Warrant & service comparison between brands - First time tractor buyers

[oxonian]

Hello friends,

Happy 4th to all. My partner (female) and I live in the Houston, TX area. We recently moved into am home with acreage - about 9 acres.

The land has a lot of brush, which we may clear by a contractor, is generally level, but not in good condition, e.g. it has a lot of holes from the previous tenants, who had horses.

We are looking to buy a new tractor, and my partner, is concerned about getting one which has good service and a good warranty. I understand the service aspect can vary from dealer to dealer, however, there are generally some brands which are known to have better service than others. Can any of you kind folks on here please help us with the following queries:

1) Which brand(s) tend to offer more generous warranties

2) Which brand(s) tend to have the most extensive service networks - can we get service from any dealer of the brand or only the dealership where we purchased it?

3) Are any brand(s) made in USA?

4) In terms of quality, which brands rank higher?

Sorry if these questions seem like a survey, rest assured, they are not. You can read my other posts, we are newbies!

So far, we have seen a Kubota L3901 HST for $18,250, a Kubota L4701HST for $22,525, a New Holland WRKM 37 4wd for $19,325 and a Kubota L3301 HST for $17,335.

I am keen to consider brands such as Kioti and Mahindra, which may offer more for the dollar, but my partner is concerned about their warranty and service.

We appreciate your help and guidance!

Thank you,
Oxonian

 

[oxonian]

Can someone please edit the title to read warranty, not warrant!

 

[trustbase]

You can also look into massey ferguson and john deere .MF is offering 5 yrs power train warranty and both has a good service network

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum Oxonian. Does your moniker mean that you are a graduate of Oxford?

All of the major brands have similar warranties and most dealers are fairly good. The biggest thing would to be to try out each model you might be thinking of to ensure it is the right fit for you. Then check out all the dealers in your area for that brand.

 

[TheMan419]

I would start by looking at what dealers are near you. Then the question of who has the most generous warranty can be worked out from their websites.

Second I would go see each machine in person. For example I am 6'7" tall so the Kubota HST pedal setup does not work well for me. Too hard to his reverse and hurt my ankle to hit forward. The NH that I have has separate pedals for forward and reverse. Someone in a different thread was complaining because they were like 5'2" and the Kubota was about the only tractor that had a pedal system that worked for them.

For me the MF in the size tractor I was buying was just too small for my large frame. The JD and NH were much better for me.

For a smaller person that likely will not be true.

Also by visiting the dealers to test drive you will get a sense of how responsive the dealer will be if/when you have problems down the road.

 

[smstonypoint]

Can someone please edit the title to read warranty, not warrant!

You can DIY within 24 hours of your post. Select Edit Post, then Go Advanced to make the correction, and then Save the change.

Steve

 

[oldballs]

I've owned only two new Kubotas. In neither case were they in need of any service other than routine maintenance. Each machine tallied about 100 hours per year using all the functions, viz., FEL, MMM and 3-point. Thus, the need for warranty service never became a factor. Even the KTAC insurance was never employed. The local dealer is top notch if needed however.

I can see if one is 6'7" or 5'2" or 85 years old, other factors enter but are not part of a warranty. Being a Newbie could make warranty look more important however. :2cents:

 

[teg]

1) Which brand(s) tend to offer more generous warranties?

The ones with a longer warranty usually are the ones trying to compete against JD and Kubota. Most tractors are pretty reliable if they have good maintenance during it's life.

2) Which brand(s) tend to have the most extensive service networks - can we get service from any dealer of the brand or only the dealership where we purchased it?

Extensive = Expensive; John Deere and Kubota... parts are available but at a significant cost. Best bet is to buy a "popular" model if you want longevity of parts, you listed a couple L3901 and L3301.

There have been people that didn't like the local dealer (mainly their price) and bought some where else. They will service it but the local dealer will most likely jerk you around and put you at the bottom of the service line, even if no one is a head of you

3) Are any brand(s) made in USA?

None at all, some of them do make parts, like FEL, in USA.

4) In terms of quality, which brands rank higher?

Most of them do a great job at quality...

PS. You can never change the original title... but don't worry about it, we know what you meant to write.

I would put my butt in the seat of most of the tractors and get a "feel" for the dealers...

 

[Deere Dude]

The ones with a longer warranty usually are the ones trying to compete against JD and Kubota. Most tractors are pretty reliable if they have good maintenance during it's life.


Extensive = Expensive; John Deere and Kubota... parts are available but at a significant cost. Best bet is to buy a "popular" model if you want longevity of parts, you listed a couple L3901 and L3301.

Look for a tractor with a reputable dealer nearby. Most tractors need to go in a couple times under warranty for something.

Any parts from any tractor you buy after the warranty is over will be expensive. I wouldn't single John Deere out as expensive because all are. What popular a popular brandname will do is have parts for many years down the road even after the warranty is over. Stick with those.

Nothing is more frustrating than having any piece of equipment in good shape except for an insignificant part that you cannot get and is super difficult to make but won't run without it... I stick to name brand tractors if possible.

 

[oxonian]

Re: Warranty & service comparison between brands - First time tractor buyers

thank you for your replies friends, I appreciate them.

Does anyone recommend a good dealer in the Houston area, or even within a drive? I don't mind driving if needed. As we are buying new, this is a big ticket purchase for us, so we want to get it from a good dealer.

I have another question; in addition to JD, Kubota, Massey Ferguson, which are the other 'popular brand names' in the USA from the perspective of servicing and after sales parts?

I am also open to buying used, if you have any recommendations or leads

thank you so much
Oxonian