Utility tractor?'s

[zjohnson]

Utility tractor?\'s

I find myself needing a 70-80 pto hp utility tractor. My small tractor (Ford 1920) is to small and my big tractor ( MF 1130 ) is too large and heavy for the hay/ loader work our Angus herd is growing into. In my area, we have NH, MF, JD, and Case dealers. I am considering a NH TL90, MF 491, Case JXU 90 all set up basically the same - standard transmission/ platform/ 4wd/ mid hyd/loader. The MF 491 is the price leader ( and the most "basic" with a 12x4 ). NH and Case come in about 2K higher with JD priced out of consideration. Any experiences with these tractors? Experiences/suggestions appreciated!

 

[cowboydoc]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

What I always do first is look at retail on all of those tractors. If you look at retail most tractors are priced pretty even, even JD. With that in mind look at who's giving you the most bang for the buck. Look at the different features you are getting. In all those tractors you mentioned the price can vary $2k with just a couple options. You really need to compare apples to apples, even a couple hp difference within one model can make a $2k price difference.

When you have broken it all down consider how important it is to you if there is a breakdown to be up and going within a day. Are you going to work on the tractor yourself or take it in? How about maintenance? Then look at your dealer support. Depending on how critical your tractor is and how much work you want to do on it will determine how much of a factor your dealer is going to be.

Lastly look at which tractor you like the best. If you're spending that much money you will soon forget about an extra $2k in price but getting a tractor with features you don't like, uncomfortable seat and ergonomics, features you do or don't want, etc. will become really irritating once the new wears off.

Lastly I would look at resale value. In all the farm sales I've been to MF and Case don't hold the value near as well as a NH does. Personally I think the Case and MF don't feel as good or have the ergonomics and operator stations situated very well. But that's personal. I like the NH ergonomics. The Case and MF feel a bit cheaper and alot more basic. Kind of like the feeling of sitting in a cheaper car. All the stuff is there but it just doesn't feel the same. You may feel the Case is the best. The only way to determine that is to spend some time on them.

All three are good choices. You just need to consider the whole picture and decide which one works the best for you personally.

 

[slowzuki]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

Coyboydoc got it straight I think. I would make sure you can try any of the machines you're looking at for a bit before buying, most dealers will do that.

Most of the hay work locally is done by NH machines, their powershifts I believe are priced better than most. A few locals have bought JD's, I know one of them replaced a Ford with the JD but opt'd out of fwa to bring the price down. He had other tractors still for his winter logging.

Further north of here the Case CX series is popular and draws a lot of $ even used. Locally there is no dealer so no one wants the stuff.

Different but many of the low dollar basic haying tractors selling to the south of us are Kubota's. They have a great local dealer and the M6800 - M9000 cab models have good egonomics for cheaper type machines. Personally I can't stand the open station versions of these machines, terrible shifter locations.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

The New Holland TL 90 is a great machine. It is a great haying tractor and very comfortable and easy to use. I am not familar with the MF but I don't like the 8x8 tranny in my NH and would much rather have a 16x16. I would assume the 12x4 is a simple tranny and might not be as easy to operate as the NH. I don't follow the Case-IH nomeclature to know if the JXU 90 is a TL in red or if it is something different. If so then there are only a few minor differences between the two as NH and Case-IH are one company. I do know Case-IH has some tractors sourced from Turkey and other companies to be different then the NH lineup. What model JD were you looking at? Around here you will find Case-IH, New Holland and John Deere as the main hay tractors. There are some MF but not many and they are mostly in the dealers immediate area.

When I was looking JD was not that much higher then New Holland. My Case-IH and Agco dealers came in $4-5k higher. John Deere was only $1k higher and I did not consider MF because they wanted me to buy a price tractor and when I asked about the better tractors they would just tell me I don't need all the bells and whistles (they were wrong as my NH doesn't have enough). When I buy my next tractor it will most likely be a TS-A or if things change a Valtra.

 

[Soundguy]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

I also have to agree with cowboydoc /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

The MF units can be viewed as 'value' or 'economy' lines as they usually come in a few bucks cheaper per hp, and also have a tad more basic features and options... still an awesome tractor / manufacturer. Some people like a plain no-bells tractor, but want a national brand.. the MF covers this nicely.. it comes in as a runner up to the big '3', so costs less but has just as good service and parts availability IMHO.

That said.. I also replaced my NH 1920 ( a great tractor ) with a NH 7610s.. Gotta say I love it. I imagine a TL-90 would have a few more bells and whistles.. perhaps even a gong.

In my area.. JD is the highest price.. followed by kubota.. then NH then MF then (mahindra, kioto and farmtrac/agco ).. then the chineese brands and import/grey market units.

A name brand will bring a better resale.. and a big '3' will undoubtedly bring a higher price than the MF.. however.. big tractors don't hold value like a cut or scut in terms of resale. just something about them. In most places.. you can buy a mid late model ag tractor as cheap or cheaper than a mid late model cut. Lots of people down here hay or work large plots with an aging ag tractor that they have 3-8K$ invested in..( old big ford 7-8XXX, case 1xxx, large internationals, fiat.. etc.. ) and then have their 15-20K$ 30ish HP cut to do the other general farm chores.

Soundguy

 

[BarryinMN]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

My neighbor had new NH 110 & 125, one had trouble with the computer controlled 3PT system, dealer traded him for the other & it had chronic trouble wiith the computer controlled transmission. He was happy with the dealer efforts with both cases but the lurching tranny was a safety problem that could not be debugged. He ended up trading this year for a new JD 6603 & has had no issues.

I drove by the MF dealer today & he had a new cab MF471 2wd on the lot.

2 min sit & walk around impressions: Ergo's seemed ok, small cab, shuttle is RH right next to the gear shift could be confusing for awhile, exhaust stack back by the cab, the hood was patched for old stack location!! Alternator exposed to weather, single cab door, all levers & features are there but poor fit & gaping holes below made it feel cheap. Roof looks like it was screwed down from above & lights bolted on not designed in. Nice feature was cab filters are in a easy access box down right side of cab frame.

Overall it made my Zetor 4341 feel like a deluxe cab!

 

[jgh]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

20050127

Hi, Barry and everyone,

I have a NH TN90F (2000 model) which is the TL90 240 ci Iveco engine in a vineyard/orchard frame. It's a nice machine, cab, air, etc, but I have concerns about quality. I went thru one major service (veteran NH rep worked on it all PM finally clearing an electrical fault involving the shuttle transm) and then a new brain box, in the first 2 yrs. Just had AC control go out, makes the 4th ac repair since new. And a few others. But it is one slick machine, w/ supersteer (don't leave home w/o it!) and good grunt.

I equipped it with an Alo/Quicke 920 loader with all the bells and whistles, a good product but supersteer puts it so far out in front of the machine it might as well be in the next county. And unlike the TL and TS, etc, this one is not really made for a loader. In fact NH does not offer one, a telling comment.

Keep in mind I only have about 125 hrs on it since we just bought the farm we intended it for, last year. Heck, I've even turned it over, last October. That was fun!

Your mileage may vary, and if I had to buy again, I would limit my search to NH and Deere, with a big maybe on Kubota if they made the size machine I was seeking. Dealer support is key. Don't even think of buying out of area and depending on a scorned local dealer to service it.

Around Central & Western VA, the NH dealers are really price aggressive (and are good on service from my experience), but people really dig that green paint. As with the Gator util vehicles there is a lot of more feature rich competition and sometimes for less money, but panache sells.

If I don't lose my nerve, I'll post a pic of my overturned machine. Looks like a wounded animal. Don't try it on your farm /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

More to come but hope this helps,

Jim
253 acres on the Rivanna River, moving eventually! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

What are you waiting for, post the pic. So how did you manage to turn it over? I have not heard of anyone turning theirs over even on their vineyard hills. The F series sits so low to the ground I would imagine it would be fun to try and turn her over. One problem I have with the F and V series of the TN is working on them. They have everything cramed in there to make it so small and compact that you can't work on it. But they are very popular in this are of grape country.

 

[zjohnson]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

Thanks for all the help Guys! My feelings and experiences run just about dead on with the replies. The MF 491 is the most basic. 3 shifters on the floor - a 12 x 4 with no shuttle. The "joystick" on the MF 1070 loader is a metal rod about 4 feet long! But, established dependable technology that works for years and years has its place. In my area, a fwd MF 491,1070 loader with bucket and spear,canopy,grill gaurd,ballested rears = 31k. The TL90 seems easier to operate. A modern design with the normal R hand control center. With the base mech shuttle trans,mid mount hyd and a joystick,canopy and a 52a loader(or a bushhog for 1k less) comes in about 33k. I have just began to seriously price and shop the Case. Haven't been real impressed with two local JD dealers. Once I don't seem interested in the top of the line cab tractors, they don't seem too interested in me! If I could get a serious deal offer on a platform 5420 or 6403, I would love to deal with the green guys. Any JD Guys who can offer price ranges here? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Thanks for the suggestions. I have to say since the "farm boss" /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif has given her blessing to the purschase, the shopping has been fun!

 

[zjohnson]

Re: Utility tractor?\'s

Glad its just the tractor dented and not you! I've never seen a larger Kubota on the farm around here. We have a dealer in Jackson Tn and I may go check out a M9000.