Buying Advice Best tractor, sub compact, etc. to landscape two ten acre properties

[THEMIGHTYQ]

Have two ten acre properties near each in So. Ca. other that need roads kept clear, gravel work, occasional loading, mostly flat, some small hills.

What would be the best unit to buy and should it be new or is used OK? I have an old ford skip loader that is doing the job fairly well but is on it's last legs.

Any help would be appreciated.

Any good advice or dealer recommendations would be appreciated.

[case245]

welcome to tractorsbynet i wold go 1 size up from what you need i been there done that

[55woodie]

Look at a reliable brand in the color of your choice: Green, Orange, Red or Blue. Lightly used is good for someone on a budget! I agree with case245 - - upgrade early and save yourself a step up later. Consider your desired options like FEL, PTO, mower, tiller back blade etc. . . Good luck shopping. . . it can be addictive.

[Don87]

Subcompact is the wrong start for 20 acres. You need something larger. Quite a bit larger IMHO.

[mjncad]

Welcome Q.

Since you are way west of Kansas, don't be surprised if the used market is anorexic selection wise. We westerners just don't have the used selection the guys in the Midwest, East Coast, and Deep South have. If you prefer used; but can't find something; but need a tractor sooner rather than later, new may be your only choice. Some of the 0% financing deals make new a much better deal than used over the long haul.

You might check these websites to hunt for used equipment in your area.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/

Used Farm & Agricultural Equipment - John deere MachineFinder

I also agree that a SCUT class tractor is too small for the amount of land involved.

[TripleR]

Can't really improve on the advice so far. Sometimes acreage is a big factor, but I look more to tasks to be accomplished, our bigger tractor is on our smaller acreage; best consider both. We own SCUTs and while they serve us well certainly wouldn't recommend one for that much land as while they will do a lot, you will soon tire of the bumpy ride and time spent in going from place to place.

We could offer better advice if you could provide a more detailed list of chores to accomplish, one time as opposed to ongoing etc. Off the top of my head I would be looking at something along the lines of 35 HP up like the Kubota L3540 or its equivalent, we own mostly Kubotas, but the other top tier tractors are pretty much in the same class.

We have bought new and used, my brother is a mechanic, so he can check the used units, lately I have gone with new as no good used one were available.

[GManBart]

Some idea of budget will help narrow things down as well. I have 15 acres now, which might eventually grow to 50 if we can by some adjoining property, and I just bought a new LS R4047H (47hp) with FEL, and very nearly bought a similar 40hp Kioti after looking at all the major brands out there. I don't have time for delays if I need something fixed, so I wanted a good warranty, from a dealer that's pretty local to me. That pretty much limited me to LS, Kioti, deere, and Kubota...and the Deere and Kubota would have been quite a bit more than the $21K I spent.

If you wind up looking in the 30-50hp range, most of the new tractors will be fairly similar, and good quality, so don't underestimate the value of the dealer relationship. Some of those tractors will vary in price as much as $10K from low to high, so there are a lot of things to consider.

[Grandad4]

Have two ten acre properties near each in So. Ca. other that need roads kept clear, gravel work, occasional loading, mostly flat, some small hills.

What would be the best unit to buy and should it be new or is used OK? I have an old ford skip loader that is doing the job fairly well but is on it's last legs.

Any help would be appreciated.

Any good advice or dealer recommendations would be appreciated.

Posing your question here on TBN is a great place to start! You'll get lots of good suggestions, including what others have said so far. Take some time to get familiar with the different sizes, types and brands of equipment available. There are many brands of equipment, of course, and each manufacturer offers a variety of models in different sizes and configurations. At this point, don't get hung up on which brand you need to select... that will come later. Right now, you should try to narrow down what type of equipment you need based on the work you expect to accomplish: general size and horsepower (There's usually a tradeoff between equipment size/expense and the time you'll spend doing the work), how it's configured, what implements are going to do which jobs, things like that. Then you'll be in a better position to start talking to dealers about what they have to offer, or whether any used equipment you might find will be suitable for your needs.

[94BULLITT]

I would look for at least a L or Grand L Kubota or a 3000 series John deere.

[Gary Fowler]

Any one of the "colors" in the near 40 HP should suit you. Go check them all out, sit you butt in the seat, handle the controls and see what is comfortable too you, then see if they are comfortable to your wallet. You may have to make your wallet more comfortable than your butt, but somewhere there is a good compromise that will fit you. TOO many brands and dealers out there not to find something that suits you. The LS Brand of Tractors seem to be best bang for the buck right now if you have a nearby dealer, check them out. Next to them, I like Kubota but that is me, your mileage may vary.