I know this will turn into a Chevy vs Ford type of debate.
I am looking for a compact tractor in the 25-30 HP range, 4wd. Things to get now are a loader and a mower (I am leaning towards a belly mower). Future implements to be added would be an auger and maybe a box blade. Ability to run a wood splitter would be an added bonus. I know the dealership plays a big part in the decision process. I am not a brand loyalty kind of guy
What brand does everyone use, and what features do you like about it?
I have looked at
John Deere (I love the drive on mower deck, and it clicks in place). I believe only Deere Parts work on a Deere, but unsure
Kubota
Kioti
Mahindra (this one is a little harder to find in SW MO)
Massey Ferguson
New Holland (probably rule this one out) [Reply]
My best advice would be. Whatever brand you buy, make sure a dealer is close by.
You are going to need service on it sooner or later, and having a dealer close by is handy. [Reply]
I'll upgrade to a little bigger version similar to what you're asking about.
I would be looking at kubota, mahimdra or maybe Ford. I'm just not going to pay for the green paint. I think there are a lot more reasonable choices now than there were 20yrs ago [Reply]
I bought a John Deere 1025r this last December. Came with a loader, and I added a 60 inch mower deck, front blade attachment, and rear tiller. I also added a heated cab which came in handy with all the snow removal this last winter. I've been getting a lot of use out of it this spring as well. My only regret is that I didn't get one sooner. [Reply]
Kubota makes some really nice smaller tractors... I would definitely look at them. I bet they price better than the John Deeres. Haven't heard anything bad about those sizes in the JD though.
If you aren't sure if you need 25 hp or 30 hp (and you are buying new) definitely go with 25hp. Anything over that and they are required to put the Tier 4 exhaust systems in them. [Reply]
John deere has great deals with 0 % interest that you can't beat. Your decision will basically come down to kubota or deere. I went with the deere because of the better deals and have never regretted that choice.
The real question is how much land you have? Whatever size tractor you think will be big enough. Go 2 sizes bigger if you can afford it. I cannot stress this enough. I went with John deere 3032e. Which is around 30-32 hp. I love the tractor but if I could do it over I would go with the 4 or 5 series in a heart beat. Best decision I ever made was to get a tractor.
Also tractors are nice and a must have. But for mowing purposes I would really look into a zero turn. I bought a cheap one this season and cut my mowing time in half. I still use the bush hog for the tractor but my grass that I want to look nice and lots of obstacles. You can't beat a Zero turn. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Davechief:
I bought a John Deere 1025r this last December. Came with a loader, and I added a 60 inch mower deck, front blade attachment, and rear tiller. I also added a heated cab which came in handy with all the snow removal this last winter. I've been getting a lot of use out of it this spring as well. My only regret is that I didn't get one sooner.
Sounds like a good setup, forgot about the tiller attachment. That is a must have also. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Nirvana58:
John deere has great deals with 0 % interest that you can't beat. Your decision will basically come down to kubota or deere. I went with the deere because of the better deals and have never regretted that choice.
The real question is how much land you have? Whatever size tractor you think will be big enough. Go 2 sizes bigger if you can afford it. I cannot stress this enough. I went with John deere 3032e. Which is around 30-32 hp. I love the tractor but if I could do it over I would go with the 4 or 5 series in a heart beat. Best decision I ever made was to get a tractor.
Also tractors are nice and a must have. But for mowing purposes I would really look into a zero turn. I bought a cheap one this season and cut my mowing time in half. I still use the bush hog for the tractor but my grass that I want to look nice and lots of obstacles. You can't beat a Zero turn.
That 0% is a great deal right now. I also believe the Drive Green event is coming up. The yard will be a country yard, not a city yard. I have no neighbors. Didn't think about mow time with a tractor being longer though. I was just wanting one toy to do it all. I have 5 acres but will only be working 2 of it. The rest will remain natural. [Reply]
I did hear some bad things about the 4 series from JD. In an attempt to make them more economical, they stripped off a bit too much? I think what I heard is they have lots of issues with oil overheating in them. And some general quality issues.
if you are getting to that size, Mahindra does have really nice tractors in that range.
EDIT: We don't have a New Holland or Masey dealer in the area, so I didn't really look at those. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Renegade:
That 0% is a great deal right now. I also believe the Drive Green event is coming up. The yard will be a country yard, not a city yard. I have no neighbors. Didn't think about mow time with a tractor being longer though. I was just wanting one toy to do it all. I have 5 acres but will only be working 2 of it. The rest will remain natural.
Everybody thinks deere is more expensive but with their seasonal deals I found them to be cheaper than Kubota. A deere 3032e would probably be perfect for 5 acres. I have a 3k grooming mower to pull behind the tractor. I have never used it. Bought a used 400 dollar bush hog to clear the land. Never used anything else to mow because it did such a great job.
My advice save the 3k on a grooming mower and put that towards a zero turn. Then you get the best of both worlds.
Tractor for work, zero turn for fun.
Also look at Titan attachments for buying your toys for the tractor to save money. Tractor supply county line auger is also a good investment.
Pallet forks are also really handy to have around. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ChiefGator:
I did hear some bad things about the 4 series from JD. In an attempt to make them more economical, they stripped off a bit too much? I think what I heard is they have lots of issues with oil overheating in them. And some general quality issues.
if you are getting to that size, Mahindra does have really nice tractors in that range.
EDIT: We don't have a New Holland or Masey dealer in the area, so I didn't really look at those.
I haven't heard that about the 4 series. I might have lucked out being cheap and going with the 3 series. I went with the 3032 instead of the 3038 because I didn't trust those new turbos. [Reply]
Bought a New Holland TC30 in 07 for my cabin workhorse. Have had zero troubles with it since. Swapped out the original battery.Otherwise, still works great.
The leader is probably the most important tool on the machine. Don't know how I lived without it. [Reply]
