My goal is to leave the chains on all winter and selective harvest mainly during the winter. In the non-frozen months only July and August are dry enough that I can get around without chewing things up. I don't want a cab because my barns are low and I want to keep her inside. I also just know that I will do something stupid and bust out glass so I opted for warm clothes no cab. (Cabs are expensive too.) I have considered tractors with hp from 45-75 including. I have driven JD (5055E), Kubota (MX5100), Kioti (DK45Se, DK55), Mahindra (5530 HST and PST), New Holland (Workmaster 55), MF (1660, 2615). I am going this weekend to look at Kubota 5140HD (thanks to TBN advice) and a JD 5075E. I am trying to line up a MF2650 but they are few and far between. I do like the bigger front tires for getting over stuff. I have found that I frequently know more about the individual tractors than the sales guys. I am not exactly the rainman of tractor data but I do my homework and have lucked into new sales people who just don't know their product yet. (Stuff the average TBNer knows at a glance of the literature.) If your don't know the answer don't volunteer that answer. I have also twice scheduled an appointment to drive a tractor 1-2 wks ahead of time, called the day before and then still had the tractor either literally not there or not driveable. I went back two weeks later and the not driveable tractor still was not driveable. I am learning to schedule appointments with owners or at least the senior sales people. My neighbor is an old farmer and tractor mechanic who has ridden shotgun for some of these adventures 30-45 minutes away and has been literally speechless when we got back in the truck. Trusting your dealer is important and may come down to be the deciding factor.
