My family and I bought 10 acres in California.
Is this ten acres flat and smooth, or sloped? Rough land and sloped land requires a wider, heavier tractor for stability.
Will all ten acres be worked with the tractor, or only part?
- What brands do you recommend?
The design of the Three Point Hitch tractor has been marketed in the USA since 1939 -- 83 years in 2022.
The basic design is generic.
Kubota and Deere have most of the market through 6,000 pound bare weight tractors. But this Kubota/Deere predominance is regional.
The up and coming tractor brands are Korean: Kioti, LS and Branson. There are other Korean brands.
You have to critically assess dealer stability while shopping minor brands.
Korean manufacturing labor is paid ~50% of what Deere pays its union work force. Japanese manufacturing labor is paid ~70% of what Deere pays its union work force. Labor costs strongly influence tractor prices.
We have the following brands within an hour of us.
- Kubota
- LS
- TYM
- KIOTI
- Massey Ferguson
- John Deere
I know that a lot depends on the dealer and their willingness to help, but should I stay away from any of these brands?
Start with the nearest dealer and work out.
Transporting a tractor for service is expensive and inconvenient, whether you trailer the tractor or the dealer trailers it.
CREDIT: 'FELIXEDO'
"It has been touched on a couple of times, but not directly as a buying factor.
Every major make has a machine that will do the job(s) you want. Check out your nearby dealers, and go with one you have confidence in.
A great machine with no support nearby is a hassle to repair and maintain.
And a good machine can't make a lousy dealer into a good dealer."
- What size tractor would you recommend?
Do you have any tractor operating experience?
Will all ten acres be worked with the tractor, or only part?
What about a kitchen garden? Game food plots? Moving feed?
Will you plow dirt, snow, or both?
Rough land and sloped land requires a wider, heavier tractor for stability.
- Are you able to negotiate on pricing for tractors or ask for attachments? Do dealerships have tractors ready to be taken home or are they built to order?
At present factory output is limited and demand is strong. Most new tractors sell at MSRP during 2022. Tractors are available with a huge number of confusing options. We can couch you through pros and cons of options. Tractor are mostly ordered then delivered after three to six months.
You should be able to test ergonomics of various tractor models at the dealers. You will spend many hours in the tractor seat operating over rough ground. Be comfortable.
Are there any other tips you recommend on buying and owning a tractor?
The fundamental importance of TRACTOR WEIGHT eludes many tractor shoppers. Tractor capability is more closely correlated to tractor weight than any other single specification.
The most efficient way to shop for tractors is to first identify potential tractor applications, then, through consulataton, establish bare tractor weight necessary to safely accomplish your applications. Tractor dealers, experienced tractor owners and TractorByNet.com are sources for weight recommendations.
Sufficient tractor weight is more important for most tractor applications than increased tractor horsepower. Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models, new and used.
Within subcompact and compact tractor categories, a significant tractor capability increase requires a bare tractor weight increase of 50%. It takes a 100% increase in bare tractor weight to elicit MY-OH-MY!
Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range. I spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise. I have a column for cost per pound.
Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten flat acres.
Selling a used tractor is easy. Selling multiple light implements in order to buy heavier, wider implements for a new, heavier tractor requires a lot of time. Depreciation on implements is worse than depreciation on a tractor.
When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire
ballast fourth.
A quality dealer, reasonably close, available for coaching, is important for tractor neophytes. Most new tractors are delivered with a glitch or two requiring correction. My Kubota dealer is six miles away. I feel my local dealer continues to add value to my equipment after eight years. Dealer proximity is less important for those experienced with tractors and qualified to perform their own maintenance.
BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR
