small-compact? tractors?

MI-Bill

Member
On my 72nd birthday, I find myself contemplating selling one or both of my Fords-8N and 640- and buying a compact tractor with a loader. probably a lightly used unit. Concerned about reliability and the cost of upkeep and repairs if needed. I see kubotas, new hollands, kiotas, john deeres, LS, mahindras, etc. Any comments???
 
Hey Bill, Happy Birthday!

I've looked at some too. Kubota seems to come out on top.
JD second, even thought they are also made over seas.

Market is low on the used Fords right now, at least around here.
Tough time to sell for what they're really worth.
 
" kubotas, new hollands, kiotas, john deeres, LS, mahindras, etc. Any comments???

Kubota is the best of the class by far.
 

I would buy another Mahindra. Then again I have really good dealer support with 3 dealers within a reasonable distance.

Like the 2014 and older Kubota's as well. 2016 units regen has to take place more often than I like. One brother has a 2014 and the other brother a 2016. Both the 32 HP units.
 

happy birthday, bill :)

i've heard from the owner of one of their tractors that mahindra's motto is "We're not happy until [i:be9a31dd4f]you're[/i:be9a31dd4f] not happy."

after seeing so many dissatisfied owners talking about problems with their brand new mahindras, i wouldn't buy one with your money, let alone mine ;)
 
Im 75, did the same thing as you are thinking. I sold 4 old Fords and bought a Kubota 3901 and love it. I have 200 hours on it. I researched all the rest. For the money, Id go with Kubotal. I liked JD too, but small ones are imported, and you pay for the color and the name. I have the regen feature, dont love it, but it does what it is supposed to. I loaded the rear tires, have a tree farm and it is something I should have done years ago.
 
The Kubota L2501 is the first tractor I would recommend looking at. It has the same hydraulic system and uses the same loader as the L3301 and L3901 but does not have to go through the regen because of the lower horse power it is not required. I may be a little biased because I work at a Kubota dealership.

Mark
 
Agreed, JJ.

I replaced both of my, bought new MFs with Kubotas about 18 months ago. Don't ask about my MF experiment because it's a long, disappointing story and I well knew at the time that Kubota was a better choice.

I nave L6060 and M9960 Kubotas, both bought new in late 2015/early 2016, as well as a B1750 HST bought new in 1994.

Though I would much rather not have the Tier IV nonsense mandated by the federales sitting in cubes at our expense, all Kubotas have been trouble free so far. Not so with the MFs, one traded (given away) with about 450 hours, the other sold at significant cost with 119 hours.

No more Massey Ferguson/AGCO machines for me.

Kubota is far and away my #1 choice for CUT/SCUT tractors. JD is a distant second. I will not even consider others.

Dean
 
(quoted from post at 15:27:00 07/05/17) On my 72nd birthday, I find myself contemplating selling one or both of my Fords-8N and 640- and buying a compact tractor with a loader. probably a lightly used unit. Concerned about reliability and the cost of upkeep and repairs if needed. I see kubotas, new hollands, kiotas, john deeres, LS, mahindras, etc. Any comments???

The offerings are very competitive. You will pay top dollar for John Deere and they are very good machines with solid support. Kubota comes in a little lower on price, very similar support, and IMO is just as good a machine. In the used market Kubota will win the price battle hands down over JD. Of the rest it's all dollars up front and for new Kiota probably wins that battle with Mahindra a close second. If you have been living with an 8N/Hundred series all are going to make you smile - used or new. Not to be cruel but at 70 years of age all will likely outlive you.

TOH
 

I'm a Ford guy, but I am on my second Kubota. Kubota cost of ownership is incredibly low.
 
I have the Kubota BX-25D, with backhoe and loader. With their zero percent offer, and careful shopping I was able to get a new machine, and a bunch of new implements instead of dealing with someone else's headache. Three years into it now, and I love it. Kept the 9N because it's worth more to me than what someone looking for a bargain would give me for it, and it's really handy having two tractors.

Happy Birthday Bill!

Jerry
 
Third Kubota here.
Did my research and looked at many before my first one.
Kubota, JD, and New Holland back then as they were the dealers in my area.
JD's were nice....and they were JD's..(even a Ford guy like myself isn't immune to the Green lure :D )
But, the JD's were vastly over-priced for similar machines.

New Holland almost got me (TC30). Strongest rear lift in the class.
But....$4k more than the clone Kubota.

So, I went with Kubota (4x4, HST, loader. I change the oil, grease it, polish the hood once in a while (It's what I see)...that's about it. And I work it/them [i:8d0e49d4df]very[/i:8d0e49d4df] hard.)

You might want to think new. Good, used, low hour Kubotas are very expensive. When I traded my first after one year (Salesman talked me into completely useless R4 Industrial tires because of the loader on my first) I got exactly what it cost me as trade-in value. Second one I paid $16k and got $12k on a trade-in after 7 years....and the dealer sold mine within a week.
 

I looked all over for a good used bota, used they fetched new price so brought a new one. If going used make sure it has a quick attach bucket if not pass on it. Glide shift are HST are the only way to fly I would pass on a standard shift model myself.

If I had to do it over I would have went bigger and by all means got one with a tilt steering wheel. The seat steering wheel set up on my L4600 just plan S-ucks.... I have moved the seat forward about 1 1/2 and its still to far back :twisted:
 
(quoted from post at 05:15:27 07/06/17)
I looked all over for a good used bota, used they fetched new price so brought a new one. If going used make sure it has a quick attach bucket if not pass on it. Glide shift are HST are the only way to fly I would pass on a standard shift model myself.

If I had to do it over I would have went bigger and by all means got one with a tilt steering wheel. The seat steering wheel set up on my L4600 just plan S-ucks.... I have moved the seat forward about 1 1/2 and its still to far back :twisted:

Mine has the glide shift. sixteen years 1600 hours, love it. Tilt wheel needs attention though.
 
(quoted from post at 17:12:32 07/05/17) The Kubota L2501 is the first tractor I would recommend looking at. It has the same hydraulic system and uses the same loader as the L3301 and L3901 but does not have to go through the regen because of the lower horse power it is not required. I may be a little biased because I work at a Kubota dealership.

Mark

Mark, we just looked at the L2501 today! Thinking about maybe replacing my Ford 1900. My Ford has more HP than the L2501. I bush hog and move around a manure pile mainly. Would I notice much difference in the actual use of the two tractors? Would I feel under-powered with the L2501? Also considering the HST transmission. Never drove one.
 
(quoted from post at 15:47:24 08/29/17)
(quoted from post at 17:12:32 07/05/17) The Kubota L2501 is the first tractor I would recommend looking at. It has the same hydraulic system and uses the same loader as the L3301 and L3901 but does not have to go through the regen because of the lower horse power it is not required. I may be a little biased because I work at a Kubota dealership.

Mark

Mark, we just looked at the L2501 today! Thinking about maybe replacing my Ford 1900. My Ford has more HP than the L2501. I bush hog and move around a manure pile mainly. Would I notice much difference in the actual use of the two tractors? Would I feel under-powered with the L2501? Also considering the HST transmission. Never drove one.

Your talking 3-5 HP difference. I will go out on a limb and say no noticeable difference. A thousand pounds of weight not a few HP is generally where you will see a difference. Go test drive an HST and then tell me you like the 4spd/3range gear drive on your Ford better ;-)

TOH
 
(quoted from post at 19:55:15 07/05/17) I have the Kubota BX-25D, with backhoe and loader. With their zero percent offer, and careful shopping I was able to get a new machine, and a bunch of new implements instead of dealing with someone else's headache. Three years into it now, and I love it. Kept the 9N because it's worth more to me than what someone looking for a bargain would give me for it, and it's really handy having two tractors.

Happy Birthday Bill!

Jerry

I hocked my wife's Honda Cr-V back in 2006 to buy my Kubota BX-24. Came with the loader and backhoe. I also bought the 50" LandPride tiller for it. I Love this machine. I have approx. 525 hours on it now and No trouble whatsoever. It will dig some holes
2792.jpg
2793.jpg
 

Ran into this one on Craigslist.
https://madison.craigslist.org/grd/d/compact-tractor-l1500/6284705557.html
 
(quoted from post at 12:47:24 08/29/17)
(quoted from post at 17:12:32 07/05/17) The Kubota L2501 is the first tractor I would recommend looking at. It has the same hydraulic system and uses the same loader as the L3301 and L3901 but does not have to go through the regen because of the lower horse power it is not required. I may be a little biased because I work at a Kubota dealership.

Mark

Mark, we just looked at the L2501 today! Thinking about maybe replacing my Ford 1900. My Ford has more HP than the L2501. I bush hog and move around a manure pile mainly. Would I notice much difference in the actual use of the two tractors? Would I feel under-powered with the L2501? Also considering the HST transmission. Never drove one.
The HP difference will be negligible for what you are doing and it will have more loader capacity than your 1900. The Hydro will take some getting used to if you never had one but they are great for doing loader work.

Mark
 
(quoted from post at 21:46:54 07/05/17)
happy birthday, bill :)
after seeing so many dissatisfied owners talking about problems with their brand new mahindras, i wouldn't buy one with your money, let alone mine ;)

Recently? Mahindra has stepped up their game with the newer lines of tractors. They are the #1 tractor maker in the world for some reason. Dealer support is important too, and a bad dealer can make any brand look bad.

I've had a Mahindra eMax 22 hydrostatic for 3 yrs. now and has done anything I need it to do. Built by TYM in S. Korea, and the engine is a Daedong, the folks that build Kioti.

Dealer has been good to work with, just got it in for a recall due to cracks in the fuel tank, mine did crack too. The "fix" was to epoxy the bottom of the tank. The dealer discovered that fix wasn't working so they are replacing fuel tanks instead. Big difference in expense to them from smearing epoxy vs. a new tank, plus installation. The dealer is growing and expanding to a 4th new location because they need the room, must be doing something right.

I think Kubota and JD are good brands but the Mahindra was a better value overall to me. The guy running the dealership is a former Kubota dealer manager and he has high praise for Mahindra vs. the Kubota. Upshot is you can't go too far wrong with whatever brand you end up with.
 
(quoted from post at 05:55:52 07/06/17) When I traded my first after one year [b:7501ae3513](Salesman talked me into completely useless R4 Industrial tires because of the loader on my first)[/b:7501ae3513] I got exactly what it cost me as trade-in value.

[b:7501ae3513]NoNewParts[/b:7501ae3513] - Please comment on those R4 Industrial tires and why you didn't like them. The salesman here talked them up to us, too. I do pull a manure spreader over the lawn occasionally and the salesman said those tires wouldn't tear up the lawn. But, apparently, you've found some downsides to them. I'd like to hear more before making a decision. Thanks!
 
(quoted from post at 15:14:51 08/30/17)
(quoted from post at 05:55:52 07/06/17) When I traded my first after one year [b:b43e99c3b0](Salesman talked me into completely useless R4 Industrial tires because of the loader on my first)[/b:b43e99c3b0] I got exactly what it cost me as trade-in value.

[b:b43e99c3b0]NoNewParts[/b:b43e99c3b0] - Please comment on those R4 Industrial tires and why you didn't like them. The salesman here talked them up to us, too. I do pull a manure spreader over the lawn occasionally and the salesman said those tires wouldn't tear up the lawn. But, apparently, you've found some downsides to them. I'd like to hear more before making a decision. Thanks!

They (R4) won't grip as good pulling a plow in the field or in mud and snow. R1 tires provide better grip in most soft ground conditions but will eat up turf even in good traction conditions. R4 will grip and wear better on hard surfaces and do less damage to turf areas. Chose a tire based on your expected use. This has nothing to do with the tractor the tires are on. Do you want an all season radial or a high performance high speed radial on your car? Same sort of trade offs.

TOH
 

Whut he said plus as I was told R4 are better suited for loader work. I took it R4 tires handle the weight better that R1 tires...
4WD will make up for the difference in traction loss with R4's in my opinion.

Dunno about R1 my R4's are tubeless... :).


I wanted R1's but they did not have a tractor on the lot with them. I get by with R4's ONLY because its 4X4... I could not imagine a working tractor with R4 and 2WD... I did not buy mine to farm with I wanted a tractor made to handle a loader that was EZ to operate. I have put 80 hr on it doing this.



2836.jpg
 
(quoted from post at 17:32:37 08/30/17)
Whut he said plus as I was told R4 are better suited for loader work. I took it R4 tires handle the weight better that R1 tires...
4WD will make up for the difference in traction loss with R4's in my opinion.

Dunno about R1 my R4's are tubeless... :).


I wanted R1's but they did not have a tractor on the lot with them. I get by with R4's ONLY because its 4X4... I could not imagine a working tractor with R4 and 2WD... I did not buy mine to farm with I wanted a tractor made to handle a loader that was EZ to operate. I have put 80 hr on it doing this.



2836.jpg


It is hard to imagine a farm chore tractor getting the job done with R-4s. Sure the FWA helps a whole lot, but there are conditions it seems for a few weeks every years where with the R-4s you would sit and spin all four without being able to get the load in the bucket where it needs to be or where the load needs to be pulled to.
 

And you are probably RIGHT... They do lack in traction its not there strong suit... :( That's why I wanted R1 I can fill in the holes they would dig... :lol: I can live with the R4's tho seeing as i am stuck with them...
 
(quoted from post at 14:50:01 08/30/17)
(quoted from post at 21:46:54 07/05/17)
happy birthday, bill :)
after seeing so many dissatisfied owners talking about problems with their brand new mahindras, i wouldn't buy one with your money, let alone mine ;)

Recently? Mahindra has stepped up their game with the newer lines of tractors. They are the #1 tractor maker in the world for some reason. Dealer support is important too, and a bad dealer can make any brand look bad.

I've had a Mahindra eMax 22 hydrostatic for 3 yrs. now and has done anything I need it to do. Built by TYM in S. Korea, and the engine is a Daedong, the folks that build Kioti.

Dealer has been good to work with, just got it in for a recall due to cracks in the fuel tank, mine did crack too. The "fix" was to epoxy the bottom of the tank. The dealer discovered that fix wasn't working so they are replacing fuel tanks instead. Big difference in expense to them from smearing epoxy vs. a new tank, plus installation. The dealer is growing and expanding to a 4th new location because they need the room, must be doing something right.

I think Kubota and JD are good brands but the Mahindra was a better value overall to me. The guy running the dealership is a former Kubota dealer manager and he has high praise for Mahindra vs. the Kubota. Upshot is you can't go too far wrong with whatever brand you end up with.

it's been a few years. in any case, it sounds like u are light years ahead of the folks involved. they had two main complaints - one was a lack of QC reflected in poor initial quality, and the other was a lot of folk had nothing good to say about their dealer. happy to hear yours is good.

i tend to discount the "world's biggest" thing. walmart is the world's biggest retailer ;)
 
"I wanted R1's but they did not have a tractor on the lot with them."

If I were buying a new tractor from a local dealer and they would
not change the tires, I would run, not walk, away. Service is key.
 
(quoted from post at 16:14:51 08/30/17)
(quoted from post at 05:55:52 07/06/17) When I traded my first after one year [b:741e966e60](Salesman talked me into completely useless R4 Industrial tires because of the loader on my first)[/b:741e966e60] I got exactly what it cost me as trade-in value.

[b:741e966e60]NoNewParts[/b:741e966e60] - Please comment on those R4 Industrial tires and why you didn't like them. The salesman here talked them up to us, too. I do pull a manure spreader over the lawn occasionally and the salesman said those tires wouldn't tear up the lawn. But, apparently, you've found some downsides to them. I'd like to hear more before making a decision. Thanks!

The other guys answered your question same as I will.
R4's are good with a loader, very tough tires....but....
seems where I live (WNY), every time I need my loader tractor...it's clay mud or snow. Either will turn R4's instantly into brown or white racing slicks.
My R1 Ag tires seem to be holding up fine...(latest tractor wears loader and a backhoe)...and I work it hard. Latest job has an amazing amount of rocks in the dirt I'm moving...they are dealing with it ok.

ps, I mow my side yard with a 2 wheel drive Ford with Ag tires...little squishy...doesn't hurt anything....because they don't spin...R4's or Turfs would spin over there and make a mess.

opinion...your dealer..He is just watching his bottom line...if he gets the tractor back, it will be easier to sell with the R4's to the 'mulch mover' type buyers.
Just be polite and tell him to put Ag tires on it, and you'll sign...He'll find em.....
 
(quoted from post at 22:37:43 08/31/17) "I wanted R1's but they did not have a tractor on the lot with them."

If I were buying a new tractor from a local dealer and they would
not change the tires, I would run, not walk, away. Service is key.

When ordering the choice of R1, R3, or R4 tires is a standard Kubota factory option and I believe the tires ship from the factory along with the tractor. Last quote I got (Grand L) also offered me the dealer installation option of loaded ($300 IIRC) or unloaded. Not sure what the choices would have been if I were considering a tractor that was already on the lot.

TOH
 
The dealers order the tractors with tires of their choice and most dealers will have extra tires due to swapping them around to fit customer needs. We swap tires quite often and some times trade tires with other dealers in the area. Most tire sizes will fit 3 or 4 different models within a series.

Mark
 

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