snow plowing before it is out, and my tractors have had no failures, have never seen the dealership since leaving the lot. My latest Kubota came at 13.7% off, and I almost forgot, I bought a RTV from him this year and ado got around 14% off. That was without a cash discount - I used the 60 month zero percent financing. I would sure try Barlows if your local dealer is going to play hardball. I know your cost of living is high in New England, but they still need to be competitive. When I was living in Europe and needed to replace my European version car with a USA version, I tried the local Minneapolis dealers and they wouldn't talk deal at all, so I got on the Internet and dealt with a New Jersey car dealer. He gave me a great deal and also got my recommendation for two colleagues who faced the same situation. So to me I think your dealer doesn't have any reason not to cut you a good deal and I would definitely talk to Barlows if I were you.

 

[madmax12]

You mentioned Max28 TLB...

You should be able to get that for near 21000.... leaving a little for tax and toys...tools, I mean.

 

[crazyal]

As I said, I would contact Barlows, by phone would be best. Get a price and then tell them of your concerns and then decide. New England seams to be very high price wise. I understand the extra costs of doing business up here but a couple of bucks off of retail is just over the top IMO. If there is more than one dealer around I wouldn't worry too much about service. There's plenty of people who have and warranty work done by different dealers than where they bought it.

 

[Teikas Dad]

Thanks all of you for some very good advice. I'm going to check with both Barlow's and Emerich and see what they have to say. If nothing else, like a couple of you posted it will give me some bargaining chips with dealers around here. I found 3 more dealers within and hour of me so I think I'll be paying them a visit too. I'll also keep an eye out too for what I'm looking for in the used market.

The advice, input and experience available on this site is invaluable. You guys are the best, thank you!

 

[Gator6x4]

Thanks all of you for some very good advice. I'm going to check with both Barlow's and Emerich and see what they have to say. If nothing else, like a couple of you posted it will give me some bargaining chips with dealers around here. I found 3 more dealers within and hour of me so I think I'll be paying them a visit too. I'll also keep an eye out too for what I'm looking for in the used market.

The advice, input and experience available on this site is invaluable. You guys are the best, thank you!

I wouldn't give up on the dealer that gave you the high price. I would go back to the original dealer and offer him 25,000 plus tax for the tractor and equipment you priced. The 25,000 is 15% off of the build price you posted plus a few dollars to round it up to 25,000. The dealer may accept, especially when you explain it is a cash sale,

 

[joshuabardwell]

My concern with a used unit is the lack of warranty coverage.

Is the Kubota warranty transferrable? You may be able to find a low-hours unit still under warranty. It'd require a bit of luck, but it does happen that people buy one and then want to trade up or something.

This may be too obvious to mention, but did the dealer know you were paying cash vs. financing? There are substantial discounts for cash payment (or, to put it another way, substantial penalties for financing).

 

[Gary Fowler]

I wouldnt be concerned with warranty coverage on a tractor 2-3 years old and 100-200 hours or even less. Most of the bugs are found in the first 100 hours and after that, not much to happen as long as it is properly maintained. I just recently bought a 2009 Kubota B26 TLB for $25K with 140 hours (new as equipped MSRP is $42K). It was just like new except any factory bugs had been removed. You can almost look at a tractor and tell if it has been abused or if it has been slightly used. No way could I justify spending the money for a new one but for $17K discount I got a bargain even without any warranty. It has been trouble free for 100 hours that I have put on it since June.

 

[Carl_NH]

Teikas,

What about those used units that were posted - a 2320 nearly new 14 hrs with a BH for $21K then some others as well.

As Gary and others have said - get a decent used machine - you can get same or more machine for a lot of $ less than a brand new one.

There is a very very slim chance you will get a problem Kubota tractor based on expereince and all the fellows here that have these machines.

Bottom line save your $ and buy a slightly used one. BUT if you must have a new one, do what I did, I shopped the "on line" dealer at that time - Carvers in NC, and they were $24K delivered to NH for my B21 - that was in 2001 so not a lot of machines on line like today to compare and find.

I called my local dealer I worked and bought parts from for my older kubota and said will you accept $24,500 - he said yes.

Carl

 

[Teikas Dad]

Thanks again, I'll reconsider possibly buying a used tractor. I'm one of those stupid people that buys cars and trucks new but if I can save big bucks I'll have to rethink a bit.

 

[rScotty]

My concern with a used unit is the lack of warranty coverage. Also, I don't know how to compare hours of use to year of tractor. In a car or truck you can figure average use of 10,000 miles a year for a vehicle is normal, lower is better, higher not so much.

How do you figure out what is a good hours/age ratio on a tractor?

Did you ever get a good answer for hours and age?
I see where Kevin wrote:
"I say hours vs age isn't as important as maintenance. I bought my 950 with only 420 hours on it and it was 30 years old. I also just replaced all tires due to dry rot. Most tractors are built rather well and regardless of brand if maintained properly I personally am not afraid of hours on one."

Frankly, I'd agree. Not many things that you will ever own are made a durable as tractors. With normal maintenance, a tractor will last a lifetime. Maybe several. BTW, gauges keep track of engine hours at full RPM. So unless you run wide open all the time, don't be surprised if at the end of the day you've put on less hours than you expected.

Generalities are just that, but here's some rough guides: Under 500 hours the tractor still works exactly like a new one. Maybe better. Only difference is the paint is scratched and fading. In the next 500 to 2000 hours the maintenance list begins to include normal things like hoses, belts, and batteries, but the tractor still works the same. At about 1000 hours some slop becomes noticeable in the pivot bushings for the FEL and BH and the seat is splitting....and the tractor is looking a bit weather beaten....but all the systems still work just the same. And now it's time to decide about the tires. Not that they won't go longer, but the tread is worn past the traction point.

I've seen very few with over 2500 hours on them. Maybe because most small rural landowners use their tractors for a few hundred hours a year at most. I use mine fairly hard and often, but still only manage to get about 150 hours/year in the saddle. Of course, that works out to almost a month of 40 hour work weeks in the tractor seat. And don't forget that you are mostly at less than full throttle - in fact, I average about 1/3 to 1/2 of full throttle for all day. So it's not unreasonable to see that 150 hours on the hour meter translates a lot of months of 8 hour work days in the tractor seat!
Good Luck, rScotty

 

[Teikas Dad]

Thanks rScotty, that's a very good explanation on what a tractor's condition should be versus hours/age.

 

[Teikas Dad]

Well, I'm no longer confused and I don't have to worry about a tractor's age vs it's condition, or finding one on Craigslist or anywhere else. I followed the suggestions of many of you and contacted Barlow's. The deal is done and as soon as they get it ready so it can be delivered I'll have a 2012 Kubota B3200 with FEL, BH w/mech thumb and loaded tires sitting in my yard. Barlow's and you guys saved me thousands (that's right, thousands plural with an "s" on the end) over the best prices I could get around here.

I was going to wait until I had the full cash amount to buy outright but after talking to my wife she thought going for the $0 down, 0%, no payments until April 2013 was a deal that couldn't be passed up, particularly with the price I got from Barlow's. I'll give some advice back, it pays to be married to a farm girl if you want to buy a tractor!

A big thank you to all of you and to Brady at Barlow's!!!!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[94BULLITT]

Congrats on your new tractor.

 

[CHDinCT]

Congrat's on your tractor-to-be. I missed this thread earlier but would have posted that the best I could do here in CT for my BX25 in early 2011 was 7% off retail. The two closest local Kubota dealers were within $100 of each other. I contacted Barlow's but with a trade in, things get a bit more complicated so I stayed local with my purchase. Just another reason not to live in the NE. I love a lot of things about this part of the country, but a low cost of living is not one of them. Current plans are to leave CT once we fully retire IF we can sell our current home. Back on point, don't forget to post up some pic's once it arrives.

 

[CBW1999]

Awesome! Look forward to seeing pictures of it when it arrives.

 

[JJZ 109]

Glad you were able to find a deal that you are happy with. Pretty darn seldom you'd hear a bad word about Barlow or Messick on these pages.