New member here and today I bought a new 3016 Shuttle with FEL and added the BS-5 box scrape. I ultimately decided against the HST for several reasons some technical, some personal preference, cost, etc. Will be delivered next week and am looking forward to putting it to work. Like others, I was on the fence about the MAX 28XL since my initial thoughts were to get a decent sized tractor with FEL and Mid-Mount-Mower. I'm sure I could get an additional rebate and also get the BH but just not something I'd use a lot although would be a nice option to have. Boy was I surprised at how much a mid-PTO driven mower costs on these tractors. I'll just keep mowing with my JD LX277 which is about 12 years old and is a perfect yard machine. But once I started thinking about the tractor itself and all the things I could do "easier" with the 3016, it made more sense to spend just a little more and get the bigger tractor. In the end, I felt the 3016 was the best overall value for my needs. I looked at the 1533 as well but just couldn't justify the extra $3k+ for my purposes plus the Tier 3 is well proven technology.
So, reeltime I saw that you were having a tough time finding a 3016 on the east cost. Well my dealer is Vanco Equipment Services in Henderson, NC and they had quite a few (maybe 10). I think they had 2 maybe 3 HSTs left. While, I am on the subject, I just want to give kudos to the dealer for what was one of the easiest, relaxed and most informative sales interactions I have had in a long time. These guys treated me very well and I just wanted to give them some recognition for that. They also offered free deliver and since I'm local (1 hour away) the first two service intervals are free. That was just icing on the cake for me but much appreciated. Looking forward to enjoying this new tractor and learning more here on the forums.
Thanks,
Chad
