Howdy! My name is Tom, and I'm from East Central Florida.
I've been reading the posts here since January, but I wanted to wait until now to make my first post. I've been working this tractor deal since mid-January, and I just received word from my neighbor in Tennessee that my new (to me) tractor is now safely stored in his barn.
Last fall, my wife & I purchased a piece of property in East Tennessee. As soon as I secured the land, I knew that I would need a tractor & box blade to keep the roads serviced on the 120-acre parcel. Thus started my search for the tractor.
I always figured that if I ever needed a tractor, I would probably buy an older Ford, as that's the only make I had any experience with (and damned little experience at that). I started doing some research, and decided that I'd be better served with a newer tractor. After poking around the net reading reviews, the Kubota B or L series seemed like just the ticket, but the darned things were expensive!
As it turned out, I heard about a guy that had an 'orange' tractor for sale, so I called him up. Turns out he was selling an L3400 4WD HST with only 122 hours on the meter. I steeled myself to spending a bit more than I had originally intened, and made arragements to check out the tractor.
Turns out it was a beauty, since it not only was a low-hour tractor, but it had been lightly used and had lived in a garage since the original purchase. It came with a loader, a 4' bush hog, 5' box blade, and a pair of fork tines for the loader, all of which had been purchased new with the tractor. Asking price was $12K. To sweeten the pot, he offered to deliver the tractor to Tennessee as part of the deal. We settled at $11K for the tractor & goodies, plus delivery. I also offered to help with the gas for the trip, and an overnight stay + a couple of meals before his trip home once the tractor was delivered.
I was amazed at how easy the thing was to drive with the HST, and how easy & intuitive it was to operate the FEL bucket. I couldn't write that check fast enough! Although it's only been about 75 hours since the initial 50-hr service, he also drained & replaced the hydraulic fluid, so I would be starting out 'fresh'. I have to say that the seller was not only a great guy and very easy to work with, but he was the type of man who really takes care of his goodies, and th etractor was no exception. The only downside to the whole thing was the fact that it had turf tires, and I knew that I would need some more aggressive treads for the hilly roads on the property.
Once I had the tractor paid for, I called the local dealer where the tractor had originally been purchased (Robinson's in Mims, FL) and arranged to have a full set of ags installed (Goodyears up front, Titans in the rear). The dealer also drained the water from the rear turfs so they'd be easier to handle & transport.
So now my new toy is safely resting in my TN neighbor's barn, and will stay there until I get a proper building in place. Unlike most of ya'll, I'll have to endure a 'long distance relationship' for a while. Weep for me!
First job for the tractor will be in mid-May, when I head up to prep about 1000 feet of road for underlayment & gravel, which the Kubota will also lay down.
After all was said and done, I ended up with the 'perfect' tractor, along with the loader, box blade, bush hog, fork tines, and a spare set of mounted turf tires with only 122 hours on them, everything delivered from Florida to Tennessee. The whole thing broke down like this:
$11K - L3400 4WD HST, 122 hours, new hydraulic fluid
$1431 - New ags & rims, installed, de-water turfs, including tax
$400 - Gas for delivery trip
$100 - Overnight stay after delivery + supper & breakfast
All told, $12,931 for the whole shebang. I'm happy as a pig in poop.
I know, I know, you're sitting there at your computer screaming "Pictures! Pictures!" Well, here I sit, a real live Rocket Scientist, and the whole Photobucket thing has me smuffled. I PROMISE that I'll read the tutorial AGAIN and see if I can work it out. Believe me, I'm DYING To show off my new L3400!
Ya'll take care, and thanks for the opportunity to let me vent some of my 'new-tractor-owner' enthusiasm!
I've been reading the posts here since January, but I wanted to wait until now to make my first post. I've been working this tractor deal since mid-January, and I just received word from my neighbor in Tennessee that my new (to me) tractor is now safely stored in his barn.
Last fall, my wife & I purchased a piece of property in East Tennessee. As soon as I secured the land, I knew that I would need a tractor & box blade to keep the roads serviced on the 120-acre parcel. Thus started my search for the tractor.
I always figured that if I ever needed a tractor, I would probably buy an older Ford, as that's the only make I had any experience with (and damned little experience at that). I started doing some research, and decided that I'd be better served with a newer tractor. After poking around the net reading reviews, the Kubota B or L series seemed like just the ticket, but the darned things were expensive!
As it turned out, I heard about a guy that had an 'orange' tractor for sale, so I called him up. Turns out he was selling an L3400 4WD HST with only 122 hours on the meter. I steeled myself to spending a bit more than I had originally intened, and made arragements to check out the tractor.
Turns out it was a beauty, since it not only was a low-hour tractor, but it had been lightly used and had lived in a garage since the original purchase. It came with a loader, a 4' bush hog, 5' box blade, and a pair of fork tines for the loader, all of which had been purchased new with the tractor. Asking price was $12K. To sweeten the pot, he offered to deliver the tractor to Tennessee as part of the deal. We settled at $11K for the tractor & goodies, plus delivery. I also offered to help with the gas for the trip, and an overnight stay + a couple of meals before his trip home once the tractor was delivered.
I was amazed at how easy the thing was to drive with the HST, and how easy & intuitive it was to operate the FEL bucket. I couldn't write that check fast enough! Although it's only been about 75 hours since the initial 50-hr service, he also drained & replaced the hydraulic fluid, so I would be starting out 'fresh'. I have to say that the seller was not only a great guy and very easy to work with, but he was the type of man who really takes care of his goodies, and th etractor was no exception. The only downside to the whole thing was the fact that it had turf tires, and I knew that I would need some more aggressive treads for the hilly roads on the property.
Once I had the tractor paid for, I called the local dealer where the tractor had originally been purchased (Robinson's in Mims, FL) and arranged to have a full set of ags installed (Goodyears up front, Titans in the rear). The dealer also drained the water from the rear turfs so they'd be easier to handle & transport.
So now my new toy is safely resting in my TN neighbor's barn, and will stay there until I get a proper building in place. Unlike most of ya'll, I'll have to endure a 'long distance relationship' for a while. Weep for me!
First job for the tractor will be in mid-May, when I head up to prep about 1000 feet of road for underlayment & gravel, which the Kubota will also lay down.
After all was said and done, I ended up with the 'perfect' tractor, along with the loader, box blade, bush hog, fork tines, and a spare set of mounted turf tires with only 122 hours on them, everything delivered from Florida to Tennessee. The whole thing broke down like this:
$11K - L3400 4WD HST, 122 hours, new hydraulic fluid
$1431 - New ags & rims, installed, de-water turfs, including tax
$400 - Gas for delivery trip
$100 - Overnight stay after delivery + supper & breakfast
All told, $12,931 for the whole shebang. I'm happy as a pig in poop.
I know, I know, you're sitting there at your computer screaming "Pictures! Pictures!" Well, here I sit, a real live Rocket Scientist, and the whole Photobucket thing has me smuffled. I PROMISE that I'll read the tutorial AGAIN and see if I can work it out. Believe me, I'm DYING To show off my new L3400!
Ya'll take care, and thanks for the opportunity to let me vent some of my 'new-tractor-owner' enthusiasm!
