Don't even know where to start

[keegs]

I have eighty acres in northern Maine, sixty acres of timothy and twenty or so of woodland. This is a summer getaway for my wife and I. We have someone harvesting the hay fields but there are plenty of areas that need maintaining e.g. the periphery of the fields, around the house, the driveway, around the pond...etc.. The hay fields are for the most part flat but the forested area abuts a stream and the elevation drops off to the stream precipitously in some areas.

I致e never been on a tractor and so I thought I should rent one a few times to get familiar with how they operate and how the attachments work.

Before I buy anything I'll likely have a garage or some kind of outbuilding put up. This is a summer place and so I'm somewhat concerned about leaving valuable equipment idle and unattended for months at a time. I was thinking that when I'm ready I would be getting something second hand.

Can anyone offer some details about the kinds of equipment I need for this?

Thank you.

 

[Ron D.]

Keegs, when I got ready to buy, I read posts for about one to two weeks on this site. You will gain significant information on the brands you are considering. I knew I was buying a Kubota because of past experience, and therefore I stayed on the Kubota buying, and the owning/operating pages. I found common issues with some models and drive types (hydostatic trans vrs gear) and felt it helped me dial in on the right model. You will get all kinds of advise by asking, but I strongly recommend reading the posts, particularly the owning/operating posts, as some models in certain years have particular issues that another models or years do not have.

As an example, a recent thread discussed problems with PTO engagement on certain years with hydro trans on L series. Some BX owners have had hydro cooling fans get broken by low ground clearance issues and lack of fan protection.

Once you dial in on the models you'd be happy with, you can then shop for the best deals on those models. Once you get your tractor, read the threads on attachments and go through the same process.

Hope this helps.

 

[bpattie]

yeah, good luck and I agree with doing the research and reviewing the posts. Perhaps renting as you mentioned would be a good idea. Large part also depends on how much you want to spend for what you say is just Summer place. Much different than those of us that use it year round and deal with Winter conditions. I started out 20 years ago with an old Ford 8N and was happy with it. very easy to work on and did pretty much what I needed. The only thing I did not like was lack of Power steering. I have moved up through the years with each tractor being capable of doing a little more than the prior one. I now have a smaller Kubota L2800 $WD that I am really happy with. I live in pretty heavy trees and being a little smaller I can negotiate better in the timber and cutting, hauling fireI haven't needed to do any serious grading so have stuck with 2 main attachments, both heavily used. That is a Front End loader for moving manure piles, dirt, snow, distributing gravel, etc. and a plain rear blade to scrape snow, minor grading and smoothing, spreading gravel and maintaining my driveway. I also have a post hole digger used 2 times as I have moved and needed to put up fence.A good 20 or so feet of heavy chain is also very useful to pull or drag trees, stumps, etc, and this year I built a set of pallet forks for the front bucket and I kick myself for not doing it sooner. Personally I would hate to spend a ton of money and leave it unattended for months. perhaps you could find a place that is occupied not far away to store it. I will say that some of the smaller tractors can do some pretty heavy duty work so don't necessarily be too concerned about size. A heavier tractor though does have advantages. a lot depends on what you intend to use it for, not just now as you highlighted but also near future. Will this become permanent residence anytime soon? there are a lot of good "previously" owned tractors out there. If you buy used though and are unfamiliar with tractors as you mentioned, I would have someone that is more familiar help you check it out. I have also seen post on this forum as to things to look for in buying used.

 

[Ron D.]

You might want to consider putting a GPS tracker/locator device on the tractor if you leave it where it might get stolen. Rental companies do this on a lot of their equipment, and the devices are not very expensive. Inexpensive security cameras can keep you in the loop also, and can be viewed via the internet with the right set-up. Lets you check on it without being there.

 

[MarkV]

Sounds like much of your need centers around rough cut mowing, Bush hog, type of work. A general guide line is 5 pto hp, not to be confused with total hp, per foot of mower. So as an example, most 35 hp tractors will have somewhere near 30 PTO hp and will run a 6' rotary mower. Unless you plan to work a very limited amount of the 80 acres I wouldn't look at anything smaller.

A tractor with 4 wd will help in your more challenging terrain, power steering is a big plus, a FEL (front end loader) will be more valuable than you can now imagine and a shuttle shift gear transmission or a hydrostatic transmission will be easier to operate for a new owner.

MarkV

 

[KU Gator]

Depending on other factors such as where you live relative to this property and what type of property you live on, you could also look at a tractor that could be trailored when you wanted to. We trailer ours behind the pick-up to our 12 acre recreational property. I would miss not having it available where I live.

You might want to check out this website: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonl...4721758AE/11557/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf

It has a pretty good description of most of the implements and what they are used for so at least you can understand some of the discussions a little better.

Even if you are thinking about buying a used machine, spend some time on the website of the tractor suppliers such as John Deere or Kubota, etc. Then go to a few dealerships and sit on some different machines to get a feel for the size. Most dealers will let you at least drive them around on their property. When we were looking, my wife and I spent a morning switching between three different machines which helped us decide on a size that would fit our need and comfort level.

 

[dave1949]

Keegs,

Good comments here already.

I agree that you need to know, or ask the wife , just how long and permanent this place will become for you.

If you plan to spend more time, like get a snowmobile and move to Maine, then whatever you buy becomes the base or fits into, a long term plan.

As it stands now, unless you know the answer to the above question, you would be just as well served with a walk behind brush wacker and a chain saw maybe. I think you can get tow behind carts for those to make moving some firewood easy. Or, consider an ATV with some pull behind attachments. You might want an ATV eventually anyways.

I know from experience, it is no fun having a second residence when the first thing you have to do each visit is mow the grass. Hit it a couple times a summer with the brush wacker and call it good. Same for around the pond and those creeping alders you described the other day.

Just another way of looking at it. Dave.

 

[Soundguy]

thanks for id'ing the land size and type.. but can you give us some idea on how you will utilize it?

IE.. are you just going to mow the fields and leave the timber intact.. or do you need to be able to get into the timber..e tc?

reason I ask is it makes a difference onthe size of tractor / machinery you get.

IMHO.. I'd get a 15/20' mower and 90-100hp tractor if I was just mowing.. however that 100ish hp tractor will be like an elephant in dense woods..

on the other hand.. if I wanted trails inthe woods.. i might be sjhooting for mid 30's.. that however would make for a 'career' when mowing time came. might get done mowing tone sid eo fthe 60 by the time the other side was ready to mow again.

( might want 2 tractors! CUT and AG/Utility )

soundguy

I have eighty acres in northern Maine, sixty acres of timothy and twenty or so of woodland. This is a summer getaway for my wife and I. We have someone harvesting the hay fields but there are plenty of areas that need maintaining e.g. the periphery of the fields, around the house, the driveway, around the pond...etc.. The hay fields are for the most part flat but the forested area abuts a stream and the elevation drops off to the stream precipitously in some areas.

I致e never been on a tractor and so I thought I should rent one a few times to get familiar with how they operate and how the attachments work.

Before I buy anything I'll likely have a garage or some kind of outbuilding put up. This is a summer place and so I'm somewhat concerned about leaving valuable equipment idle and unattended for months at a time. I was thinking that when I'm ready I would be getting something second hand.

Can anyone offer some details about the kinds of equipment I need for this?

Thank you.

 

[bluetc30]

look at loader/backhoe you can remove the back hoe for attaching other pieces of equipment. northern maine where wood is reasonable put up a good sized pole barn to house your tractor when you get it and make with very few openinings. as for getting a tractor there are a lot good offers with 0 percent financing i have a new holland tc30 with 30 hp and 5 years 0 percent financing. good luck try as many as you can first and ask a lot of questions and welcome to the site

 

[keegs]

Keegs,

Good comments here already.

I agree that you need to know, or ask the wife , just how long and permanent this place will become for you.

If you plan to spend more time, like get a snowmobile and move to Maine, then whatever you buy becomes the base or fits into, a long term plan.

As it stands now, unless you know the answer to the above question, you would be just as well served with a walk behind brush wacker and a chain saw maybe. I think you can get tow behind carts for those to make moving some firewood easy. Or, consider an ATV with some pull behind attachments. You might want an ATV eventually anyways.

I know from experience, it is no fun having a second residence when the first thing you have to do each visit is mow the grass. Hit it a couple times a summer with the brush wacker and call it good. Same for around the pond and those creeping alders you described the other day.

Just another way of looking at it. Dave.

All good questions/suggestions Dave.

The local minister has been cutting around the house and the driveway for us for a reasonable hourly price. I can call him a week in advance and it's done. He has a Ford 1500 with a five foot brush hog. It's kind of like having one of those fireplaces where you push the button and it lights up for you.

There're plenty of unhealthy and downed trees that are accessible to me with the pickup. I also have a small utility trailer. I'll likely be getting a bigger chainsaw and that walk behind weed whacker mower looks like a handy item.

I'm 52, Za-Za's got two years on me. It'll likely be 10 years before we retire. We've been vacationing in Maine for over twenty five years now, almost all of that on the coast. Neither of us is committing but there's certainly a chance we could wind up there.

Between now and then I'd like to learn more about taking care of the property, to find out more about the local wildlife, continue to meet the neighbors.....