Another Newbie looking for advice

[IXLR8]

Hi, I have been lurking here for a while, now looking for some advice. I have 4 dealers within 40 miles of my home here on Mid-Coast Maine. 2 are John Deere only dealers, 1 is a Kubota/NewHolland dealer, 1 is a John Deere/Mahindra dealer. I have been into the Kubota/NH dealer 3 times and nobody has even approached me to try and help me to make a sale... not going back there. So much for being 'The friendly folks'. I sat on the smaller Mahindra's, didn't really like the ergo's. That kind of leaves me with a JD, could be worse. Here are my needs. I have 2 acres which could use a bit of leveling. Several high and low spots left from the original construction that I am not going to fix with a shovel!! There are 5 homes at the end of a private dirt road, about 1/3 mile long, that needs to be graded/beveled. The guy doing the work now just grades it flat and when it rains it just puddles up and after a few trips in and out.. there are lots of potholes. The road seems to have a good base, just needs to be graded so the rain will run off rather than puddle up. I have 2 driveways, totaling 250ft, that need to be cleared of snow, I was also thinking of using the tractor to clear our road of snow. I was looking for recommendations on size of tractor to do this work and recommendations for attachments. Snow removal- front blade or blower? Road grading- Rake, rear blade, box blade? Yard leveling- Will the FEL be enough to break things up and move some dirt around or will something more be needed? I have a 48" Husky walk behind for lawn mowing, so I don't need a mower for the tractor. I am on the fence about a backhoe, $6K will allow me to rent a BH a lot of times.

Jim

 

[RoyJackson]

Any thoughts on how much you want to spend?

The two machines I'd recommend would be the 3320 with power reverser and the 990. Both have enough weight and power to do the job, but you'll still want a ballast box when you do loader work.
As far as snow removal...I'd go with a front blade, especially since the road is dirt.
Implements: Box Blade, Landscape rake and maybe a rear blade with tilt.

Personally, I'd lean more toward the 990 as it's more for the money and is a simple machine.

So far, you're around $24000, give or take a couple thousand.

 

[IXLR8]

I am looking to spend what it takes to get the job done, without buying more than I need. If I can save several grand getting a smaller unit and have to make 4 passes at the road rather than 2, that is okay with me. I was looking at the 2520 since it has a mid pto to go with the snow blower. But if folks think a blade would be better for snow removal, then I can drop that requirement and that expands my options.

 

[jbrumberg]

IXLR8:

Welcome to TBN ! As a starting point you should make use of the tractor selector software programs found in most of the major brands' websites. They appear to be "loaded" towards acreage and FEL use, but they will give you recommendations as to what size frame tractor and HP requirements based on your own input. For mowing which is not a priority you would want a lighter tractor; for ground engaging dirtwork which seems to be one of your primary tasks you will want a heavier tractor. A 990 and/or a 3320 is a lot of tractor for 2 acres, but it appears that you have some serious dirtwork on your project list. Please provide the readership with more information about your property, terrain, and other short and long term projects and the readership will be more than willing to help you spend your hard earned money . I agree with Roy as to attachments. A good box blade paired with a FEL toothbar makes for a fairly efficient dirt moving combination. CUT FEL's are really not designed to do heavy excavation. I would look at heavier CUT's in the mid 20's to low 30's HP range. Tractor research and shopping is one of the more enjoyable activities in tractor acquisition. Try not to get hung up on the "specs"- those fancy and glossy brochures are designed by Sales & Marketing Departments and will often compare different criteria with the competition to put their own products in the best perspective. I would also recommend that you sit on as many tractors as possible to get a "feel" for the tractors as well as a "feel" for the dealer. A good dealer will probably save you a lot of money in the long run. It's too bad you had such a negative experience with the Kubota/New Holland dealership; both have high quality products (Maybe you should talk to the owner?). Price for price there is not a lot of real difference between the major brands IMHO. Keep the posts coming- Jay

 

[VABlue]

It sounds to me like you don't need much more than a 2305 if you don't mind a little more time to do the work. Its biggest drawback would be the ground clearance during a Maine snowstorm. So the 2320 would be my first choice (a comparable BX machine would also work). There is a thread in the JD forums about blades vs plows, you should read through it.

As for maintaining the road, I'm in pretty much the same situation. Six houses on a 1/3 mile gravel road (paved when all houses are occupied) to be maintained by the community. I have the tractor, but am hoping that the neighbors will throw in for the maintenance implements (blade and rotary cutter). Only two other houses are occupied now, so that probably won't happen...

 

[IXLR8]

A little more about my place. The driveway to my garage is gravel, about 80 ft long, straight, up a slight grade. The driveway to my shop is about 180 ft long, up slight grade, gentle 90deg turn near the shop. This driveway has a solid base, covered in grass, so you can hardly tell where it is in the lawn, cement trucks didn't disturb it. The road is a single lane wide dirt road. Mostly level, basically straight, there is a short, 25ft, semi steep rise in the middle. The road has a solid base and is just going to need to have a crown put on it. I suspect if I can get that right, then it will be just yearly maintenance. The ground has settled where the pipes go out to the well and the septic, and I want to do a little filling and leveling there. We are talking about 10-12" of settling for a distance of about 80ft. There was also a house trailer on the property for a while and the area where the foundation for that was has settled and needs to be filled in. This has settled about 1.5 ft. The area in back of the house slopes to the house, and I have water issues in the basement. There is room to slope the land away from the house to reduce the water around the house and I want to get that done. This is an area about 60' wide by about 50' deep. I need to move 1-2 ft of soil to get that leveled/sloped the way I want it to. Once this is all done, then all I need to do is maintain the road, clear snow, and a few odd jobs on the wifes 'honey do' list. Moving some small rock, moving firewood, moving manure and compost for the flower gardens. I was looking at the JD 2520, I have a friend with a smaller Kuboda who has done similar work to his property. It has worked will for him... it is just too small for me, I am not comfortable sitting on it. That is one reason I was considering the 2520 over the 2305/2320, the ergo's are just a little bit better for me.

Jim

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

I was just looking at tractorhouse.com and they have a couple 2007 JD 2520's with FEL and MMM in the $17-19k range. Granted, you'd have shipping on top of that, but it beats $24k for the 990 - and if you think the smaller one is "good enough" then saving that much is a good thing, right?

On the other hand, for what you describe as needs, a box blade would definitely be in your best interest as an attachment -- I use mine with some buckets filled with concrete as a ballast box for loader work as well. The box can also be used to crown your road - not as efficient as a true back blade, but if time isn't really critical to you, not having to buy and store an extra implement is a good thing!

Good luck and happy shopping!

 

[Soundguy]

Just about any scut or small CUT should do ya..

soundguy

 

[LarryRB]

I have a much large Kubota L48 TLB with a power angle snow plow on the front.. You needn't get anywhere near this size machine. My drive is up hill, and 1600 ft long. We don't get the snows like we use to and therefore, I do not see a reasonable use for a blower. The power angle plow does the job great and when the snow pack gets to high or troublesome,, raising the front end loader and I can lift, push back or pile the snow out of my way,, I agree that ergonomics are very important to tractor operation.. Get what fits you and you feel comfortable on... Good luck in your search. Too bad about the Kubota/NH dealer,, Here in New England area the Kubota dealers, (some, not all) are always crying about sales.. Maybe they should learn to approach people within a reasonable time and ask, can I help you?. Perhaps then,, sales might pick up.

 

[Savagepike]

Don't overlook those Mahindras. The 2615hst might be right up your alley. Heavy enough for your grading/loader work, very reliable, manuverable and powerful for the price. Out the door with loader for about $15k. I love the controls on mine... I thought I didn't the first time I sat on it, but since then I've never regretted the Mahindra purchase, ever. Check it out...