First time tractor buyer and realy need help.

[blackrat]

I have 8 acres to keep up and will be adding 3 horses later in the year. I need to be able to do some grading, tilling and cutting. Nothing real major as far as earth moving but I need to be able to landscape. I need something that is also affordable in the $15k range if possible. I have been looking at a New Holland TC30 4wd with a bucket. opinions on this one? Any other suggestions\advice\warnings is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Wade

[roxynoodle]

With horses, you will find the front end loader very useful. Nothing wrong with a New Holland. Might want to look at a few others though too to see if one is a better fit for you than the others.

[Bob_Skurka]

The TC30 is a good basic tractor. But it is very basic compared to many of the more modern models. Nothing wrong with basic because that makes things simple and reliable.

I'd recommend that you visit some of the local dealers in your area. Find a dealer (or 2) that you are comfortable with, that has a good sized service department with trained/certified mechanics. They should have the ability to weld, fix hydraulics (in house) and should be busy but neat and organized. Make sure the parts deparment has a full time employee, or better yet 2 of them. If the service and parts departments are too small then you may find that you will wait for parts and repairs. On the other hand, the giant dealership may not be the best place to shop either as you may not get the personal treatment you might want.

I would only recommend that you stay within a local area in your search for the tractor. This is your first tractor, you may need some extra hand holding for the first couple of years of ownership so having a local dealer will be worth some extra piece of mind.

[GreatWhitehunter]

A tc30 is a great machine for your needs. It's a bare bone tractor with some good options like hst. You should also look at a massey 1533. It's a great comparision machine to the tc30. And then there's always the JD 790.
Personally I think it's a no brainer that the tc30 or the massey would be better but JD makes a rock solid machine so it's worth a look. Good Luck

Matt T.

[Wesdor]

Where are you located? Do you need to consider cold weather use?

You are sure on the right track including a FEL. Also 4wd is a real plus. Like others have said, buy something from a local dealer. In addition, have fun trying them out. Use the machines and see which one feels best to you.

You mention landscaping. I suggest you consider purchasing a box blade and landscape rake to further that need.

Most of all, enjoy the process of choosing a machine that is right for you.

[flusher]

Originally Posted by blackrat

I have 8 acres to keep up and will be adding 3 horses later in the year. I need to be able to do some grading, tilling and cutting. Nothing real major as far as earth moving but I need to be able to landscape. I need something that is also affordable in the $15k range if possible. I have been looking at a New Holland TC30 4wd with a bucket. opinions on this one? Any other suggestions\advice\warnings is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Wade

There are plenty of CUTs with 30-hp engines out there. Shop around.

If your budget includes implements, then the tractor w/FEL needs to come in around $13K.

Figure for grading--box blade 5-ft wide and $400-500

For tilling--rototiller. I bought a used 4-ft Yanmar RS-1200 rototiller for $300 from my local grey market tractor dealer and use it on my 21-hp (engine) Kubota B7510HST/LA302 FEL. A new tiller will cost way over $1K.

For cutting, since you have pasture, probably a 5-ft rotary mower (brush hog) and $800-1000.

[blackrat]

Thanks guys. I am located in Clover SC so the weather stays pretty mild around here. Course in saying that we are in the midst of the coldest weather we have had in several years. But snow and ice are realy rare. As far as the dealer goes there is a good NH and Kubota dealership within about 15 minutes of me. Lastly the $15k was just for the tractor and the FEL. I figured I would buy the other attachments as needed.

The biggest thing I need it for right now is cutting the pasture and smoothing out a couple of gullies\ditches I have.

Thanks
Wade

[daTeacha]

Read a lot of the threads on here. You'll find lots of good advice and some if might actually be useful! From my experience, the FEL is something you'll find indispensible after about 15 minutes of using it. You may want to get a simple back blade since they are a lot less money than a box blade. You will definitely need some serious amount of weight on the back, preferably the rear tires or wheels, to use the FEL safely. Stick with a local, knowledgeable, long established dealership where the people are willing to listen to your novice questions, perhaps smile with you now and then at dumb things you might do, and help you enjoy the world of tractorin'.

The brand doesn't matter a whole lot. Compacts are generally very good machines. Mostly you want to find a dealership run by people who you feel good about and who are willing to spend some time with you in helping you make your choice.

I ended up with a Case from a dealer in the next town over primarily because they treated me so well and their tractor fit my body better than the Kubotas they also sold. The Deere dealer here was very nice, but the machines just didn't seem to be built for my carcass as well as the Case. The others had some features that wouldn't work well for me, like low hanging soft or breakable items that might get damaged in the woods where I spend a lot of my tractor time.

[Poncho]

Blackrat... you may want to also see if the dealers have trade-ins or off-lease equipment. Sometimes there are good deals there. In looking at used equipment, you may want to consider something in the regular "utility" range i.e. Massey Ferguson, Mahindra 4500 etc. I found the sub-compacts with their shorter wheelbases to be real bumpy when not working on real smooth surfaces... it about beat me to death, thank goodness for the seat belt! Our properties sound similar and I currently have a MF 135 and am looking to replace with a MF 543/451 or Mahindra 4500 (sorry, kinda hung on these 2 manufacturers). Both of these new will definatley break your budget new..... but used will probably come close. Good luck and let us know what you get (with pictures of course!)

[Bird]

I have been looking at a New Holland TC30 4wd with a bucket. opinions on this one? Any other suggestions\advice\warnings is greatly appreciated.

All the answers you've gotten so far have been good. I'd just say that for a first time buyer, it's kind of like saying you're a first time pickup buyer and you're looking at a Ford F150. Yep, nice truck, but if you've never owned one before, you might want to go test drive a Chevy, Dodge, maybe even a Toyota and Nissan. They're all good, but personal preference is important. Just as with a pickup or car, a tractor that "feels" good to YOU is a major consideration, in my opinion.

Now I think you're looking at about the right size, and if you're really happy with that New Holland, go for it. And if you have any doubts at all, go test drive the other brands. But for what you say you need to do right away, I'd say you need a 5' rotary cutter (brush hog) and a 5' box blade.