Tractorless

[2thdoc]

Greetings all. I've been on this board since last August and have never posted a message; so I figured it's time to post one. A little over two yrs ago I bought a house on 6 1/2 acres and figured I needed a little bigger tractor than my JD 318 lawn tractor. Being totally tractor illiterate, I bought a used Belarus 250AS with a bush hog and a few other attachments. It didn't take long to figure out that the ole Belarus wasn't exactly the kind of tractor I wanted; talk about crude, hard to steer, and rough riding, it was! Finally sold it and went looking for another tractor. Looked at NH, JD and Kubota Compacts, really liked the NH Boomers, but they sure are expensive little boogers. Figuring I could save some money, and going against all I had read about them on the tractor boards, I bought a new Chinese made Jinma 25hp 4wd tractor, 5ft bush hog, 6ft rear finishing mower, and 58in tiller from a local farm supply store last May. Had problems with it from day one. Hydraulic leaks, electrical malfunctions, clutch problems; twice the hydraulic pump fell off due to the bolts that hold it on working loose. Most recently it developed a bad hydraulic leak and the pto wouldn't disengage when the clutch was in. Took it back to where I bought it for repair (1 yr warranty). Told them I'd like my money back. They convinced me to let them try to fix it. After about three weeks I stopped by to check on it and was told that they would give me a refund minus $1000 for the 120hrs I had used the tractor. I decided to take the money and run; that was about a week ago; haven't received the refund check yet, but hopefully it will show up in the mail before long.
So, now I'm without a tractor; planning on going to look at the Boomers again. In addition to tending my 6 1/2 acres I used my chinese tractor last year to prepare several food plots on a 250 acre farm (all in CRP) where I deer hunt. The farm owner and I used his 4000 Ford to drag out several good sized logs to cut up for firewood last fall. I know that a class II Boomer would be plenty big enough for my 6 1/2 acres but I'm considering a class III for use on the deer hunting farm, ie., big food plots, dove field, dragging logs etc. I need you fellas to convince me that a class III wouldn't be overkill for my place. It seems that physically the jinma was sort of in between the class II and class III Boomers in size; I used it to mow with the six foot mower and the Jd 318 for trimming in areas that I couldn't get with the jinma. I also used the jinma to till about 2 acres for sweet corn patches and garden.
Finally, are this years Boomers essentially unchanged from past years? I liked everything about them except for brake and hydrostatic pedal arrangement. Oh yea, one other thing, I also need you guys to convince me that I really must have a FEL. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Wal]

<font color=red>hopefully it will show up in the mail before long</font color=red>

Whew, I'd be a little nervous in your situation /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif Before I got my Kubota, I was slightly tempted by the "low, low price" on a brand of chinese tractors called Agri-Cat being sold by a local, small town used car dealership called, and I kid you not, "County Line Motors". luckily, I really wanted hydro, so I did not seriouly consider them. That was about five months ago. I have recently noticed that they no longer have tractors on their lot /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. I thank my lucky stars I went with the local "been around for many years" Kubota dealer /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

When you say "class II" or "class III", does that mean the TC-2X series and the TC-3X series?

Oh, by the way, get a loader.

 

[glennmac]

Mike.....welcome inside. Sharing experiences is important, even if it wasn't good. It may help someone else......You already know you want a Boomer and you already know what cheap will get you. You gotta pay the price to play the game. Of course, you should shop different dealers and get the best price......Personally, I dont think you need a class 3 for 6 1/2 acres. I think a TC 29 or 33 would do everthing you need. As you know from reading here for a year, the FEL is far and away the most useful implement. I guarantee you will find uses for it you never think of before you had it. Today, I was positioning our still-balled live Christmas tree (a Japanese yew) in different places around our front acre. I never would have done that with a wheelbarrow, and I cant lift the tree by itself........TC 29 with FEL is a nice combo......I assume you still have the mowers and tiller. They are all sized well for a 29 or 33. If you go the bigger tractor, you will internal pressure to get bigger mowers. But you don't really need bigger mowers for your size lot.......Of course, if you have more cash these days, getting the bigger tractor ain't fattening or illegal........

 

[2thdoc]

Wal, I'm not too nervous yet. This is a fairly large chain of farm supply stores with stores in several states. They've treated me well in the past and I anticipate they will this time, hence I didn't mention them by name. If I fail to receive the money, however, you can bet I will mention them by name. By class II and III, I was referring to the middle and large framed Boomers.
I think Agri-Cat and Jinma are essentially the same tractor. If mine was typical, I suspect that this particular farm supply chain is going to regret that they ever started selling them.

 

[Egon]

Ah just go do it!
you already know what you want and need including the FEL for bringing home the game.

Egon

 

[2thdoc]

Egon, brilliant suggestion for the use of a FEL. I knew I needed one!

 

[blurrybill]

Mike,

Welcome and a word of warning: Watch out for Egon; he enthusiatically likes spending other people's money! (He has adivsed me on tool combos and other things). Seriously, as you know this is a terrific forum with lots of information. In my case, I'm on the verge of ordering a JD 4310 plus attachments. I have 8 acres, mostly flat and usable with MANY uses for FEL. At 54 (this week - sounds old) I realize that for the next 15-25 years I don't want to have to worry about repairs on used equipment that costs almost as much as new. My 2 cents: get the one you want and spend time using it as opposed to fixing it. How's that Egon? I know it's easy for me to say without a tractor, but my time's coming...

Bill

 

[RobS]

<font color=blue>also need you guys to convince me that I really must have a FEL.</font color=blue>

Mike, there have been a number of threads on FEL uses and such. After reading those, and my own experiences I can only say you should definitely get a FEL and consider a tractor to go with it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[BobinCols]

The Boomer's are the same as least years. A TC33D would do the job. You can not afford not to buy a Big 3 tractor and get the FEL..

 

[jinman]

Okay, Mr. 2th...it sounds like you are looking for something reliable and big enough to do some pretty heavy lifting. I'd say to go with the Class II Boomer because the Class III is really, really big for most 6-acre chores. A TC-33 would do nicely and you could afford that 7308 loader for the cost you would save over the Class III. You will find that the loader will be used for many more things than dirt. Want to build fence and use a post hole digger? Guess where you will carry the shovel, gravel/cement, and posts? You will literally find thousands of uses for a little extra help in lifting and save that back for leaning over your dentist's chair.

Again, after years of having an old 32 hp Ford, I can tell you that you will want the TC29D or TC33D. Those tractors will be really nice with the hydrostatic transmission even if you don't like the pedals. I am sticking to NH because that's what I know best and it seems like you've made up your mind. If you want, I'd also suggest trying a Kubota and a Deere. I'd suggest some others, but I think you will sleep better knowing that one of the big three is waiting to "serve" you. Good Luck./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif