agreed, that is exactly why I talked myself out of the 3520 tractor, what other unknowns are there lurking and why would a dealer not do a thorough job of going over the machine.
I have a couple reasons why im looking at the deere units, NO ONE ( that i am aware of ) makes a tractor in the size of the Deere with a belly mower - they make all kinds of excuses why as to compaction, scalping, stress on tractor, poor mowing results, take your pick...........deere took it upon themselves to keep on making and not only that one up their competitors on the new larger 2 series units and still have a belly mower with new better features - I am not true to any color, I have had good/bad of everything - I just sold my Ford GT75, Have a 2210 deere, own a farmall, an IH, and Volvo, experience with Kubota, Case, Takeuchi, Bobcat, so NO on brand/color. However I do want good dealer support. I have a good Kubota/new Holland/deere dealers I would consider doing business with that are all within a reasonable distance. There is a Mahindra dealer within reason and an LS dealer. But again, their belly mower tractors are small.
Maybe this will help, I want ONE machine to mow with - one machine to do small loader work for landscaping w/out tearing up my current yard/landscaping. one machine to haul wood with a trailer, one to do food plots and small enough to haul with implements. I do not want a rear mount finish mower for around the house and yard so that is out of the question. R4 tires only - turf not good enough traction I have a couple wet spots I have to mow around not to mention the dirt work.
I want enough hp to run the mower and do food plot work. I want enough loader capacity to do the yard work and maint. I wanted enough weight to do work yet not rut up the yard. I have a large skid steer and large tractors for my pasture work. I do not want a zero turn although it would make more sense for mowing but I am trying to reduce barn space and tires/engines/maint.
So if you can come up with a machine that would work with a close reputable dealer I would consider it. It has to be Hydro - It has to have independent lift on the deck 3 point, it has to have good lights, it has to work for my wife and daughter as they will run it also. I do not like the slick metal platforms on the Kubota - Mahindra, I like the rubber mats to reduce slipping with wet shoes/feet. I also do not know of a machine other than the B series Kubota that has a belly deck but still its not as big of a machine, has slick floor/deck where you ride. I also have had a great experience with the local deere dealer so that is an option. I have not looked at the boomer units maybe they have something comparable with a belly mower the size of a 2 series deere?
