Compact tractor advice please

   / Compact tractor advice please
  • Thread Starter
#21  
It sounds like the snow removal is an immediate concern. Can you hire that out for this winter, and make the tractor decisions in the spring?
That would depend on what the lady with the horses needs and when she needs it. She comes before work but I don't know what time that is. Will find out soon :) Add to that the need to leave the house by 5 AM 4 mornings a week. Would need a RELIABLE early bird who would be careful around the fences and 130+ Y/O barns. This isn't just a driveway thing. Though I have to say, the idea of getting up early enough to do the minimum required snow removal in time to leave by 5 doesn't seem pleasant.
As to a backhoe, rentals around here are $250 day/$750/week. And that is for the real deal, a Deere 310- 4x4 ext. hoe, 93 HP. It can do more in an hour than the "toy" ones can do in a week.[/
Quick web check locally - I see that they are available, but no prices. Of course I know as much about real backhoes as I do about tractors :eek: I don't suppose they expect you to prove any ability before they rent to you ;) I imagine if I had my act together and planned everything out, much could be done in not too many days.
 
   / Compact tractor advice please #22  
I don't suppose they expect you to prove any ability before they rent to you

Hey, have you been watching the debates?:laughing::laughing:
 
   / Compact tractor advice please #23  
The more you tell us, the more expensive it's getting.. have you noticed that :laughing:

I have about 250 feet of actual driveway, plus parking area for the barn and cars in front of the house. The L3400 with bucket and rear blade takes about three passes to plow the driveway, plus a few more passes to clean it up. That's 4wd with rear ice chains, so there's no struggling to get through moderate drifts, not much wasted time. You soon learn to do it in a definite pattern, otherwise you spend more time and waste fuel.

Before the barn addition this year, clearing out after a "normal" storm took me about 1/2 hour if I was serious about getting it done. I expect the barn will nearly double my time, so if I wanted to be out the door by 5 AM, I'm looking at getting up at 3 AM, getting dressed for snow while the tractor is warming up, then spending an hour plowing out. Allowing a few minutes to put machinery away, I'd be scampering around jamming some breakfast in and then getting changed to go to work. A serious dump of snow takes a little longer, and a bad Nor'easter is another thing altogether.

If your area is as large as I think it is, Jay is right, don't even consider the B series Kubotas. In fact, the L series may be on the light side for Vermont snow unless you have some more time. You may want to look at the MX series simply because the job would get done faster. More HP, bigger bucket, etc.

A snow blower will help a lot, you only move the snow once if you plan ahead. Front mount blowers on bigger tractors eat up cash in a hurry, rear mounts are more reasonable, but you have to get what you personally need to do the job.


The price jump between B to L to MX isn't as steep as some think if you take it one step at a time. Personally, for what you have planned overall, the B isn't really an option except for a second machine to tidy up with. I have a smaller operation than you do, and the L3400 is as small as I'd want to go. I'm only speaking to the Kubota line-up, since that's the one I'm most familiar with.

Do you have any plans for hay supply, since there are horses involved? If you need to buy and move round bales, you need to pay close attention to lift capacity on the loader. A typical round bale of horse hay will run from 600 to 1000 lbs depending on size and density, and that's a serious handful for a compact tractor. We use square bales only, but can handle small rounds if we had to.

Sean
 
   / Compact tractor advice please
  • Thread Starter
#24  
You're barking up the wrong tree with almost all of the tractors listed. 'B' sized Kubotas are too small for you. Get an 'L' frame tractor, and shoot for 35-40HP. Also, prices listed for the used machines are high across the board. I think you might be able to get new for just a few thousand more - a friend of mine just bought an L3400 w/ loader for $18k delivered. Negotiate hard if you are interested in any of these machines.
I have not NECESSARILY tossed the idea of new but figured it was going to be BIG $$ and maybe something used might work out. I just listed all the 4WD HSTs I found on the Vermont Craig's list recognizing the small ones were probably too small. If there is nothing suitable on Craig's I don't plan to buy one of them just because that is "all there is". I'm sure stuff comes and goes and I can expand west and south, etc.

And thanks for your comment, the purpose of the original post was to have you KNOWLEDGEABLE people shoot holes in the "no way" tractors based on size and/or price because I don't know enough to know what I don't know. :)
I see the local Kubota dealer has a 2009 L3400HST with loader on their web site for $14,950. Doesn't say how many hours. Like I said, I've only had time to hit the Massey dealer last Thurs (and nothing has shown up in my email yet). Hope to hit others soon.
 
   / Compact tractor advice please
  • Thread Starter
#25  
The more you tell us, the more expensive it's getting.. have you noticed that :laughing:
Isn't that pretty much the way it ALWAYS is?

If your area is as large as I think it is, Jay is right, don't even consider the B series Kubotas. In fact, the L series may be on the light side for Vermont snow unless you have some more time.
In my favor is the 'lack' of driveway. If you look at the picture on the first post, you can see that the house and barns are close to the road, it is only about 100' road to barn. I figure I only NEED to get a path from the road to the house and barns plus whatever is needed for the horses before 5. I can skip the north entrance to the parking area all winter if I like. The wife can do more if needed when she gets back about 9 AM. I shouldn't have ALL the fun!! :)

A snow blower will help a lot, you only move the snow once if you plan ahead.
That is part of my reasoning, move it once, blow it where you want. No damage to the fences or foundations and no piles to move later or wing.
Do you have any plans for hay supply, since there are horses involved?
My understanding is she takes care of the horses AND all fences related to them 100%. I'm guessing she has square bales delivered to the barn since she would have no way to move anything larger. There wasn't any hay when we looked at the house (July/Aug) but she has only 2 horses and a pony on about 4 acres of pasture so I guess they get enough out there in the summer.
 
   / Compact tractor advice please
  • Thread Starter
#26  
Massey quote just in:

2011 MF 1532 HST, L100 loader with 60" skidsteer bucket. Includes tire loading and delivery, not tax/title. $18,850

RF6000 finish mower $3,435 - yeah, I know, we are still figuring out if a tractor of this size is too big for mowing a small lawn. If that is the case, probably get a hog for the fields instead but either can wait for spring.

10" Meteor 3PT blower $2,950. I replied asking for a front blower price (plus mid PTO if not standard) so I can compare to other dealer's offers.
 
Last edited:
   / Compact tractor advice please #27  
RF6000 finish mower $3,435 - yeah, I know, we are still figuring out if a tractor of this size is too big for mowing a small lawn. If that is the case, probably get a hog for the fields instead but either can wait for spring.

For that price, it's either made from some kind of precious metal or it's a really big one. Kidding aside, that's very pricey for such a mower. You could buy a pretty nice riding mower for that money, which would probably be better suited to your mowing situation anyways, based on that picture.
 
   / Compact tractor advice please #28  
For that price, it's either made from some kind of precious metal or it's a really big one. Kidding aside, that's very pricey for such a mower. You could buy a pretty nice riding mower for that money, which would probably be better suited to your mowing situation anyways, based on that picture.


Yeah...that is at least 30% too much for what I think is a 60" mower.
 
   / Compact tractor advice please
  • Thread Starter
#29  
Yeah...that is at least 30% too much for what I think is a 60" mower.
Very good point made by both you and Grandad4. Have to keep remembering to look at the forest AND the trees.

If tractor mower is cheap (but well built) - buy it. But if as much or more than a purpose designed riding mower that would be easier to handle on a house lawn (i.e., not golf course fairway) it makes no sense at all.

Signed all the papers yesterday - now prior :) owner says he has a Kubota 22 HP BX series. Like you, he said to buy something bigger. Clearly his wife thinks he doesn't need it any more, went from 26 acres to 1/2 acre (which includes the house and 3 bay garage). He says he has a lot of snow to clear, she says he has a snow blower :)
Guess she doesn't understand you can take a man off the farm but you can't take him off his tractor!
 
   / Compact tractor advice please #30  
I'd say the most important thing to do is set a budget. As is the case in so many of these posts, people are pulling you in all sorts of directions. It all comes down to money. How much are you willing to spend?

Someone said to look at Kubota L series. "A friend got a L3400 for 18K." Add a front mount snow blower, a backhoe, some kind of mower and look at that price. The nice thing about the Kubota website is you can build the tractor on line and see how much it will cost brand new list price.

I have no doubt you could get a lot of work done with a BX tractor on your place. I also have no doubt you could get even more work done with a Kubota M series tractor on your place, it all comes down to budget.
 
 
Top