Comparison Best first tractor?

[bmbvideo]

Okay, so I know nothing about tractors. Never owned one, never used one. My wife and I now own 10+ acres, and want to get our first tractor. We've been mowing about 2 acres of it with a regular lawn mower, and letting the rest go - so it's time for something more.

Our requirements are:
- 8 or so acres are open field. I'd like to mow about 2 acres weekly, and somehow keep the rest down - maybe bush hog every few weeks?
- We have a number of limestone outcroppings hiding in the field. So I don't want to bust up whatever I use by going over rocks. I'll try to avoid them as much as possible, but it is inevitable that some will be hiding behind tall grass and will go under the tractor here and there.
- I'd like to be able to scoop up dirt, and move loads of it around (we've got some holes I intend to fill with some fill dirt, etc)

So based on that... I think the attachments I need are a bush hog, mowing deck, and bucket of some kind? But even those have so many brands and options... Which should I go for?

We obviously want something affordable, low maintenance (so likely new), and easy to use since this is our first and we'll be learning as we go.

The John Deere 1 Family looks interesting... Would that work for us? The 2 family also looks nice, but is double the price, and my inexperienced-ness I can't see any difference between the two? And why is the 3 Family cheaper than the 2 Family, if it is a higher model?

Help please!!

 

[Tractorable]

This is going to be fun. I see you're in the great state of Virginia, just down the road from me. I'm about to head off to work so will have to loop back into this later.

 

[LindenBruce]

Take a look at tractor house dot com. You can select tractors by HP range and look at the different brands and start comparing from there. You are prolly looking for a subcompact then? In the 22-24hp range? Lots of good choices. Test drive as many different brands as possible. The biggies being Massey, Mahindra, Branson, New Holland, Kioti, kubota, John Deere, Case and a bunch of others. Bruce

TractorHouse.com | Less Than 4� HP Tractors For Sale - 7741 Listings

 

[clevalley]

Okay, so I know nothing about tractors. Never owned one, never used one. My wife and I now own 10+ acres, and want to get our first tractor. We've been mowing about 2 acres of it with a regular lawn mower, and letting the rest go - so it's time for something more.

Our requirements are:
- 8 or so acres are open field. I'd like to mow about 2 acres weekly, and somehow keep the rest down - maybe bush hog every few weeks?
- We have a number of limestone outcroppings hiding in the field. So I don't want to bust up whatever I use by going over rocks. I'll try to avoid them as much as possible, but it is inevitable that some will be hiding behind tall grass and will go under the tractor here and there.
- I'd like to be able to scoop up dirt, and move loads of it around (we've got some holes I intend to fill with some fill dirt, etc)

So based on that... I think the attachments I need are a bush hog, mowing deck, and bucket of some kind? But even those have so many brands and options... Which should I go for?

We obviously want something affordable, low maintenance (so likely new), and easy to use since this is our first and we'll be learning as we go.

The John Deere 1 Family looks interesting... Would that work for us? The 2 family also looks nice, but is double the price, and my inexperienced-ness I can't see any difference between the two? And why is the 3 Family cheaper than the 2 Family, if it is a higher model?

Help please!!

I like the Mahindra line - I am having a bit of a fit with my PTO but it happens to be the tractor I got, no biggie, they are taking care of me. For the price point and what you get (HP, weight, features) it is worth the money. My dealer is great and service is incredible. Best advice I can give is shop for your dealer first and research their service department; talk with neighbors and see what shops are good to deal with and which ones to stay away from. I deal with Cecil Tractors in Warrenton, Va - incredible dealer. I could tell you my story over a couple of beers and you will quickly realize why I will stick with them. If you want to talk to someone there send me a PM and I will be glad to pass you some names and numbers. I could have gotten the tractor cheaper somewhere else, but man their service is top notch. You also have Specialized Saw and Mower in Salem Va which I think is closer to you - don't know much about them but I did call and speak with Scott Laughon over the phone about some implements when we first moved out here - really nice guy to talk with but can't speak about their service department.

My father in law is on 10 acres and has a ~30 HP tractor (old Kubota), does everything he wants it to do. He runs a finish mower and we spray herbicide around the rock obstacles the Blue Ridge Mountains have given us. I would look in the 30 - 40hp range (40hp being the upper limit) with a loader and rotary cutter. In our region you DEFINITELY WANT 4wd. If you have hills to mow you want the weight and HP... this is what I have found.

A horse farm we go to just picked up a JD 3038e - I played with it the other day and it seems like a really decent tractor. It 'aint the fanciest tractor in the world but it moved what they wanted it to. They had a 5' rotary cutter on it and it was knocking big stuff down like no ones buisiness. They put a 6' rotary on it and it did just fine (Medium Duty). They have a 6' finish mower they use for horse paddocks and it was mowing the grass beautifully.

If it was me, I'd get your tractor and keep cutting your 2 acres with the riding mower then eventually get a zero turn for the 2 acres or finish mower for whatever tractor you buy - you can cut a lot with a finish mower staying away from obstacles and may be able to expand your 2 acres to finish mowing and occasionally toss on the rotary cutter to get what you let go.

This is going to be fun. I see you're in the great state of Virginia, just down the road from me. I'm about to head off to work so will have to loop back into this later.

Ha! You are literally right up the road from me! My in-laws and uncle are in Hume - we are in Flint Hill.

 

[redman135]

bmbvideo, Re the rock outcrops ,limestone out crops tend to be like icebergs, most of it is under ground. If it can be hidden in the grass then put a post in as a permanent marker, it will give you peace of mind.
Which tractor is best is simple and frustrating to newbys. It is the one whose DEALER delivers the best service AND advice, both in selecting the right sizeand model tractor, attatchment choice, and operational advice to prevent expensive mistakes and keep you safe. Doing it this way you will find the brand best for you.

 

[Grandad4]

Would suggest you think about something larger than the subcompact Deere 1 model you mentioned, to give you better ground clearance. Whatever you've got lurking unseen in your brush will not be friendly to the undersides of your equipment. A larger tractor will also be more effective in dislocating and moving some of the rocks, although you will probably find many that cannot be moved. It's also often said that going larger than you planned is wise because the amount of work is inevitably greater than anticipated.

As for brands, you usually get lots of advice to buy the tractor the other guy bought because he's happy with what he bought. It ends up being a Ford vs. Chevy thing, and, truth be told, pretty much all brands make decent equipment. It's good advice about finding a good dealer to guide you - as a first time buyer - and to be there if service is needed.

 

[tcreeley]

25 hp will be the best value. I have a 30 hp which is fine for snow, gravel, plowing/tilling/harrowing garden, etc. 60 inch bucket loader and a 60" bush hog. Orange and green tractors are the expensive colors. Red, blue, white tend to be cheaper in price, but just as good in quality. All tractors today are foreign made. South Korea, Japan, India and less known Chinese models.
If you do your own work- don't worry about a dealer. Parts are available online. I bought used and 5 years later still haven't needed a dealer.

Everybody says buy bigger. - 40, 50, 60+ hp! It is your money they are spending! Craigslist is a good source for used implements - finish mower, bush hog etc.

LS is a good tractor - XG Series | LS Tractor

Where you are new to tractors and both of you plan to use it, I'd avoid the manual gear tractors and go with the hydrostatic tractors.

 

[millsan1]

My advice is to listen to go one size bigger than you think you need, at least.

I started with a Kubota BX25. Same boat as you, no idea what I wanted, never owned one.

The BX25 was great. I loved it. After the newness of having a tractor wore off, it became clear to me that I bought too small.

I ended up with a Mahindra 2538 Cab, 2 years after the BX.

One upside of the BX, though, is the huge aftermarket for it.

 

[Tractorable]

I recently bought a similar eight acre property in Virginia. I bought a JD X590 for the 1.5 acre lawn, and and 1952 8N for the fields. I plan to upgrade the 8N to a 35ish horsepower CUT when the time comes, either a Kubota L series or a Yanmar YT235.

 

[ProjectKing]

L series Kubota. I would avoid Deere. Not sure about the other brands.