Buying Advice Newbie TBN looking for advice on 4x4 tractor

[CompactTractorFan]

I have seen the "low hour" Yanmar's before.

I think when refurbish them they reset the hours.

[CompactTractorFan]

Might be worth a test drive though. I just tried using searchtempest.com to check your area (CT) for used tractors. Yikes, man! The scammers are out in force over there (all the listings for new tractors priced between $4400 and $4900. Obviously all scams... why bother cluttering up the lisitings? ugh.

Found a couple things though.
ford 1710 tractor with loader
Ford 2000 Tractor
john deere tractor
Kubota BX32 Tractor w/ upgrades
Tractor

Since when did they come out with the BX32???

[Eric67ct]

OK - Here's something interesting I found close to home on Craigs List. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Ford 1700 2cyl 4x4 loader backhoe - $9,000

[Eric67ct]

Another one....

John deere 1020 - $6,750
38hp Nice machine new tires&paint. ready to work!

[clemsonfor]

It's going to be hard to find a 25HP diesel under 10k with a loader that is in good shape. You might have luck on Craigslist or some other site.

What NO he wont?

[clemsonfor]

I just saw this ad. Too good to be true?

This is a NorTrac tractor-254(25HP) 4wd,Diesal powered,398 hrs,category 1-3 point hitch,PTO. new battery. Comes with 2 different size buckets,hard canaopy included. Have all owners manuals. Runs great,ready to use. 6,000.00 or B.O Email for more info.

Thats probly true those are Jimina chineese tractors rebadged. There only like $12-15k new!

[clemsonfor]

Another one....

John deere 1020 - $6,750
38hp Nice machine new tires&paint. ready to work!

If this one runs smooth and shifts through the gears id go see it and buy it. It may be a scam? Wait, thats a 1020, thats been repainted, the price is right i thought it was more modern. That is a 38hp tractor but its from the sixties. a guy i work with has one, but it dont look near as good as that one. His may be a $3500 tractor yet he dont have the loader or rops. Id still buy this one. Is it the deisel or gas? The gas will drink the fuel, his does.

Oh and if you put this tractor on your trailer you will smash your tailgate down and slam the springs out and flatten them if it did not colapse. That tractor is like 3500 pounds i think, with out the loader!

[Johndeere3720]

I personally have been down a similar road, I had several jobs I needed to do such as move logs, remove stumps, mow brush, grade the driveway, do light land clearing, etc. Due to a limited budget I started out with a 4wd Yanmar YM169D diesel tractor (US Model w/16 engine hp). It was a great little tractor, originally I assume it was part of a nursery fleet and was then sold to a Christmas tree farmer, then me. So it defiantly had more than the some 980 hours the meter red (3 diget meter) likely it had 2900 or 3900 hours on it over the last 25 years. It did a great job mowing brush, I did some light clearing with the use of my 40" wide bush hog and even moved some 8' long logs with a set of pallet forks. It did great with grading the driveway too and the reliability of that little tractor was astonishing for a tractor that had seen so much use over the years.

However, over time I needed something with larger capacities and more power, so I sold my Yanmar as well as several attachments and picked up a John deere 317 skid steer loader. I have operated many skid steers over the years and used one on the property before and the versatility was unmatched by the tractor. What I have done so far with the skid steer has been very impressive, the difference in power is huge, i went from 16 hp to 61 hp in 1 week (had a week with no machine which was awful since that was the week we got 2 feet of snow). The skid steer is great for stump removal, pared with a backhoe that is operated from inside the cab it puts the backhoe on a sub compact tractor to shame and rips out stumps with force. It also has the capacities to move large boulders, several large wet logs, scoops of the heavy, wet Oregon snow, and finally the ability to push up our burn piles. I loved the Yanmar and still miss it but honestly I cant see doing what I have gotten done with a compact tractor with a FEL and a backhoe. Plus for the price of used construction equipment, you get a machine designed for commercial use and abuse and it is usually backed by a reliable parts source. On top of that attachments are readily available for rental when you need them.


Honestly you would be well off with either a tractor or a skid steer, they both have positives and negatives. My vote would be on a skid steer but if you can get a good deal on a used tractor i wouldn't hesitate to jump on it if everything checks out ok in it. Just my

[Waldershrek]

Another one....

John deere 1020 - $6,750
38hp Nice machine new tires&paint. ready to work!

My grandfather told me never buy a tractor with new paint.

[clemsonfor]

I personally have been down a similar road, I had several jobs I needed to do such as move logs, remove stumps, mow brush, grade the driveway, do light land clearing, etc. Due to a limited budget I started out with a 4wd Yanmar YM169D diesel tractor (US Model w/16 engine hp). It was a great little tractor, originally I assume it was part of a nursery fleet and was then sold to a Christmas tree farmer, then me. So it defiantly had more than the some 980 hours the meter red (3 diget meter) likely it had 2900 or 3900 hours on it over the last 25 years. It did a great job mowing brush, I did some light clearing with the use of my 40" wide bush hog and even moved some 8' long logs with a set of pallet forks. It did great with grading the driveway too and the reliability of that little tractor was astonishing for a tractor that had seen so much use over the years.

However, over time I needed something with larger capacities and more power, so I sold my Yanmar as well as several attachments and picked up a John deere 317 skid steer loader. I have operated many skid steers over the years and used one on the property before and the versatility was unmatched by the tractor. What I have done so far with the skid steer has been very impressive, the difference in power is huge, i went from 16 hp to 61 hp in 1 week (had a week with no machine which was awful since that was the week we got 2 feet of snow). The skid steer is great for stump removal, pared with a backhoe that is operated from inside the cab it puts the backhoe on a sub compact tractor to shame and rips out stumps with force. It also has the capacities to move large boulders, several large wet logs, scoops of the heavy, wet Oregon snow, and finally the ability to push up our burn piles. I loved the Yanmar and still miss it but honestly I cant see doing what I have gotten done with a compact tractor with a FEL and a backhoe. Plus for the price of used construction equipment, you get a machine designed for commercial use and abuse and it is usually backed by a reliable parts source. On top of that attachments are readily available for rental when you need them.


Honestly you would be well off with either a tractor or a skid steer, they both have positives and negatives. My vote would be on a skid steer but if you can get a good deal on a used tractor i wouldn't hesitate to jump on it if everything checks out ok in it. Just my

This is advice from experience.

Problem i see with the skid steer in MY applications is that you have to buy the expensive attachements. What does a Hydro bush hog cost $6k? even renting one you will have to rent it several times a summer to cut your fields at say $50/day. that will get pretty pricy. Even as a disk or plow a skid steer will not be optimal. Yea you can buy those things for it, or use the bucket, but your not going to find these attachments used all over the place like say a 5ft pto bushhog or a 5 ft disk harrow for 3pt.

These are the problems i see with a skid steer. But your right if all you want to do is dig stumps, move dirt, and lift logs and rocks you cant beat a skid steer for power and manuverability.