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QUESTION:I'm considering buying a new Foton 45hp 4WD tractor and would like to
hear from anyone with direct experience - good, bad or indifferent.
We have 18 acres of permanent pasture in South West England which is
grazed by up to 20 alpacas and a small beef suckler herd. We cut approx.
eight acres for hay each year. Both hay making and hedge cutting are
contracted out.
I need a front loader and sufficient power to drive a 6' flail mower, 6'
grader/leveller, a disc-laden seed drill and potentially, a backhoe. We
collect most of the alpaca dung with a paddock cleaner and spread it
with a rear-discharge Millcreek Model 57, although this is easily towed
behind the Toyota 4x4, as are the trailed chain harrows.
The Foton appears to be robust and chunky enough, with a 2.25 litre
three cylinder engine. The front loader is also big & robust-looking and
is self-levelling. I'm expecting the all-in price to be around 9.5K
ex-VAT with a year's warranty. However, the whole thing is a bit big for
our barn and one or two tight gateways. I've heard a few horror stories
about Chinese tractor reliability, but Foton have been around for eight
years and this model looks much more substantial than the usual Jinma,
Benye, Siromer models in the the 20 - 30hp bracket.
The only other alternative I've looked at so far is a mid-90's Kubota
L3600 with 2500 hours on the clock and a Lewis 38Q power loader (NOT
self-levelling). This is also 4WD, but more compact and with a better
turning circle than the Foton. It also has a much sweeter four cylinder
38hp motor and a cab (which the Foton does not), but then I don't really
need a cab, as the majority of use will be between Spring & Autumn. The
guy is asking 9750 ex-VAT for the Kubota with three months warranty;
it's in very good condition, but has a few minor cosmetic faults and a
dodgy seat (which he says he'll fix).
My budget is about 11K ex-VAT, but this also needs to include a few
implements (mower, roller, grader/leveller etc.); the Kubota guy has
already offered approx. 10% discount on a package, which almost fits in
(budgets are made for breaking, eh?)
Any advice would be most appreciated, as this is a big outlay for us and
I don't want to get burned!
ANSWER: I would highly recommend the Kubota , I dont know to much about the Foton
but have had great results with Kabota since the early 80's I have a small
1500 right now but have experiance with up to the 60 hp and all will amaze
you and parts are available everywhere.
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