Buying land, Need Tractor

[thunderworks]

With all due respect to Farmwithjunk, I'm with Dargo on the question of 2wd vs. 4wd. I think Farmwithjunk could probably accomplish a lot more with minimal equipment than most of us. He has a lifetime of experience. The original poster is in his own words, a "city slicker". I think the 4wd adds a safety margin for a variety of tasks, whether it's mowing on slopes or using the FEL. One of the tasks I do with my FEL (with a brush grapple attached) is deal with large brush burn piles in the winter. I prefer to burn when there is snow on the ground, or at the very least, when it's wet in the winter. Several times I've pushed brush into the pile and nearly got stuck in the mud next to the burning pile . . . without 4wd it's entirely possible I could have had a dangerous problem.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

In a quarter century of using loaders on tractors, I have to say that I couldn't disagree more. If you are just going to mow, you don't need to spend the money for an FEL and, depending on your land, you may not need 4wd. If you're going to spend the money on an FEL, well, you know. The only way you'll know is to go try to use a 2wd one with a load in the bucket.

Why doesn't it suprise me you disagree???? We seem to disagree on quite a bit.

It was more than your "quarter century" ago when I bought, then sold off my first MFWD tractor. I didn't need it then and I don't really see the need now. As I mentioned previously, I used a 2wd loader tractor on the farm for over 35 years. It saw literally thousands of hours of use. Never really felt the need for more than 2wd. And that was use in a feed lot (w/ wet manure), feeding cattle in wintertime conditions, and building a driveway by dredging gravel from a creek bed. So I piled up hours in some of the most adverse conditions a tractor is apt to see. Where I live is about as hilly as land gets.

By the way, I just bought a used "4wd" Kubota yesterday afternoon. (7510) It has a loader. It's being re-sold. I don't need it. Gonna find a buyer who THINKS he does.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

With all due respect to Farmwithjunk, I'm with Dargo on the question of 2wd vs. 4wd. I think Farmwithjunk could probably accomplish a lot more with minimal equipment than most of us. He has a lifetime of experience. The original poster is in his own words, a "city slicker". I think the 4wd adds a safety margin for a variety of tasks, whether it's mowing on slopes or using the FEL. One of the tasks I do with my FEL (with a brush grapple attached) is deal with large brush burn piles in the winter. I prefer to burn when there is snow on the ground, or at the very least, when it's wet in the winter. Several times I've pushed brush into the pile and nearly got stuck in the mud next to the burning pile . . . without 4wd it's entirely possible I could have had a dangerous problem.

The OP isn't even sure he wants (or needs ) a loader. Like I said, 4wd is nice, but just not as much a required feature as is often thought. It's just one of those things that a person can do without, especially so when it comes to working with-in a budget.

 

[Baucom]

I generally would advocate avoiding as much debt as possible, but if you're financing (and especially if buying new w/ the great rates available now), then this is the time to get the things that you would like on a tractor--MFWD, FEL, extra remotes, etc.

With the projects you're planning, I would buy a good utility tractor, 50-60 hp. Generally these work out to be a better "value" than large CUTs. Kubota M series, JD 5xxx, NH, MF, Kioti, Mahindra, etc...weed out the brands for whom you can't find a GOOD dealer that's close enough for your satisfaction. All of the major brands build fine machines, unless you get a lemon (from any brand) your satisfaction will come from picking the right features when you buy and dealer service after the sale.

 

[BarryinMN]

Back to the thread.

I was/is one of those city slickers. The farm has had 2wd tractors here since the 40's. Still does.

My take on the problem with the old machines is the lack of safety features. Primarily a ROPS. Nobody makes a ROPS for a JD A.

It took me about 2 yrs before deciding on a tractor. By then I was smart enough to come in out of the weather, use hydraulics for digging/lifting, and MFWD to to avoid wasting hours or days getting it or something else unstuck.

The budget was adjusted accordingly. Justification was the cost of one medical emergency.

 

[Dargo]

Why doesn't it suprise me you disagree???? We seem to disagree on quite a bit.

The OP asked for opinions. You gave your usual, been there done that, reply and I gave my opinion with an emphasis on actually going to a dealer and trying out an FEL in 2wd vs 4wd. The difference is that I believe a person will know what they need and how to spend their money based more upon what they actually experience than what you tell them. I'd be a very unhappy camper with my equipment if I only took your advice on things rather than real life experience.

I again suggest that the original poster go try out various versions of tractors that seem to be in the range of what they want and arrive at their own conclusions as to what they need.

 

[RWolf]

4wd-2wd the debate goes on. I'm not an expert or an engineer but I've used my FEL on my 2wd on inclines, in wet soggy mud and on dry land with full buckets, Large round bales etc. and the only time I've had any problems and they were slight was when I was moving large round bales in the winter in about 6 inches of mud and that was without ballast of any kind. Should I have used ballast,,,,most likely but to make a blanket statement that if you're going to use a FEL you need 4wd isn't correct. Does 4wd make it easier? most likely. Is it a requirement? Not really. Alot depends on your background. Just because someone says they are a city slicker doesn't mean that they can not operate a tractor. Dargo finds that using a 4wd is to his advantage, FWJ finds that using 2wd does him just fine. Both are correct from there point of view. As to the OP's requirements we still don't know how good or bad his land is. How's the weather? Is there any sink holes? etc. If I was starting over and buying my first tractor the only thing that I'd change is getting more HP. Can I do all the jobs with what I have? So far nothing has stopped me yet. With the right implement you can accomplish just about anything you desire to do and can do it with a 2wd. Maybe not as well or you might have to plan your attack on your project a bit more but it can be done. I personally think that we under estimate what our machines can do.

Anyway good luck to the OP on his decision for a tractor.

 

[newbury]

Why do they call it 4WD on a CUT?
To me it's more like 2WD in the rear and 2 each half (or less) wheel drive in the front.
How much traction do you gain from the two tiny tires in the front?
I can see an aid in steering but for traction to get me out of something I'd rather have 4 BIG tires.

 

[RWolf]

You said it "CUT". It is a utility tractor. When you get into the larger AG tractors they are used almost exclusively for ground engagement tasks. Utility and Compact utility is a hybrid between a large riding lawn mower and larger AG tractor. They're made to do a wide variety of tasks well where the larger ones do the job excellent. Hope my meager explaination helps.

 

[Brahmus]

How much traction do you gain from the two tiny tires in the front?

Enough!! I try to run my unit in 2wd when I can, and that is very rare. A load of dirt in the bucket and a BB on the rear and I loose traction. And my rear tires are filled. Maybe if I had enough ballast I'd be ok, but my projects would take much longer. Maybe it's cause I have the strongest FEL on the minimum machine.... Maybe it's the way I use the Tractor, Maybe it's because I'm doing a bigger job than most with a CUT, but in my case, that extra front wheel pulling makes a WORLD of difference!