Deer Camp Tractor?

   / Deer Camp Tractor? #1  

LeadPoison

Gold Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Messages
468
Tractor
Kubota M4900
Well, I have unsuspectingly found myself in the tractor market and am really looking forward to it!

I do need a little guidance in a couple of areas.

First off let me tell you what I got as far as the land. My family owns one tract of land that has approximately 30 acres of fields and trails to bushhog, disc and plant with corn in the spring and with rye grass in the fall. The total size of the property is 520 acres and is super flat. Manuverability is an issue down certain trails.

I have also acquried another 80 acre tract this year. I want to plant it the same. It's total area for planting is 12 acres. Fields are flat, but I have two creek crossings that are a moderately steep. There is also a moderately steep long climb in the back trail which leads down a more severe decline to a field. I know a tractor will get back there as it has been done by the previous owner.

So here are the million dollar questions:

How many ponies do I need?

Four wheel drive?

Transmission?

Implements and size? (for corn planting too)

I don't really see a need for an FEL, but talk me into it.

Reliability and price are my biggest concerns (in that order.)

I figure NH, MF, JD, Kubota are proven workhorses, but am curious about Mahindra. My only concern with Mahindra is part availability and a close dealer.

I am located in Southeast Louisiana and my property is in Southern Mississippi.

Final Question: What price range am I looking at? I have a feeling I may have to go used if it's too bad.

So let me know what you guys think. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor? #2  
My FIRST answer is a question. You mentioned budget. What do YOU have in mind as far as a total expendature (tractor and equipment)?

Sounds like you could use a tractor with a little "heft" to it. Chores I see you doing; Bush hogging, some tillage (food plots), planting, dragging a few logs/downed trees from time to time, and some trail/road repair.

I'd look into 35 to 40 HP as a minimum. Beyond compacts, look at "utility" type farm tractors. I'd say you want something close to the ground, as opposed to a high clearance "row crop" farm tractor with all the creek crossings. (Keep it safe!)

In the "older" tractors, I like John Deere or Massey Ferguson for this size tractor, with Ford as a third option. New? Well.... There's a dozen good choices.

Implements? A good medium or heavy duty bush hog that's the same width or SLIGHTLY wider than the tractor. You want one that will mow out the tractors width, but that will fit through trails. I'd say you're a good candidate for a box blade. Tillage for the food plots? EITHER/OR/AND a tiller, or a plow and disc, (or even a plow and tiller) Corn needs a row crop planter to do well. Older ones are hard to come by in 2-row configuration. I'd suggest Deere #71's. Parts still available from Deere. You can also still buy them NEW from Yetter Manufacturing. They built these units for Deere (under contract) for years. Deere dropped them a few years back, and Yetter picked up the sales rights. The rye can be planted with a "spinner" type fertilizer spreader. You'll probably want one of those anyway. Food plots do better with a little "food" themselves.

Loaders are as handy, maybe even MORE handy than a shirt pocket. By your post, I'd say you already know that and want one. All I can say is, I wouldn't dream of being without one (or two!)

A 3-point "carry-all" is a nice item to have also. Cheap and very handy.

I look at 4WD as a saftey item as much as a practical item. If the money's there, go for it!

And that's just the basics. I'm quite sure there's a dozen MORE things to add to the list.
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor? #3  
Farmwithjunk provided some good input and has a lot more experience tractoring than me (I'm assuming from the insightfulness of his post, plus I've only had my own tractor for a couple of months /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif).

The only thing I'd add is this... if you decide to go new, get lots of time in the seat test driving all brands/models that you are interested in. Give lots of consideration to the dealer. Many here would recommend you find dealer you can work with that has a good reputation, then decide on a model from his inventory.

I'd definitely recommend getting a loader. If you get it now, the cost can be included in the financing. Buy it later, and you'll likely have to pay cash for it. During my limited time owning a FEL, I've found uses I'd never thought about before. I couldn't imagine being without the FEL now.

You mentioned Mahindra, so I'll say that the 4110 seems to be a popular model for your intended applications. I have a forester/wildlife biologist friend that runs 2 or 3 4110's in his consulting business. They get heavy use clearing trails, planting foodplots, spraying herbicides, etc. He loves them and recommended the brand to me. I just couldn't justify the 4110 since I have access to my dad's 72 HP Ford 5900. So, I went with the smaller 2615 4WD for more manueverablilty in the woods.

Good luck and keep us posted,

BR
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor?
  • Thread Starter
#4  
My range ideally would be $15K, but I want all the tractor I will need. In other words I want to do this right the first time.

The creek crossings are dry 95% of the time and have rocks for traction.

I had a 35-40 HP tractor in mind from the get go.

There is a MF and Kubota dealer near me for ease of parts and service. I am not sure about a Mahindra dealer, but I think there is one near Baton Rouge.

I do want something with a good warranty and reliabilty first and foremost. Second ease of maintenance and parts, then price.

Also what type of transmission?

So, where is a good place to start?
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor? #5  
When I was looking I started here as well as the web sites of all the brands listed here. It's hard to tell what you'll need if you've never done any tractoring. I would go to the different sections here and read about the models they offer and see what people are doing with them. It will give you a better idea of what you might need. HST is a little easier to learn for us new guys while your figuring out the FIL and rear attachments. Gear isn't all that big a deal either, but I really like the HST on my tractor. So dig around and see what you can find, I looked for a year before I bought anything.
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor? #6  
$15K is gonna be hard to get the FEL with a 35-40HP tractor unless you go grey market. Support is the issue with grey market. FEL is HIGHLY recommended, just read some of the forums on FEL use. There are enough reasons!

With that in mind, what you want to do and with some of the suggestions made, I would highly recommend a Kioti CK30. Not because I own one but for the reliability, cost and size!
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor? #7  
hey leadpoison, i'm from roughly the same area as you (East Feliciana) and my land (42 acres) is very similar to what you described. I just bought a Deere 5103 (50hp, 42@pto) from Evergreen Tractor in Covington. Very nice people! I paid 12,500 for the tractor and 1,200 for a mid duty 6ft bushhog. The loader was about 4,500. It will be hard to stay close to 15 for a good tractor with a lot of options. My 5103 is 2wd and does fine on hard groung. I've never really put it in the mud.
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
DeereFan,

I am real close to you. Our property is located between Woodville and Natchez and the 520 acres is 20 miles east of Brookhaven.

I will keep that dealer in mind if I decide to check out the JDs.

Does anyone know where I can learn more about the transmissions and different types of shifts online? Mainly what they are and what is best for me.
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor? #9  
Hi Lead, I am currently going through the same issue as you. First time tractor buyer for managing food plots, bush hogging, some interior road maintenance. I have decided to go with the Kioti CK30 w/ FEL. After thorough research, I have found it does everything (and more) than I need on 84 acres, about 10 acres of which is food plots. Best buy for the money, and is comfortable to sit on and operate vs. the Kubota. I didn't like the Kub controls for the FEL at all. I also bought a bunch of other implements, as well. Good luck on the big buck!
 
   / Deer Camp Tractor?
  • Thread Starter
#10  
What price did you get on your Kioti?
 
 
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