Anianna
New member
I am a tractor newbie with 13 acres and a budget. Please forgive my ignorance, but all of my online research has been somewhat contradictory or just downright confusing. We don't have a lot of tractor dealerships nearby, so I haven't had much opportunity to do on-site research. We do have a John Deere dealer about 30 minutes away and Kubota and Massey Ferguson dealers about an hour away. I'm not sure if there are others.
Property Breakdown
Fields
About half of the property is field we allow a local farmer to use and we would do little to nothing with those for the foreseeable future. The fields are mostly flat, but do contain a number of gopher holes.
Lawn and Rough
About 1/4 of the property needs some form of mowing. Around the house I would like to mow neatly, about an acre give or take. About three acres out by the barn just needs a rough trim and may tend to get relatively high before I take care of it. These areas are mostly flat with only mild grade. However, there are a few rough spots and one ridge that I hadn't noticed under the overgrowth when we bought the place but is very noticeable when you try to run a riding mower through that area. It rises about 2ft at its peak and runs for a length of about 20 ft.
Woods
The remaining quarter of the property is largely wooded and there are some areas where I would like to keep down the underbrush as we get a lot of briars and prickers. The area of woods I would like to tend is perhaps an acre or two. There are some hilly spots in our woods, but the area I expect to tend is only mildly inclined.
Driveway
We have a dirt (was once gravel) driveway that is mostly flat but does have one problem area that sometimes retains water and needs extra attention. I want to fix this and then be able to maintain and improve the driveway. At some point, I would also like to be able to clear snow. We usually only get a few inches on occasion, but have gotten between 8-12 inches more rarely.
Considerations
The ground usually seems pretty hard packed. However, we have recently had two months of record precipitation with a third month approaching record rainfall. We have a few locations that do not appear to puddle, but have become rather soft, so much so that even my 4x4 has gotten stuck. I don't think this is a normal issue, but this is only our second year here.
I honestly do not know how much to expect a tractor and the implements I would need to cost. As much as I would love a big monster of a tractor, I am thinking that a 30HP (motor power, 20+ at the implement) range machine would be ideal for our physical and budget needs. I know I can't afford the bigger, more rugged tractors.
If you're going to use acronyms or shortened references, please let me know what they are. I still don't know the difference between a SCUT and a CUT, for example, nor do I know what either stands for. I don't suppose anybody has written a tractor glossary?
Questions
1. What kind of price range can I expect for a 30HP +/- machine?
2. What kind of price range can I expect for various implements?
3. What are the best implements to meet my needs? My most pressing needs are the yard mowing and driveway care.
4. Can I rent other implements that I wouldn't use often (such as a post hole auger or a backhoe)?
5. Are different branded implements interchangeable or are you limited to the brand of tractor purchased? Are aftermarket implements an option?
6. Are there any good resources online for the tractor newbie to look into to learn more?
7. Are any brands easier in regards to attaching implements? I may have to attach them on my own sometimes.
8. What brands/ models should I be considering?
9. Am I missing any important details?
Thanks in advance for any information you all can provide. I am really looking forward to my new toy!!
Property Breakdown
Fields
About half of the property is field we allow a local farmer to use and we would do little to nothing with those for the foreseeable future. The fields are mostly flat, but do contain a number of gopher holes.
Lawn and Rough
About 1/4 of the property needs some form of mowing. Around the house I would like to mow neatly, about an acre give or take. About three acres out by the barn just needs a rough trim and may tend to get relatively high before I take care of it. These areas are mostly flat with only mild grade. However, there are a few rough spots and one ridge that I hadn't noticed under the overgrowth when we bought the place but is very noticeable when you try to run a riding mower through that area. It rises about 2ft at its peak and runs for a length of about 20 ft.
Woods
The remaining quarter of the property is largely wooded and there are some areas where I would like to keep down the underbrush as we get a lot of briars and prickers. The area of woods I would like to tend is perhaps an acre or two. There are some hilly spots in our woods, but the area I expect to tend is only mildly inclined.
Driveway
We have a dirt (was once gravel) driveway that is mostly flat but does have one problem area that sometimes retains water and needs extra attention. I want to fix this and then be able to maintain and improve the driveway. At some point, I would also like to be able to clear snow. We usually only get a few inches on occasion, but have gotten between 8-12 inches more rarely.
Considerations
The ground usually seems pretty hard packed. However, we have recently had two months of record precipitation with a third month approaching record rainfall. We have a few locations that do not appear to puddle, but have become rather soft, so much so that even my 4x4 has gotten stuck. I don't think this is a normal issue, but this is only our second year here.
I honestly do not know how much to expect a tractor and the implements I would need to cost. As much as I would love a big monster of a tractor, I am thinking that a 30HP (motor power, 20+ at the implement) range machine would be ideal for our physical and budget needs. I know I can't afford the bigger, more rugged tractors.
If you're going to use acronyms or shortened references, please let me know what they are. I still don't know the difference between a SCUT and a CUT, for example, nor do I know what either stands for. I don't suppose anybody has written a tractor glossary?
Questions
1. What kind of price range can I expect for a 30HP +/- machine?
2. What kind of price range can I expect for various implements?
3. What are the best implements to meet my needs? My most pressing needs are the yard mowing and driveway care.
4. Can I rent other implements that I wouldn't use often (such as a post hole auger or a backhoe)?
5. Are different branded implements interchangeable or are you limited to the brand of tractor purchased? Are aftermarket implements an option?
6. Are there any good resources online for the tractor newbie to look into to learn more?
7. Are any brands easier in regards to attaching implements? I may have to attach them on my own sometimes.
8. What brands/ models should I be considering?
9. Am I missing any important details?
Thanks in advance for any information you all can provide. I am really looking forward to my new toy!!