Rating purchase factors

[CajunRider]

When buying a tractor I think of the following factors: A)Price, B)Horsepower, C)Weight, D)Reliability (based on past performance of same model/brand), E)Dealer Support, F)Transmission Type (Gear or Hydro), G)FEL capacity (I add this since it's the most popular attachment that is more tractor model dependent).

Using the following scale: 1=Not important at all, 2=Some what important, 3=Important, 4=Very important, 5=Deal maker, how would you rate the above factors. BTW feel free to add in other factors that you think should be included.

Mine are as follows: A)4 - Because I have a specific budget, B)4 Horsepower - Because I am a HP freak, C)2 - I know weight is important in transferring power to the ground but then in some case I'd like it lighter as well, hence the 2 rating, D)4 - I wanna use it not baby it, E)3 - Depeding on where you live this could be way up there, but for where I am I can get to most dealers fairly easily, F)3 - I like Hydro but can live with gear, G)3 - I plan to use the FEL quite a bit and having one with good capacity helps.

 

[BB_TX]

All of those are important. But number 1 should be getting what you want and will be happy with. If you have a lot of experience with tractors, then you probably already have a pretty good idea. If only limited or no experience, take a lot of time to make sure you don't end up with something you will regret because it is too small/too large, gear/hydro, BH/no BH, green/blue/orange, etc. Lots of choices. What is right and important for one person likely will not be right or important for another.

 

[rozett]

A) price was a 3
B) HP was a 5. Had to have 30+ HP
C) Weight was a 3
D) Reliability was a 5 ... but I think there is negligible difference in reliability among the top five brands in my area. So the list was limited to Kubota, NH, Deere, Cub, and Kioti
E) Dealer support was a 1 .. tractor has never been to a dealer (yet /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif)
F) Transmission type was a 5... had to be gear drive
G) FEL capacity was a 3
also...
H) wheelbase (a 3) was important to me because of hilly terrain
I) 3 pt capacity (a 3) was a differentiator

The way I looked at it.. to make my list at all it had to be one of the top five brands with 30 or more HP and gear drive. After that, I balanced price against where each model stood on weight, wheelbase, HP over 30, 3 pt capacity and FEL capacity. I want the best value for my money. I was willing to pay more if a model stood out above the others in these specs.

 

[getut]

A) Price = 5) DealMaker
B) Horsepower = 4) Very Important
C) Weight = 3) Important
D) Reliability = 5) DealMaker
E) Dealer Support = 3) Important
F) Transmission Type = 2) Somewhat Important
G) FEL Capacity = 2) Somewhat Important

Physical footprint (Length and Width) was a dealmaker for me due to the size of my barn and shed where the tractor is stored.

Price, Reliability, and stoutest machine possible (HP and Weight combined) while staying LESS than 48" wide.

 

[frank_f15]

i will put it in simpler terms if i may

1) is the tractor what you need(hP)
2) is the price fair?
3) is it affordable to you.

 

[dmp437]

A-Price: 5 Why pay more than you should
B-HP: 3 As long as it's slightly more than I need, I'm set
C-Weight: 1 It is what it is
D-Reliability: 4 At these prices broken stuff should be rare
E-Dealer Support: 2 I've got the internet to do research and order parts. A sub catagory to dealer support would be the number of dealers a brand has in a given area.
F-Tranny: 5 In the CUT catagory, if it ain't hydro it ain't mine.
G-FEL Cap.: 3 Choose the biggest FEL for t he given frame size. FEL Cap is a tradeoff with price & weight.

H-Resale value & desirability: 5 A tractor is an expensive asset. The more people that want it the higher the resale. There is no joy in buying something and have it be worth half what you paid in three years, 20% in five years (like my Ford Windstar /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif )

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I have 2 different CUTs now, both are different in some ways. For the most recent purchase (June 2003) this is the criteria I used.

PRICE = 2 (somewhat important)

HORSEPOWER = 5 (I size the implements on the HP, the task requires certain sizes of implements)

WEIGHT = 4 (I didn't want too heavy or too light for my recent purchase, so my most recent tractor is a mid-weight tractor for its frame size, however my larger CUT is a light weight tractor -- one is small frame, the other is mid-frame but their weights are only 300# apart . . . I don't want to repair any more ruts in the ground than necessary. I'm not plowing fields like a real farmer, for a yard owner who mows and does general landscaping chores, heavy tractors and the traction they provide is overrated, I virually never run out of traction with a light tractor but I have rutted my yard with heavy machines)

RELIABILITY = 4 or 5 (I don't like downtime)

DEALER = 5 (I excpect a lot. I want parts in stock, service when I need it, a sales dept that knows what it is doing, they don't have to remember my face when I walk in, but they have to treat me like a long time family friend who is one of their biggest customers, even if I only buy 1 machine from them)

TRANSMISSION = 5 (antique tractors have gears, farm tractors have gears, my CUTs have hydro. Period. I'm not going back. I'm not giving it up. I'm looking at larger tractors now and found a few I like, but they don't come with HST . . . those were crossed off the list. Deal breaker.)

FEL CAPACITY = 3 (more capacity can shorten my labor time if it is higher relative to its frame size, but realistically any FEL is going to be pretty darn good. I think the curved arm units are easier to use, I'd trade some capacity for a curved arm loader, but most curved arm loaders have ample capcity) Curved Arm Visibility VS Straight Arm Visibility comparison photo

And if you don't mind, I want to add :

FRAME SIZE = 4 or 5 (I don't want a tractor that is underpowered for its frame size, it makes no sense to me to have a large frame with a small engine, I want implements to be w-i-d-e-r than the rear tracks and I want plenty of power on the PTO to run those implements. To me a tractor should be small with tons of power. I perfer the largest engine in any given frame size. My TC24 is a small frame tractor, has plenty of power. My B2910 is one of the smallest of the mid-frames but packs a punch.)


Now to shorten my long winded answer into something easier, scroll up and see what Frank_F15 wrote. I totally agree with him.

 

[KNotMe]

PRICE is everything.

If you can not afford it (big/small, high/low hp, Deere/Kubota/Jinma, hydro/gear, FEL/no FEL), you can not have it, it can not work for you.

KNotMe

 

[RalphVa]

I had a height of rigid ROPS in my list. Had to fit underneath the garage doors and into the basement doors. I'd never remember to fold and unfold the ROPS. I have trouble remembering to raise implements on the back before going out the door (with a threshold plate).

Ralph

 

[CajunRider]

While I agree with you Frank, I am going through the fun of ranking the tractors I am considering for purchase. I have a few that are close. I think I could be happy with any one of them.

I have a lot of time to wait until the time I can purchase my tractor. With the US government delaying my permit to work on my land, even if I had a tractor I can't work on it. I am just going through the normal red tape of getting a permit, even though the area has been cleared previously on another permit given by the goverment to the developer. Until then, I'll be playing with tractor numbers on specs, prices, etc..