Hobby Farm Options

[BungeeII]

Guys and Gals, I've been a lurker for years and have happily been using my old ford 860 with an 830 loader. This year I don't have time to wait for this thing to cooperate. With a new house going in and all the other work that needs done, I need a machine that I can climb on and get things done. In the past week, I've spent 20 hours under the hood and 20 hours working. Not good.

Anyhow, I've called around to local dealers (support is a huge issue, as I'm buying new because I don't want to work on them anymore) and this is what I've come up with.

(10 acre hobby farm with an orchard, several barns and animals. New home on property with pretty much everything neglected for the past 10 years.)

Tractors I've come up with as potential options;
Kub L4400 manual gearbox 4wd w/loader. $19,500 ($19,900 at 2nd dealer)
NH TC40 12x12 shuttle, 4wd w/loader. $21,000
MF 1533 4wd, loader, shuttle $17,900
MF 1540 ditto $19,900
JD 990 @ $19,700
JD 5103 2wd, 9x3, loaded tires, loader @ $18,100

We're going to want to maintain the orchard area, as well as all of the landscaping around the new build and rennovations of barns. Then there's the normal bushhogging, plowing and discing of pasture and garden.

Is there one that will work best? Is there any that I should take of the list?

 

[BungeeII]

Guys and Gals, I've been a lurker for years and have happily been using my old ford 860 with an 830 loader. This year I don't have time to wait for this thing to cooperate. With a new house going in and all the other work that needs done, I need a machine that I can climb on and get things done. In the past week, I've spent 20 hours under the hood and 20 hours working. Not good.

Anyhow, I've called around to local dealers (support is a huge issue, as I'm buying new because I don't want to work on them anymore) and this is what I've come up with.

(10 acre hobby farm with an orchard, several barns and animals. New home on property with pretty much everything neglected for the past 10 years.)

Tractors I've come up with as potential options;
Kub L4400 manual gearbox 4wd w/loader. $19,500 ($19,900 at 2nd dealer)
NH TC40 12x12 shuttle, 4wd w/loader. $21,000
MF 1533 4wd, loader, shuttle $17,900
MF 1540 ditto $19,900
JD 990 @ $19,700
JD 5103 2wd, 9x3, loaded tires, loader @ $18,100

We're going to want to maintain the orchard area, as well as all of the landscaping around the new build and rennovations of barns. Then there's the normal bushhogging, plowing and discing of pasture and garden.

Is there one that will work best? Is there any that I should take of the list?

 

[coasterez]

Why limit yourself to just those 4 manufacturers. There are good tractors to be had from: Kioti, Mahindra, TYM, Case IH, and others that you should also consider (maybe you did and ruled them out). With these, might get more tractor for same money, or similar tractor for less money.

 

[coasterez]

Why limit yourself to just those 4 manufacturers. There are good tractors to be had from: Kioti, Mahindra, TYM, Case IH, and others that you should also consider (maybe you did and ruled them out). With these, might get more tractor for same money, or similar tractor for less money.

 

[Bird]

In my opinion, those are all good tractors. For me, personally, I'd want a hydrostatic transmission because your description of the property sounds as if there will be a lot of maneuvering, changing directions, etc. and the HST is just quicker and easier. But if you prefer manual transmissions, there's nothing wrong with that. You just need to try out each of those tractors a little bit and buy the one you find the most comfortable.

 

[Bird]

In my opinion, those are all good tractors. For me, personally, I'd want a hydrostatic transmission because your description of the property sounds as if there will be a lot of maneuvering, changing directions, etc. and the HST is just quicker and easier. But if you prefer manual transmissions, there's nothing wrong with that. You just need to try out each of those tractors a little bit and buy the one you find the most comfortable.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red"> I've called around to local dealers (support is a huge issue, as I'm buying new because I don't want to work on them anymore) . . .

Is there one that will work best? Is there any that I should take of the list? </font>

Don't take any tractors off your list, take DEALERS off your list. Which dealer did you like the least? Which dealer do you think has the inferior reputation in your area? (actually I would take any tractor off the list if it did not have 4wd)

Pretty much any brand of tractor and any comparable model can do any job of any other brand. But the dealer often makes a big difference.

After you eliminate a dealer or two, you will still be left with a couple of choices. Go back to the dealers you think are the better dealers and play with the tractors that are left for consideration. See which tractor fits you best. Which one is the most comfortable? Do you feel cramped on any of them? Do you have good forward visiblity? Does the seat swivel so you can see the rear? Do the hand controls feel natural to you? Does the machine shift easily? With the loader on, can you exit/enter the seat from both sides? Do any of the remaining machines have extendable lower links to make implement changes easier?


BTW, I think it is good that you called all the local dealers in your area. So many people get set on buying a brand before they even put their butts in a tractor seat. Let your gut and your butt be the biggest factors. If you get down to 2 choices that seem comparable, then look at the spec sheets to help you out, but realize the spec sheets are often more confusing and have misleading numbers on them.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red"> I've called around to local dealers (support is a huge issue, as I'm buying new because I don't want to work on them anymore) . . .

Is there one that will work best? Is there any that I should take of the list? </font>

Don't take any tractors off your list, take DEALERS off your list. Which dealer did you like the least? Which dealer do you think has the inferior reputation in your area? (actually I would take any tractor off the list if it did not have 4wd)

Pretty much any brand of tractor and any comparable model can do any job of any other brand. But the dealer often makes a big difference.

After you eliminate a dealer or two, you will still be left with a couple of choices. Go back to the dealers you think are the better dealers and play with the tractors that are left for consideration. See which tractor fits you best. Which one is the most comfortable? Do you feel cramped on any of them? Do you have good forward visiblity? Does the seat swivel so you can see the rear? Do the hand controls feel natural to you? Does the machine shift easily? With the loader on, can you exit/enter the seat from both sides? Do any of the remaining machines have extendable lower links to make implement changes easier?


BTW, I think it is good that you called all the local dealers in your area. So many people get set on buying a brand before they even put their butts in a tractor seat. Let your gut and your butt be the biggest factors. If you get down to 2 choices that seem comparable, then look at the spec sheets to help you out, but realize the spec sheets are often more confusing and have misleading numbers on them.

 

[BungeeII]

Minot is the only other tractor that I could find inside of a 30 minute drive. Then again, that's only the TSC. Lord only knows if/where service is from. They mentioned there is supposed to be a really good warranty, but I have no idea where the service location is. As for some of the off-brand stuff, there is a Branson and McCormick dealer about 100 miles away. There's also a case dealer pushing 100 miles. Then, there's the Cub Cadets that I can get relatively locally. Maybe I'll check into their models. (Then again, that dealer has a miserable reputation.)

 

[BungeeII]

Minot is the only other tractor that I could find inside of a 30 minute drive. Then again, that's only the TSC. Lord only knows if/where service is from. They mentioned there is supposed to be a really good warranty, but I have no idea where the service location is. As for some of the off-brand stuff, there is a Branson and McCormick dealer about 100 miles away. There's also a case dealer pushing 100 miles. Then, there's the Cub Cadets that I can get relatively locally. Maybe I'll check into their models. (Then again, that dealer has a miserable reputation.)