Other obsessions and hobbies or other. 🙃

[WILDHOBO]

Yeah, I can't deal with driving over it because my drive becomes an ice rink for the rest of the season.

Same. For a day, sure. But then it needs to be cleared so the sun melts the last little bit.

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[WILDHOBO]

I looked at the Kioti first, but I was a little turned off when I visited the 'dealer' and the two Kiotis he had were still in crates, sitting in a gravel lot amongst four foot tall weeds, and the carboard boxes holding the parts of the yet to be assembled tractors were water logged.

Then saw that the place any warranty work would be done was slightly more than a plywood shed.

The cash price was really good, but the finance price put it at literally the same cost as a 1025R from JD with zero percent finance.

So, I went green. My JD dealer was super cool and extremely helpful. They even started bringing in the equipment before I was committed to buy. He said hey I'm gonna have you a 1025R brought in tomorrow, the box blade, and the forks. If you buy it's here ready. If you pass, I have it for someone else. They took care of a few minor 'QC' issues on it before delivering it as well (with no fuss).

It does look good parked next to my JD S140 mower we got last year, though (from a sister dealer, actually).

Looked at the Kubotas too but they were going to cost more than a JD with less lift capacity.

All my research on tractors this small eventually led to 'you are really buying the dealer you want to deal with'.

Our Kubota dealer was very similar to your JD dealer. I totally agree that it’s the dealer. JD here was WAY more expensive than the Kubota. But it was a dealer thing.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I picked up a new hobby, building wooden wagon wheels. This necessitated getting a wood lathe, band saw and a few other tools to add to my table saw and other tools. Working on my 3rd one now, may be able to put it together with no glue, we shall see if I can get the spokes to all fit just right. I found the lathe and band saw on FB Marketplace for very reasonable prices. I've had the table saw for over 50 years. The hardest part was sourcing steel for the "tires". I don't have the equipment to bend 1/4" flat stock nor a place to heat them up for expansion before putting them on the rim. Just using regular lumber for now, so these are just decorative. Finishing them with a rubbed in coat of used engine oil.

That’s VERY cool.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I inherited the rigid, but makita is my favorite. Although, dewalt XR has been good to me and also their corded mitre saw and job site table saw. They’ve all been through a lot and never faltered. That how I ended up with a hodgepodge

I do have the dewalt corded compound miter saw. Great tool.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Nice looking property you got there. How many acres? Tractors nice too. Same one my neighbor has........I think.

It’s only a little over 2.7 but for SoCal that’s like an estate.

The tractor has served me well. It was better priced than the Kubota offerings here and a few hundred pounds heavier. At least when I looked at them and got this one it was from what I could find. 1600# for a subcompact ain’t too shabby.

 

[WILDHOBO]

It’s only a little over 2.7 but for SoCal that’s like an estate.

The tractor has served me well. It was better priced than the Kubota offerings here and a few hundred pounds heavier. At least when I looked at them and got this one it was from what I could find. 1600# for a subcompact ain’t too shabby.

I think ours is in the 1500# range, without any implements. I’m ordering rear wheel weights for the tippy stuff. Very stable with the back hoe on it, but I take that off when I’m not using it.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Because of @ChrisNLA and his recommendation, we just joined the sub compact tractor club. I’m loving it. So useful. I just installed some KC lights onto the headlight circuit.

Subcompact is the way to go for most property needs. It’s like a multitool for the yard. I’ve done light grading, mowing, lifted the top off my well house to replace the pressure tank. Well guys tried to poke fun at the “mower tractor” until the diesel fired up.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Subcompact is the way to go for most property needs. It’s like a multitool for the yard. I’ve done light grading, mowing, lifted the top off my well house to replace the pressure tank. Well guys tried to poke fun at the “mower tractor” until the diesel fired up.

I’m learning that quickly. We’ve had it less than a month and it’s got over 40 hours on it. It’s a workhorse.

 

[NC_Overland]

I do have the dewalt corded compound miter saw. Great tool.

I have the DWS 780. The one Harbor Freight blatantly copied. It’s a work horse but also cuts great.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Our Kubota dealer was very similar to your JD dealer. I totally agree that it’s the dealer. JD here was WAY more expensive than the Kubota. But it was a dealer thing.

Kubota dealer here turned me off of them. And I used to have a B series!! Dealer was “unpleasant” so I left and didn’t go back.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Kubota dealer here turned me off of them. And I used to have a B series!! Dealer was “unpleasant” so I left and didn’t go back.

That was Deere here.

 

[ChrisNLA]

Kubota dealer here turned me off of them. And I used to have a B series!! Dealer was “unpleasant” so I left and didn’t go back.

My Kubota dealer seemed like nice enough folks, but the numbers were so convoluted. They had two or three different ways of figuring the tractor price, while rolling in their overly expensive insurance, and layers of BS to call it 'interest free' or whatever.

And it took forever. Between computer struggles, etc. I think I was there an hour or more just to get pricing on a couple things.

They didn't have a tractor assembled, and it was gonna be a short wait for that (IDK, a week or two?) and no branch dealers. One dealer show.

The JD dealer just went smoother. The price listed on John Deere's own corporate website (not the dealers) was the price, there was no interest (surely baked into the price, but whatever), and in a few minutes he was able to let me know that insurance was like $7 extra a month, and the cost of the accessories I wanted.

Also, my local JD dealer has branches all over the state. He didn't have a 1025R on hand to play with, but another branch 45 minutes away had a couple of them to go fool with - so I went to see that one. After that, he called me to let me know he was having one with all the implements I wanted pulled from another location and dropped off - if I wanted it, great. if I didn't want it, he had one for someone else was his thoughts.

Anyway. Simple paperwork and figures, easy going sales fella, and arranging to have it dropped off was as simple as here is the address. So that's the route I went.

I think the salesman attitude was nice too. He didn't seem to care if he sold me a tractor or not (but in a good way). Very attentive and providing information, but not pushing a sale at all. It appeared he had a steady stream of business going on and he didn't need to 'sell' anything, it was selling itself.

Maybe that's why they were selling things

Interesting to see how experiences vary so much in places.

 

[WILDHOBO]

My Kubota dealer seemed like nice enough folks, but the numbers were so convoluted. They had two or three different ways of figuring the tractor price, while rolling in their overly expensive insurance, and layers of BS to call it 'interest free' or whatever.

And it took forever. Between computer struggles, etc. I think I was there an hour or more just to get pricing on a couple things.

They didn't have a tractor assembled, and it was gonna be a short wait for that (IDK, a week or two?) and no branch dealers. One dealer show.

The JD dealer just went smoother. The price listed on John Deere's own corporate website (not the dealers) was the price, there was no interest (surely baked into the price, but whatever), and in a few minutes he was able to let me know that insurance was like $7 extra a month, and the cost of the accessories I wanted.

Also, my local JD dealer has branches all over the state. He didn't have a 1025R on hand to play with, but another branch 45 minutes away had a couple of them to go fool with - so I went to see that one. After that, he called me to let me know he was having one with all the implements I wanted pulled from another location and dropped off - if I wanted it, great. if I didn't want it, he had one for someone else was his thoughts.

Anyway. Simple paperwork and figures, easy going sales fella, and arranging to have it dropped off was as simple as here is the address. So that's the route I went.

I think the salesman attitude was nice too. He didn't seem to care if he sold me a tractor or not (but in a good way). Very attentive and providing information, but not pushing a sale at all. It appeared he had a steady stream of business going on and he didn't need to 'sell' anything, it was selling itself.

Maybe that's why they were selling things

Interesting to see how experiences vary so much in places.

That makes perfect sense. It makes me realize that you’re 100% right when you say you buy the dealer. The JD dealer here was like the Kubota dealer where you are. Charging over retail. Didn’t want to explain the numbers, didn’t care that they were way over the competition price with apples to apples capabilities. The Kubota dealer was your KD dealer there. Everything ready. All available to try out. No pressure. Multiple dealers statewide and further. And the pricing was easy, direct, and nothing hidden. And I love green. That was my first choice no question. But it would have been 10k more expensive for basically the same machine.

 

[ChrisNLA]

That makes perfect sense. It makes me realize that you’re 100% right when you say you buy the dealer. The JD dealer here was like the Kubota dealer where you are. Charging over retail. Didn’t want to explain the numbers, didn’t care that they were way over the competition price with apples to apples capabilities. The Kubota dealer was your KD dealer there. Everything ready. All available to try out. No pressure. Multiple dealers statewide and further. And the pricing was easy, direct, and nothing hidden. And I love green. That was my first choice no question. But it would have been 10k more expensive for basically the same machine.

For sure. With little tractors you gotta leave favorite colors at the door unless there is a feature or capability you just HAVE TO HAVE. That dealer experience is nice.

I was already on good terms with this dealer family though. I had bought our riding mower from another branch year before last and the experience was good then too.

 

[WILDHOBO]

For sure. With little tractors you gotta leave favorite colors at the door unless there is a feature or capability you just HAVE TO HAVE. That dealer experience is nice.

I was already on good terms with this dealer family though. I had bought our riding mower from another branch year before last and the experience was good then too.

I agree 100 percent. The JD dealer here didn’t even want to check when I asked what attachments were compatible with it. Cars are easier. You can buy it one place and service it 5 miles down the road. Tractors seem to be area dealers for said brand.

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