Buying Advice Looking for advice for a CUT

[jighead]

Hey folks,

This site is a wealth of information, and I'm hoping you folks can help me figure out what models of CUTs I should be considering. I purchased 14 acres most of which is hilly pasture, with a few acres of woods, and bit of marsh. The soil has a lot of shale and is not tillable, but can be good pasture. I am looking for a tractor to manage large amounts of compost, amend the pasture with both solids and liquids, mow, move wood and brush, and there may be some other landscaping projects where it will be handy. I have a pickup truck with a Meyers angle plow, but if the tractor is a better tool for managing a steep, 300' driveway, I could be convinced to sell the plow and get something for the tractor. I have a Kubota dealer and a Bobcat dealer within 2 miles and the JD dealer is within 5 miles.

I had no intention of buying a new tractor, but stopped in one of the dealers to get some oil and asked how much the tractors run, and with 0% interest, I was shocked (in a good way) at the prices for the B and L series Kubotas and the CT series Bobcats. I'm totally new to this, so any recommendations about which models to consider, what HP range I should be in for the engine and the PTO(s), and what to look for would be greatly appreciated. I know I want a loader, but are there any other implements I should be looking at?

Thanks!

-j

 

[WM75Guy]

Task dictates size, not acres. For example, how much manure and compost are you moving? My 40 hp TC40DA can lift 2000 lbs. A 20 hp may only lift 600-800 lbs. Dragging trees is about hp and tractor weight. Not enough tractor weight and your hp is just spinning tires.

Use the search function, keyword advice, under the buying/pricing/comparison tab. You will get many threads with the same question as you asked.

 

[flusher]

Hey folks,

This site is a wealth of information, and I'm hoping you folks can help me figure out what models of CUTs I should be considering. I purchased 14 acres most of which is hilly pasture, with a few acres of woods, and bit of marsh. The soil has a lot of shale and is not tillable, but can be good pasture. I am looking for a tractor to manage large amounts of compost, amend the pasture with both solids and liquids, mow, move wood and brush, and there may be some other landscaping projects where it will be handy. I have a pickup truck with a Meyers angle plow, but if the tractor is a better tool for managing a steep, 300' driveway, I could be convinced to sell the plow and get something for the tractor. I have a Kubota dealer and a Bobcat dealer within 2 miles and the JD dealer is within 5 miles.

I had no intention of buying a new tractor, but stopped in one of the dealers to get some oil and asked how much the tractors run, and with 0% interest, I was shocked (in a good way) at the prices for the B and L series Kubotas and the CT series Bobcats. I'm totally new to this, so any recommendations about which models to consider, what HP range I should be in for the engine and the PTO(s), and what to look for would be greatly appreciated. I know I want a loader, but are there any other implements I should be looking at?

Thanks!

-j

My neighbor has a Kubota L4400 with a 6-ft FEL bucket to handle mowing chores on his 10 acre parcel. Also has a post hole digger (PHD) that he used for installing fencing (perimeter and cross fencing). It's an excellent tractor (my first tractor was a new 2005 Kubota B7510HST, 21 hp engine). Something like this (44 hp engine) would handle all your chores. Price new was a little North of $20K.

My big tractor for my 10 acres is a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft height, three chain hooks on the bucket, skid steer quick disconnect on the FEL arms), triple hydraulic remotes on the rear end. Cost: $19K (new). I traded the little Kubota B7510HST for the 5525 when I decided to become a hay farmer (in training).



The mower on the 5525 is a 6-ft Hawkline rotary mower (aka bush hog, brush hog, shredder, slasher). Cost: $1150. Good for general field maintenance and for mowing underbrush and saplings in the woods.

Good luck

 

[Don87]

Please let us know where you live, that can make a difference.(we don't need an exact address)

 

[Grandad4]

While there is a spectrum of different size tractors that have the basic capability to do your work, I'm thinking tractors in the 40 horsepower range would be a good place to begin your tractor shopping adventure. That's large enouigh the tractor will have some weight to it for your wood and brush removal work, will have enough horsepower to run a 6 foot brush cutter, will have good hydraulic capacity, and will have a strong enough loader to do some serious work.

There are pro's and con's to going larger or smaller, but each of the brands you mentioned has some nice equipment in the 40 horsepower range. While we have owned Kubota equipment for several years and have had very good experience with it, the Bobcat (Kioti) and JD lines are also very good, so you really need to look at which models and brands you like best and which dealer you think will make a fair deal and give good service.

With Kubota, I'd mention the L4400, L3940 and L4240 as the ones with around 40 hp. Those tractors are very popular and get good reviews from many owners. Deere has both 3000 and 4000 series tractors in that power range, and Bobcat's CT 335 and CT440 also may be candidates.

It sounds like you're going to need a brush cutter, at least, on your property, and your landscaping work might call for a box blade. It sounds like your 4x4 handles your snow removal needs pretty well.

Others may have more to add, but I thought these suggestions would give you something to get started with. Best of luck with your plans.

 

[TripleR]

About all I can do is agree with the advice given so far. When you narrow it down a bit, spend some time testing them as much as your dealer will allow.

If you are totally new to tractors, you might want to rent one for a day to get a baseline for comparison as about anything from about 35 to 60 HP machine will work.

All brands you mentioned are good, but a good dealer is important too, so that might be a consideration.

Good luck.

If you can pick a tractor with:

1. Just the right horsepower, no more no less.
2. Just the right weight, no more no less.
3. Just the right loader/backhoe performance, no more no less.
4. Just the right tires.
5. Just the right transmission for ALL of your needs.
6. Just the right price, no more; don't worry about the "less" part, won't
happen.
7. Just the right size; not too big and not too small, just right.

If you can do all this and more that you aspire to in your tractor selection, you can retire from your present job and become a very successful tractor consultant.

 

[Don87]

About all I can do is agree with the advice given so far. When you narrow it down a bit, spend some time testing them as much as your dealer will allow.

If you are totally new to tractors, you might want to rent one for a day to get a baseline for comparison as about anything from about 35 to 60 HP machine will work.

All brands you mentioned are good, but a good dealer is important too, so that might be a consideration.

Good luck.

If you can pick a tractor with:

1. Just the right horsepower, no more no less.
2. Just the right weight, no more no less.
3. Just the right loader/backhoe performance, no more no less.
4. Just the right tires.
5. Just the right transmission for ALL of your needs.
6. Just the right price, no more; don't worry about the "less" part, won't
happen.
7. Just the right size; not too big and not too small, just right.

If you can do all this and more that you aspire to in your tractor selection, you can retire from your present job and become a very successful tractor consultant.

I was gonna jump all over this.............til the last line.

I'll keep driving truck...........:laughing::laughing::laughing: