Thoughts on other makes and models

[GrassLakeRon]

Hi all,

So what is your take on other makes and models...... I saw a couple of nice IH's recently.

Ron

 

[D2Cat]

Of what?

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Of what?

A IH 254 and a IH 284.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

A IH 254 and a IH 284.

Good luck getting parts when they break!

IH254 was really a Mitsubishi build only built 2 years.

Where the IH 284 was a mish mash tractor.
Could either have a Mazda or Nissan Engine in it.

These kinds of tractors were post it note named tractor.
They were not manufactured by IH and therefore have very little support if any from IH.

 

[WFM]

I've had several customers that have seen my kubota tell me they bought a New Holland tractor as the lift capacity of the FEL was twice that of the same size kubota. I know New Holland was made by or owned by Ford Motor Co at one point, but currently I'm not sure where they are made or what country , engine type ect.
I would of certainly considered one had I known back in 2013.

 

[jimh406]

I personally would go John Deere or Kubota.

However, the South Korean machines like Kyoto, Tym, or LS would be options if you think they will be around in a few years. So far, they seem to be going strong. People may disagree, but I think a reasonable comparison is Hyundai vs Toyota with Kubota being the Toyota.

 

[lugbolt]

those "chinese" tractor and atv/utv dealers pop up all the time here, and they disappear just as quickly. Don't buy into that stuff, because once the dealers disappear, there's no way to get any type of support. Even online dealers are questionable. I know why too. Has to do with legalities and also with the type people who think they're gonna make a mint selling that stuff. I sold some of the chincanese atv's for a couple years. And scooters. With the scooters, there was only one distributor in the usa that serviced this part of the country and that's who you buy from; you don't get them from the manufacturer. Distributor had a fire and then the government got involved (arson), and we were stuck with about 45 (as I remember) chincanese scooters that we finally sold-but couldn't get a single part to service/repair them. Secondly, you don't place an order for 10 of them, they generally have a minimum order quantity-in our case 100. Sold about 30 normally, and the last dozen or so we had to basically take a large loss on them. About $40,000 loss. Similar happened with the sundiro youth atv's but I don't think that was fire-rather some questionable business dealings relating to the distributor got em in trouble as I was told.

Branson tractors, another ordeal. Thankfully we didn't sell those. Now the parent company is selling them to Bad Boy (who is noted for making lawn mowers, based in Arkansas), and Bad Boy rebadges them as "bad boy tractors". Kukje Machinery I think it is. I think they build TYM too but I may be wrong. Kukje is S. Korean.

Exmark mowers--bought out by Toro. Spartan mowers? Sold to Toro as well. Just so you know. The main owner of Spartan got very rich. Or richER. I know him personally.

LS tractors are a spinoff of LG. The same LG that makes TV's and such...South Korean and Chinese and Brazilian made as I recall.

I will say this. When people buy cheap priced stuff, they tend to get more pissed when things go wrong. I can't explain why, but that's what I saw. Lawn mowers especially. One of many reasons I am glad I'm out of that business!

 

[PHPaul]

When I decided to replace my open-station John Deere 750 with a cabbed tractor, I looked at Massey-Furgeson and Kioti. While I think either tractor would have been a decent choice, a peek into the dealer's service department sent me on my way.

It wasn't that there were a bunch of tractors being repaired, it was that the department looked like it was run by some kid with a bunch of K-Mart tools and a shade tree.

Two inviolable rules when buying tractors and the like:

1. You gets what ya pays for;

2. No tractor is any better than the dealer that supports it.

 

[RCW]

When I decided to replace my open-station John Deere 750 with a cabbed tractor, I looked at Massey-Furgeson and Kioti. While I think either tractor would have been a decent choice, a peek into the dealer's service department sent me on my way.

It wasn't that there were a bunch of tractors being repaired, it was that the department looked like it was run by some kid with a bunch of K-Mart tools and a shade tree.

Two invoiliable rules when buying tractors and the like:

1. You gets what ya pays for;

2. No tractor is any better than the dealer that supports it.

@PHPaul - - very well said.

Buy a $2,000 refrigerator from Lowes.

When it has a problem, good luck finding someone to repair it.

 

[mcmxi]

I know someone up here that bought a TYM cabbed tractor three or so years ago and the cab roof has cracked already. Nothing has hit the cab, so any damage is down to the quality of the product.

 

[Seane1987]

I love my 2 Kubotas, but that being said, there is alot of tractor competition in my area. For my next purchase (likely a replacement for the BX when the LX is paid off), I would consider kubota, deere, massey ferguson, and New Holland. Here in upstate ny, all have dealers with good reputations.

 

[mcmxi]

While I think either tractor would have been a decent choice, a peek into the dealer's service department sent me on my way.

I had a similar experience with Kioti when I got a quote on an RX7320. The pricing was very competitive and I was impressed with the tractor, but the lack of a real dealership and even a basic service shop in the valley left me uneasy. I ended up buying the M6060 and couldn't be happier with it. One of the top Kubota dealers in the country is just a few miles from my house so it was meant to be.

I tend to be brand loyal when a company delivers a great product. I've had no issues with the two Kubotas bought and sold, or the two I have. That said, if I ever can afford a mini excavator I would look at Kubota, Takeuchi and Yanmar.

I found a photo of the "service center" for the Kioti dealer in the Flathead Valley, and the tractor that customer (farmer) let me drive so that I could learn about all the features. The salesman was very nice and very knowledgeable but that little shed in the background isn't my idea of a service center.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Gee I LIKE that 'little shed' ! Probably a 1-2 or 3 man operation where you can talk WITH the mechanic while the owner sells another tractor. BIG dealer operations can have HUGE 'problems', like $$$ in inventory getting dusty, dozens of lazy employees, big tax bills to be paid, expensive overheads EVERY month,STRESS.
The little guy sells a few things, repairs a few, gets to go home at a decent hour after making a livable wage.

 

[mikester]

IH as in International Harvester? Don't forget you need this

 

[Chris_]

Hi all,

So what is your take on other makes and models...... I saw a couple of nice IH's recently.

Ron

Hope you didn't expect an unbiased opinion on a Kubota forum did you?

 

[Benhameen]

When I bought my L3800 I looked at kioti and Kubota much to the displeasure of my father, who wouldn’t think of owning anything but a Deere. We have a pretty nice kioti dealer in our area. At the time they only had one location which was about 50 miles away.now they have 3 locations and one within 10 miles of my place. I went with the Kubota after talking with the owner of our local Kubota dealer. He knew my family and had sold a tractor to my uncle. Small place with only a couple employees. A couple years later he and his partner had a falling out and sold the business. Now a local car dealership owns it and it’s terrible.

im happy with my purchase and will do most if not all of my own repairs so the lack of dealer support isn’t a big deal at this point.

With that said, Ive purchased a couple implements from the kioti dealer and if I’m ever in the market for a new tractor I will consider them as I’ve gotten to know them and their staff, they seem like good folks.

 

[GrassLakeRon]

Hope you didn't expect an unbiased opinion on a Kubota forum did you?

I figured that much....I was just seeing if folks had experienced the others as well.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Bottom line... In expensive equipment that you want to last a long time and hope to be able to get parts for. Go with the biggest, most honest, and oldest. In this case with CUT's : it's JD Yanmar and Kubota.

If you want a quick fix, for short term: Buy whatever works for you today. But don't consider it an investment that will hold it's value.

But, if you're a gambler, that TYM or whatever might be the ace in the hole. (But the odds are really bad).

My Pop was a bit of a gambler... he bought a Kubota in the mid 1970's. At that time they were new to the USA. But, today, Kubota and JD rule the roost. I bleed orange to this day. But JD would be my next choice. New Holland after that. Then MF.

Why might you ask? History. Parts availability. Dealer network.

 

[WFM]

I had a customer that told me his dad had bought a kubota two yrs ago like a 50 or 55 hp I believe he said. He had used it a dozen times over the two yrs. Loved it and when it was time to tractor shop and price tractors the TYM was-$20.k less then the kubota 55 hp. So the dealer assured him they were the largest TYM dealer in the east , lots of parts and service.
So he bought it. Brand new. But after a few days of use at home he realized the speed of the hydraulics where like 50% of the kubota. He went back to the dealer and tried another tractor same size. Same slow FEL. So. You get what you pay for ???
He saved $20.k right. But hates his new tractor.

 

[lugbolt]

Massey-Ferguson

another company who's been bought, sold, changed-several times. The only thing MF on them now is the name on the side of the hood. Kind of like Dodge/Chrysler/Heep. Appears to be unstable in it's history.

MF is currently owned by AGCO. I have one but mine was Iseki.