Buying new or used?

[btsspec]

Hey guys! Looking for some advice or guidance, Im in the market for a new or used L2501 tractor, was just talking to a local dealership here in california and they have ten used L2501 tractors becoming available soon, they were used as rental tractors and used to haul trailers during fruit harvest in the sacramento valley. He said some have 200-500 hours on them. The discount for a used one would be close to 40-50% off retail.

Should I be wary about buying a used rental tractor? Are there things I should look out for when I go see it? Is a used 500 hour tractor still a viable "new to me" tractor with decent life left in it? I need a tractor for mowing and discing on some property I just bought.

 

[skeets]

You might get a good deal,,, but have you ever heard the old saying,,beat it like a rented mule ,,, thats kind of my take on a rental machine

 

[Bmbbm]

I personally wouldn't be afraid of a used tractor just because it was a rental. Rental tractors are like rental cars, some are slick and some not so much. I would look it over real good and check the service history. Do they come with some kind of warranty? Are you paying cash or financing? If your financing 0.0% financing shortens the gap between new and used. Lots of things to consider. Only you can decide which is best for you.

 

[Ridger]

I am the second owner of my tractor. It had about 360 hours on it when I bought it. It was a dealer trade. I had the dealer go over it and perform all the recommended maintenance. My advice to you is to look over all of them and pick out one that you like. Then have the dealer perform all the recommended maintenance such as oil and filter change, hydraulic oil and filter change, check hoses and belts, etc. I would also get them to make any necessary repairs before you take possession. If they are a reputable dealer and want your follow up business, they will check it out good for you. I wouldn't be afraid of buying a used one.

 

[mikester]

Fact:
Car rental agencies keep cars as long as they don't have problems with them. Reliable cars are kept longer in the fleet than unreliable cars. Talk with people in the industry and you find that some cars they keep for under 18,000km and some up to 60,000km. Statistically they know car X is good for so many kms before expensive repairs so they dump them before they have to deal with problems.

Unless you are buying a newish low hour tractor directly from the rental company and getting a deal based on their buying power I would run away from any vehicle/tractor that has already been unloaded by the company.

Rentals get the cr@p beat out of them and are regularly abused by inexperienced/uncaring operators. If you find a one owner tractor and can see how they care for their equipment and property you will be much better off than a rental return.

If you are in it for the long haul my experience is that you are always better off buying new, maintain it and keep it 20+ years. Most of the time I find when you buy used you are buying someone else's problems. The money you save goes into downtime and costly repairs for missed maintenance.

 

[D2Cat]

"Most of the time I find when you buy used you are buying someone else's problems."

I've heard this statement my entire life. I notice it's usually made by those who are not mechanically inclined, or their family members grow up hearing the statement and begin believing it.

If one does their homework on the reliability, service, history and compare it to their needs, then consider the final cost, and have a dealer handling service...how is the any different than buying a "used" home?

If man made it, it will eventually need "something", expect it. One's goal is to keep the "somethings" to a minimum. That can be done with used (or rented) items.

And if you don't believe that, then one must believe all the folks who purchase an item at a rental yard, be it a sale or an outright purchase, is a fool!

 

[prof.fate]

I've bought many things used over the years- talking cars, ok from a dealer, no issues to speak of.

From individuals..cheaper, but ALWAYS you find out in the first 2-3 weeks WHY they were selling it...trans about to go, alternator about to go, etc.

Used tractors..perhaps the same. I sold my sears because I was tired of fixing it every other mowing.
Sold my 13 year old snapper cause the PTO clutch was failing.

Bought a toro zero turn 2 months ago - when the grass finally grew it cuts for 15 minutes and stalls. Had some parts changed, been thru it- still does it. Clean unit..looks taken care of...but hell, 15 minutes and 2 hour sit time..sucks. About to start hanging parts in hope of fixing it (and bought it from a dealer...I know why they traded it in!)

My kubota was a 1 owner, 40 +years old - other than the mower deck issues (they tried to brush hog with a finish mower) it's been perfect. Changed fluids and have 45 hard used hours on it so far, flawless.

I want a bigger better one..grand L perhaps..used is a LOT cheaper than new, but you gotta find the funds - no 6 year 0% and no warranty..and a lot mroe time searching for what you want. So still torn on the new/used at this time. Would like to avoid DEF so leaning toward used...

As for rentals..as stated, check the unit you want over very carefully and see if yuo can get a 30 to 90 day warranty bumper to bumper sort of thing. At least if there are any immediate issues you'll be covered.

"Most of the time I find when you buy used you are buying someone else's problems."

I've heard this statement my entire life. I notice it's usually made by those who are not mechanically inclined, or their family members grow up hearing the statement and begin believing it.

If one does their homework on the reliability, service, history and compare it to their needs, then consider the final cost, and have a dealer handling service...how is the any different than buying a "used" home?

If man made it, it will eventually need "something", expect it. One's goal is to keep the "somethings" to a minimum. That can be done with used (or rented) items.

And if you don't believe that, then one must believe all the folks who purchase an item at a rental yard, be it a sale or an outright purchase, is a fool!

 

[007kubotaguy]

Hello
These tractors and Normallyreferred to as harvest rentals. They are owned by Kubota. After rental they are transferred to different dealers for sale. They are normally sold with A full factory warranty. I would not hesitate a bit to buy one of these tractors. I work on a lot of these tractors in the Sacramento Valley. Most all of the Tractors sold in this area rental tractors. I have one customer who has bought 6 L2501 tractors every year for the last five years with no problems.
Good Luck Lance

 

[85Hokie]

As others have said, look at the unit carefully - ask someone that you trust to go with you that knows something about tractors.......

IF you can get a 500 hour unit that is not too banged up - and has had fluids changed on a regular basic @ 40% off a retail price......that is worth getting.

But if you can get a new one, at 0% that is only 20% above the cost of the used, look into that closely too.

500 hours on a diesel is like a walk in the park......just been broken in

 

[johnjk]

I purchased my B3200 used from my local Kubota dealer last year. The prior owner had full services done once a year and it had 90hrs on it when I got it. It was only used for running a finish 3-pt mower. Heck, the nubbies were still on all four tires. They had just done the full service a few months before it came in on trade. The FEL had been disconnected and sat in the barn unused. Minimal worry there on seals but nothing has popped up in the last year of ownership.

My dealership did the initial sale of the tractor and showed me the maintenance records on it as well. All Kubota filters/fluids. At that point I had no issues pulling the trigger on it.

I've heard the phrase "drive it like you stole it" but I was taught to " treat it like you own it" so rental or otherwise, I treat it like my own and will often return it cleaner or in better shape than what I picked it up.

If you have the warranty and service records to back it up, why not.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Great comments from a lot of experienced users here.

One comment reflected my thoughts: Rental units often get harder use by inexperienced users. But, not every rental gets hammered. Some are used by experienced operators.

Simple way to tell is the FEL. If you can see play in the joints, its likely been run into things or used for a lot of digging.

I bought a machine (126 hours) from the original owner who abused it mildly and then smashed the hood by dropping a trailer axle off the back of the bucket onto the roof and hood. My buddy thought I was nuts to buy the thing but, after repairing it, its been a great tractor for me. Did I still have a few issues? Sure. It was still under warranty and I bought the three-year extension because of the work I planned to do with it. I made back my warranty costs and essentially broke even. It now has 340 hours on it and I could not have done most of the jobs I did without that capability.

If the machine has a documented service history, that is a big bonus. If it has 200 hours on it, that is a big bonus as opposed to 500. Look the machine over for scrapes and abuse. Nothing speaks louder for internal damage than external damage.

Is a 500 hour tractor a bad thing? Not necessarily. HST tranny's are near bulletproof if the service has been done. The one thing you have going against you is the prices in used machines has remained high of late and you may have competition for these, especially the good ones. Again, that gets you closer to the offers on a new one along with the killer financing (that likely won't be with us in a year or two) and the new-buy offers on implements.

Just because an FEL has been abused, doesn't mean that is a deal breaker. FEL joints can be re-worked and shimmed with oversize pins. And just because all the joints are sloppy, doesn't mean it can't do a lot of work for you with those sloppy joints! Keep it lubed and it could run for 20 years and not get any worse. The cylinders may help you decide (or hammer them down) because they can leak or be worn. I wore out one in 340 hours. I am guessing the other one is nearing the end of its life. You can get them rebuilt or, for not a lot more, just buy a new one and bolt it on yourself. Its not hard.

If they let you drive them, that will tell you a lot. That is rare for auction vehicles but, perhaps equipment auctions are different. It doesn't hurt to ask to preview a day or two before the sale. Even if you can't drive it, simply running it and moving the FEL and 3pt through its limits will expose problems. Shift in and out of range to check for worn or ground teeth. And simply moving forward or backwards a foot or two tells you something about the transmission. The HSTs on Kubotas are loud as hell. If its sounds like high pressure water running under your foot, that is NORMAL. When I test drove mine, I thought it was about to explode! LOL...

If you have a friend who knows Kubotas, take him with you. Nothing makes a weekend like spending another guys money!

 

[btsspec]

Thanks for all the input and knowledge on buying new or used guys! Really appreciate it.

Talked to the sales guy again, he did say this was a harvest rental, he said they sell quick once they come up for sale, he should have more information today about how many hours and pricing, I think it will also come with some sort of warranty as well which is great. I'll make sure to look it over closely and ask about its service history before making my decision.

I don't have much experience with tractors, I just bought a 5acre property in the hills so this tractor will just be used for basic land maintenance. Trying to educate myself as fast as I can with kubota, the only other type of tractor I'm familiar with is my families old 1950 Allis Chalmers on our family farm back in ohio.

Thanks again guys, will keep you posted on how this all pans out.

 

[goldnrod24]

Heck, the nubbies were still on all four tires.

I am unfamiliar with the term "nubbies." Are you referring to "tits?" That's what I was taught to call them. ;-)