Confused About Sizes?

[Tombo]

Hello,

Been lurking about and doing some research and have become a little confused in the process.

We live on 4 acres, mostly wooded with some lawn and a long driveway. Mrs. Tombo said I could go ahead and get a new toy, er tool to landscape, haul out firewood for the fireplace and do routine driveway maintenance.

My mother-in-law lives next door and she and Mrs. Tombo want a trail through the woods so that Mrs. Tombo Jr. can get to Grandma's house without going in the road.

I have been looking only at Deeres and Kubotas because the dealers for both are nearby. What I am wondering about is the difference between say tractors with 24" rears and those with 16" rears. I like the larger ones because the laws of physics tell me they will pull more before spinning out. They are also wider and since I live on a hill, wide is good. I like the smaller ones for their compact size (I only have a 16' x 16' shed and everything needs to be in it). I am thinking there is no way I am getting a larger size tractor with a loader and hoe in that shed. Hence my dilemma. I know what you are thinking, and were I to come home with two tractors, I would be setting up a bunk in the shed with them. Any feedback would be delightful.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Egon]

Wish I had your problem. Think maybe I'd go for the smaller tractor. Chances are it will do all you wish it to do only a little slower. It may be better for mowing.

Egon

 

[BigGary]

Tombo,
I think that you should size the tractor for your intended use and deal with if it will fit into your shed as another issue.
If you go too small so it will fit that will slap you in the face every time that you use it. For every time someone says that they bought a too big tractor there are dozens that say they bought too small!
If you must, cover it with a good quality cover, not a blue cheepo tarp, until you find the time and means to add onto or better yet build a tractor shed for the new toy, oops, I mean tool and all of the attachments that are soon to follow.
This is the advise that I would give a brother and others may- will have a different view.
Your gonna really enjoy this decision process! You will find no better place to get real information for your asked questions than right here.

 

[getut]

The law of realists state that the 16' x 16' shed will only be a hindrance during the buying process. I would bet money that within a month after the purchase, you will discover how pointless it was to think you would fit all your goodies in there. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Once you have the tractor, you will see how futile it was to limit yourself 16' x 16' with all the implements you'll be getting, easy access in out with the tractor without everything stacked tightly around it (you might scratch it <GASP>).

Crush the realist in you like the insignificant bug that it is, forget the 16' x 16' shed limitation and buy what is going to do the job for you.

Keep it under a tarp if you absolutely have to.. and build something else later. You really will be sorry in the long run if you don't get the correct machine for what you need. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[JimR]

Go fr the larger of the two and build on to your shed.

 

[RalphVa]

If you want a bucket and a hoe and a small tractor, you're gonna probably like the BX 23 or maybe the B7510. JD doesn't put hoes on their smaller models. You have to get into the 2nd frame size of the 4000 series for that. You'll also be getting up probably another $5k above what you can get the BX for.

I didn't like the BX ergonomics, nor the B7510. Went with the JD 4010. If you want to do a lot of finish mowing and need to maneuver around landscaping, the 2210 is probably the better choice in JD. I've read here that the 4010's MMM isn't near as good as the one on the 2210. Also, it doesn't have the precise height adjustment for the MMM that the 2210 has.

I've just a bucket and a bush hog because I only use if for maintaining trails and cutting small meadow areas. I plan to also get a KK carryall for the 3 pt. This plus the bucket and a hitch on the carryall for my Gravely cart will give me lots of carrying capacity for taking mulch down the hill to my big garden that's 100' below the house.

If you don't have a lot of headroom at the entrance to your shed, you'll also want to look more closely at the BX and 4010 or 2210. They're about the only ones in the Kubota/JD choices that have fixed ROPS that are low enough to fit underneath standard doors. My 4010, for instance, will fit inside either my garage space or the basement space of my carriage house. Both these have standard height doors. (Not those big ones to fit the monster SUVs.)

Ralph

 

[Tombo]

Thanks for the advice. My brother-in-law says I should get an L3130 (Kubota), which I kind of admire, but am also enamored by the B7610. I expect I will be using this machine 200 hours or so per year. He lives a mile or so away and has a significant woodlot (40 acres) and a mile long driveway. He burns 4-5 cord of wood and I generally help him out. He wants to get a Farmi winch. I wonder if the smaller sized machines can handle that? Seems like the B series might be better for driving on the lawn?
I have read that numerous tractor owners here on TBN have smaller machines with backhoes and have no complaints. I have a million (so it seems) stumps to get rid of. I will need to dig them out an get them into the back of a 1 ton Chevy dumptruck.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Tombo you are taking a huge leap from a 16" rear tire on a BX up to a L3130 with a Farmi winch!

Here are my thoughts. You have woods and stumps and sound like you will be playing (working) the tractor in the woods. That said, a BX has minimal ground clearance compared to even a small 7510. I think a BX is suitable for 4 acres, but tossing your woods into the mix complicates the issues. So I'd opt for something a bit larger.

The next sizes up would be the B7510 and then the B7610/B2410. Both are going to up the capablilities and will nearly double the ground clearance of a BX. Both will also be small enough to fit into the shed without the BH attached. Up the line is the B7800 or B2910 (being replaced by the improved version in the form of a B3030). Those are fairly small tractors but pack a 30hp engine for plenty of power in a lightweight machines. I don't think either is likely to be considered a logging tractor! If I recall correctly my B2910 is about 15' long with the FEL and a box blade attached.

The L3130 is the best of class roughly 30hp tractor in my mind. Big, brawny, lots of capacity on the FEL & 3pt hitch. And probably the minimum size machine for any serious logging. Too big for mowing your yard, however. (based on what I interpreted to be yard based on your statements above).

JD makes fairly similar sized machines, but I am far less familiar with them.

Now the question is what do you REALLY want to do? And will you be using this tractor with your brother-in-law on his property? And will you be using it next door to maintain that property too? You like the 7610, it is in the middle of the range of machines (between the BX and the L3130) and is small enough for mowing, it is not close to the capacity of the L3130, but on the other hand is much more capable than the BX series tractors. To me that sounds like a pretty good fit, especially if you will drive it a mile to the B-I-L's woods to help out. It's not going to lift up an ancient redwood, but it will lift a lot more than you & your B-I-L could lift without a tractor! On the other hand, a similar size JD (I believe that would be the 4115) will have a stronger FEL with a bit more capacity, if that becomes an issue to you. Not sure which ones can be had with a matching BH.

Good luck in your search.

 

[BigGary]

Tombo,
Digging out stumps is no joke!
You will be able to dig them out with what you are calling a smaller machine or what I would call a sub-compact machine but it will take more time and will be hard on a small machine.
After much resurch I decided that the best compromise, and I truly believe that ALL tractors are a compromise, I selected a JD 4320 with their 448 hoe and a four in one loader bucket.
I also got a JD MX-6 rotary cutter.
It is a 48 HP machine and my second choice would have been a Kabota of about the same size. Digging stumps with this machine is better and faster than a sub compact but still a long way from a construction size back hoe.
Sorry for being long winded but do your self a big favor and decide which machine will do what you want and then get the next size up.
You won't be sorry.

 

[fishman]

Methinks your brother in law has plans of his own for your tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I think you are on the right track for your needs with the 7610, but the 3130 is much more capable.