Do I need a tractor?!

[crazyal]

Do you need a tractor, no. All you need to do is breath and eat. However if you want to do more than that you'll really want one. Unless you feel comfortable searching the internet to buy parts I would see what's around you for dealers. It's not going to do you much good to have a tractor that needs parts and the closest dealer is 100 miles away. Dealers may not always be the best price but a lot of time you can walk in and pick their brains (like you can do here).

I wouldn't avoid an older tractor as long as it looks in somewhat good shape. If you look it over look for things like welds that don't look like factory or aren't on the same on each side. Look for pins and bushings that look overly worn, a sign that someone didn't take care of the tractor enough to keep things greased (who knows what else they didn't keep on top of). Fresh paint would also be a sign to look closer.

My Neighbor has an old Yanmar that was welded back together after it snapped in two. It has been worked hard and put up wet yet keeps coming back for more. He bought it for $1000 and figured it was cheap enough that he would hope it held up. So far it's more than paid for itself.

 

[HiTechTed]

He is right... Just keep looking. I found a 2005 Kubota B7510 276 hours on it with a loader and box blade and a Trailer for 6K... Yesterday I bought a used 4 foot J-Bar Bushhog for $300... All on Craigslist.

There are deals out there to be had. Just keep looking...

276 hours for $6k with a box blade, loader and trailer...now -that's- a good deal. The seller must have been desperate or something because he could have gotten far more than that for that setup! I'll bet you smile every time you start that baby up....!

And as for needing a tractor, I'd say with 10 acres and horses, plus hauling logs, I can't say anything else but "yes" to that question. Then once you get it, you can come up in here and see all the cool stuff these guys build for theirs, and you will be hooked.

 

[Reverend Blair]

I'm of the opinion that everybody living anywhere needs a tractor with an FEL. Once you get one and your friends start calling, you'll know what I mean.

For clearing bush, I'd suggest a skid steer though...a pretty big one...and a construction backhoe. Rent or hire somebody. Use your tractor to clean up the mess after. Get a chainsaw and a splitter and you can likely sell the firewood for some extra cash too.

I can't imagine looking after horses without a decent tractor and FEL though. I can't imagine trying to look after ten acres without even if there are no horses.

You'll need a mower, some sort of tiller, and either a picket pounder or a post hole auger for fencing too.

Since you're mechanical and all this stuff costs money, I'd say you should buy used. Also, if you aren't already familiar with them, read up on hydraulics. In my experience that's what causes new tractor/equipment owners the most trouble.

 

[easygo]

We have 10 acres and I started out with no clue or money what-so-ever. First I bought a 22" lawnmower for the 2acre yard.
It took me 6 hours to mow the yard, needless to say it only got mowed a few times the first Summer.
I still have that mower but it smokes a bit due to way too many hard hours.

Then I bought an ATV for hauling firewood and plowing snow. It was OK but I realized it was not the tool for the job when it took me 5 hours to clear out a bigger snow storm. I was worried that something on it wold break and them I'm out some real money.
I sold the ATV with 210 miles on the odometer and 104 hours on the clock.

Now I have a 30hp diesel tractor.
2hrs mowing time including setup and put away 72" rear finish mower, 60" snowblower makes easy work of cleaning up after any size snow 1.5 hours max. It hauls firewood, turns compost, pulls a trailer, moves anything that is between 10-1000 lbs and last but not least it entertains my son.

I really was convinced that I didn't need a tractor. After about three years I realized that it was the way to go.

I should have done that in the first place and so should you.

 

[Sumpter]

Buy a tractor, buy a tractor, buy a tractor:laughing::laughing::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You can check the classifieds here and find good deals on used tractors and equipment in NC:

NCDA&CS - Agricultural Review

 

[JimRB]

20 years of horses and I never used a manure spreader. I have always had manure piles which were compost in a year which is sold in the spring for gardening. Horses are not real keen on eating where the defecate. Good pasture management means you have about an acre per horse and a way to rotate pastures. We have three different pastures on our nine acres with about 6 horses now. Some of the horses end up in the dry lot with no grass because of founder issues. Founder can be from stressed grasses, too much fresh high sugar grasses. With winters and next to no grass, summers with drought and toxic grass from the drought, you do need to manage your pastures. I drag harrow after horses have rotated off. Some of the smaller turnouts we go out and hand pick the manure. If you are not careful you end up with wormy horses that no amount of wormer is going to control if your pastures are a mess.

I have had no luck doing any real digging with a front end loader. Maybe I do not have enough weight in my backend even with a bush hog or pulverizer attached. I did move dirt with a box blade and a day, or maybe two days of driving back and forth. A big loader could have done the job in an hour. That barn was built in the middle of a pasture/filed with no surprise field stone or boulders and no stumps.

I have driven posts with a Shaver post driver. Dug holes with an auger. Dressed the gravel road with a blade. Dug out small stumps with what looks like a subsoiler. My little John Deere 870 is not a particularly good tool to remove stumps.

 

[jenkinsph]

20 years of horses and I never used a manure spreader. I have always had manure piles which were compost in a year which is sold in the spring for gardening. Horses are not real keen on eating where the defecate. Good pasture management means you have about an acre per horse and a way to rotate pastures. We have three different pastures on our nine acres with about 6 horses now. Some of the horses end up in the dry lot with no grass because of founder issues. Founder can be from stressed grasses, too much fresh high sugar grasses. With winters and next to no grass, summers with drought and toxic grass from the drought, you do need to manage your pastures. I drag harrow after horses have rotated off. Some of the smaller turnouts we go out and hand pick the manure. If you are not careful you end up with wormy horses that no amount of wormer is going to control if your pastures are a mess.

I have had no luck doing any real digging with a front end loader. Maybe I do not have enough weight in my backend even with a bush hog or pulverizer attached. I did move dirt with a box blade and a day, or maybe two days of driving back and forth. A big loader could have done the job in an hour. That barn was built in the middle of a pasture/filed with no surprise field stone or boulders and no stumps.

I have driven posts with a Shaver post driver. Dug holes with an auger. Dressed the gravel road with a blade. Dug out small stumps with what looks like a subsoiler. My little John Deere 870 is not a particularly good tool to remove stumps.

I agree with all of this, people need to consider what is reasonable to expect from their property and their equipment. Most people who are new to all of this seem to over reach, too many animals before the new place is ready and equipment that is too small to get the job done. Country life is expensive.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Country life is expensive.
__________________

That it is. I have quite a few friends who have made that move to their dream place in the country, and they all seem pretty shocked. As one friend put it, "First it was the septic system in the winter, then the approach to the yard collapsed in the spring, and then summer came and I found out how much it all really cost."

I kind of lucked out with this place. We have a little less than an acre, city water and sewage, and we're 15 minutes from downtown. Having grown up with livestock I really don't want any, but there are several 5 and 10 acre lots around here so we get to see the horses and goats without having to look after them. I've also got those friends who moved out to the country, so when I get the urge I can always spend time helping them. In the meantime I've got enough room to run my business.

Still, if the right place came up for the right price out in the country, I'd likely buy it. Then there's that forty acres back home...I could always build a wood foundation and drop a house on top of it. when we retire.

 

[TripleR]

I now have the tractors I need to properly care for our properties, but for years used a pickup, ATV, then Ford Jubilee, BX2200 and then others.

I still don't have all I want; living in the country definitely is expensive, but worth every penny.