Help me decide on the proper sized tractor (long)

[DonE]

I've been reading the threads off and on here for some time. Lots of good info here. I need some opinions now, as I am in need of a tractor.

I have 8 acres that I need to care for. Only 2 acres will be grass and that will be my wifes horse pasture. Currently those acres are wood lot which will be cleared and leveled by bulldozer. There will be 4 acres still in wood lot although I have some roads in there and I currently use my atv in there,but will want the tractor to fit in the small paths.

I own a sawmill, so I will want to move saw dust with a FEL as well as clean stalls in the horse barn ( not built yet ).

Any mowing will be minimal in the small pasture, but I'll want a rear finish mower for that. I will probably use the FEL to push logs around on the ground for short distances, but I don't plan on lifting them. There will be alot of general dirt moving and some drainage to put in so a bckhoe will be nice. I have to fence the property so a PHD is needed for sure.

I have been considering BX23 sized machines... I dont care what color it is, but its got to be HST so my wife can clean around her barn ( so I don't have to ). I know a bigger machine would be nice but I don't want to buy a big machine that I only need for a short time. I'm not pressed for time, so if it takes longer to do the same job, that fine with me.

What price range am I talking with this sized machine or whatever you may reccomend.

Thanks in advance

 

[BamaRob]

You didn't mention anything that I don't think my Mahindra 2615 4WD couldn't handle. For that matter, it sounds like a 2015 HST or 2615 HST would be just what you're looking for. I got the 2615 4WD (gear driven) with the FEL for $13,900 about 3 weeks ago.

You may want to check with a dealer for a price on the 2015 HST. It sounds like it'd fit the bill nicely.

BR

 

[Bob_Skurka]

If you want to clean stalls, I would strongly recommend you look at Power Trac tractors, Ventrac Tractors or Steiner Tractors. All 3 brands have machines that are roughly the size of a BX series Kubota, but will out maneuver it and will be able to work inside a barn. You won't get many recommendations for them in the general forums section here on TBN, but I would suggest you post a question in the Power Trac forum here on TBN.

Here are the websites for these tractors:
Steiner Articulated Tractors

Ventrac Articulated Tractors

Power Trac Articulated Tractors

For the types of uses you are talking about, I would probably opt for a Power Trac 422 or 425 as my first choices. These tractors are highly unconventional looking machines, but I think for what you are talking about they really fit the bill. They are the best PH drilling machines I have ever seen. The loaders are somewhat limited in lift height, but that is apparently not an issue with your chores. They will easily get into rough woods that would tip over a regular tractor because they are incredibly stable.

I operate Kubota, New Holland, Ventrac and Cub Cadet machines, the Ventrac will do "figure 8s" on slopes that I am afraid to drive a traditional tractor across. It also gets into areas no other tractor can get into with its relatively tiny turning radius and that will help your wife with her horses.

 

[DonE]

I failed to mention... I'll build the barn to work with whatever tractor I buy.

I had not thought of the articulated tractors... gotta admit, they are the oddest looking things...

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif


I've got one of those odd looking tractors. Really like it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Click on my little animated tractor icon to see more about it, if you like.

Come up with a good list of chores that you need to do and a budget. Then be sure to test drive lots of different brands and sizes to see what suites you best and how that fits with your budget. Adjust tractor size and budget to fit your requirements. Don't forget to budget your time for chores, too. While a small tractor will cost less, a larger tractor might save you time and be worth it in the long run.

Good luck in your search. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

What area of the country are you in? Many times certain areas of the country have different requirements that only local folks will be familiar with. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

When you build the barn, how big of an aisle do you want to have to try to turn the tractor into the stall? Or do you want to muck the stalls by hand and just run down the middle? If it was me, I'd want to work from the tractor seat as much as possible and save my back for fun activities. The bigger the barn aisle, the more property tax you will pay, not to mention heat, lights, etc.

With an articulated tractor you can actually drive into the stalls if you make the door opening about 5'. If you make an exterior door on the stall you can actually drive right through the stalls from the main aisle. Try doing that with a BX tractor, it won't happen unless you end up with 12' to 14' center aisles, and even then you won't be able to actually do anthing other than make the turn and run straight out! My little 24hp New Holland TC class tractor is about 12' long and is not going to turn inside a barn period, now I grant you it is larger than a BX series Kubota, but nobody will convice me that you can work a small tractor in a barn easily if it is not an articulated machine. That is probably why I see 2 types of machines inside barns either articulated tractors or skid steers.

As for being wife friendly, my wife probably has 75% of the hours on our Ventrac. She complains that its colors don't match her summer outfits, but other than that she actually loves to get out and mow (and I am not going to stop her from enjoying her tractor time) /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'm a firm believer in laying out your jobs and then finding the tractor that is best suited to the jobs. For many people I do not push the articulated machines, but your post (and on other recent post this week by another newcomer) screams for a Power Trac tractor.

 

[HomeBrew2]

I sure love my BX23 and like you didn't want something too big ... then again I didn't want to pay more either but I wanted it ALL which meant loader AND backhoe. Depending on where you are the BX seems to be going for $14K~16K. I like that price range cuz it allows me to spend more on implements if need be. Example: The BX bucket is small so I have a dump trailer ordered to haul dirt, gravel, etc on my property from stockpiles ... plus the BX is so light I can use it to haul the tractor too if needed. I think MF makes a comparable TLB but was more than the BX in my area.
Cheers!

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue">...move saw dust with a FEL as well as clean stalls in the horse barn </font>
What size stalls? We have 12' x 12' stalls and short of having one side completely open and a concrete floor, I can not imagine using any kind of tractor to clean a stall. Without one side being open, the odds of damaging one of the walls would appear to be high.

When I clean our stalls, I park the tractor in the aisle (12' wide) with the FEL bucket right at the stall door. I use a standard muck rake and dump the debris into the bucket until it's full then drive the tractor out of the barn and dump it in our dumpster.

Help me understand how you'd use a FEL equipped tractor, PowerTrac or otherwise, to clean a stall. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Mike, the stable my daughter rides at has stalls on the perimeter of the barn as well as 2 interior aisles. They use a small skid steer and drive right into the perimeter stalls and right through them to the outside. The skid steer is a little Thomas unit, they can't get into the interior stalls, as they appear to be a bit smaller. I've only seen them cleaning the stalls that way one time (I rarely am the one who takers her to the stables), but it was something to see and very quick too. I've seen a demonstration of a Ventrac in a stall and it went in took a scoop, and then backed out, dumped into a wagon in the asile and went back in.

 

[DonE]

I intend to build double doors exiting to the outside of the stalls, they could be swung open to expose the entire stall. Cleaned out with the FEL. Doors could be swung closed and secured. Interior isles would be used for feeding and watering and bringing the horses into the stalls.

Also stalls will be several inches deep in sawdust because its free and very plentiful from my sawmill. Not all that heavy even when wet.

This is just a general plan.... I may have to change it when construction starts.