Elakeind
New member
Hi! I am new to the forum and also new to owning rural property. I just purchased about 40 acres in south central Indiana and am considering whether to buy a tractor. The property is mostly wooded and a bit hilly, and also has a 10+ acre lake. We will be building a second/retirement home on the property in the near future.
The primary use for a tractor would be improving and maintaining about 600-700 feet of gravel drive and another mile or so of mixed gravel and dirt paths through the property. I will have to do (or have done) major improvement on about 450 feet of the drive before I can begin serious construction on the house later this year, so I have to choose soon whether to buy a tractor and do the work myself or pay more to have someone improve the drive for me. I do not plan to use a tractor for mowing, as the small portion of the property that is mowed can be handled with an existing mower with a 45 inch deck. After we get the house built, I would use the tractor for ongoing maintenance work around the property. In the future I might put in a food plot in a more remote portion of the property and would use the tractor for that work.
I have already picked up on this forum that having a reliable dealer nearby is a big plus and that makes even more sense for a newbie like me. I have Deer and Kubota dealers close by that have been in the area for many years and primarily service the ag industry, and there is a Kioti dealer about 45 miles away that I am not familiar with. I assume, but have not checked, that there is a decent market for used equipment in the area because of all of the ag business and I am not opposed to buying used equipment, especially if I can establish a good relationship with a dealer.
I suspect based on reading so far that I need a utility tractor with an FEL and a box blade to do the work that I am contemplating, but I may be way off and really want your advice. I am also interested in any opinions on the types of grader implements that can be pulled behind an ATV or truck to accomplish some of the road work that I need to do. I already have a 500cc ATV and might be able to use that if those implements are sufficiently serious tools for my needs.
Thanks in advance!
Jon
The primary use for a tractor would be improving and maintaining about 600-700 feet of gravel drive and another mile or so of mixed gravel and dirt paths through the property. I will have to do (or have done) major improvement on about 450 feet of the drive before I can begin serious construction on the house later this year, so I have to choose soon whether to buy a tractor and do the work myself or pay more to have someone improve the drive for me. I do not plan to use a tractor for mowing, as the small portion of the property that is mowed can be handled with an existing mower with a 45 inch deck. After we get the house built, I would use the tractor for ongoing maintenance work around the property. In the future I might put in a food plot in a more remote portion of the property and would use the tractor for that work.
I have already picked up on this forum that having a reliable dealer nearby is a big plus and that makes even more sense for a newbie like me. I have Deer and Kubota dealers close by that have been in the area for many years and primarily service the ag industry, and there is a Kioti dealer about 45 miles away that I am not familiar with. I assume, but have not checked, that there is a decent market for used equipment in the area because of all of the ag business and I am not opposed to buying used equipment, especially if I can establish a good relationship with a dealer.
I suspect based on reading so far that I need a utility tractor with an FEL and a box blade to do the work that I am contemplating, but I may be way off and really want your advice. I am also interested in any opinions on the types of grader implements that can be pulled behind an ATV or truck to accomplish some of the road work that I need to do. I already have a 500cc ATV and might be able to use that if those implements are sufficiently serious tools for my needs.
Thanks in advance!
Jon