Looking for a 40hp tractor

[Robert_in_NY]

I would recommend the Farmall 45A or 55A. There are a lot of great tractors in this size but when I was looking I was deciding between a Kubota or Case-IH and ended up with the Farmall 45A. The tractor had a much more useable mid section for my tasks as the Kubota was cramped. I needed to be able to access the bolt holes in the middle of the tractor for attaching implements and the Kubotas just didn't make it easy. Would have taken a lot of fabrication. The Farmall 45A was very simple, everything is easy to access, engine, midsection and rear end are all easy to access. The 3pt has everything you want on it (telescopic stabilizers and draft links), tractor comes with one remote standard as well which was nice. The seat is a nice, high back and comfortable (for me at least) mechanical suspension unit. The tractor has very few electronic crap on it which translate into less potential headaches in the future. It also has the fastest road gear of any tractor I have ever used. The operators station is very roomy and easy to get on and off of. Controls are all in good positions and easy to access. They are very affordable as well. Have a great engine with lots of power but extremely quiet and great of fuel.

I bought a 2wd unit for my particular tasks and I have been extremely impressed with it. I would love to buy another one but I just can't justify a 55A with FWA currently. I do like it so much though I am looking at buying a Farmall 95 this spring for tillage and baling jobs. I love these simple tractors Case-IH has built. I know the 45A isn't perfect in every aspect but for the price and reliablility you just can't go wrong. I paid $15,100 for my 2wd with fender extensions (to keep the vines from getting pulled under the rear tires) and have no regrets.

Great, now that I am thinking about this tractor again I am finding myself trying to convince myself I "need" another again Good luck with your search. New Holland has the same tractor in blue paint as well but the seat is different so that may be of some use to you as well if you like the NH dealer better then the Case-IH dealer.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

One other thing, look at the filter locations and other service areas. Some tractors are not designed very well and are a huge hassle to do simple maintenance. Grease zerks in hard to access locations, oil fill points hard to access, filters hard to access..., just simple things that will make you swear when you do your maintenance. My Kubota is terrible, the grease zerk locations are a hassle but that is partially because of the narrow stature the vineyard tractors require but what really annoyed me is that Kubota put two hydraulic filters on it and their mounted on the side of the rear housing behind the rear tire so to do a good job you need to remove the rear tire in order to change the two $30 filters. You can do it without removing the tire but then you have dirt falling into the system because these filters are tight together and mounted on the side so they hold a lot of dirt and mud above them and as soon as you remove the filter you expose a large hole into the hydraulic system. Just a poor loacation/design and one that could have easily been changed for a better user and dealer experience.

 

[Johndeere3720]

As previously stated there are a lot of different choices, in the end you will still have a tractor around 40 hp. However the jobs you have listed did not include driving across a lawn. I have very similar tasks myself, keep snow off our steep driveway, pull logs out of the woods, maintain roads, etc. I went from a little 16 hp Yanmar to a 61 hp John Deere skid steer. What I love about the skid steer is it is very easy to maneuver, you can attach a vast array of attachments to it (often you can rent them), it is easy to work on/maintain, and it is designed for the abuse of the construction industry. To me that all stood out, plus the hp was way beyond anything else in my price range, about 3 times more power. To top it off I got a used machine with 1000 hours for 1/3rd the cost of a new machine (New Deere 318D was going for $33k here last I checked). Since I purchased my machine back in January I have done far more that I ever could with the Yanmar. I have 2k lbs of lift capacity (w/rear weights), it weighs close to 7k lbs (more power to the ground), it has auxiliary hydraulics (I have run a backhoe and a post hole digger on it so far), I have a roof over my head (great since it rains a lot here in the Pacific NW), and I have the ability to get tracks if more traction is necessary (I want tracks so bad ). In my area my Deere dealer is one of the closest to me and they can get parts within a few days. Just an idea, you could get a nice skid steer for $15k and use the rest of the $ for attachments like pallet forks/grapple/backhoe/etc.

 

[JerryG]

You would love the turbo on the 1540. I have owned the same size engine in two different tractors of the same size except the last has the turbo engine like in the 1540. I had a 16 speed regular shuttle in the first one, the turbo version has a 16 speed PowerShuttle. In one area that was steep I would have to drop two gears on the non-turbo tractor. The turbo tractor didn't require me to drop any gears.

 

[prollynotjeff]

Right now I am leaning towards the kioti DK40SE or the Massey 1540. The kioti specs show that it lifts more more with the FEL and it comes with skid steer QA. I will have too see what one feels best.

 

[GManBart]

Right now I am leaning towards the kioti DK40SE or the Massey 1540. The kioti specs show that it lifts more more with the FEL and it comes with skid steer QA. I will have too see what one feels best.

While I bought the 47HP LS, I was extremely impressed with the Kioti DK40SE. I really think if I went there four times, I would have picked each one twice! R,

 

[murphy1244]

Right now I am leaning towards the kioti DK40SE or the Massey 1540. The kioti specs show that it lifts more more with the FEL and it comes with skid steer QA. I will have too see what one feels best.

Go test drive a few dealers too Jeff

 

[prollynotjeff]

Go test drive a few dealers too Jeff

I agree, I plan on heading out to the local kioti dealer Friday or Saturday. I will check out the MF dealer and our closest dealer sells both New Holland and Kubota so that will be a easy trip!

 

[prollynotjeff]

Go test drive a few dealers too Jeff

I agree, I plan on heading out to the local kioti dealer Friday or Saturday. I will check out the MF dealer and our closest dealer sells both New Holland and Kubota so that will be a easy trip!

 

[farmall 55a case]

I agree with Robert in NY I have the 55 a and I absolutely love it! Good basics strong reliable and comes with a few features that you wold have to pay extra to have! IF AT FIRST YOU DONT SUCCEED BUY A FARMALL!!! Like many have said tho! They are all good anymore just find one that really appeals to YOU!