Starting to look, need Brand/H.P. advice

[Pete S]

Hello,

New to the site but so far it has been a great help.

From what I've seen this question has been posted prior but thought I'd throw my hat in the ring as well.

We have a bit of land, 113 acres total, 80 under plow (rented out) and some woods. We're in WI, and deal with snow and cut wood, utilizing our current 'ol reliable WD45 to split/haul/drag.

1.) Anticipate making fire wood forever, or till I die. Our woods is hilly, and most of the trees we'd need to drag up to cut them.

2.) Our drive is about 1500 ft, and someday would like a blower to move snow. (and to better scatter the gravel in my yard)

3.) We do occasionaly move rocks-n-dirt, and have started with this being our 3rd year of Maple Syrup making.

Thinking about a 4x4, 30+hp machine, with a loader, later to fit with a blower. (no cab) I don't like the Hydro tranny idea, would like a shuttle shift.
There are too many brands out there, and I'm not a good candidate for "new", although with financing it wouldn't be too bad.

I get nervous seeing some of the ebay listings for some "NEW" tractors w/o loaders for only $6K+, or can these be fine purchases, although I'm not looking to buy off ebay, but use it to check out what's out there.

Why are most machine listings, for sale, from the eastern part of the country?

Jinma, Himoto, Kubota, John Deere, Farm Trac, Kioti, and the list goes on.

I'm figuring about maybe 50 hours of running a year, maybe more.

Is looking at something 8-10 yrs old a bad idea? Hard to find nice used compacts 4x4?

Thanks in advance for helpful advice!
Pete

 

[hockeypuck]

Do not forget about the 15 series Massey's. The 1540 sounds like a good choice. Dealer support is one of the more important reasons to make a decision. Visit different stores, and if you see a neighbor using a tractor stop and talk to them about it. Most tractor owners love to talk about their tractor.

 

[davitk]

Why are most machine listings, for sale, from the eastern part of the country?/QUOTE]

Take a look at a night time satellite image, you'll get the picture.

I am in southern wisconsin myself. Kubota dealers seem to out number everone else at least 2 - 1, John Deere second, CNH (Case and New Holland) third, everyone else is hard to find. Good luck!

Dave

 

[SnowRidge]

I think your 30+ HP needs more plus. More like 45 HP. You don't mention any $$$ limitations, unless I missed it. If there are any, that would be helpful information.

Tell us who your local dealers are. You can and perhaps should eliminate brands that don't have dealers local to you.

 

[EastTnFarmboy]

For that many acres, you may realize a need for more horsepower than you mentioned. You mentioned a loader, and generally as you move up the horsepower scale you have the opportunity for a more stout loader. I think you are wise in considering the four-wheel drive. It is extremely valuable in many applications. Good luck searching!

 

[Mickey_Fx]

No specific recommendations for you but from what you've said, it doesn't sound like YOU will be working that many acres. From what you have provided, a 30 HP machine may fit the bill. From your comment on 50 hrs/yr, sould like you are not intending to work most of the land yourself.

Don't have to deal with snow myself so don't know if a snow blower for larger tractor models are an issue.

Don't know the woods in your area and your property but if manouvering is an isssue, a large model may become not as desirable.

If you would select a CUT sized model, the 4-wh drive could become very desirable. My yanmar with the loader, loaded rear wheels tips the scale at 4k lbs with nothing but me in the saddle. Not exactly a lightweight for it's size.

The gray market tractors typ come with a multispeed pto which adds some versitility. My tractor has 4 speed pto. It also has a shuttle trans can shift between any gears without using the clutch. Also comes with a creep range so my 3x3 trans actually has 18 spd fwd. Yanmar also offers a feature for improving the manouvering by operating only the front wheel drive. Sure cuts down on turning dia. Yanmar also has their UFO control which bring some automation into the 3pt lift. Don't know how any of these features would fit into your needs but they are things not found on many US models.

There is a good parts supply channel for the gray market Yanmars but less so for other grays. You need to decide how important dealer service is to you. If you're good with a wrench and are so inclined, maybe all you need is a parts supplier.

Have had my machine 2 yrs, no problems in the 100 hrs I've put on it and it does all I've asked from it.

Hope this has given you something else to think about. Good luck on your search.

 

[Glowplug]

I think your 30+ HP needs more plus. More like 45 HP.

I'd have to agree. I'd say 45-50 or so. Of course, you say that most of your land is rented out. If you're not maintaining it you could "get by" with less of a tractor. But, after all, it is your land and in the future you may want to use all that land for yourself. Especially if you get yourself a good tractor!

I'd bet you would put more than 50 hours a year on it.

8-10 year old tractor is not a problem at all. Just make sure you know how to evaluate it and make sure it's in good working order. Also, you may need to be a little more mechanically inclined with an older tractor (?more repairs, less dealer support).

If it were me I'd stay completely away from ebay. I think it is okay for small purchases, electronics, and such. But there are tons of tractor scams on there all the time. I used to browse the Kubota section and wipe out all the scams. I bet I have killed a hundred of 'em. But they show up almost as quickly as you can get rid of them.

If you have hilly woods and plan to do some tree skidding like you say I'd have to definately recommend 4WD.

Advantages of buying new are that you can get some pretty sweet financing, get good dealer support, and usually are able to throw in some implements into the package for financing (even if different brand). I think finding a close by dealer whom you can establish a rapport with and feel comfortable with would be one of the most important things in deciding on which brand.

If you're planning on moving dirt and rocks get a FEL and consider that first implement to be a box blade. Especially with that 1500ft gravel driveway.

Keep in mind that TBN members love to spend other people's money like water!!

BTW, welcome to TBN!!

 

[SLOBuds]

Welcome Pete.

I just bought my first tractor after lurking here and posting a few messages over 3 years. That's my first recommendation: stay right here, look into each of the forums and read what they say, then post questions just as you have.

One thing you will find out is that most of the major brand tractors are all built very well. It is hard to find any posting on TBN about basic design flaws for the big names. Take a look at the forum list and you will see names of the big players. Look at the column which shows number of postings and, well, you get the idea. I'm not saying that larger posting counts mean better tractors.

Most tractor owners are loyal to their brand. And it's funny but most of them acknowledge that all of the other brands are high quality and good machines also.

Since you didn't say anything about money, folks are going to assume that you can basically afford to purchase what is needed. It looks like you have about 30 acres and many projects that need to get done. So I'm going to add my vote to the guys who say you aren't looking at large enough horsepower. 45-55 sounds like a good number to me.

Another thing you read all the time is that smaller hp tractors can do everything that larger hp tractors can do - just taking more time. That's true and you will want to consider that if your budget is constrained. Otherwise you ought to think about the higher hp rating.

It's not easy to find old tractors, but definitely possible. Tractors last forever and their owners keep them maintained. That's why it's not like the used car market. Nothing fashionable about tractors.

Talking about fashion, I am a big fan of buying a used tractor. But I also recommend that an independent person looks at what you'd like to buy, and tells you what you're up against. In my case, I paid to get that done. I would recommend the same to you.

With a used tractor, all of the worries about dents and scratches and shiny surfaces everywhere go away. You just get out there and use it for what it was intended.

The hydro tranny is debated here. I'll let you wiggle your way through all of those pros and cons. Just remember that it looks like you will have plenty of detail work on the property - loader work, back and forth, etc. Hydro will be easier than glideshift, which will be easier than manual when you are working all of those detailed activities.

Figure out who is going to service the tractor. If you aren't handy, then you want to hook up with a dealer and build a good relationship. Buy the new or used tractor from him. If you think you can handle service yourself then you can look at other alternatives like EBay, Craigslist, auctions, etc.

With EBay and Craigslist, or your 3rd cousin twice removed, make sure the deal is contingent on mechanical inspection. Not sure if that is possible with an auction.

You need to buy the tractor with a 'first set' of implements. I think you will probably need a loader and box scraper at least. But as my wife says, 'you're going to buy the tractor, and then you're going to accessorize it!'

Good luck. Keep reading and asking questions.

Just adding an EBay comment: don't do EBay or Craigslist if you have any question whatsoever about conducting a major purchase over the internet. This means you should know how to construct a purchase agreement, should know how to do a contingency sale (contingent on mechanical inspection), how to escrow objects, etc.

 

[daveyb45]

Hello, also new here,,,been checking this site for sometime,,,good information here. Good lot of characters.
I have been looking for a new tractor to go along with my vintage Ford NAA golden jubilee. Its a good tractor with a front loader but old school and slow.
I have 40 acres consisting of swamp and high ground with sand and gravel most covered with medium to large trees. Plan on moving a lot of dirt around and dead fall clean up and maintenance. The property is located in Northeast Michigan.
I have narrowed my search down to a Deere 4120 or a Kioti 45DKSE both with frontend loaders to match and hydro trans and fwd. The catches are as listed.......

Deere a bit pricey,,,seems like everything is an option,,,2 closest dealers are both 70 miles away.

Kioti, great price,,,most accessories included,,,closest dealer 200 miles away,,
quality appears good,,,wife likes price.

This will be the last tractor I will buy and need it to last at least 20 years. The horse power I believe is appropriate for my needs.

Any suggestions before I put out some cash.....
Also hope this gives the original post some ideas.

 

[Bob_Young]

Hi Pete,
The tips above have all been good. A few thoughts to add:
1) Keep the WD45 if at all possible. Lots more flexibility with multiple tractors on hand, plus they can complement each other in their abilities. The WD can pull the wagon after you've loaded it with a CUT.
2) Get at least one size larger than you now think you need. The more you run it, the more possibilities you'll find and you don't want to be forced into an early upgrade.
3) HST is really nice for use with snow blowers, tillers and some other PTO driven, rate sensitive implements. You have infinite control over groundspeed and can slow to a crawl, all while the engine cranks along at 540 PTO speed. Otherwise you may be stuck with with a low gear (either forward or reverse) that's just too fast for conditions. You will need a very low reverse gear if you go to a 3PH mounted blower on a gear tractor.
4) Live PTO is nice, independent PTO is better. Independent PTO allows you to bring a PTO driven implement online (or take it off) completely independent of any main power train clutch action (while moving under power). Live PTO does not.
5) A set of rear hydraulic remotes can come in very handy down the road.

In your shoes, I'd try to go new and would wait a few months for the 45HP '08 Kubota L4400 HST to arrive. The gear 4400 is compact, light, powerful and quite basic. Throw HST into the mix and it would be tough to beat.

FWIW
Bob