Ive been looking for a compact tractor, after looking at everything out there, I had decided on a new kubota 3130 or 3430. hydrostatic with loader and backhoe. I had just decided to make the purchase when I come across a JD 955 with backhoe and loader for a pretty decent price ($16000) for the tractor, backhoe,loader, harley rake and 18' 7000lb trailer. Now I cant decide on the new Kubota or the 96 model Jhon Deere with 2000 hours. What would be the advantages of a tractor 10 years newer? Any advice is greatly apprecieated.
Reliability mainly is the difference but with only 2000 hours the JD should be good as new. The Kubota probibly has some nicer features but thats a good deal for the JD and thats what i'd with.
Even with just 2000 hours I would still be very cautious. The first 100 or so hours are probably the most critical in a tractor's life. 2000 hours is plenty of time to do some serious damage to the tractor and implements. And, as I'm sure you know, nothing is cheap when it comes to parts and repairs. Also, the tractor with FEL and BH attached just might be right at or even over the max weight of a 7,000 lb trailer. Both of the Kubota models you have been looking at get rave reviews from the tractor community and I'm kinda partial to going with "new" when major bucks are involved. Either way, maybe you should spend an hour or so reading at www.tractorbynet.com before deciding. Good luck, Larry
