New to tractors

   / New to tractors #1  

Anonymous Poster

New member
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
Messages
0
I have just purchased a 5 acre property, all cleared, but rough with scrubs and thick weeds. I plan on making it green and pretty (hey, it's mine and I can do what I want). I've never owned a tractor, never ridden a tractor, and have the mechanical ability of a rock. What do you recommend for me? By the way, local dealers are Mahindra, Kioti, Land-Trac, and Kubota.
 
   / New to tractors #2  
I was in the same postion you were minus the big old booger's/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif only i have 8 acers with woods and pond. 4 acers to mow. I went with a New Holland TC21D compact tractor with a front end loader. I am able to do all my own service work. (oil changes and such) I sugjest trying out several tractors and talk with dealers on your needs. Sence i got mine. I got many attachments. When i shopped i thought instead of getting a lawn mower that wont last i might as well get somthing that will do all i want to do down the road and last a good long time. My father in law has a John Deere lawn mower and its junk as far as im concerned. everything has wore out on it like its a walmart mower. i got 15,000 rapped up in my tractor and all its toys..but i will have it till im a old man...unless i trade up that it/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Hope this helps some, Larry
 

Attachments

  • 46-215255-Image6.JPG
    46-215255-Image6.JPG
    88 KB · Views: 106
   / New to tractors #3  
booger:

Welcome to TBN -You have come to the right place. Opinions abound /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. You will find someone here with each of the brands you mentioned that love them. The "Big Three" (Kubota, New Holland and John Deere) -- orange, blue and green, are all good tractors, but the Mahindras, Kiotis and Land-Tracs all seem to be getting a good following. Most often, the Dealer you feel most comfortable with and how the tractor fits you are the determining factors.

You say your acreage is cleared, but with scrubs and weeds. If you only want to mow the stuff that's there, probably something in the 18 to 25 horsepower range, with a brush cutter (sometimes called "Bushhog," but that is also a specific brand name), would be about right. If you plan to do anything more, like landscaping, you will find a Front End Loader (FEL) and box blade to be invaluable. Once you get a nice lawn, a mid-mount mower or rear finish mower will fill the bill.

This is a great place to learn about the capabilities and pros and cons of the tractors and attachments, without having to buy and try them all out yourself /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif. Your property sure sounds like you need a tractor (and don't let the CEO hear you call it a toy - it is a tool) /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Welcome aboard and let us know what you decide (with pictures, if possible).
 
   / New to tractors #4  
Well it sounds like you have a couple of years of busy work ahead of you to prepare and plant lawns, landscape etc. After that it will mostly be maintenance, mowing, tree and shrub maintenance, fences and possibly drive way maintenance are the norm. And 5 acres is sizable peice of property to afford you plenty of tractor time.

Your already off to a good start by locating the dealers in your immediate area. As you stated your mechanical ability is minimal so dealing with a local dealer may be a plus. And as many here will tell you, the dealers attitude and reputation can be as positive an experience in your purchase as the products he sells. Asks these dealers if can contact some of the dealers if they can put you in contact with some of there customers for their opinions of both the dealers and thier products.

For the size of property you have and the projects you seem to be looking at, I for one would suggest a midsize compact utility 4x4 tractor in the @30 hp size. The main reasons to looking at this size would be. (1) This size of tractor usually has the weight (good for traction) versus a nice tight turning ratio for maneauverability. (2) This size of tractor has the ability to handle a fair sized loader. One that has a good max lifting capacities (min. 800lbs up to @1200lbs with a 60"/66" HD bucket and/or pallet forks), with a enough lifting height to be able to load a small dump truck or flatbed. (3) Enough 3pt hitch lifting capacity to handle decent sized implements, 7ft backblades or landscape rakes, 6ft box blades or finish mowers, and 5ft bush hogs and rototillers, (min. of 1500lbs lifting capacity). (4) And finally enough power take off (PTO) horsepower to be able to power the above mentioned PTO driven implements without bogging down. I would also like to add that this size of tractor is also quite often offered with a mid mounted finish mower (up to 72") as an option. By the way a front loader will probably be the best tool you will ever purchase, and your back will thank you for it many years from now. I mentioned the above implements and their sizes as these on avg. are the the most popular sizes for the most poular implements. That allow a tractor that size to accomplish the most work effeicently. Which is why most people buy a compact tractor in the first place.

One thing to think about is the type of transmission that you would like to have your new tractor equipped with. Hydrostatic transmissions have become a reliable standard among the industry leaders, and anyone can easily operate one. Kubota has a reputation for having one of the best. But Long/Land-Trac and Kioti are just now introducing their first ones based on tried and proven designs. And there are rumors that Mahindra will soon follow. ( those in the know correct me if I'm wrong here) As an alternative, if you can handle a manual tranny All of the manufacturers that you have mentioned offer good fully synchronised ones with shuttle shift and Live pto. Shuttle shift offers a seperate lever that just allows you to shift between forward and reverse, a very nice feature. While the Live pto allows you to shift gears without disengaging the pto, also very nice. Both features are great for beginners, as well as desired by those with experience.

As I am sure you have heard Kubota has a good reputation as a leader in the industry. However the other brands you mentioned, all have models that are built in South Korea, that are rapidly building a good solid reputation as being dependable and built heavy duty. and the Korean built tractors seem to be priced more reasonable than than the big three. Although with the current economy financing on new tractors appears to be at all time lows. Scroll down lower in the forums and you will find seperate forums for Kubota and Kioti, as well as a forum for other brands that will cover both Long/Land-Trac and Mahindra.

Remember that New Holland and John Deere are also leaders in the industry, and make great midsized compacts, and would bear looking into.

Well thats my point of veiw, hope it helps. And good luck tractor shopping.
 
   / New to tractors #5  
Hey booger,
We love to spend other peoples money..../w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
Welcome to the best site on the net
 
   / New to tractors #6  
Welcome to the forums! You should be fine with a 20 hp diesel or so. Check out www.ebay.com . My Kubota BX22 is on it and there are a lot of other tractors to see as well!
 
   / New to tractors
  • Thread Starter
#7  
Thanks for the welcome and the good info. I have a feeling that I will learn more from this forum than anywhere else on the planet. I've noticed that some of the smaller Kubotas (B2200 in particular) seem to be very popular on this forum. Is that too small for my situation?
 
   / New to tractors #8  
<font color=blue>minus the big old booger's</font color=blue>

Oh....big old boogers. The first time I read the username I thought that it might be a new bi-sexual Austin Powers character. We just had "Goldmember"...I thought this was "Bi-GoldBooger"./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Well...celebrity or not, welcome to TBN.

~Rick
 
   / New to tractors
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Sorry, Rick, Bigoldbooger's Goldmember swings only one way.
 
   / New to tractors #10  
That's just fine, don't apologize to me. And to take a quote from a Seinfeld episode: "...not that there's anything wrong with that!".

Glad to hear you've got a sense of humor. You'll do well here on TBN.

Good Luck,

~Rick
 
 
Top