Nanook
New member
I have decided to buy a small tractor. At the moment, I don't really need a tractor on a regular basis, but to rent one is going to cost me almost $350 to $400 per day with a trailer, and I know that I need to do at least 6 to 10 days worth of work on my 1 acre property to get it into a condition where I can sell it for maximum value. I will be selling in the next 1 to 3 years. The next property will be at least 40 acres, so I will definitely need a tractor there. I don't know how much of that next property will be grass and how much will be wooded, or whether I will do some light farming. Obviously, I might have to upgrade when I move, but I doubt if I will have more than 10 acres to mow and if I do "farm" it will probably be limited to an acre or two. (Currently, the garden is a few thousand feet, and I have been using a gas driven tiller, but it is a real pain to use, and I might want to think about a tractor driven tiller. This is especially true since one of the things that I need to do is to completely renovate the lawn, which is about 1 acre. I don't know if that can be done by simply using "weed and feed" and over-seeding, or if I would be better tilling it all and replanting grass.
I also have a whole bunch of small (2-3 inch diameter) black walnut trees that grew out of a burn pile that I did not burn. After cutting these down, I need to dig up the stumps. I also have a few thousand square feet of weed and brush infested area that I need to destroy and replant with grass. I also have a number of arborvitae that needs to be cut down and dug up. Also, my old 20 hp garden tractor is on its last legs, so I will need to use the new tractor to mow. Finally, for power outages, I want to be able to use a pto generator rather than the gas generators that I currently have. I could power everything that I really need with a 7 to 8 kw generator, although the surge could go to 13 to 15 kw, although not likely more than 10 kw. The problem is that I am seeing that 10 kw pto generators, even though they have 20 kw surge ratings, "require" 20 pto hp. That is a severe limitation, since most sub-compact, and even compact, tractors don't support 20 pto hp, although they do cover 17.7 to 19 hp. I suspect that 19 pto hp would work fine with a 10 kw pto generator as long as I don't have surge levels above, say, 12 kw, which is very realistic.
So, what I am wondering is what would be the best Kubota tractor given my situation? Originally, I was looking at the BX25D because it is not too expensive and it will certainly do the mowing, and will probably handle my limited needs for a front end loader and backhoe, and could also be used with a post hole digger and roto-tiller. (I need to install at least 400 feet of fencing and I suspect that my 1-man gas post hole digger may not really be adequate for that much fencing, especially given that my ground is very rocky.) The biggest problem with that unit is that it only has 17.7 pto hp. I suspect this might cause problems with a 10 kw pto generator, even though it will rarely go over 11 kw in a surge condition, and will usually be supplying about 4 kw or less. Does anyone have experience with this? My next candidate is the B2920. This seems to do everything that I might need, and it has 21 pto hp, so it will be enough for a generator. However, I was told today that they are almost impossible to find because of new epa rules pertaining to diesel engines over 25.5 hp. They are no longer made. I don't know if any dealers have any available. (Anyone have one?) Next is the B2620. It seems like it will do all that I need, but it only has 19 pto hp. I suspect that is enough for a 10 kw, or even 12 kw, generator, as long as the surge power does not go above 13 kw or so, which should not be a problem. The next candidate is the B3300SU. This would clearly meet all of my requirements, including having 25 pto hp, which is really nice for generators or if I need larger mowing decks, or whatever, at my next property. The only issue is that this does not have a mid pto. Thus, it cannot use a snow blower (not an issue) or a mid-deck mower. I definitely need a mower, but I don't know the advantages or disadvantages of using a mid-deck mower vs a rotary cutter that is attached to the back of the mower. Given that I have a lot of weeds and brush that needs to be removed, I am thinking that a rotary cutter may be more useful to me than a mid-deck mower, since I can back it into weeds and brush that I could probably not simply drive through. Any thoughts or experience? How do rotary mowers compare to mid-deck mowers in cost, reliability, etc?
The final tractor that I am considering is the B3200HSD. This has it all, including 23 pto hp, but it also has a huge price. I don't know if it is worth the extra price.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I wanted to get as many suggestions as possible and explain my needs as much as possible.
I also have a whole bunch of small (2-3 inch diameter) black walnut trees that grew out of a burn pile that I did not burn. After cutting these down, I need to dig up the stumps. I also have a few thousand square feet of weed and brush infested area that I need to destroy and replant with grass. I also have a number of arborvitae that needs to be cut down and dug up. Also, my old 20 hp garden tractor is on its last legs, so I will need to use the new tractor to mow. Finally, for power outages, I want to be able to use a pto generator rather than the gas generators that I currently have. I could power everything that I really need with a 7 to 8 kw generator, although the surge could go to 13 to 15 kw, although not likely more than 10 kw. The problem is that I am seeing that 10 kw pto generators, even though they have 20 kw surge ratings, "require" 20 pto hp. That is a severe limitation, since most sub-compact, and even compact, tractors don't support 20 pto hp, although they do cover 17.7 to 19 hp. I suspect that 19 pto hp would work fine with a 10 kw pto generator as long as I don't have surge levels above, say, 12 kw, which is very realistic.
So, what I am wondering is what would be the best Kubota tractor given my situation? Originally, I was looking at the BX25D because it is not too expensive and it will certainly do the mowing, and will probably handle my limited needs for a front end loader and backhoe, and could also be used with a post hole digger and roto-tiller. (I need to install at least 400 feet of fencing and I suspect that my 1-man gas post hole digger may not really be adequate for that much fencing, especially given that my ground is very rocky.) The biggest problem with that unit is that it only has 17.7 pto hp. I suspect this might cause problems with a 10 kw pto generator, even though it will rarely go over 11 kw in a surge condition, and will usually be supplying about 4 kw or less. Does anyone have experience with this? My next candidate is the B2920. This seems to do everything that I might need, and it has 21 pto hp, so it will be enough for a generator. However, I was told today that they are almost impossible to find because of new epa rules pertaining to diesel engines over 25.5 hp. They are no longer made. I don't know if any dealers have any available. (Anyone have one?) Next is the B2620. It seems like it will do all that I need, but it only has 19 pto hp. I suspect that is enough for a 10 kw, or even 12 kw, generator, as long as the surge power does not go above 13 kw or so, which should not be a problem. The next candidate is the B3300SU. This would clearly meet all of my requirements, including having 25 pto hp, which is really nice for generators or if I need larger mowing decks, or whatever, at my next property. The only issue is that this does not have a mid pto. Thus, it cannot use a snow blower (not an issue) or a mid-deck mower. I definitely need a mower, but I don't know the advantages or disadvantages of using a mid-deck mower vs a rotary cutter that is attached to the back of the mower. Given that I have a lot of weeds and brush that needs to be removed, I am thinking that a rotary cutter may be more useful to me than a mid-deck mower, since I can back it into weeds and brush that I could probably not simply drive through. Any thoughts or experience? How do rotary mowers compare to mid-deck mowers in cost, reliability, etc?
The final tractor that I am considering is the B3200HSD. This has it all, including 23 pto hp, but it also has a huge price. I don't know if it is worth the extra price.
Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I wanted to get as many suggestions as possible and explain my needs as much as possible.