What size tractor for hobby farm tilling and landscaping?

   / What size tractor for hobby farm tilling and landscaping? #1  

FarmerShawn

New member
Joined
Sep 1, 2012
Messages
1
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Tractor
John Deere 655
My wife and I just bought a 10 acre hobby farm that came with a small tractor (JD 655) with a PTO brush mower and snowblower, but no loader or tiller. The land is dead flat and completely cleared, with about 2 acres for the homestead and another acre for the dugout. The previous owners ran a u-pick operation, but I have different plans. I plan on reforesting about an acre, building a golf hole on another couple of acres, and running rental gardens on the remaining 4 acres. I also have to do some driveway work (about 100 feet), a pond for the wife, trenching for some new in-ground irrigation pipes, and general landscaping.

After doing a lot of reading and talking to a few people (local farmers and tractor salesmen), I'm pretty sure that I need a compact tractor with a loader, backhoe, tiller, and mower. I'll add other implements later. I've done lots of research and read countless threads here on TBN, but the one thing I can't seem to get a handle on is how much HP I need, especially for the tilling. I was hoping to use a 60" tiller and 72" mower, but I'm open to any and all suggestions. So far I've looked at JD, Kubota, Bobcat, Kioti and LS. Having never owned a tractor before, I have no brand loyalty, so again, I'm open to anything.
 
   / What size tractor for hobby farm tilling and landscaping? #2  
Since you have looked at Bobcat, the CT230 or 235 would fit very well with the 60" tiller, 72" mower, & backhoe. Use these models to compare while checking all your options with other brands as well.
 
   / What size tractor for hobby farm tilling and landscaping? #3  
I'd look for a tractor loader backhoe (TLB) in the 30-40 hp range with hydrostatic tranny, power steering, 5-6 foot wide bucket on the front end loader (FEL). All of the major manufacturers have models like this. The Mahindra 4010HST with the ANHBH76 backhoe and the ML140 FEL looks like it would satisfy your requirements.

Good luck.
 
   / What size tractor for hobby farm tilling and landscaping? #4  
Just a thought. A 30+ HP tractor for mowing and tilling I think would work. As far as loader and backhoe work, much depends on how much digging you intend to do. If your talking new attachments, you are looking at about $15,000 for a loader and backhoe attachment for a CUT. For that amount you could easly buy a good used full size TLB to do your digging work with, and get a 4wd CUT to mow and till.
If in time, you no longer need the backhoe, sell the TLB and buy a loader attachment for your CUT. Backhoe attachments are handy, but knowhere near as powerfull as a TLB. If your going to dig a pond it's going to take a while with an attachment.:2cents:
 
 
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