allenron
New member
Hello everyone: We're shopping for a first tractor along with a number of other folks on TBN. Our property is 32 acres of rough woods and brush, with some steep slopes, dirt roads and fire breaks, and a lot of dead trees. Our tree maintenance guys recommended a machine with at least 40HP on the PTO, for chipping. They also said, find the minimum HP that you need and then get the next bigger size tractor. This was our starting point.
We'll need to move dirt and chips and slash around, so a front-end loader is a must-have. Also, we plan some construction, so a backhoe attachment is on our list. A later option might be a scraper box, and after that, we probably will find a chipping attachment for medium-sized logs (8" pine or 6" oak). These items in mind, we have looked at the following tools:
1. John Deere 4053R and M, 50.8 and 51.5 HP, 42.2 and 40 HP PTO, 4 cylinder Yanmar engine with hydrostatic transmission.
2. Massey Ferguson 1749, 48.3 HP, 37.8 HP PTO, 3 cylinder Mitsubishi engine, with HST.
3. Kubota L47TLB, 47.1 HP, 33 HP PTO, 4 cylinder Kubota engine, with HST.
4. A late-comer to the list is the Massey Ferguson 2706E, 57.3 HP, 45.9 HP PTO, 4 cylinder Shibaura engine. Again with HST.
We looked at a New Holland tractor at the county fair a while back, but we didn't like the configuration of its hydraulic hoses. They were all over the place on front loader arms and the backhoe boom & stick. We were worried about them catching on brush around the property. (We have a lot of manzanita, a fairly tough hardwood shrub/small tree.) But, maybe it's worth a second look.
At first we were hesitant about the MF, because we thought that getting parts might be a problem. But there are several dealers in cities in the Central Valley here, and the dealership in Merced (about 39 miles to our west) has a mechannic that lives in our area.
Well, these are some initial thoughts. Will post more on our survey this afternoon. Out to look at a planer and biscuit joiner now. Thanks! Ron & Bev
We'll need to move dirt and chips and slash around, so a front-end loader is a must-have. Also, we plan some construction, so a backhoe attachment is on our list. A later option might be a scraper box, and after that, we probably will find a chipping attachment for medium-sized logs (8" pine or 6" oak). These items in mind, we have looked at the following tools:
1. John Deere 4053R and M, 50.8 and 51.5 HP, 42.2 and 40 HP PTO, 4 cylinder Yanmar engine with hydrostatic transmission.
2. Massey Ferguson 1749, 48.3 HP, 37.8 HP PTO, 3 cylinder Mitsubishi engine, with HST.
3. Kubota L47TLB, 47.1 HP, 33 HP PTO, 4 cylinder Kubota engine, with HST.
4. A late-comer to the list is the Massey Ferguson 2706E, 57.3 HP, 45.9 HP PTO, 4 cylinder Shibaura engine. Again with HST.
We looked at a New Holland tractor at the county fair a while back, but we didn't like the configuration of its hydraulic hoses. They were all over the place on front loader arms and the backhoe boom & stick. We were worried about them catching on brush around the property. (We have a lot of manzanita, a fairly tough hardwood shrub/small tree.) But, maybe it's worth a second look.
At first we were hesitant about the MF, because we thought that getting parts might be a problem. But there are several dealers in cities in the Central Valley here, and the dealership in Merced (about 39 miles to our west) has a mechannic that lives in our area.
Well, these are some initial thoughts. Will post more on our survey this afternoon. Out to look at a planer and biscuit joiner now. Thanks! Ron & Bev