Used tractor buying advice

[Velosprints]

Hello,

I am looking to buy a used tractor, and I need some buying advice. I am going to begin building my house this fall, and I can’t imagine NOT needing a tractor to complete various tasks on the job site. However, I have never owned a tractor before, and I would like some advice on what model I should consider, what questions I should ask the seller, and what I should be looking for when I go to see a prospective rig.

I was perusing craigslist, and I see many B’s and even L’s in my price range. I am leaning toward the L if I can find one, simply so I would never “run out of tractor.” I would plan on buying a rotary cutter around the same time to keep my 3.3 acre’s worth of brush under control. I guess a backhoe would be useful too, but not required.

Thanks in advance!

 

[85Hokie]

Any of the B's or L's will do the job, and the thing is, ONCE you get the tractor, those other 99 things you have never thought of ......now have a way of getting done!

Up there in NOVA - you ought to be able to find a "good" tractor, post some of the items you find here - and we can help you with the good - bad and ugly in each case.

AS for asking the seller - it really will depend on the model, year and hours on each machine,
the BEST question to ask.....is the maintenance schedules, if someone has written proof of what they did on the machine, that adds a lot of value to what the person is asking for it when selling.

If someone is asking 12k for a machine that has no paperwork, versus one asking 13K for 600 hours of paperwork and fluid changes....that one is the one I am looking at the hardest.

 

[Velosprints]

Thank you for the insight! I’ll make sure to ask about maintenance records. Is there anything in particular that I should be visually inspecting when I go to look at these machines?




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[SDT]

Thank you for the insight! I’ll make sure to ask about maintenance records. Is there anything in particular that I should be visually inspecting when I go to look at these machines?




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The potentially most expensive repairs that might be needed to a used CUT or SCUT with hydrostatic transmission is the transmission.

Hydrostatic transmissions are not tolerant of improper or dirty oil, and repairs can be cost prohibitive.

Look carefully at the oil and maintenance records. Also verify that the filter(s) have been changed. Factory installed filters are painted gray with the remainder of the unit. Replacement filters are white. If the tractor has more than 50-60 hours and the filter(s) are gray, red flags are raised. The first service is very important.

Same is true of the engine filters, though the issue is not as critical.

SDT

 

[D2Cat]

Since it's your first tractor purchase, I'd strongly suggest you find someone who has a bit of "tractor savvy" to go with you to look. You will be safer getting a reliable machine, but you'll also be learning what to look for, what it tells you, why it's important.

You might consider checking with your nearby dealers. You can often find very fair prices for used tractors at dealers, especially if you're not looking for a loan from them. Come in with a cash offer and they can sell you a nice trade in that one of their previous customers is trading for a newer/bigger model. Then you have some history of the tractor and a dealer to help you with any future needs. There is some security in that.

In buying anything used, one of the best tools you have when looking, is the ability to analyze people and determine their personality. Ask some questions you know the answers to and see what response you get. It doesn't even have to be about the tractor....but quickly you can get an idea if the person knows what their talking about or is honest.

Post (here on the forum)what you think you need/want, what you're specifically going to use it for, size of tractor you're thinking, etc. Even if you're not sure ask and you'll get some ideas from others as to why or why not that may be the best choice.

For example GST, HST or geared transmission. HST is a bit more money, but will spoil you instantly when using for just about anything you use a tractor for!

Partner, you have homework to do!!!!

 

[Velosprints]

Partner, you have homework to do!!!!

I sure do! This forum is a great place to start!


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[North Idaho Wolfman]

You can also post details here on the tractors that you are looking at to buy, and we can give you points on that particular tractor, it would be the next best thing to having a friend that's tractor savvy going with you in person.

Info you need to get when looking or conversations:

Complete model Number, example L3400... that's not complete L3400DT-GST thats a complete model number. It tells you the class (L), size (34) and series (00), the drive type (DT), and the transmission type (GST).

Options FEL (Front end Loader) (very good option).
Any other included Implements.

Picture sometimes tell more than words, examples:
"It has Light use", yet pictures show bald tires.
"well cared for and maintained", yet pictures show disrepair very well sometimes.

 

[Velosprints]

I’ll definitely post some that I’ve been eye balling. Some tractors on Craigslist seem too good to be true, and a bit scammy. Is there a recommended tractor buying website? Something like auto trader for tractors?


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[SDT]

I’ll definitely post some that I’ve been eye balling. Some tractors on Craigslist seem too good to be true, and a bit scammy. Is there a recommended tractor buying website? Something like auto trader for tractors?


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Craigslist is loaded with scams. If it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Flag it.

Try tractorhouse.com.

SDT

 

[D2Cat]

Since you're wanting to purchase a tractor, if you find one on CL (or other places) you can post a picture of it without disclosing where it is located. Just go to the picture you want to share and right click on it and save "copy image location".

Then at the top of the thread where you are typing is a little yellow box with a picture of a mountain. Click on that yellow mountain and past what you saved. We will only see the picture if that's all you post. See example.

Reason I mention this is because if you find a GOOD deal, and someone else in also looking they could easily swoop in and purchase your item if you tell them the location. Better safe than sorry.

 

[GCTucson]

I recently bought an L2900 with 1100 hours. Before buying it, I looked at pricing on several sites, looked at a dealer's offerings, and most importantly, spent hours on YouTube looking at videos from this site, plus Messick's and Tractor Mike. There is a tremendous amount of info available and I felt fairly well prepared for making a decision.

My first thought had been to buy a new BX model with FEL and Backhoe, but I'm glad I looked around more and bought a 30 hp tractor instead. I'm using mine primarily to move heavy steel and wood materials I use for making sculpture, so the weight and size of the L series is good.

One reason I bought a Kubota is that the dealership is 4 miles from my house. I don't have a trailer, so I need to pay them to pickup and deliver after service. Speaking of service, I dropped almost 2k into the unit for a major service, electrical system inspection, and some minor repairs. It was painful, but now I know everything has been looked at and I have a baseline for future maintenance. If you buy an older tractor, I'd recommend working that into your budget.

I lived in NOVA for a while and would be scared of running into a patch of poison ivy if I were doing maintenance. I'd have to wear a moon suit or I'd die of itching!

 

[Velosprints]

I lived in NOVA for a while and would be scared of running into a patch of poison ivy if I were doing maintenance. I'd have to wear a moon suit or I'd die of itching!

Yikes! I hadn’t thought about the ivy oil on the tractor during maintenance time!


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[North Idaho Wolfman]

I’ll definitely post some that I’ve been eye balling. Some tractors on Craigslist seem too good to be true, and a bit scammy. Is there a recommended tractor buying website? Something like auto trader for tractors?


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Craigslist scams are fairly easy to notice most of the time.
The locations will be odd, they will only have an email reply option, they ask too little for it, most of the time the description will be wrong or off.

On the other side of things, I've made some great scores off craigslist, I got my L for 2K, yea it needed work but I went in knowing that, got my B for 1.2K that was a push as it needed a lot of work.

 

[Velosprints]

Here’s one:

https://winchester.craigslist.org/grd/6580415221.html


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[torch]

I'm trying to figure how someone can get scammed on Craigslist. We don't have it on this side of the border, but I assume it's similar to "Kijiji". With eBay, etc., you are sending payment and trusting the vendor to send what was offered. But Craigslist is like a classified ad, isn't it? The deal is actually done in person?

 

[Velosprints]

Not all the time. The scammer would most likely ask for payment via electronic means before rendering goods/services.


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[North Idaho Wolfman]

The one you posted looks good, little on the higher price side, but very low hours.

 

[Velosprints]

Here’s another:

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/grd/6624577305.html

A bit more than I wanted to spend (I want to stay in the $13k range) but it seems like it’s been up on Craigslist for quite sometime now.


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[Poohbear]

I was about to buy a new L3301 or a Maahindra when I found my tractor on CL. It was just 20 minutes down the road so I went & looked. It was parked in the guys shop & as soon as I looked around his shop I knew he took care of it. You could have done surgery in there. All tools in racks or boxes , all wood working power tools sawdust free. Tractor had 86 hrs & all doc's on service.
Like others have said, if a used tractor was cared for you should get a lot of work from it if you keep maintaining .

 

[tiktock]

I'm trying to figure how someone can get scammed on Craigslist. We don't have it on this side of the border, but I assume it's similar to "Kijiji". With eBay, etc., you are sending payment and trusting the vendor to send what was offered. But Craigslist is like a classified ad, isn't it? The deal is actually done in person?

The most common craigslist scams are twofold. One they claim the machine is located elsewhere in the country (usually a dead relative) and try to scam through a delivery system type of deal. These are usually super easy to spot as their prices are absurdly low to attract excited buyer thinking a relative of a dead farmer is dumping machinery. For some reason almost all these scams involve the scammer claiming to be in the army about to be deployed...weird.

Another really clever craigslist scam is the deposit scam. A seller will price an item low but not suspiciously low. They will find a vacant lot or a house with someone known on vacation and move the vehicle to that lot. They will defer any "serious" buyers and instead focus on people that want to come look at the machine. Of course, the machine is great and the price is great so you better put a deposit on it so the seller wont sell it to the ten guys coming after you, right? He then takes deposits from each and every person that arrives that day and disappears. The buyers show up at the vacant lot, the seller never lived there to begin with and they are out their usually cash deposit. Main theme is show up with cash, put whatever you buy in your car or in a trailer and leave with it in hand. This is a hard scam....I've been shocked how willing people were to hand me cash deposits in my driveway for items they were going to come pick up the next day without verifying if I even owned those objects or lived at those locations. Assume every person on craigslist is scamming you until they prove otherwise.