Buying Advice Starting research for "new" tractor - 15 acre horse farm

[mvoght]

I have not been over here for a while, because I've had a good run with my Case International 585 2WD tractor with an FEL It is a 50+ hp engine (I would need to run down and review the specs, as we have the full shop maintenance manuals that came with it 9 years ago). It is a 1980s vintage, so probably nearing 30 years old.

It is a workhorse, but I think I am getting soft as I age, and I am really starting to want an easier to operate tractor.

Farm is open, mostly pasture, 3-4% grade per the land records, so a few slopes. The steepest slopes are the ditches by the roads, which we don't need a tractor for much there.

Normal usage on the farm is: (ring is sand riding arena)

mow 13 acres, we have a JD commercial series zero turn for the yard, but that thing is murder on the operator in a rough pasture.
current mowing deck is a 90", 5 blade finish mower, by some Italian company.
Current mechanic prefers green, there are both Kubota and Deere dealerships in town though.
FEL - manure pile maintenance, moving dirt and stone dust around to control muddy areas or fix holes that appear in pastures.
dragging ring, current drag is 9' wide, the width of the Case has made me end up with bigger implements
re-level ring edges with a blade, by backing up to edge, dropping blade, pulling forward and feathering it as I pull away.
pushing snow in winter - when we get snow, future desire is front mount snow blower
I need to be able to lift and move 1000lb round bales, without blowing the hydraulics.

Based upon the hours on my tractor, we put close to 100 hours a year on the tractor.

I am a towering 5'1" and would kinda like something with an adjustable seat, I pretty much have to perch on the front edge to use the clutch and the back and forth work is tough because it is a pretty long reach for the gear changing.

I absolutely do not want to be in the upper edge of the recommended use on a tractor, but the current one is a bit too big. A narrower foot print would be nice, particularly since wide implements are more expensive.

What are the models I should be comparing? The Kubota dealership is also a Case dealership, but I'm not as likely to go with a Case, there just aren't many around here. If I go a bit further, New Holland dealerships are in the area.

I want to make sure I compare apples to apples, and I need reliability.

If you guys could help me out with at least figuring out what is comparable model numbers/series, that would be fabulous.

New Holland
John Deere
Kubota

I have time, but I think that I am nearing something in the next year or so, I can wait to buy in the best sale season, for either new or used.

 

[mvoght]

After reviewing a few more threads, I think I can narrow it down to John Deere or Kubota models numbers to compare.

If something happens where my current mechanic moves, I will need to have dealership support, so realistically should stay with the local dealers.

I want to make sure I compare the right models, then I need to go test drive and see what I like.

I know that dealership bashing is not allowed, but where would you go for dealership reviews?

 

[jenkinsph]

Might want to look at the Deere 4520 with cab, about the same power as your Cases in a smaller footprint. For what you describe might wan't to consider a landplane grader box for smoothing and an MX 8 for clipping the pastures. Deere has a front mount snowblower for this tractor but it is pricey. The 400CX fel should handle all your needs.

For a Kubota look at the 5740 cab model very similar to the Deere 4520 as for size and specs. Both are good tractors but I am ,more familiar with the 4520 since I have one of these. As for dealer reviews I would talk to my neighbors to see what they think. Word of mouth is golden.

 

[mvoght]

Thanks. That helps, that and bumping up an OLD thread from Z-Michigan in 2007, which was a comparable property size and usage discussion.

My mechanic, is a neighbor, and has a clear JD bias, in fact, I would only get grief every time he worked on an orange tractor...I'll be honest, due to the mechanic preferences, JD is going into this analysis with a fair amount of bias, from a maintenance standpoint, but I need to go drive them because the hours I spend on the tractor will ultimately outweigh the grief on the maintenance trips or repairs! And if from a petite driver standpoint, one is superior, it will likely win. Of course, my husband is a foot taller than me, so it needs to have some adjustability.

I think I'll go touring dealerships next week, even though I am not in the market to buy for a few months. I need to do my research and then decide if I want to save up and buy outright or finance, or find a used one (a likely possibilty)

The cab sounds nice for winter, I actually like summer heat though, and would need to figure out how much I can open it up!

 

[jenkinsph]

I think you will find all the controls surfaces very easy to reach on the 4520 cab tractor, one of my employee's is about your height and he doesn't have any problems with it. While I like an open station tractor on a nice day the cab really helped out this spring with the dusty environment I had to work in.