Buying a tractor

[Mesquite cutter]

I am undecided on which tractor to buy.  John Deere, Case, Kubota or TYM.  I am looking for a tractor with a 45 to 50 horsepower range.  I am not looking to buy a skid steer or a bobcat.  I am looking for a tractor so I can move some logs and still be able to do some landscaping if I needed to.  Please give me your input on your experiences on any one of these brands.  Thanks in advance for your opinions.  

[Nebraska]

Comes down to the dealership and their service.  Maybe who is closest of the four you mentioned.  All are good choices and you will be able  to do a lot with that size tractor.  Get  a front wheel assist model I won't be with out it.  

[Yukon60]

I agree dealer support is key. Also, pay attention to capabilities, like the FEL capacity, I paid a few dollars more and got a bigger tractor that will lift a lot more. I do a lot of loader work so I opted for the Hydrostatic trans on my MX5200. Kubota has a treddle peddle vs a peddle for fwd and reverse. you get used to that. 

[dogone]

    I bought a new JD 5055. 55 hp, no front wheel assist. Had it for 13 years and works fine. BUT : definitely get front wheel assist. You will never regret it. I move a lot of logs and all sorts of farm work. More horses never hurt but fwa is a game  changer.

[thecfarm]

Dealer support is it. But saying that, you should not need them  much.
Well unless JD is still so big headed that they still have their own equipment that can only be mounted on their so called quick detachment.
Than their Kubota, in my area both dealers would have me waiting 2 weeks for parts.  :    :(  >:(

[samandothers]

Shop dealer as much as brand   I have a 42 HP Kubota  and it is very good.  I have not been impressed with the dealer I purchased from.  Another Kubota dealer I've been getting parts from has been great.  If I was buying today I'd look at Kubota, Mihandra and Kiota. 

[711ac]

I'm with the "good dealer" thing, but I'll add good manufacturers that support older models  (parts).
FWIW I've gotten parts, from starters to misc stuff like key switches in 2-3 days for a 30+ year old Kubota.
You'll need to be careful in the woods, today's tractors are very "tender" down under and a determined small stick can take out a filter or hydraulic line before you realize it and you've run something dry ruining it.

[47sawdust]

I would suggest a used Kubota M6800.They are old enough to not be plastic and not computerized.They have large loader capacity,adequate 3pt. hitch lift and best of all hydraulic shuttle shift for quick f/r shifting.

A couple are owned by forum members.

[PoginyHill]

I looked primarily at JD and Kubota. I choose a Kubota (M7060) because: better protection of front driveshaft, tighter turning radius, and universal front-end loader attachments. As thecfarm noted, JD requires their attachments or the extra weight of a coupler adapter. I also prefer a geared transmission with shuttle shift, not hydrostatic drive. For pulling power, a HST drive will stall long before the engine has reached max HP. My only complaint of the Kubota is hydraulic gpm is light compared to other tractors - can make use of the FEL bucket a little frustrating at times.

[teakwood]

what's front wheel assist? 4wd? 

[Nebraska]

Yes  

[Gere Flewelling]

Several years ago I purchased a used JD 5300 tractor with 4wd.  I remember the guy I bought it from in northern VT. said he was going right out to purchase a NH tractor.  Apparently NH has good dealership representation in VT.  I live in NH and have found New Holland has next to no dealership representation in this area.  I have always been partial to the green tractors and where I work we have a JD 5410 tractor with 4wd that is absolutely the best all around tractor for loader work, mowing, and light dirt work I have ever come across.  I purchased the 5300 as it has most all of the features that the 5410 had.  I use it to skid out fire wood and saw logs in my woods, to move logs onto my mill with a hydraulic grapple on the loader, to plow snow, and grade my driveway and woods roads.  It is not as powerful as the 5410 but will do anything lumber related that I need it to do.  It does not have a shuttle shift, but does have a synchronized transmission which is what I prefer.  I have a Curtis cab on it with canvas doors and curtains making it work pretty well for snow plowing.
My brother-in-law is a full time farmer who lives next door.  He is partial to the blue machines and has a wide variety of them.  They work great when they are running, but when broken seem to be near impossible to purchase parts for around here.  He buys most of his parts from big NH dealers in Pennsylvania and does most of his own service.  In New Hampshire there are several JD dealers and I can get parts overnight in most cases.  Kubota's are popular he as well.  In my experience the dealers are quite a challenge.

[Southside]

FWIW in the sub compact world today Case, New Holland, and LS are all built at the same facility in Korea, just different paint and stickers.  I have my share of JD equipment, but it's all older, I won't touch their late model stuff.  They think way too much of it, far too many propriety systems and parts, and now with their strong opposition of "right to repair" they claim you can't fix your own equipment.  

As the others said - dealer support is huge, and not just a fancy showroom, but folks who can work on and repair equipment.   

[zippski]

I know this brand was not on your original list but I am a big Mahindra booster on this board  as some of you already know.  I think that Mahindra right now is where Kubota was in the late '80's in NA: newish and "forrin'", but really good and ready to expand in the marketplace through aggressive pricing. 

If you are shopping price at all, I don't know any quality brand that can compete with the 4500 series from Mahindra right now.  The 48HP 4550 is currently priced at less than US$26K and you can usually see dealer specials for less than that as it is a slightly older tech and likely due to be replaced by the 4600 series soon.  Plus, 7-year warranty which is quite frankly amazing. I think they are going all out to reassure the market they are high quality and here for the long haul.

I have a Mahindra 9125P and am looking at a 3600 series for a smaller 2nd unit but those are a brand new premium line series and those are much harder to get a deal on.  

Mahindra USA link is here for the 4550:

  Mahindra 4550 4WD Tractors - Mahindra Agriculture North America: Mahindra Tractors, Farming Equipment and Utility Vehicles (mahindrausa.com)

Leigh
zippski

[Skeans1]

FWIW in the sub compact world today Case, New Holland, and LS are all built at the same facility in Korea, just different paint and stickers.  I have my share of JD equipment, but it's all older, I won't touch their late model stuff.  They think way too much of it, far too many propriety systems and parts, and now with their strong opposition of "right to repair" they claim you can't fix your own equipment.  

As the others said - dealer support is huge, and not just a fancy showroom, but folks who can work on and repair equipment.  

They are all like that, it has more to do with EPA then anything. Having newer Deere stuff I can still work on it heck I can even buy the software without issues where the problem lies is in EPA new requirements.

[Southside]

Maybe it's different in AG vs their forestry division. A neighbor has tried to buy the software and they won't sell it to him. 

[Skeans1]

Maybe it's different in AG vs their forestry division. A neighbor has tried to buy the software and they won't sell it to him.

I can buy the AG software as well, one of the big differences is EPA requires the software to now go to a licensed tech.

[mike_belben]

I hauled new tractors a few times. One memorable dealer i BSd with for a spell was in the tricities area and was obviously a lifetime farmer and tractor user before he became a dealer, was up there in years.  Said hed peddled many brands and the kiotis were the best machine he could sell for the money.  however farming was dead and transplant homeowners were the new market.  60hp or less.


The closer to NC or texas the cheaper a kioti should be due to freight.  Kubota assembly is down to the east of atlanta.  Flat rates are near all time highs and you can only get 2 on a truck so the haul bill is substantial and dealer is passing it on to you.

[Nebraska]

I have an 03 53 hp Farmtrac which morphed into LS,  built  in South Korea. It has been the best money I have spent.  I knew about them  building New Holland, but not Case IH. 
I have bigger Farmtrac built  in Poland by Escort its a decent loader tractor, good for handling logs, round bales  and snow removal.  PTO stinks never been right..  May send it down the road but would really  like to avoid all the new EPA stuff.

[711ac]

I'm not bashing mahindra, but my experience is (by others) is that a lot of the dealers are very, very small and were used car lots a few years ago. Its not that the dealer had poor intentions, he just couldn't handle the emissions/computer problems and every little step was "guided" by the regional factory rep after phone tag for a few days. From what I've observed is it seems to be a 50/50 chance to get a good one. I've also seen 3 or 4 larger (estimate 80+ hp) mahindra's at an auction. All low hour machine, they turned out to be from a (highway) mowing contractor and all had transmission problems. 
I'd 2nd kioti for an economical but well proven tractor, but then we're back to the dealership. 

[wisconsitom]

I sure like my Bobcat.  It's a re-badged Kioti, although as far as I can tell, there is no Kioti that is identical to my CT 2025 Bobcat.  Mine is a lighter machine than you're after, but I believe the quality would hold thru the full range.  Good stuff.....I had a deal all drawn up for an equivalent Kubota, but when I checked out the Bobcat, it was quickly apparent that I would be getting every bit as much tractor, but for right around $4000 less.

[Southside]

Maybe it's different in AG vs their forestry division. A neighbor has tried to buy the software and they won't sell it to him.

I can buy the AG software as well, one of the big differences is EPA requires the software to now go to a licensed tech.

Ahh... Now I get it

[Tin Horse]

As mentioned dealership backup is a big part of  any equipment purchase. Back in 2017 I trade two older tractors ( White 1370 and Ford 7710) on a Kioti 7320. Both of those old machine were great but reluctantly it was time. I had good local support for both Kubota (which I know and like) and Kioti. Long story short the Kioti won out with features, warranty and price. Jump to today I am still very happy with this purchase. About 650 hrs in and zero issues. Also have two friends with the same machine. One farms and is over 1000 hrs. Nope they aren't built like the old ones and the emission stuff is a nuisance but you get used to it.

[sawguy21]

Our long time and well respected Case dealer retired, outside interests purchased the store and now handle Mahindra. These people don't seem to be experienced or customer oriented and are not earning a good reputation. We have an established New Holland outlet, I understand some of their product is Kioti which is not well known here. Kioti also has a small operation 10 miles away but don't look to have the space to handle larger equipment. John Deere is 60 miles away so not practical for local farmers. Farming is key here, mainly forage crops with some grain along with dairy cattle and hogs.
Kubota is gaining traction, I had the use of one for three years and the dealer treated us well. It was a stout machine although a little small for fel work, I had some minor issues I was able to address once I figured out what was causing them.

[Danmcc]

I bought a Kioti 5010 in February, so far I've liked it. Good lifting capacity, though I've maxed it several times with big logs. 

[711ac]

I bought a Kioti 5010 in February, so far I've liked it. Good lifting capacity, though I've maxed it several times with big logs.

If someone, regardless of size ever said they never "maxed" their tractor...they're lying 😆

[btulloh]

I bought a Kioti 5010 in February, so far I've liked it. Good lifting capacity, though I've maxed it several times with big logs.

If someone, regardless of size ever said they never "maxed" their tractor...they're lying 😆

Ain't that the absolute truth!

[Mesquite cutter]

I sure like my Bobcat.  It's a re-badged Kioti, although as far as I can tell, there is no Kioti that is identical to my CT 2025 Bobcat.  Mine is a lighter machine than you're after, but I believe the quality would hold thru the full range.  Good stuff.....I had a deal all drawn up for an equivalent Kubota, but when I checked out the Bobcat, it was quickly apparent that I would be getting every bit as much tractor, but for right around $4000 less.

How long have you had it?

[Lostinmn]

We went though this process in spring and ended up with a brand new LS MT357 as it ticked off all our check boxes, a 58 hp hydrostatic with cab and most of the bells and whistles.  I mostly echo what other have said regarding you are not just buying a tractor you are getting a partner as a dealer for good or bad.  We looked at several brands including the local JD, but to be honest any one of them was such a huge leap forward and new improvement over all our much older other tractors, it really came to who do we trust to work with.  Our local implement dealer has been in the area for years and has always provided great service on a wide range of equipment and older tractors. As they have carried the LS brand for quite a few years, it really was a no brainer for us.   As a bonus, our favorite color is blue  8)

Happy shopping!

[chevytaHOE5674]

In the compact and sub compact game their is a lot of rebadging going on. 

LS, New Holland, And Case are all the same. 

Many of the JD models are Yanmars underneith.

Bobcat and Kioti are the same. Etc

My experience as a wrench turner is they are all about the same. Good and bad to each. Pick one with a decent dealer and one that has the best features and specs in its size class. For the most part I don't see many of them in the shop unless the operators are hard on them. 

I will say Mahindra parts can be hard to come by, and kubotas engineering department often has cranial-rectal-inversion.

[Kodiakmac]

A couple of months ago I got rid of my old 440 JD skidder and bought a new Kioti 73 hp tractor.  

I have McCormick, John Deere, Kubota, NH, and Case IH dealers within a 30 minute drive, but I decided to go with Kioti because the brothers who own the dealership are straight-up good guys and they are only a 5 minute drive away.

It also helped that a friend bought a slightly smaller model a few years ago and was able to give me an unbiased report about his tractor and dealer experiences.  

Having said that, if the dealerships would have had good reputations (and a few of them did) I think I would have been quite happy with similar hp tractors from any of the aforementioned companies.

[wisconsitom]

Hi Mesquite.  It's at just 66 hrs.  I suppose I don't know much about longevity yet.

One thing I like a lot, and this is probably true of most makes, is the ease of maintenance.  Simple stuff like fluid changes are quite easy, and even stuff like re-cambering the front wheels or readjusting the engine's valves are all laid out nicely.

Worst thing is cold-weather starts.  Like many small diesels, it sputters and coughs out lots of smoke under such conditions.  I hope to have a block heater on it by coming winter, which I think will help a lot.  Warm-weather starts are non-problematic.

[thecfarm]

I put a piece of carpet over my tractor with the block heater on. Keeps the heat in better. I suppose a moving blanket from harbor freight would work too.

[BargeMonkey]

 I just went thru this with a landowner, im not biased but we own nothing but BLUE tractors and have sold 10+ BLUE tractors for the dealer to our customers 😆. 
 Figure out what you want, add 10hp. Even if you dont need it, get it with a skidsteer coupler and 2 remotes, adding on after the fact is costly. We run ag tires on our 4 tractors, R4 tires are ok but not meant for greasy ground. Like everyone else has said dealer support is key. 

[North to Alaska]

I bought a Branson 4520r last year. 
First , if there are no decent Branson dealers near you, then ignore this post.

Branson tractors have NO computers. They are well built (Korean), simple, heavier then others in the class, and much cheaper to buy.
The tier 4 emissions consist of a simple cat style device that burns the particulates as you go. Just have to keep it hot enough. If you you don't like it, you can remove it and stick a muffler on and the tractor won't care.

Do wish I had gotten a hydro though.

[kantuckid]

For by far more information brand wise, model wise, number of posters, etc., go to www.Tractorbynet.com. 

In recent years I've owned two Kiotis, a DK40 and now a DK35SE, both shuttle/geared tractors. They are robust, well built machines. They mfg. their own engines-Daedong brand-same as Bobcat mentioned already. Bobcat I though got out of tractors?
 
My DK35SE is a 2010 so no Tier 4 re-gen on it. I had very few issues with them. Much is generic on several brands of tractors. Items like clutch assemblies and much much more cross over brand names far more than many realize. Also within brands there are multiple mfg of the machines plus engines, loaders, etc.. My Kioti FEL is made in USA. 
 
 Mines been dead now for over two months-seems to be a gears issue as starts OK, hyd OK but no motion F or R. First place I took it the son fell out with his Dad the shop owner so I moved it to a semi-retired pro tractor guy who did JD's all his life now a widower he syas it's near to being next. Parts are a hard issue for tractors of many brands and he couldn't block those waiting on parts to take mine down. FWIW, I am a retired mechanic but my shops blocked entryway due to lumber drying said haul it somewhere else. 
In ~ 2-4 weeks I'll either have it back repaired or buy another tractor. I'm leaning toward a used late model Massey-Ferguson or a Mahindra. Not many Kiotis in the used market but I'd buy one again. 

[Dom]

I also agree dealer is key, and competition amongst dealers can be a good thing.
Over here its Kubota and John Deere.


Resale does play a factor in my opinion, and in our area reselling a Kubota or John Deere is quicker than the other brands. We don't buy with a plan to resell, but its always good to know that the item you have is in good demand. 

As Barge mentioned, buy it as you need it and plan on expansion. Add the extra hydraulics, the tires you need/want etc, right from the purchase. So much easier than trying to do it all after the fact. 

[Bruno of NH]

I had a Mahindra 4550 cab tractor. If you like brakes that work buy something else
Other than that and a spoon for a bucket it was nice.
My next tractor will be a Branson heavy built , great engines , fit and finish. 

[kantuckid]

Branson's are not a brand I've looked at lately and not far back they were very minor in the market. I just now skimmed their website and they have attractive machines. Niche brand same as my Kioti though both are huge corporations on a worldly basis. They are basically a TYM tractor-same as several other brands tractor models, that sell more tractors.
 I'm uncertain how they stack up overall against Kioti & other Korean brands-as I've owned several but they don't use re-gen which I'd rather avoid. 
Their system is a DPF version and likely not problematic. 
Choosing a Branson means you should also look at other TYM built tractors?
 Little doubt in my mind that casual tractor discussions still revolve around the old brand names that once were USA, UK etc. and now it's all Asian across the lines with assembly in various places. Selling a machine thats off-brand still slows it down due to ignorance of todays marketplace. Those mainline brands are having the same parts issues as the lesser brands right now. 
 Owning an orange Kioti I've been telling people for 20 years it's not a Kubota nor is it made in Japan. 
I'm just not willing to pay a 6% sales tax premium plus new markup price points.
 

[John Mc]

I'm curious when folks refer to different tractor brands which are manufactured by the same source.

The implication sometimes is that they are the same tractor, just different trim or color. I know that this is the case in some instances (Case and New Holland, for example have some tractors that are virtually identical other than color  and perhaps some options).

I also know that being made by the same manufacturer is not necessarily and indication that things are the same quality. 20 years ago, as the manufacturing plants I was working for was closing down, I took a part time/seasonal job in an outdoor store (which shall remain unnamed) mainly to get access to their employee discounts. The store manager was often telling customers that the store brand outerwear was made in the same manufacturing plant as North Face (NF made very highly regarded products). The implication was that the quality was the same, you just weren't paying for the name brand. The store brand was decent, but the quality was not even in the same ballpark as North Face.

It does make me wonder about different tractor brands "made by the same manufacturer". How often is it just a different coat of paint or slightly different body panels, and how much of it is a completely different tractor which may just happen to share a few components with another brand?

[Hilltop366]

I bought a new 24hp Montana tractor to resell at a auction once after they went out of business, it was made by Kukje same as Branson. The only difference was the brand name decals, you could even see a faint outline where the Branson name decal was removed before the Montana one was put on.

[kantuckid]

TractorData.com - information on all makes and models of tractors is one source I use to size up a brand and model and the FEL or other common attachments. Many modern tractors share engines across brands. FEL's are often made in the USA and sized and labeled/painted for a certain tractor mfg.. I am far short of all knowing on the subject but even the major brands we identify with are mostly Asian, esp. in compact and utility sized tractors. Even those in that business probably find it hard to keep up with who is assembling what, using what components. All wheeled vehicles depend on parts mfg.'s to make much of what gets to a factory for brand name products. 
I've told this story before but it is probably still relevant to some degree: I was once part of a tech school educators group touring a Japanese mfg.s KY plant building electrical parts such as starter solenoids and similar. It was a modern plant with robotics and most employees were typical semi-skilled assembly workers. The mgr was local and sort of confided to us (he was a former local educator himself) that Lee Iaccoca (famous former leader of Chrysler some years ago) had sent down a decree that all Japanese origin stickers were to be removed from parts sent to them for use in assemblies they built and sent to Chryslers factories as he was a made in the USA freak.
 The worldwide source aspect is the still true part and much more in fact but the stickers part is probably limited to the back when mentality that the USA was the source for most everything. My state of KY and many other rural states have become "parts just in time" sources for various manufacturers. Ford plastic grills often come from Morehead, KY near me and many many more e.g.'s out there. 
My somewhat obscure branded tractor-Kioti is actually a source for many colors and brands over the years since they began in 1947. 
Google: Daedong Industrial WIKI and you'll see a chart that goes on a very long ways showing many brands, several engine mfg.s and so on. Kioti tractors are assembled in Wendell, NC using Titan tires, USA built loaders and probably wheels and other parts to the main chassis. Auxillary parts on my tractor like electrical can be an Interstate battery, a starter same brand as this others, so on. 
Many Mahindra loaders are built in  Sterling, KS by KMW-I think my Kioti FEL came from there too? 
Branson tractors get some discussion online but don't even have an info page on Tractordata or Tractorbynet at all.
I almost bought Mahindra last go around-talked to a dealer near me who had been with them the entire time in US market and still was. Talked to another long time dealer in TN or NC?, I forget who had quit the brand over warranty issues that left him in a bad position with his customers. I guess dealers matter but each one is a different storyline, brand aside, IMO.  

[North to Alaska]

Branson's are not a brand I've looked at lately and not far back they were very minor in the market. I just now skimmed their website and they have attractive machines. Niche brand same as my Kioti though both are huge corporations on a worldly basis. They are basically a TYM tractor-same as several other brands tractor models, that sell more tractors.
I'm uncertain how they stack up overall against Kioti & other Korean brands-as I've owned several but they don't use re-gen which I'd rather avoid.
Their system is a DPF version and likely not problematic.
Choosing a Branson means you should also look at other TYM built tractors?

Just to clarify, Branson and TYM are not the same tractor. Owned by the same parent company but the two tractors are completely different.

[kantuckid]

OK, your right. 

[Bruno of NH]

They are owned buy the same company but kept separately. 
Branson are much higher quality and fit / finish is much better.
Branson makes their own engines has for years.
They are really good that's why TYM parent company bought them out.
You will see more engines made in house for TYM with Branson engineering or built by Branson.

[Bruno of NH]

Bad Boy mowers makes implements and Branson makes them a line of tractors now.
They have different lighting and a different tire brand on them. 

[Joe Hillmann]

I dont know if you plan to buy a new or used tractor.  If you plan to buy a used one.  Pay lots of attention to the rear tires and price new ones before buying the tractor.  Worn, torn, cut, rotted tires or  rusted through rims can become a major unexpected expense on what would otherwise be a good used tractor.

[wisconsitom]

Was just my experience, but I looked at used stuff for a year before deciding to go with new machine.  On the used end, anything decent was too dear, and the rest looked like somebody else's problems.  I don't have the shop capabilities to refurbish an old diamond in the rough, so that route was out.

Pretty glad I got what I did.  Size-wise and so on, it seems just right for our needs.  I won't be moving the earth with a utility tractor, but I sure can get a lot done.

[kantuckid]

Lately tractors are a scarcer item at dealers, new or used. They have some but don't know when they'll get more. I've heard most wont even price one now, that's not sitting there, as they either don't know if they can get it or what the price might be when they do. it's a volatile time to buy things. Used tractors are not always someone elses problem_ i disagree with that. Looked at many lately but I will say that I'm avoiding anythings thats over 400+ hours or so. In big tractors thats not the same issue at all but I'm in the utility market not big tractors for big fields.
 Very often they are sold as result of a death, someone ceasing farming or a move to town or away from owning land and so on. Lots of low hours tractors out there so I've found but prices are often above what a tractor sold for new! but not always. Current inflation has affected many things, tractors included. Any recent made, low hours tractor is selling nearly at retail. New ones on lots get discounted still yet but I dislike paying 6% sales tax to buy new! and I don't qualify for an ag exemption so used private sale tractors are much cheaper. Good tractors do stay on the market for weeks and months though as I see ads daily. Private sellers tell me many potential buyers cannot get credit to buy a used private sale machine. Tractors like autos when sold by dealers you lose discounts to buy financed machines as it's added back into the deal. 
 Meanwhile there are tractors sitting dead right now waiting on parts and many brands affected. I saw a tractor ad recently on a web sale site the owner said it had major warranty reapirs and now a VG Mahindra but he further said he hadn't laid eyes on it in over a year while it waited for repair parts at the dealer where it was repaired and now for sale on consignment. That's one reason my tractor is dead right now-other tractors waiting on parts block valuable shop space. When a tractor is broken down it's then not mobile to sit aside out of the way. 
My dilemma is to either buy a 2nd one or wait. I'm testing my patience for now... 
 

[wisconsitom]

Some good points, Kantuck.  Forgot to mention, it was odd when I was tractor-shopping, to be able to get what I would consider the marquee brand-Bobcat-for less than an equivalent Kioti machine, given Kioti is the manufacturer behind the Bobcat brand.  Further, the Kioti dealer wasn't sure if he could even get a machine in stock.  This was in '19, pre-covid.  

Another tidbit;  An LS dealer has set up a dealership right near my house here in town.  Unbelievable how they're moving tractors out of that place.  Every other day or so, stock is completely rotated.  I see trailers leaving with two and three machines on them, being delivered to new owners.  Not sure why, but they appear to be having no problems resupplying their stock.  Is actually a part of a tractor chain business here in NE WI.  What a goldmine.

Somebody said, 'why would they try to sell tractors in town'? or some such.  Heh, because they know about people like me that may live or work in town, but who have rural properties, may be nearing retirement age, may have pent-up need for such a machine, etc.  I looked at those blue ones and they seem pretty good, but I like my white and orange one!

[Hilltop366]

Not sure why, but they appear to be having no problems resupplying their stock

Could be because South Korea did such a good with prevention at the beginning of covid, around here in the car lots North American manufactures are almost empty, while the Japanese brands are mostly full and South Korean brands are full. The Kioti dealer (the only dealer close by) has lots of tractors as well.  

[kantuckid]

New tractors in todays market come from all over the world-mostly Asia. My last two have been Kioti's are of course, South Korean assembled in NC. 

[wisconsitom]

Bobcat, I am told, is going to begin more stateside production, somewhere in NC too I believe.  Same place as Kioti?  They'd planned this prior to covid, which did put a hiccup in their plans, but are said to be going forward with the move.

BTW, somebody either here or in another tractor thread thought Bobcat quit making tractors.  This is correct-they didn't want to deal with the then-new tier 4 requirements.  But work-arounds have since been developed, and they're back in that market with new product.

[kantuckid]

Bobcat didn't make them, i.e. tractors to begin with- they sold re-branded Kioti's in white but only did certain models, not the entire Kioti lineup. Bobcat skid steers tyhgat they did make, had Daedong engines at one point, maybe still do? Not like I keep up with that aspect. 
I will throw out that the Kioti manuals are written by English speakers, not Koreans and seem well done.  I have the DK 35/40/45 series shop manual. 
Probably done in NC at Kioti assy plant. 

[Bruno of NH]

Bobcat is owned by Dosan now.
I'm not sure but would expect the ctl , wheeled skid and excavators are all Dosan powered now.

[wisconsitom]

When you go thru my Bobcat owner's manual, you eventually get to the warranty info in the back of the book-all Kioti.

[charles mann]

Iv got a kubota M7060 with 64 hp to the pto, 4x4, 4 fwd/rev in low/high. Even with the dpf regen, with now, 284 hrs. it has been great until a month ago when i was shredding my pasture and i started loosing power. It was acting as if it was trying to regen, with the low power i was getting out of it. 

Come to find out, the #1 injector crapped out, and my friendly field rats had gotten to the wiring harness a d chewed the insulation off the #2 injector wire, at the connector. The svc manager said a new harness was $1300, and my bill for the 1 injector replacement was $1700. After some common sense conversation with the manager, and a waiver of liability/warranty on the wringing harness, i got the tractor back almost good as new. 

When these new model things break, they are expensive

[kantuckid]

FWIW: I've got my tractor back on duty a week ago- but still thinking I might go for something new. TYM is one I'm looking at- In sizing up the specs on the T474 I noticed in the header facts they say, among that header info says that TYM acquired Branson in 2016, who is actually Kukje. 
I've not researched anything further but I know some Mahindra's say made by TM, some by Mitsubishi and some by themselves in India. 
One TYM ad online suggests google-ing Kukje with the suggestion seeming to be that they mfg. engines?  
I was talking re-gen with an OH Kioti dealer/owner and he said theirs doesn't rely on electronics for re-gen thus less likely to have a gremlin show up.
Wiring is much less expensive to repair when you splice, etc.. FOMOCO wanted like $300+ hundred dollars for a chipmunk chewing a wire leading to my carbon cannister underneath on the frame-I got away with a self splice job reusing the pigtail too. Truck was brand new, only a couple of days old so I leaped at a warranty repair notion thinking the check engine light should be looked at- was a basic wire fix job in the end. They eat lots of stuff on our place, also mice and mud daubers-all make me extra work...
 
 

[kantuckid]

I stayed in the hunt for another tractor last few months, found a kioti dealer where I was satisfied on price, no tax but like many no tractor to sell me. I then began looking again @ Mahindra ( I liked the 3560) and TYM (I liked the T494) & Branson where I liked the 3620R or 4820R.
 
This week I made a deal over the phone for a private sale 2021 Branson 4820R near Hermann, MO which I'll fetch this next Monday. 
It's probably real close to firefighterontheside location wise?
 It's got 78 hours, well set up with remotes, fluid ballast, canopy (I'll probably tear it up soon?) and similar in weight and capacity to the Kioti NX4510/NX5010 tractors.

Per the fit & finish comments above-I've talked to several dealers who opt to assemble their own tractors as they can control things being done right and save enough to cover the cost mostly. Both Branson & TYM have better overall availability than Kioti but Kioti plays favorites with a few dealers who have "some" tractors to sell. If you are in the hunt for one of those 3 brands I can possibly save you some time shopping dealers as I've wasted plenty of phone time lately going zonkers over finding my next tractor. 
A NC dealer/owner of 3 TYM dealerships says that TYM bought 100% of Branson last year but they remain separate business entities, have their own distribution and so on.
 In this world wide shortage, materials higher costs & slowed shipping senarios situation there's much disturbance going on between various mfg.'s , distributors and dealers as to who gets the goodies. 

[zippski]

Meanwhile there are tractors sitting dead right now waiting on parts and many brands affected. I saw a tractor ad recently on a web sale site the owner said it had major warranty reapirs and now a VG Mahindra but he further said he hadn't laid eyes on it in over a year while it waited for repair parts at the dealer where it was repaired and now for sale on consignment. That's one reason my tractor is dead right now-other tractors waiting on parts block valuable shop space. When a tractor is broken down it's then not mobile to sit aside out of the way.  My dilemma is to either buy a 2nd one or wait. I'm testing my patience for now...   

Tell me about that...>:(


The local dealer has been holding my Mahindra 9125P waiting for parts for some minor warranty work since the end of June.  No timeline for its return.  It's a good thing that I don't have to earn my living with it or I would have had to get a loaner.  Apparently  a large fire in their Texas parts warehouse has compounded the issue.  The strange thing is, the main backordered parts are for the loader, which is built entirely in the USA, not in India.  Then again, they are electronic parts, so that may mean they are still  shipped from overseas

Leigh
zippski

[kantuckid]

The NY Times had a recent article toward worldwide shortages, ports closed and such-it's a very long list of factors.
 I found the letters to the editor very interesting as many of our population have become over-buyers gobbling up stuff we don't need like there's no tomorrow.
People that grabbed up covid items early on-some went to jail. Nobody I've heard of is in jail for buying up all the canning lids for re-sale at crazy prices? 
 This applies to sawmills & tractors as well as placemats for people who have closets full of them. Parts are much affected by steel and other metals plus labor that's not showing up for work or lacks the skill to hold down the jobs left waiting or simply lazy and living large off USA government bucks added to covid related unemployment checks. It's a zoo of a world we live in right now. 
One lady who was at my MIL's estate sale already owns 21 sewing machines. Many buying tractors are new land owners of baby farms if 4-5 acres qualifies? One guy I read a comment from was choosing a 65hp tractor w/cab to maintain what's basically an empty few acres of mowed area.