Yep, until you think about the affordable payments that aren't always so affordable or until a mouse chews a wire harness to electronics and ruins a circuit board under the dash or something. Then you have to take it to a techy and you're lucky if you get one that's smart enough to diagnose the issue, lol. New stuff is nice but it comes with a steep price all around. I've never had any issues like that with my Kubota but there are literal horror stories from new tractor owners all over of about all makes and models.
My old Ford 3000 is ugly, worn in plenty...but has been faithful and reliable for us...and if it dies I'll not lose sleep over it. So in a hypothetical world where everything goes wrong I have the better tractor....nice
Lol, well most all my stuff is old as heck. My pickup is the newest thing on the farm being a 2016, next is my Kubota (2014), grain trailer (2012) and semi (2003), Combine (1999), Belarus tractor (1999), 2 IH tractors (1985, 1984), 3 cat dozers (1980, 1978, 1974), K100 semi (1981). There's a lot to be said for older equipment. New stuff is pretty and comfortable but old stuff is fairly reliable and simpler and cheaper. A tool that gets the job done deserves respect. My 2003 semi had to have a $5K ECM put in it in 2016 after a $600 tow to the nearest dealer. It's just stuff, it all breaks and old stuff loses less to depreciation. I love my 2016 pickup but it probably lost $10K just from driving it off the lot.
Delivery day. Waiting on the driver to call and give me an ETA....... I did think about used a LOT before signing the paperwork for this thing. I ended up buying new for a couple reasons........first I bought big enough that I'm pretty sure I'll have it for the rest of my life. It's unlikely I'll ever sell it to realize depreciation, but I learned that over say a 5-10 year period they really don't depreciate that much. The comparable used models I'm seeing locally are asking $14-18k with 200-800 hours, no warranty, plus I'm paying cash out of pocket for that vs. taking advantage of 0% financing. I'd rather use my money for something that is an appreciating asset (like land) and theirs for something like this. Anyhow - I'm pumped for the weekend. Little man is pretty excited too. He wanted a John Deere but I just couldn't bring myself to buy one after comparing the 3 series to what Kubota had to offer. I'll post pics soon!
Positives and negatives both ways for sure. I certainly don't regret buying my Kubota new. I needed something I didn't have to worry about breaking down while my parents were using it in the pumpkin patch. I'm super impressed with Kubota's machines. They are so good they really seem like more machine than their specs say they are. Can't wait to see pics, I'm almost as excited as you are, lol.
Kinda - I've looked at a couple pieces but I'm going to be patient and opportunistic vs. just pulling the trigger quickly. Regardless I'll be able to use the tractor at my house a lot (we have almost 7 acres, 6 of which is timber and very huntable), and at the hunting leases as well for plots, mowing, etc.
Well I put about 4 hours on it today. I love it. Ended up moving the implements to where they are going to sit until the snow melts, and then used the back blade to really clear my driveway. My snowblower crapped out in the middle of the 16" of snow we got last week, so my driveway has been a mess. Overall I love it. The loader forks get delivered tomorrow, I can't wait to get those on and installed so I can start making the plots behind the house a bit bigger. First big project is going to be getting a load of crushed stone delivered so I can backfill the areas where I'll be parking this thing behind the house. I've got a great spot where it's level and dug out in a side hill, but it turns into a mud pit so I'm going to put a few railroad ties in place and then backfill with gravel to get the parking spot raised up a bit.
Im up to 10 hours on the machine. It’s easily my favorite thing to do right now and little man loves it too. I wish I could have gotten one years ago. Plowed the driveway 2x now, and have cleared a bunch of ground behind the house to expand my existing food plots with the chainsaw, loader forks, and rotary cutter. I’m amazed at how big brush is easily mowed with that thing. It says that it’s rated for cutting stuff up to 2” in diameter, but I’ve definitely cut things up to twice that big and it seems to handle it impressively. In about three hours last weekend I cleared about a quarter acre of buckthorn and other 10-15’ tall overgrown brush simply by cutting the big stuff with the chainsaw, mowing the rest of it with a brush hog, and then moving it all around with the loader forks. I stacked all the brush in specific spots to limit access points into the plots for stand location and wind direction. Now I just need to let the ground dry out so I can get a stump grinder back there and once that’s done I’ll get it planted in more clover.
Well Rick, you look comfortable there sitting on the tractor but maybe you should have gotten a smaller one as it looks like you are having trouble reaching the peddles.
