Buying land, Need Tractor

[Baucom]

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

They can make a pretty big difference. I remember once pulling an old Athens bog harrow with an L2850. In full disk, the tractor in 2wd wouldn't pull the harrow once it was buried in the ground--put the tractor in 4wd and it pulled it fine. Tore up the whole garden with it. Those 2 tiny tires in the front were the difference in being able and not being able to complete a task.

 

[Dave5264]

There you go...starting trouble..... This is an often fought debate. My take? You'll never see the simplicity of those old tractors again. That lends itself to a long life. Any shadetree mechanic can keep the oldies up and running. The new breed of tractors won't be as economically feasable to rebuild out under the old oak tree as grampas FarmAll or 8N. Reliability is there, but high tech issues can shut 'em down in a heartbeat. Just like cars and trucks of today, there's a practical limit as to how much time and money can be devoted to keeping a well worn modern tractor on line. They're fabulous when new, pretty good when old, and a nightmare when they reach a certain point. That's what keeps the value of older tractors at the disproportionate levels they are at. Tractors of today will outlast cars and trucks of today, but IMHO, when todays crop of techno-wonder flash tractors are dead and gone, those oldies will still be out plowin' the neighbors garden.

Again, IMHO, there is the logic behind a SIMPLE, BASIC, "mid-tech" tractor of today. They might not draw a crowd at the county fair like a fancy option laden high tech tractor, but in 25 years, we'll see which one is still operating at maximum efficiency.

Im new to all this too, For me, the criteria was:

had to Fit My Budget (im cheap)
I didnt want to be fixing an "old " machine all the time - not becasue i cant, but being new to it I want reliable and time to learn etc.
I wnted a very traditional & basic tractor that i could work on myself later on
Wanted decent HP - as much as i could get for the $
Wanted 4wd
Needed a FEL
Must have a good reputable Dealer

My Machine is Brand new, but is pretty much 60's technology, i love it.



I found all that

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have never before had a FEL or 4 WD but like FamswithJunk, I have put thousands of hours on large AG tractors. I can see that with a 60+ HP AG tractor it would handle a FEL pretty well in 2 WD, but that is not the case with these little CUTs. They just dont have the weight OR the length that an ag tractor has. The wheel base on the larger farm tractors would tend to counteract the FEL weight much more so than the short WB CUT. My little Yanmar has plenty of motor power, but not much traction in 2 wd. It wont pull my 8 foot tandem disc in 2 wd but pulls it great in 4 wd. And if I try to go up a hill with just the bushhog, I better be going straight up and not trying to turn or it will just start spinning the tires. I have put water in the rear, which helped a lot, but it is just too light for the HP that it can deliver in 2WD. IMHO if you can afford the $4K for a FEL, you can surely afford to get 4WD. I would get a shuttle shift or powershift and forego the $$$ of Hydrastatic drive in favor of getting 4 WD if I was cutting corners.

 

[greggh]

I don't think that the arguments here about the use of a FEL with 2WD or 4WD will help the OP decide on the tractor to buy. Some of the others have said find a good dealer and test the tractors out. I think that would be the best for the OP. I am sure that through the discussions he has learned enough to possibly ask the right questions and test the right things. Again if the dealer is good he will help the OP and ensure that the tractor that is decided upon will do the job well enough to bring the person back for another purchase when the need arises.

 

[bpsooner]

I have a 40 ac farm pretty much like you decribed. When I was looking for a tractor I received a wide variety of opinions. This forum was very helpful in helping me make my decision. My Father-in Law has been farming all his life. His suggestion to me was get a 50-60hp tractor for what all I needed to do: Brush hog, Moving round bales, dirt work, ect.... He is also one of those old time farmers that has never had a 4WD tractor. He has told me that he has never really had an issue with traction. Even with his FEL he has never thought he needed a 4WD.
From my limited experience I would suggest a 50-60hp tractor with a FEL. You might not think you will use the FEL much but believe me you will. It seems like I am always finding something to do with it. I purchased a 4WD tractor on the advice from people other than my father-in-law. I would say if you can afford it than get the 4WD. If not, then I would make sure you have fluid in your tires for additional weight. My M series Kubota is a great tractor. It does everything I need and does it very well.............