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Saying goodbye to John Deere

6K views 45 replies 27 participants last post by  donmac 
#1 ·
This not a hate post. I'm not much of a poster but I lurk quite a bit. My 1985 John Deere 316 served me very well over the last 3 years I've owned it. But The engine is tired, steering sloppy and the hydro leaks. I did not want to invest so much time and money into an older not very valuable or sought after machine like its brother the 318.

I took delivery of my new SCUT, a 2020 Kioti CS2510. I cannot wait to get some worth done with it and will be selling my Deere. I'm off to bigger and better things. Ill be sure to stop by every once in a while

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#2 ·
Ok, there is a step up. :)

I bought a newer tractor for pretty much the same reason. I am getting tired of having to work on them. That, and a gentleman came by an offered me the right amount of money for my gravelys...... :D

That said, my 445 (wifes tractor) is sitting out in the garage, partially disassembled, waiting patiently for me to get back to it. :D
 
#4 ·
I'll still be seeing you over at the SCUT forum. fun to have both
 
#5 ·
drabe1,

You're going to be miserable not popping in here for fixes, looking up parts, searching similar issues that you have.

What fun is it running carefree not wondering if the last part truly was the fix, every pop, crack, what was that, why did it just die, I don't get it, use it, put it away and it's ready to go next time.

What about your tools, they are just going to rust away.

Nice machine, enjoy.

CCMoe
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
I bet the deere 316 will still outlast the Kioti! in 3 years lets see what you have to fix on the new machine and the cost of the repairs. A lot of farmers in my area and all over the country are switching back to the older equipment because it is cheaper to maintain and you can maintain it. The new stuff is more complex and to much electronic crap on it. You could have gotten yourself a Deere compact and supported the U.S.A economy. Good luck with the new machine
 
#9 ·
Pretty tractor. If it’s anything like my Brother in laws “Bota”, you’ll be finding more work than you could have dreamed of. We had a cook out at his house and he went by one way, on the tractor, couple minutes later came back with a bicycle in the bucket. One of the young kids wanted it, and there is no way he was going to walk 75 yards to the shed and carry that heavy bike back.
 
#11 ·
Ok Guys get the torches & Pitch forks and the stake and Burn Pile ready for the heretic 😈

Seriously congratulation on the new Tractor (y)

But one thing You May find is the Sub Compacts just don't Have the Maneuverability for Mowing that a Garden tractor does Both My Previous JD 1 series & My current JD 2025R have or had Mowing decks that ended Up spending there time On a shelf Because My Garden tractors are Just so much better at mowing the Lawn
 
#13 · (Edited)
Deere's our worth the extra cost

What You Have to watch out for are some of the smaller Brands weather or Not they will still be around In 10 years Or How Long they will support a Tractor Model for.

Deere, Kubota, Massey, New Holland and Case IH Tend to support there Old Tractors for a Long Time( Deere still supports 100 year old Tractors( not every part But You can still get Most gasket kits for a Waterloo Boy) Some of these smaller Brands end up Folding or our bought Out or Just leave the North American Market. Not saying Kioti will do that But they Might!

Montana tractor is a good example of that 2004 till 2011 and there gone.

The good thing Daedong(kioti) has Been Here 27 years which is a good sign But the question there is Can you still get support for that 1993 Kioti LK3054(as a example). Companies Like TYM have Been swallowing Up Many of there Korean competitors lately.

The Kioti Dealership where You Bought Your Tractor are they the Only One In Your Area?

Are there Other Kioti dealers In Your area owned By another owner?

See companies Like Deere have a very Large dealership Network I have at least 5 different Deere dealership Outfits with in 1hr or Less driving distance from My House so if a Outfit I use closes I Can go to another to still support My Deere (y)
 
#16 ·
I have a state trooper friend that has had a still has several John Deere mowers and he bought a Kioti, sub compact size tractor. I'm sure the savings over green influenced his purchase but he is rather savy about these things. I don't think the Kioti is not far behind a Kubota in quality IMO.

The OP's machine looks very nice.

CCMoe
 
#17 ·
A decade ago I was big tractor shopping. The Deere dealers (there were more than one back then, now only one with multiple locations) were very proud of their machines and not very helpful. I ended up buying a Kubota. It has been great. I also looked at TYM and a few other no-name brands. They were cheaper, but I am glad that I went with the Kubota. I would have bought the Deere if any of the dealers actually dealt at all. I am sure I would have been happy with the 2520 I was considering. It actually is better in some ways than the B2620 I bought, position control and quick attach for the bucket being the most important ones. I knew about QA, but Deere's is special, which has its advantages and disadvantages. I didn't know what position control was at the time, or how nice it can be. Deere has fewer choices than Kubota, which gives Kubota a little more price advantage of you don't know exactly what you want.

I am sure you will enjoy your Kioti and I hope it lasts a long time.
 
#18 ·
This not a hate post. I'm not much of a poster but I lurk quite a bit. My 1985 John Deere 316 served me very well over the last 3 years I've owned it. But The engine is tired, steering sloppy and the hydro leaks. I did not want to invest so much time and money into an older not very valuable or sought after machine like its brother the 318.

I took delivery of my new SCUT, a 2020 Kioti CS2510. I cannot wait to get some worth done with it and will be selling my Deere. I'm off to bigger and better things. Ill be sure to stop by every once in a while

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Beautiful machine and congrats! Should get a lot of good use out of that. Nice choice. Enjoy it and don't forget to post lots of pics of you using it.
 
#19 ·
Congratulations! New and Shining! Not a scratch......Get it DIRTY....THEN it's a tractor. I hope you enjoy it....your excitement is obvious. I'm a JD guy, too, but I wish you the best!
 
#20 ·
I just watched a good video about a guy looking for a new tractor. The dealer sells Kubota's and JD's but was showing only the JD. He was looking at the 1 series and the dealer told him that he should not expect the mowing to be as good as a dedicated mower. The guy then went on to mow the dealer's yard and thought it looked ok to him. It wasn't that good but he had a lot of yard so it didn't really matter. Just some info when you start mowing that your old mower probably mowed nicer than the new one. It won't matter though because the smile on your face will be so big you'll have bugs on your teeth!
 
#24 ·
Huh, I always thought "LG" was "Living Good", I don't know where I heard that.

I recall Goldstar electronics, appliances, any connection?

CCMoe
 
#23 ·
Nothing wrong with Korean Made Tractors or Products
Hyundai also Build shipping container ships, Trains & construction Machinery It a conglomerate of Industry (y)
 
#26 ·
LOL, I've been walking by those appliances, TV's, etc. and thinking "Living Good" what kind of name is that. Now, I'll chuckle every time I see LG brand.

CCMoe
 
#29 ·
I certainly understand your reasoning as one has to be a little flexible when owning an older piece of equipment. It's really more about tinkering and nostalgia than efficiency. That being said, I surely hope you have better luck with your new machine than a neighbor of mine with the same model. It's certainly a different class of tractor. And, his seemed to require numerous visits from the local dealer repairing several different parts that just didn't prove to be adequate. His dream of having a bucket on the front turned out to be a disappointment as the thing wouldn't even dig in the Florida sand. He is often seen shoveling his material into the bucket and then hauled to wherever he wants it. The machine just doesn't have the gusto to really perform as one would expect. But I would guess you likely know this by now. The mower seemed to work fine so at least it can be used for that. But how much tractor do you need to cut grass?
 
#30 ·
There’s some technique involved for digging with a loader. A tooth bar helps, especially in virgin ground. The right tire for traction in the conditions you’re working in. Best way to break up the ground. Planning ahead- basically digging a ramp so the tractor can back out of the hole it digs. The right ballast (loaded tires, counterweight, wheel weight, etc). FELs really aren’t designed to dig, but they will do it to some extent. On mine, I find the digging ability is currently limited by traction, which a toothbar might help with (to break through the ground easier, thus requiring less traction).
 
#31 ·
This not a hate post. I'm not much of a poster but I lurk quite a bit. My 1985 John Deere 316 served me very well over the last 3 years I've owned it. But The engine is tired, steering sloppy and the hydro leaks. I did not want to invest so much time and money into an older not very valuable or sought after machine like its brother the 318. I took delivery of my new SCUT, a 2020 Kioti CS2510. I cannot wait to get some worth done with it and will be selling my Deere. I'm off to bigger and better things. Ill be sure to stop by every once in a while
Truth be told, I feel your pain. As the owner of a 1972 Allis-Chalmers 410S (and a disused 1973 416S), I do get frustrated having to work on it, perhaps if only because it seems like there's something to work on at least every other time I need to use her. I'm no "motorhead" and so I have often found myself having to go to school for this or that. But thank God she runs really well, and I always have a great feeling after being able to fix something that was a mystery some hours earlier.

Also, I would never call my 410S a "lawn mower." Rather, she's a tractor with a mowing deck...lol. But since the yard is not really visible to anyone but me, it's not a problem.

Still, though, I know that there will come a day when I'll be unable to fix her, or it'll be cost-prohibitive to do so, or the parts just won't be there. So there are those times when a new(er) tractor sounds awfully good!

Anyway, it's a beautiful-looking machine; congratulations. Hopefully it will provide trouble-free service for many years.
 
#32 ·
Congratulations drabe1. I have Kioti I bought new in 2015. It’s slightly bigger than yours (RX 7320 powershuttle) but same manufacturer obviously. I’ve used it to build miles off trails on my property from using a tooth bar I installed on the front bucket, to a 7 foot bush hog, tiller and I pull a 10’ disc to install food plots. Point is I use it and use it hard. Over 800 hours which I know isn’t a ton compared to a real farmer but it’s a fair amount. All I’ve done is scheduled maintenance and I’ve had zero issues. Well I had to tighten a bolt that holds the throttle lever but that’s it!

anyway congrats. My tractor and my local dealer have both been wonderful and I saved over 20k compared to a similarly equipped JD.Not flaming JD I have a wonderful JD 1435 diesel mower and a smaller LT 160 which have been great to. Point is take care of them and I think most of them will take care of you.
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