Brokermike
Silver Member
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2008
- Messages
- 185
- Location
- Shaftsbury VT
- Tractor
- Mahindra 2555, Ford 4610, New Holland T4040
New member, long time lurker with a question. I am going tractor shopping tomorrow with my brother. I recently finished building my first home and have about $15-17,000 left for my tractor budget. I live in southern Vermont and have just under 9 acres of a wooded lot that is filled with hardwoods, apples and some wetland. I am really struggling with what I should buy for a tractor. My brother is convinced he wants to buy a subcompact with a backhoe and I was initially looking at a new Challenger 265 with a toothbar, but am leaning towards a subcompact. I have a laundry list of things that need to be done at my house, both now and in the future.
I need to:
Maintain my driveway (400ft of gravel, currently snow covered)
Landscape my house, including cutting a bank behind the house, moving large rocks, spreading topsoil, possibly building a small swale.
Remove stumps (3"-5" diameter trees that I cut and burned)
Install raised beds for my vegetable garden
Dig up small shrubs and tall grasses
Move lots of brush to burn
Haul out remnants of loggin operation for firewood use
Manage woodland and small orchard
Possibly dig small pond (though I think I'd have to rent an excavator to do this efficiently)
Does anyone have any thoughts as to the versatility of the sub-compacts versus a larger tractor with a toothbar? In case anyone was wondering about the decision to look at a Challenger, I think I can buy a new 265B with a toothbar and box blade for $17500 (does that seem like a good deal?)
I need to:
Maintain my driveway (400ft of gravel, currently snow covered)
Landscape my house, including cutting a bank behind the house, moving large rocks, spreading topsoil, possibly building a small swale.
Remove stumps (3"-5" diameter trees that I cut and burned)
Install raised beds for my vegetable garden
Dig up small shrubs and tall grasses
Move lots of brush to burn
Haul out remnants of loggin operation for firewood use
Manage woodland and small orchard
Possibly dig small pond (though I think I'd have to rent an excavator to do this efficiently)
Does anyone have any thoughts as to the versatility of the sub-compacts versus a larger tractor with a toothbar? In case anyone was wondering about the decision to look at a Challenger, I think I can buy a new 265B with a toothbar and box blade for $17500 (does that seem like a good deal?)