Thinking of trading my L3901 gear drive tractor. Advice?

Patt Swilling

Member

Equipment
Kubota L3901
Mar 11, 2021
34
3
8
Cabot, AR
I know it's a sin on this forum but I am considering trading my tractor for a hydro 1640 Mahindra. I would go with another Kubota but the dealer I purchased from is not giving me a reasonable trade-in value. My tractor is a 2021 gear drive model. I should have bought a Hydro model. The local Mahindra has given me a fair trade-in value. I am looking at Mahindra's because of the no regin engine. Does anyone want to give me their opinion?
 

BigG

Well-known member

Equipment
l2501, FEL, BB, Rotary cutter, rake,spreader, roller, etc. New Holland TL80 A
Sep 14, 2018
1,950
774
113
West Central,FL
Sell your tractor out right and then buy what you want.
 
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DaveFromMi

Well-known member

Equipment
L3901, 5' Bush Hog
Apr 14, 2021
542
450
63
Indiana
Selling it yourself would likely get a better price.
Would a L2501 HST meet your needs?
 
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rc51stierhoff

Well-known member

Equipment
B2650, MX6000, (BX sold)
Sep 13, 2021
1,900
2,046
113
Ohio
Do you have a good dealer? (Treated you right so far?). To me that is worth something…hard to put a price On it though….I personally would not let a couple hundred bucks break that…that’s just me. You can always shop them around too just to keep them honest (trust but verify). Let know that you think their offer is high and might look around and ask if they are interested to make another offer after you shop around?….would then take and sell on consignment vs a trade? Or can they work with you on some implements or something to gain your favor back or get close to wherever you get your best offer? Before go over to the dark side I’d make sure about after sales service and parts availability with any other brand. Beyond that, do you like your orange monster? Do you think it is a quality machine? I am not trying to be disrepectful(and it’s really you choice), but I am not sure why buy a different brand because you bought an orange gear drive. Is the trade in money from one dealer really the reason to trade brands? Is there any product / capability / reliability difference beyond initial purchase price? If you really want another orange, and you buy perishable soft/mushy red delicious, every time you bite that apple, do you think you will remember how good the orange was?
 
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mcfarmall

Well-known member

Equipment
Kubota M5660SUHD, Farmall C
Sep 11, 2013
1,377
1,648
113
Kalamazoo, MI
Here's some good advice...never trade stuff in as they will only give you a fraction of what you could sell it outright for. In today's market, you'll likely sell it within a day or so and possibly for more than you paid for it.
 
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hwkmn05

New member

Equipment
2021 Kubota L3301 HST
Feb 4, 2022
22
14
3
Vt
In this market absolutely sell on your own. I have traded in the few bad markets we have had before and watched the trade take over a year to sell on dealers lot, but that's rare. Recent sale of tractor took 2 hours, first hit came and picked up that day. Basically sold it for what I paid 4 years ago, still $3k under new one.
 
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Tropical Jack

Active member

Equipment
Kubota L3301 w/ FEL & BH, tilt and trim, chipper, box blade, grading blade
It’s no sin to consider a different brand of tractor. But you do need to consider the responsiveness of whatever dealer you buy from. The general advice right now for selling your lightly used tractor is going to be to sell it yourself. The market for used tractors is very hot right now; just as it is for used cars and trucks. But maybe you don’t want to be involved in the selling process? Then certainly consider all options. For a lot of people, the reliability of the dealer is the most important factor when buying new. So consider your ”comfort” with your Kubota dealer as compared to the Mahindra dealer. In the last two months, my local Kubota dealer has gone from -0- inventory to 10-12 BXs, Ls, and MXs. So availability of new machines is coming back. Don’t have a local Mahindra dealer here.


Jack
 
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SDT

Well-known member

Equipment
multiple and various
Apr 15, 2018
3,084
923
113
SE, IN
I know it's a sin on this forum but I am considering trading my tractor for a hydro 1640 Mahindra. I would go with another Kubota but the dealer I purchased from is not giving me a reasonable trade-in value. My tractor is a 2021 gear drive model. I should have bought a Hydro model. The local Mahindra has given me a fair trade-in value. I am looking at Mahindra's because of the no regin engine. Does anyone want to give me their opinion?
Mahindra is one of the largest, if not the largest, manufacturers of small/medium sized tractors in the world, though not so dominant in the US.

I have nothing against Mahindra but do not be fooled by the "no regen" urban myth.

All tractors above 30 HP sold in the US must meet the same emissions regulations. Most manufacturers have designed engines that perform periodic regeneration procedures but there are other ways to meet the regulations.

Mahindra, some AGCO models, and others, meet the regulations by constantly operating engine exhaust at higher temperatures, in effect, performing constant regeneration.

The jury is still out regarding the long-term reliability of either system.

SDT
 
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Elliott in GA

Well-known member

Equipment
LX 2610SU w/535,LP RCR1860,FDR1660,SGC0554,FSP500, DD BBX60005
Mar 10, 2021
618
591
93
North Georgia
Fwiw, I would determine who actually made the Mahindra you are considering. Mahindra extensively rebrands tractors made by other companies. It could be good or not; it really varies.
 

GreensvilleJay

Well-known member

Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Apr 2, 2019
9,679
3,933
113
Greensville,Ontario,Canada
yes.. dealer/service is a HUGE consideration ! I have AGCO,Kubota, Mahindra nearby( Kub I can walk to...)
AGCO didn't give me the time of day 3 years ago(had 24K in pocket), didn't know MAH was up here, wwent to Galer, the Kubota dealer. They have 'customer service' dialed in. friendly knowledgable staff willing to go the extra mile. Now had I known MAH was 1/2 mile further I would have seen what they have to offer.
As for 'trading in'..it's 'clean and easy for you' and the dealer WILL make money on the deal..in the end what ever's best for you is all that matters...
Always better to get a little more tractor than you need but less than you want.
 

Bob1073

New member

Equipment
L2900
Jan 29, 2022
6
1
3
Ontario, Canada
I know it's a sin on this forum but I am considering trading my tractor for a hydro 1640 Mahindra. I would go with another Kubota but the dealer I purchased from is not giving me a reasonable trade-in value. My tractor is a 2021 gear drive model. I should have bought a Hydro model. The local Mahindra has given me a fair trade-in value. I am looking at Mahindra's because of the no regin engine. Does anyone want to give me their opinion?
Check out another Kubota dealer
 
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jyoutz

Well-known member

Equipment
MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
Jan 14, 2019
2,458
1,565
113
Edgewood, New Mexico
This is a very hot market for selling used tractors. I had 3 serious buyers interested the day mine went up for sale. Sell outright, then use the cash as 0% DP on a new Kubota. Does Mahindra offer 0%?
 
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hedgerow

Active member
Jan 2, 2015
209
167
43
Malcolm NE
Trade my L3901 for Mahindra 1640 Difference is $5000
Kubota 3901 HST Difference is $9500
I would be looking for a different Kubota dealer. In this market I would sell the L3901 out right. I looked at a Mahindra when I bought my MX-6000 last summer and just didn't think the fit and finish was that nice on the Mahindra. I would do a bunch of calling around to Kubota dealers. I found a huge price difference in dealers. I did spend a half day in the pickup with the trailer but it saved me thousands of dollars.
 
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Jchonline

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Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota L6060, KX040-4, M7060, RTV X1100C, M62 (sold)
Oct 28, 2018
1,386
596
113
Red Feather Lakes, CO
The Mahindra dealer offered $4000 more for my trade than the Kubota dealer did.
I also suspect you can get more if you sell outright…even a gear driven tractor. These are better for field work anyway.

Here is how I would handle it.

1. Decide which tractor you want to buy.
2. If Kubota, sell existing.
3. if Mahindra, then trade it in. (Personally I would not own a Mahindra. Dealer support is very hard for my area of the US).
 
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