What can I do with A 24HP tractor ?

   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #1  

MT2501owner

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
24
Location
Houston, Texas
Tractor
MT2501FD
I have been using my BIL's Kubota 3010. It's nice and easily does all I need a tractor to do. For the most part that's dragging a box blade and moving dirt and crushed limestone with a FEL in an effort to get my 2.5 acres to drain correctly and to have a place to park the cars. I do need to move a bunch of clay to the waterfront to dress up the shoreline but that can be done in small steps over time. I need to return the borrowed tractor and have been looking at compact tractors to use to finish up the needed work on the property. I suspect there is actually a lot of difference between a 30 and a 24 HP tractor, but since I can't try them side by side, I'm sort of looking for guidance. A 4' box blade is OK, and a small bucket is OK, but not being able to scoop up a full bucket of heavy clay (from a pile) is probably not OK. So would I be happy with a small compact tractor ? Looking at both the Kubota and John Deer 24 HP models.

Thanks !

PS I just purchased an old MT2501, but it's unlikely I will keep it after realizing how hard it is to run with a load in the bucket and no power steering.
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #2  
IMO...forget about HP...When I first started seriously shopping for a tractor I wanted something in the 25 HP range...I ran across a B1700 that other than HP was everything I was looking for within my allotted budget...The compromise was a no-brainer...!

The B1700 has done everything I have attempted without needing more HP...what it lacks is just weight...even with loaded rears I always run out of traction before I have ever run out of HP...!
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #3  
My Dad has a JD 4010, 22hp, sub compact tractor that I used a lot before buying my Massey 1529, 29hp. The JD could do just about most of what I needed but the lift capacity and breakout force on the loader were not that strong. The JD is also not very heavy so a full bucket of dirt would really make it feel unstable even with a ballast box on the back. That is why I wanted something is the 30hp compact tractor range when I bought my tractor. The Massey hasn't disappointed so far. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are working by water lighter will leave smaller ruts in the soft soil near the water. We used the JD at our cottage to add sand to out beach and ruts are something we had to be careful with. Good luck with your search.
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #4  
More horse power gives the abilty to do the same job faster, less time. The jobs you descirbe here are more dependant on wieght for traction and engine torque. Torque is the working force/abilty of the engine. You can do most any job with smaller HP you just have go slower if using same sized tools/implements or use smaller tools to move faster but make more trips. Either way if equals mor etime to get the job done.

A good example is my tractor. It came in 3 models (27 hp, 30 hp, & 35 hp) with same frame size & weight, transmission, & loader. I can do the same jobs with my 27 hp as the 35 just need to gear down and go slower in the heavy pull/push situations.
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #5  
You can actually move a lot of material with a smaller tractor. I only have a 16hp Kubota B7100 with a FEL of about 6 cuft capacity, around 400-450 lbs. and I have moved a lot of dirt with it. Dry clay or compacted clay can be a big problem but it is important to learn how to use a tractor to get the most out of it. Bigger tractors can use brute force to scoop dirt out of a pile. Smaller tractor users generally will slowly use the FEL to knock down the pile and then scoop up the loose dirt. You should be able to move 6-8 tons of material/hour easily. Small tractor are LESS stable on uneven ground and often you will have to carry your bucket load low to the ground. You will find that lowering grade it is easier to use the ripper shanks on a box scraper to loosen the dirt, drag it into a pile then use your FEL to transport it. I usually find my high spots and drag to the low spots.

I think if I were in your shoes I would figure out your tractor budget then ask yourself what implements you will be using. Normally, the bigger the tractor the more expensive the implements. And if you get a used tractor then see if it is currently still being built. FEL/Backhoe may be harder to get once the tractor is out of production. Tillers, box scrapers, blade, 3 pt tool bar, can be had any time.

Based upon your acreage I think you would be ok with a 24-30 hp tractor.
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks for all the feedback. My budget is $13K or less, which is what a JD1023 with FEL runs locally. Might consider used but the land is the project, not the tractor. Learned that with the MT2501.
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #7  
It is not what can you do with 24 horse power which is a lot but what you can't do with it that is the question. You can't pick up something heavier then the loader will lift. Might be an issue if it can't be subdivided. Also you can't run attachments that take more the your 20 pto horsepower or safely pull loads that weigh more then your tractor. "A mans got to know his limitations" As long as you don't try to bite off more then the tractor can chew you'll be fine.
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #8  
. So would I be happy with a small compact tractor ?

Possilbly and here is why:Your jobs are one off meaning "heavy work" will not always be a daily chore for the life of the tractor. That would be the only reason to go larger. It may take you more runs but a small dump cart that can take 3 or 4 bucket loads will speed up earth moving dramatically over the single bucket. You are then left with a tractor that will do many light duty chores as well such as cutting grass or maintaining drives and such. Now, the JD is considerably smaller than the Mitsu you own so as long as you have patience, the JD will work.

Slash Pine (/ pine) is dead on when he states hp is not a key to hone in on. HP should not be a measure of power a tractor has as much as it is a marker for tractor size because as / pine stated, I also have always lost traction before grunt petering out. A 40 hp tractor is larger than a 30 hp one as it usually jumps to the next frame size that can support larger and stronger attachments. Size, hydraulics and weight is what compels things to move in the tractor world. Sizing attachments to the power of the unit is equalized by engineering so yes, your smaller tractor will do everything you ask only slower over a larger one. Sort of like hunting turkeys with a 20 gauge. Will it kill them? Sure thing as the 12 and 20 gauge pellets are moving at the same speed. There is just more pellets in the 12 increasing chances of a hit. This does not make a 20 gauge necessarily "ineffective." Just as a smaller machine is also not "ineffective" and can be more useful than a larger machine with certain jobs.

It is too bad you're so far away. I have a buddy who wants to sell his JD 4010 with loader for 12.5 K. It has less than a hundred hrs on it and looks brand new.
 
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   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #9  
I think it would be easier to answer if the question was "what CAN'T I do with a 24 HP tractor?"
 
   / What can I do with A 24HP tractor ? #10  
24 HP is a great size for a smaller plots, you can do anything (within reason) that a larger tractor can do, it will just take you a little longer to do it. I used to mow 12-14 acres of farm land with a 4 foot rotary cutter on a 16 HP tractor, I also used a 4 foot tiller on a large garden and a 4 foot rear finish mower to maintain the large yard. A larger tractor would have been able to do all of that faster using wider implements, but I didn't want a larger tractor. The smaller tractor naturally won't pull, push or lift as much, but in many cases you can just eat those elephants one bite at a time, for the rare instances where you can't divide the chore, rent or borrow more machine.
 
 
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