New Compact / sub Compact Tractor Purchase

[Bricklin]

I am new to this site, so thanks to the people that are running it!
I have a whole 1/2 acre property that I will be re-landscapping over the next couple of years. I have a large patio that I will be installing, regrading the yard, droping some trees and clearing brush.

I know it is probably overkill to purchase a tractor for these tasks, but I am not a firm believer in renting equipment since it forces you to be on a set time frame to complete tasks.

I have looked at what I believe to be the top 5 brands of tractors with front end loaders. JD, Massey, Kubota, New holland, and Cub Cadet. The JD and the Massey seem to be the better of the sub Compacts, looking at the JD 2305 and the Massey GC2300. They are both about the same price at 12000.

What I am asking for is some advice on the different tractors in my list, do you think that the cheaper Kubota 2300, and Cub 5234D are good enough for what I want to do? They are about 10,500 compared to the JD and Massey at 12000. I have pretty much taken the New Holland Tz series off my list because it is more expensive and can not use the same amount of potential attachments as the other tractors.

Since I have never had a tractor and did not grow up using them I am a complete newbie to this. Any advice that anyone would like to give me would be greatly appreciated. I was also wondering about the book on this web site for sale and if it was worth looking into purchasing.

Thanks again for any help.
Kurt

 

[Bird]

Kurt, I got Muhammad's book a long time ago, and yes, I think you'll find it worth buying. As for the tractors you mentioned; that's kind of like asking whether you should buy a Ford, Chevy, GMC, or Dodge pickup. They're all good; buy the one you like best, or buy from the dealer you like best, or buy the one your wife likes best, and I'll bet you'll be happy with it. Chances are you'll need little, if any, service from the dealer, but I like to buy from a dealer that has decent service and parts departments, just in case. Otherwise, I'd go for the one with the best price.

 

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I have pretty much taken the New Holland Tz series off my list because it is more expensive and can not use the same amount of potential attachments as the other tractors.
Thanks again for any help.
Kurt )</font>

As far as it being overkill for 1/2 acre, absolutely not. If you want one get it.

All of the above tractors will do the work you want, including the New Holland TZ series. I don't understand your statement as it not being able to do what the others can do. I beleive it can do anything the others can do.

If I was you, I would start looking at dealers and pricing. I think you will find most here put more emphasis in dealer than color or brand. Once you have a dealer you know you can trust and will take care of you after the sale, that is the brand I would go with. Which one do you feel the most comfortable on and yes your budget. To answer your question, all will work just fine. Options, Horsepower will dictate that time it takes to do a task.

murph

 

[gamble77]

If you could post where you are located then that would help many of us give you and idea of whether or not the pricing you have recieved is in line...good luck shoping!

 

[tracdoc]

You may want to take a look at an alternative to the mainstream units. It's called the Power Trac {HERE} They are made in the USA (Tazewell, VA) by a company that has been making articulated mining equipment for years. These units are tough--- no plastic or flimsy sheet. They are made almost entirely of plate steel, and can withstand rugged use. Many of the smaller models are used daily by professional landscapers.

For projects of the type as you describe and 1/2 acre, one of the first three models (180, 422 or 425) could be a sweet fit. They have awesome quick-attach implements, and PT makes some 30+ attachemnts for most models. All the attachments go up front where you can see them as they are working-- just like a skid steer.

Check out the Power Trac Forum on TBN, too. You'll find a bunch of happy owners who have done some incredible projects with their machines.

Happy hunting!

 

[Bricklin]

Thanks for all the input, I am in Albany NY.

 

[RedRocker]

Buy the tractor you like then buy more land till it fits. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Seriously, a good dealer is more important than brand usually, if it's a tossup, go with the dealer you like.

 

[44trxfun]

Sounds like you're getting good advice here. I've had my Massey GC2300 for a little over two years. No problems with it, but check my posts for a little of my "buyers remorse"--most (but not all) not the usual type but the type that comes from not thinking of all the things I'd want to do with it. Time after time, I wish I'd gotten something with a backhoe. At that time, the GC2310 wasn't out. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions about the GC2300.

 

[frank_f15]

have you actually sat on the seats and tried them out? best to do so then pick the one that fits you est. they are all good machines.

 

[jim_wilson]

The first thing that I would recommend doing is to try and come up with a good list of exactly what you plan on doing to the property and what attachments on the tractor you think you will need to do each one. For instance you can pretty much guarantee that you will want a loader on the tractor. But if you are thinking of planting trees (IE digging holes) you could accomplish that with either a post hole digger - or a backhoe. Putting in any drainage ditches - you would need a backhoe. You mentioned putting in a patio - are you in an area that has big rocks? If so you will want a backhoe to get the rocks out of the ground - the FEL will not always work.

Like you I also have just a 1/2 acre lot - last year I bought a Kubota BX23, and I have used the tractor a LOT since then. I have put in a new driveway and this summer's project was to dig out a foundation hole to put in a new garage. So far I have about 330 hours on the tractor. I have also used it for clearing the snow of the driveway last winter (we got a lot), digging a pit to put in a slab for a set of new front steps, digging up a number of stumps from trees we cut down (backhoe job),and digging some trenches for drainage. I even used the backhoe to bury one of our pets who passed away this spring.

Like you I have gone the rental route before and decided against because my time is limited and the rental costs add up quickly if you can't use the equipment to it's full capacity while you have it. In my opinion you should consider what I believe to be the top three in the SubCUT line:

Kubota
John Deere
Massey Ferguson

If you think you want a backhoe the Kubota BX23 and the Massey GC2310 are the only ones that come from the factory with a backhoe attachment. You can get a John Deere 2305 and put a Woods Groundbreaker backhoe on it and get a very similar setup with equal capacity and convienience of changeover. I am a little bit biased for the BX because I have one but when I went looking I seriously considered the GC2310. For me the JD 2210 was out because there was no backhoe available at the time. The JD 2305 (2210 replacement) has one big advantage over the other SubCUT's that you might conside - the FEL bucket has a quick attach feature on it. What this means is that you can swap a set of forklift arms, a snow plow, different buckets, etc. onto the FEL instead of being stuck with just the standard bucket. The other SubCUT's do not have this. If you can wait for a little while Kubota is also coming out with the latest updates to the BX line. There is a new BX1850 and a new BX24 in the works - updates include curved loader arms, increased capacities, a curved backhoe boom on the BX24, industrial tires will be available now, etc.

I never had a tractor before either and I did not grow up around them - keep posting your questions here, you will learn a lot.