New vs. Old Dilemma

[LP Farmer]

As a posting newcomer to this site I'd first like to thank all of you who take the time to respond to many of the simple (and often redundant) questions from us newcomers.

My wife and I recently made the decision to move into farming. We are both teachers. We have a long-range plan to rehabilitate an old homesteader farm and turn it into an organic vegetable and fruit farm. We've already sold one season's harvest at a local farmers market and are starting into our second season. Last year we had our neighbor bush hog about 6 acres of our land. It was prime grazing land that has returned to brush, pines and maple saplings after over 40 years of neglect. While he managed to open up a great deal of the brush he was hampered by wetter soil and many saplings (Iv'e begun to clear these).

We began to think that we needed to have a tractor which would allow us to do more of this clean up and begin working the land. Initially we set a price of $4,000 - $5,000 for a used machine. We were interested in getting a 23 -30hp, with a FEL, and a brush hog. Clearly, I learned real fast that my price range was not going to purchase a tractor of that kind. I've attended several auctions, responded to several ads, and always the price moves out of my range. So I've had to adjust the range higher.

So here is my question/dilemma and I am interested to hear other opinions on the matter since my wife and I are thoroughly confused. Should I purchase a used tractor a bit out of my price range. For example there is a Ford 1700, 23 hp?, 4x4, FEL, brush hog for $7,000. It does not appear to have been loved, nor has it been beat on by the one owner (did not like the fact that the oil was black and dirty). I am worried about replacement parts. But after quite a bit of reading and research I began to think that it might be better to push to a higher level ($10k 12k) and buy a new tractor which might include a warranty. I should also add that there are plenty of dealers near here, including MF, NH, JD, Kubota, Mahindra, and TYM so I have options (I'm less intereseted in particular brands and more intrerested in new vs. old).
Clearly there are considerable advantages in buying a new tractor, but the downside is a higher price at a time where we are scrimping to get this farm running. (We are planning to break ground on a straw bale house next summer.) We are in this for the long haul so we致e started to lean towards a new tractor, but I hope to make one purchase that will last me the next 20+ years but not hurt me too much financially in the short run.

Has anyone else struggled with this dilemma? What insight can you offer that might help push us in a particular direction?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Mark

 

[ChuckinNH]

First of all, I applaud what you, and your wife have commited to doing. Tractors last a long time, and many hours so you should be able to find a used tractor that suits your needs, and won't stretch the budget too badly. You may have to go a bit smaller than you would like, and maybe not as shiny as you would like for that to happen. There are a couple of good things about buying used in your case. It will give you the experience you need to know just what can, and can't be done with the kind of tractor you choose, and it will still be worth pretty much what you paid for it if your fortunes change, or you find you really need something different. Black oil in a diesel tractor is normal by the way. For many of us, the dream is to have tractor to do "stuff" with, your dream is bigger, and better, so make sure the tools you choose don't take too much money from the dream.

 

[meadowlarkponds]

Good advice above. Used is the way to go, used diesel tractors, that is. Stay away from gas.

Also, try to get as much tractor as you can reasonably afford. From what you've described, 30 hp would be the best bet, IMO. I wouldn't go for the 23hp, myself.

A FEL is really a great item to have....but it usually adds a good bit to the cost of the used tractor. You might consider a tractor of the hp you need without the FEL for now. You can always add the FEL later...at more cost possibly, but at a time when it may be more affordable.

I went many years without a FEL and I am very thankful to have one now, but an adequately sized tractor is more important than the FEL starting out. You can find ways to compensate.

I wish you the best in your adventure...enjoy the journey, every day.

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN!

You may want to look into sticking with your mid price of 7K for a used utility tractor with loader and brush hog and hire out 3-4K of stump and tree removal by someone with a tracked excavator. The excavator will do it all in a few days and it will be over, getting you a head start and saving you perhaps months worth of time, labor, fuel and wear on your machine. Just my two cents.

When we bought 20 acres I purchased a used tractor loader. It was 50 PTO HP with an integrated FEL and cab for $5000. It weighed about 8000 pounds. A brush hog and box scraper were purchased for $1000. I used it to cut in our road, remove the largest trees and stumps that I needed removed, and mowed rows of trees for about 10 years. I put hundreds of hours on it over those years. I then downsized to a new smaller tractor for the maintenance chores and eventually recouped some money by selling the large machine after it was no longer needed.

Good luck in your search.

 

[hazmat]

Tough decision - used can offer value, but has some risk. Are you mechanically inclined? Is there a local independent tractor mechanic available? A moderate/major repair can easily get into the thousands of dollars.

New offers warranty piece of mind and attractive financing - often 0% for 3 - 3.5 years and low rates for longer terms. Most manufacturers offer "value" tractors with less bells & whistles (and lower prices). Examples would be Kubota B7800, New Holland TC30 and Deere 790 / 990.

 

[BarryinMN]

Look at 4 seasons tasks, especially if reliability is critical, ie need to get plowed out & to town on time, etc. Also account for implements that you might add.

My case, an old tractor TLB worked for 2 Winters. Broken starter, cold, 2wd made for 4 hr snow clearing. Summertime tractor was a old gas JD. No 3pt but simple to fix until the gas tank started leaking gas directly on the hot exhaust manifold!

I made the decision for a new MFWD cabbed tractor with used attachments. The new machine has the safety equipment, QT loader, and high pressure hydraulics.

Makes for higher productivity.

Example: old JD has 1000PSI hydraulics the dump trailer must be lightly loaded in order for it to dump. New tractor has 2900PSI, the dump trailer can be heaped high and dumps effortlessly.

Another: switch a dirt bucket for grapple & grab downed trees, old method is climb off, chainsaw, & chain then drag.

I still have the old machines, I let friends & relatives run them when they come up to help. Otherwise they stay in the barn as a second choice.

 

[flusher]

My advice: since this is your first tractor, get a new 20-25 hp diesel tractor with hydrostatic transmission and FEL.

There are many possibilities for this type of tractor. I used a 21 hp (engine) Kubota B7510HST with LA302 FEL (4-ft bucket) that I bought in May05 for the first 2.5 years after I bought my new place (10 acres flat pasture). Paid $12,600 plus tax (0% for 36 month, $338/month payments). Spent another $1.5 K for implements (4-ft KK brush hog rotary mower, $650), 4-ft KK box blade ($350), KK middle buster plow/subsoiler ($140), used Yanmar RS-1200 rototiller ($300). The 7510 handled the field mowing, landscape installation, vegetable garden and general material toting chores. The FEL and box blade came in handy for excavating work when I installed paver block walkways and a patio.

Botas are rock solid machines.

 

[case685]

Hi Mark Just want to add my vote in favour of a good used tractor. If you stick to the major brands ie: Kubota, John Deere, Case-IH etc and stick to whats referred to as a utility tractor ie: basic gear drive transmission, usually 2wd you should not have any trouble finding a machine that will give many years of service.
Unlike cars with tractors generally what you see is what you get.
If it starts good ( black/grey smoke is normal at startup but it should run clean when it warms up ) shifts smoothly and the hydraulics/3pt work good its likely a good machine. As far as replacement parts go as long as you stick to a major brand no more than 20 years old parts should be available for quite a while. The biggest expense you will likely run into will be a clutch replacement ( a tractor that has or had a loader on it generally will require clutch work much sooner than a field tractor ). Also if you can find a tractor mechanic or experienced farmer near you who could look over the machine for you that would be time/money well spent. Gerry

 

[john_bud]

It sounds like you are on a fairly small patch of ground. Like 40 acres or less?

If so, you may want to think about a tractor that was made for plots that size. Ford 2000, 3000 or 4000 series. Get the 3 cylinder version as they are newer with a little more modern stuff. They are dead reliable, the diesel versions are fuel sippers (but can be harder to start in winter w/o a good block heater) and parts are VERY easy to get and very easy to work on.

Heck, it would probably be a good high school shop project to restore one....


You can normally find a good 2-3000 ford with 8 speed trans in the 4-5000 range. Add a loader and the price may bump up to 6000.

The older ford tractors like the early 4 cylinder 2000, 4000 and the hundred series and even the 8n, 2n, 9n can do what you want, but have fewer and fewer modern aspects.

Spring is a good time to hit the auctions, craigs list, machinery trader etc.

jb

 

[MasseyWV]

I am in a very similar situation and had originally decided to purchase a new tractor because the prices of used tractors in my area were close to that of new ones.

Now that I have had time to carefully evaluate my options, I have decided to wait it out and look at used machines again.