Top 10 Things to Consider when Buying a Tractor

[@gordonbemis671]

In my book the dealer should be your biggest concern. My experience has shown that all big manufacturers produce quality equipment but not all dealers provide good service.

[@wildbill23c]

That's been my Kubota experience, my Dealer wasn't that great, lots of things that never got ordered, no paperwork trail unfortunately, waited a year to get my mid mount mower and only got it because I told them to give me my money back and I'd go to the dealer 8 miles down the road and pick one up myself. I went to the wrong dealer in the beginning...the other dealer I went to where I picked up my mower is awesome, so I will do my future business with them.

[@Thecowboy1950]

Yep got a John Deere dealership here in east central Illinois and I have done business with them for over 45 years but the service at the local store sucks big time and will not do any business with them and they are only 6 miles away so I’m going to another dealership and they are 52 miles away but I’m happy

[@Morpheen999]

@HorchataFan My closest dealer is 10 minutes away, but I drive 45 minutes to a Dealer that treats me right and I can trust..

[@glennso47]

According to another website Toyota makes great products but many of the dealers are scumbags. (Scotty Kilmer )

[@TomSarelas]

10th mentioned is really #1- a trusted, capable dealer. Like Messick's! Thank you, Neil.

[@janking2762]

Hearing protection is really important. I wear full hearing protection when operating any internal combustion engine as I have irreversible middle and high frequency hearing damage from excessive noise exposure in the past. In a cab it might be different.

[@BeingMe23]

Very few if any compact tractors use closed cell foam insulation under the hoods.

[@leonardbartley5670]

Neil I live in the city and don't have any need for what you sell, but I find all your videos very interesting and have watched them all. Thanks for all the great content.

[@BeingMe23]

You may not need a compact tractor. A city is a good location. They are just over sized Garden Tractors.

[@pyroman6000]

Hey, you never know. Lots of equipment dealerships sell other types of products, too. Heck, in my town there are 2 tractor dealers: Green, and Blue (Not NH, TYM, maybe?)- both of them are also sell chainsaws and accessories. Plus lawnmowers. Green sells Stihl. Blue sells Husqvarna.

[@cowrocket3870]

My only complaint about the bx23s.... the 4wd floor mounted "peddle". Its in an awkward spot about under the seat, but thanks to my sales person at Messicks, I already knew about it :D

[@G.I.JeffsWorkbench]

Thanks Neil for hitting these points. Glad you covered the importance of your dealer, and especially their service / parts depts. I couldn’t buy from a dealer that wasn’t courteous, and that had a service manager that wasn’t interested in getting me back in the field as soon as possible. Whether it’s your 1 (maybe especially so) or your 7th tractor, i think everyone could learn something from your top 10. I’d be thrilled to learn that Messick’s was opening a dealership in northern Wisconsin!

[@johanneslaxell6641]

I personally absolutely hate the HST-transmission. The different transmissions that are "in the big guns" are another ballgame, but other than that I would go for manual transmission. IF they would put a "normal" four-speed automatic transmission (with a high/low lever?) that could be interesting... Regarding specifications: go big, as big as possible. If you can use/run at ~75% it will last much longer. And most of us overload at some time, I have a good example: At work I use a Valmet 365 for (among other things) snow removal. Like most tractirs it gets a little light at the rear, so in winter I usually have the snowblade or the sandspreader at the rear. Then chains on the back wheels for traction. In the front a snowbucket (~400 gallons, with the "wings" out ~ eight feet wide) to plow/move snow. With more weight/traction the force on the loader bolts got so hard that some of the bolts snapped, welds broke and parts got bent. I got lucky and found the last loader "frame" in the country so in a couple of days the tractor was up and running again. Luckyly noone was near when the loader broke, the tractor was "all over the place" when it rocked/shifted/moved.

[@allthingsdiymike1106]

i was contemplating creating underarmor for my tractor since i go thru alot of brush and woods but i think a person need to be careful not to block off too much of the undercarriage as i dont think tractors in general were built for it. the heat retention would be too great causing the oils the breakdown quicker. there is a tremendous amount of heat that is dissipated from under the tractor. at least that is what i would think. it might be better to protect only certain very vulnerable areas wires, filters and such.

[@halsnyder296]

Aloha Neil! I have a L4701 (and a BX2680). If I were buying again I’d get the M series. The L4701 is big enough, and powerful enough, but the bigger fronts tires of the M series would make a huge difference on our terrain. Of course, once I civilize the property, I probably could get by with just the BX!

[@wildbill23c]

I love my BX2680. I only have an acre, and its pretty flat so the BX is the perfect size when I need something larger than my lawn tractor...got the BX mainly for the loader and box blade, and some roto-tilling, but I now have a mid mount mower, rear grading blade, 3 point receiver hitch, pallet forks, and a sub-soiler that I turned into a ditcher...I plan on picking up a 4 foot rotary cutter in the near future as well. I didn't need much tractor, but needed something more than my lawn tractor for those digging and grading type chores....no I don't need the mid mount mower as I have my lawn tractor, but I have been able to do a couple of paid mowing jobs because of it.

[@xylothan]

Good video Neil. Your ending conclusion is the most important. I've had my local Kubota dealer now be sold twice -- with less than desirable results. As much as I like L3560 (even being a bit small/underpowered) I wish I would have bought from the local green dealer specifically for this reason. Having the local dealer that is there to support you and do things like letting you know about recalls/warranty repairs or any type of post-sale support (accessory upgrades, new matching implements, service support, tech questions, etc) should be at the top of the list.

[@Shredxcam22]

#1 manufactures stance on right to repair.

[@MessicksEquip]

As much as I love seeing Deere thrown under the bus for this, I think they're being grossly misrepresented. Lots of fake news for clicks.

[@tfisadog5260]

To me the last one Your Dealer is about 50% of my purchase Very good video

[@nicksacco6024]

Thanks for another informative video Neil!

[@richardpoe2461]

I know that a lot of people buy that mid mount mower and loader combination. It has always seemed to me that one would get in the way of the other. I would prefer a rear 3point mower. I also see them with turf tires. I don’t think that would be a good idea. But some people make it work I suppose.

[@09X19]

B01 with turfs and a rear mower works great for my yard. Sold a nice zero turn when I got that setup this year

[@Thecowboy1950]

Yep I got turf tires on my jd tractor and loader very happy with the set up just not happy with the dealership

[@brianpoi5117]

I bought a mid-mount mower with my tractor thinking it would be easier to drive and maneuver. I sold that mower after two seasons and bought a rotary mower. Just as easy to drive once you get used to it.

[@saintmichael2759]

That's good stuff. Thank you.

[@tifttyson]

Dealer reputation is now more important to me than it was years ago when I first started buying equipment. My most recent purchase was driven by knowing the dealer offered excellent service, good parts availability and treats me as a good costumer when I walk in the door. I tend not to want to haggle over price and shop around when I know I have a dealer that will take care of me.

[@pyroman6000]

Yep. Not tractor related, per se, but I just bought a new saw- and which one I got boiled down to the dealer selling it. One was a big box store. Nothing wrong with that- I've bought a ton of tools and such from them, and will continue to do so- BUT, a chainsaw is an item that has all kinds of possibilities for breakage and servicing need. WHERE would I get this done? Would I have to send it away somewhere? ( only after buying, did I see that there is a very local dealer of that brand...) Plus, I was a first time gas saw buyer and knew very little about them. This isn't really the place to go for advice on which is best for my needs, tips on starting it, operating it, fuel, etc etc etc. The other was a mom and pop dealer for this specific brand. They had their own shop (and a busy one, too!), and were an authorized dealer- so they can do warranty work. I've bought stuff from them before, and like the owners. Chainsaws are a huge part of what they do, and they've sold them for many years. USED them, too! (they do firewood as a side business) Which one do you think I went with? Guys like Neil, and Tractor Mike constantly emphasizing the importance of the dealer connection had a lot to do with what I was looking for. The mom n pop shop told me he does work on the other brand (Husqvarna), too- just isn't an authorized dealer for warranty issues.

[@ryancrazy1]

MOAR tire testing. I wanna see those R14s in mud! I know mud might be a bit hard to find right now though haha.

[@BeingMe23]

Just at water to any dirt.

[@KubotaL4701]

Great video Neil!

[@thebradleysoncatbirdhill6849]

Neil, you guys rock! Customer 1st all the time! You do it right👍💪

[@lesgobrandon]

Like always great information Neil.

[@DJC995]

Nice One Neil Thanks again

[@chrisfisherwild]

Could you go through a b26 like lift capacity and three point hitch

[@rob1733]

Always enjoy your informative videos. And I love that jingle at the beginning! How old is that? Also, not a criticism, genuinely curious: Do people in your part of the world all pronounce it "ass-ess-ory" instead of "ak-sess-ory", just like some people pronounce "sk-ed-jool" as "shed-jool"? Again, really helpful video. As a novice, I would be nervous about embarrassing myself getting up on a tractor in a lot, not knowing how it works. An understanding dealer like you, explaining why it's important like you did in the video, and reassuring that you'd walk me through it, would have been really appreciated.

[@MessicksEquip]

I am not an expert on the English language, and regularly butcher half of what I say. You only see the things I get half right 😀

[@MessicksEquip]

We've used the jingle for probably close to 20 years. I'm attached to it.

[@jimmcknight3021]

@@MessicksEquip I like the jingle. Very catchy.

[@jimg8218]

Interesting thoughts 😀

[@glennso47]

Are all farm tractors 4 wheel drive?

[@jj71433]

I am nearly certain that new holland uses alo quicke loaders

[@robs8882]

Neiled it again!

[@MessicksEquip]

oh man. I can see our employee's using 'Neiled it'... and maybe not in the best way :-)

[@robs8882]

@@MessicksEquip well for videos it means top notch!

[@BeingMe23]

Oddly Neil never mentioned renting a tractor. So the new buyer can tell find out how it works on their property.

[@brianworley7705]

I agree renting is a fabulous idea. The challenge may be to find a variety of models to rent like are available to buy in a local dealership or rental store. But if possible, it is good to try before purchase.

[@blessed7fold]

Many posters here have echoed the cliche advice about find a good dealer. How does that advice work when you live in a town that doesn't have any good dealers?

[@halsnyder296]

I picked my tractor brand by dealer reputation.

[@dirthog1077]

Who makes New Holland subcompact and compact models? Seems to be the ghost question that no one wants to answer.. THANKS

[@MessicksEquip]

LSmtron

[@briankakuk3090]

Grate tractor have the 25 wm

[@patrickpigg4132]

Save your money, buy an Oliver.

[@bekabeka71]

What if my budget is €4000? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤣

[@kevinhowell646]

X

[@davelively1901]

Like!

[@dtread9543]

The number 1 thing to consider when you are SELLING a tractor is " who did this customer vote for?" If you suspect a Democrat voter, throw more money in the deal on your end. They love paying more for stuff and they are responsible for the mess we are in now.