RAMARSDEN
New member
This site is GREAT! I recently bought 20 acres, part mountain/canyon, part gentle sloping meadow, and have plans to build a new home for myself and my wife next year. There's a sandy dirt road up the mountain (5-12 %) which needs repair and maintenance, and a lot of construction, fencing, and landscape related work ahead.
Long term, I'll be doing routine maintenance, forest management, drainage, etc.. I plan to buy a tractor with a loader and box scraper, and rent things like post hole digger and chipper/shredder as needed (at least at first). After initial landscape and construction is over, my usage will be occasional.
Researching this, I find the options mind boggling. Can you folks help me? I want a powerful unit with strong lifting and dragging capability, at least through the first few years, and then I'll decide whether to sell it and scale down or not. I want good resale value and low maintenance. I can afford to spend 20K if necessary, but I'd want to be able to get most of it back in three years if I sell. I am an inveterate buyer of newer used cars, trucks, and boats, and I'd prefer to buy used as long as it isn't a total crap shoot. I have never used a tractor, but I have construction experience, am mechanical, and good with tools.
Intended Uses:
Lifting/moving earth, gravel, yard waste, etc.
Mowing two acre meadow 2x per year.
Lifting lumber piles with forks.
Grading dirt road.
Post holes.
Chipping forest refuse and deadfall.
I'm looking at a used 2004 Kubota L3130 GST with new loader, digital dash, canopy, R4 tires, 112 hrs, in great shape, 500 miles away for $17,900, no tax. (est. $400.00 shipping). Would need to add box scraper.
I've seen lower prices on B2910, Kioti LB 1914, Deere 790, Deere 4210, etc., as well as much older equipment for much less. Don't know where to start.
Also, there are loads of brands with oriental names I've never heard of, like Hinomoto, Iseki, Shibaura, Suzue, etc., with used prices in the 5-10K range: Do I want to get into smething like that? Is parts/maintenance/repair a problem with these?
Zen-noh appears to be built by Kubota, but I assume there's a difference. The prices are attractive, and there are a fair number available. Worth a look?
Your comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Randy Marsden
Santa Cruz, CA
Long term, I'll be doing routine maintenance, forest management, drainage, etc.. I plan to buy a tractor with a loader and box scraper, and rent things like post hole digger and chipper/shredder as needed (at least at first). After initial landscape and construction is over, my usage will be occasional.
Researching this, I find the options mind boggling. Can you folks help me? I want a powerful unit with strong lifting and dragging capability, at least through the first few years, and then I'll decide whether to sell it and scale down or not. I want good resale value and low maintenance. I can afford to spend 20K if necessary, but I'd want to be able to get most of it back in three years if I sell. I am an inveterate buyer of newer used cars, trucks, and boats, and I'd prefer to buy used as long as it isn't a total crap shoot. I have never used a tractor, but I have construction experience, am mechanical, and good with tools.
Intended Uses:
Lifting/moving earth, gravel, yard waste, etc.
Mowing two acre meadow 2x per year.
Lifting lumber piles with forks.
Grading dirt road.
Post holes.
Chipping forest refuse and deadfall.
I'm looking at a used 2004 Kubota L3130 GST with new loader, digital dash, canopy, R4 tires, 112 hrs, in great shape, 500 miles away for $17,900, no tax. (est. $400.00 shipping). Would need to add box scraper.
I've seen lower prices on B2910, Kioti LB 1914, Deere 790, Deere 4210, etc., as well as much older equipment for much less. Don't know where to start.
Also, there are loads of brands with oriental names I've never heard of, like Hinomoto, Iseki, Shibaura, Suzue, etc., with used prices in the 5-10K range: Do I want to get into smething like that? Is parts/maintenance/repair a problem with these?
Zen-noh appears to be built by Kubota, but I assume there's a difference. The prices are attractive, and there are a fair number available. Worth a look?
Your comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Randy Marsden
Santa Cruz, CA