First time buying a tractor tips?

[9973720wb19]

If most of your property/task will eventually be mowing, I'd get a Zero Turn Mower with a 52" - 72" inch deck...and a weedwacker. Save the money on a tractor mowing deck. You'll probably use the tractor often at first, then it'd be mostly mowing unless you intend to do some farming, hay, crops, etc. Once property is sorted out...if you're mostly mowing...you are going to want to get it done and a tractor is very slow, can not trim mow that well and no matter what type of tires are on the tractor...they will dig and leave marks. Regarding implements, determine if you're only going to use an implement once or a few times - once you get the property in "maintenance condition" you might not use these attachments any longer. See if you can rent them...like the fence post digger. I have purchased many implements (fun and exciting at first) then after a few times...I don't need them and either sell them at a lost or they sit around taking up space.

 

[Spike56]

Hi everyone,

My family and I bought our first property on 10 acres. We need to get our first tractor for to do a few various tasks: drilling holes for fence posts, creating a fire break, plowing, mowing the lawn, moving soil, etc. the tractor will stay at our property and will be used maybe 2-3 a week.

I’ve never shopped for a tractor before so I wanted to get some advice before going to the dealerships. We wanted to buy a brand new one so we can finance it. We are in Dixon California.

• What brands do you recommend?
• What size tractor would you recommend?
• 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?
• Are there any other tips you recommend on buying and owning a tractor?

My thoughts are: Jeff knows infinitely more about tractors that I do ! So, all of his questions are relative to the discussion. Among them ,and dear to me, would be finding the closest dealer / repair. Parts and service will be very important ! I have zero recommendation on the "manufacturer", there is just too many issues to consider. As long as it's a "name brand".
" drilling holes for fence posts, creating a fire break, plowing, mowing the lawn, moving soil, etc. the tractor will stay at our property and will be used maybe 2-3 a week"
One thing I would strongly recommend once you think you have a tractor / size picked out: I think many/most will include quick / easy connects for the various implements. At a minimum, have them demonstrate on the lot. Preferably, do a test ride and hook up yourself ! Don't just let them tell you how easy it is to change / hookup.
You mentioned "plowing".... for me, in my soils, that would be the major consideration on HP / Size ?

My 2cents...

 

[jeff9366]

Kubota L3902

Economy L2501/L3301/L3901/L3902 = 2,700 pounds bare tractor weight.

Or a one increment heavier, wider, deluxe Kubota L3560.
Deluxe L3560 = 3,700 pounds bare tractor weight.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Tractor Time with Tim, is doing a series on you tube on buying your first tractor:

.

Tractor Mike, did a couple of videos recently on how big, and what options you want.

Good Works Tractors, who sells used tractors and implements, has a playlist on buying your first tractor: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyRjhkX_ZAmZGGN3Z-NmR51GmMxs98i4i

My advice is to figure out what implements you will need to have to do what you need done, and figure out what you need to operate them, and then go backwards to what the tractor needs, for hydraulics, PTO horsepower, how big of three point hitch, etc.. Before thinking about the tractor.

“Options”, on a new tractor which you will find impossible to add later are: A mid PTO, a front end loader, a backhoe, and a cab with heat and air conditioning.

The cab makes life much nicer, if you need to do a lot of work which stirs up dust.

A used tractor with a loader is much easier to sell later, and thus holds its value better.

Depending on how much use you will have for the backhoe determines whether it is worth the investment and maintenance costs. My property is pretty much fully developed, so I don’t need to dig footings for walls, install new utility lines, or dig a hole for a septic tank, and build a drain field. So, for me it makes much more sense, to rent a mini excavator, when I need to trench, than to have a small backhoe.

If you get a front end loader, be sure it has a readily available quick attach system. Skid Steer Quick Attach, is most universal. But nearly all attachments can be found with the John Deer mounting system. And, get a forklift attachment as your first implement when you get the tractor.

The forks are probably the most used attachment out there. Nearly all the implements you buy will come on a pallet, being able to get them unloaded when you get home is really handy. And, fertilizer, fire retardent, lumber for the sheds, barn, chicken coop, etc. is lots easier to offload, and move around with a set of forks.

And, I’m serious about fire retardent. Your in California, and things are going to burn there. You’re moving rural, so the fire department will have a response time of an hour. Home desperate, and Lowes both sell the same fire retardant that CalFire, and the. Forest Service, use. A good weed sprayer to spread it with, and you. An make your place much more fire resistant. And, you might want to look at a good fire pump trailer.

A high school budddies parents retired to a rural location with a high fire potential. First thing they built was a large swimming pool on a hill above where the house was going to be. He installed a 4-inch drain line from the pool to near where the house was going to be built, and installled a fire hydrant with two two inch outlets on the end of his drain line.

The fact that he had a large water tank, and a fire hydrant was critical in his getting a construction loan to build the house, and insurance on it.

 

[dodge man]

One debate is if a tractor should be used for mowing or not. I’m in the camp that uses his tractor for mowing. I also don’t think you can get a “good” zero turn for the cost of a mowing deck for a tractor. I would agree if you have the storage room and funds, a zero turn makes a better mowing machine, especially in your case where your land is flat.

 

[Torvy]

Hi everyone,

My family and I bought our first property on 10 acres.

We are in Dixon California.

• What brands do you recommend?
• What size tractor would you recommend?
• 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?
• Are there any other tips you recommend on buying and owning a tractor?

1st off, congrats on the land purchase! My dad retired out of Travis, so I knew a little about Dixon. It used to be very rural and agricultural. Of course that was nearly 50 years ago.

Brands - this is a great big 'it depends'. Your local dealer will be more of a deciding factor than the paint itself. Personally, I shop for value, not price. They do go hand in hand.

Size-see Jeff's questions. Don't confuse HP for size.

Negotiations- yes and no. The market is tough right now so less wiggle room. Prices are high and inventory is low. Definitely a sellers' market. My best suggestion is to not fall in love with a particular brand or model and be willing to walk away if the price is not right.

Build to order- both situations can be true. Check your local dealer inventory. My local Kubota only has about 7 new tractors on the lot. The Branson guy probably has 3 times that. If you want what they have in stock, bonus. Otherwise you can order and wait.

Buying advice - remember that many people will shout out the brand they bought. It is your money. When you compare similar tractors there can be thousands of dollars difference. Imho, the price difference is not giving much, if any, advantage. In the size range I am shopping it is over 10k from top to bottom.

 

[Torvy]

I would agree with @jigs_n_fixtures except about good works tractors. That dealer has so much green paint in his eyes he cannot see the benefits in other brands. His videos are also all about shilling some part he is selling. Save your time. The other two are great. Sure, they still advertise but seem less stuck on one tractor brand.

 

[IndyJay]

One debate is if a tractor should be used for mowing or not. I’m in the camp that uses his tractor for mowing. I also don’t think you can get a “good” zero turn for the cost of a mowing deck for a tractor. I would agree if you have the storage room and funds, a zero turn makes a better mowing machine, especially in your case where your land is flat.

^^^ This... It also depends on what you mean by "mowing". I mow ~ 20 acres with a rotary cutter. It does not look like someone's manicured lawn but it looks kept and maintained. If you have a smaller area and want it to look manicured then certainly you need a zero turn.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

Tractor Time with Tim, is doing a series on you tube on buying your first tractor:

.

Tractor Mike, did a couple of videos recently on how big, and what options you want.

 

[Frogmore]

You have gotten a lot of good responses, but you really need to do your homework. You need to get some clarity on all of the tasks you need your machine(s) to do.

You said drilling holes for fence posts. That is typically a one-time thing and isn't particularly demanding if you only have a few to make (less than 10). If you have 50 or more to make, you want something with some down pressure, so probably a loader mounted one.

You said mowing. You need to define that more clearly. Is this field mowing you do a few times a year at most, or lawn mowing you do at least weekly when the grass is growing and you have an expectation the lawn looks nice?

Don't get me wrong, tractors are great, but it is the implements that actually do the work. The tractor just gives them the power to do it. While there is a lot of overlap in capabilities of the various sizes there are jobs and properties that are much better suited for particular size tractors and other size tractors would be unable to handle and/or unsafe to use. It sounds like your property is pretty flat and open, so a much bigger tractor might be just fine.

You might consider renting one to get some experience with actually using one. I didn't do that, but I did rent a Dingo for a project that I had and I learned a lot that was helpful later when I was looking. Most people here say go big or go home. That might be good advice for you, but definitely not if your primary purpose for the machine is lawn mowing. Many years ago I bought a Kubota B2620. It had an available mid-mount mower. It was not cheap, so I didn't buy it. That was the smartest choice ever. I would not have been able to sell my existing garden tractor/mower for the price of just the deck for the new one. I also would not have been able to use the B2620 to mow many parts of my property and it would have been a horrible job and unsafe (due to unavoidable slopes) if I had tried.

It is unlikely that there is one machine that can do all the jobs that you will discover that you need. So, spend some time now to figure out what is most important now and is likely to remain important for a decade or more.