first time buyer

[Anonymous Poster]

I am new to country living, and while my post is similar to many others, the advice I need may be different. I purchased 20 acres in south/central KY with 6 acres of weeds which I one day hope to convert to pasture. The remaining 14 in wooded . The 6 acres are flat. They will need to be tilled, seeded, fenced and maintained. In addition I have a one acre yard. Down the road I plan to dig out a pond area in the pasture and dig a basement for a future home. So I would like a tractor that is adequate for these needs. I don't mind buying used, because I have a budget for the tractor of around $5000. Any suggestions?

Also, I need something dependable, as I am severely mechanically uninclined!!

Thanks.

 

[John_Mc]

My first suggestion is to seriously consider paying a contractor to dig your basement and pond. Unless they are both VERY small, they are big jobs for a compact tractor. Not to say it can't be done, but it's an awful lot of time and wear & tear on you and your tractor. Someone with a dozer or excavator could make short work of these jobs. Alternatively, if you know how to use them, you may be able to rent this larger equipment for the big jobs.

For the other jobs, you are probably looking at a 25 to 40 HP tractor (bigger = less time to get the jobs done, but more expensive. THe smaller end of the range will still do the jobs, it just takes more time).

Frame size can be important too. I went with a smaller frame & horsepower than I might have liked for my mowing and landscaping needs, mainly because I wanted something that would more easily fit down the trails in my woods. It takes me longer to get my mowing done, and I've got to take smaller bites with my boxblade, but I'm happy with my choice.

If your budgeted includes buying a backhoe and other implements, you will be hard pressed to stay under the $5000 you mentioned.

John Mc

 

[bartman]

WOW a$5000 budget..................and no mechanical ability.................That's going to be real tough,if you want to buy a piece of equipment to dig a pond and a basement with, plus maintain your land .
I turned a friend of mine onto a MF 300 backhoe early 60's model for $3500 but it needed work done to it ,nothing major but it concerns me when you say that you have zero mechanical ability
You can probably pick up a 2WD tractor in the neighborhood of $2000 - $4000 to maintain your property but they will be at least 30 to 40 years old,then you need a budget for the impliments also .
I would agree with the previous post about going the rental route..
Did you say that you can run an excavator or backhoe or you just want to learn as you go????
You can probably rent an excavator for a few weeks and dig the pond /basement $1500-$2000 then buy an 8N for about $2500 they are about 50 years old (I would go diesel)
Good Luck
Bartman

 

[frank_f15]

sorry, but don't beleive that budget will get u what u need to do all that heavy work. best to hire that part out and use the tractor u can fit in your budget for normal work.

 

[SteveM]

My hobby is buying and selling older compact tractors, and I have never spent more than $5,000 - so it can be done. However, and this is a big one, I do have mechanical ability and enjoy tinkering with machines. For 5 grand you should be able to find an '80s tractor with perhaps a mower deck, and a rear blade can be added for a couple hundred bucks. For that money it may be tough to get a 4wd, and hydrostatic is probably out of the question. I would concur that you should hire the heavy dirt work, and use the tractor for mowing and light grading, dragging stuff around etc. You should visit ironweb.com and agdealer.com to start getting an idea what your money will buy. I have always been able to find good, clean used tractors that require minimal repair. As a final opinion, I would stay away from grey market or chinese tractors in your case. Both are an affordable alternative, but both require mechanical tinkering and suffer from poor resale. Here are some examples of good, durable name brand tractors that would be in your price range:

Kubota B7100, 7200, B6100, B6200, L175, L185
Ford 1500, 1700, 1210, 1220
Deere 650, 670, maybe 750
Massey 1010, 1020, 205,

If you want bigger, older tractors (50s and 60s)
Ford 800, 2000, 3000, 4000 series
Massey 35, 65, 135
Deere 1010, 2010 (getting pretty big)

Good luck and have fun.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

OK, I don't like financing, but with interest rates ranging from 2.99 to 5.5, why not get a new one with a dealer to do the stuff to keep it going? You STILL would be ahead to consider hiring out your biggest jobs.

You probably thought of this, but sometimes even obvious answers aren't

I understand that you may have very good reason NOT to financce.