first tractor for 30+ acres mountain land

[trinculo]

I just purchased 30 mountain acres in Western NC that I plan on homesteading over the next few years. Looking to purchase a tractor to bush hog, maintain gravel roads, possibly plow some smaller plots and to log some timber for milling. I believe I need a 4x4 and want a loader, bush hog and later an auger.

My budget is around $12K and below I've listed my options that found locally.

1. Used 1984 MF 294-4 with 1600 hrs, bush hog, loader, disk and 4 point plow within my budget.

2. Locally there is a dealer that has grey market remanufactured yanmar tractors that I could get between a 30-40hp with bush hog and loader for my budget. I'm not sure on parts and reliability. The dealer has been around 10 years.

3. There is also a Kubota dealer, but for my price it seems I would be getting a glorified yawn tractor if purchasing new.

4. I've seen some use Kubota's in the 20-30 hp range just over my budget.

5. There is a Northern Tools with their Chinese tractors.

What are everyones thoughts on these options? I'm leaning toward the MF, what should i look (out) for with a tractor that vintage.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[TripleR]

I would go with the MF personally. A lot of people have had really good results with them and if you are mechanically inclined or know someone who is you can keep one running forever.

 

[RPW]

Massey for sure. Others will probably be to light.

 

[IndyIan]

Those old MF's are low and heavy, I would've got one if I could've found a decent one for a good price. 1600hrs is suspicsiously low for a 30 year old farm tractor though. Could be 11600hrs? I looked at a 254-4 with 7000hrs and it ran very nice, and was told it hadn't been worked on much. No brakes and a cracked, welded, cracked some more loader on it, bald tires, and rusty welded up rims was still worth $11k on a dealer trade he said, so I didn't get it.

 

[tractorshopper]

Best advice I can offer you for where you bought property is to make sure whatever you buy has ROPS and a seat belt. (roll over protection)

 

[shortthrow50]

you shouldve budgeted for a the right tractor to maintain 30 acres before you purchased 30 acres. I dont see your logic. Not trying to sound like a prick but im just saying. Thats like buying a gas guzzler truck and not being able to buy gas for it

 

[flusher]

My neighbor uses an MF294 on his 30-acre irrigated alfalfa field. Nice, strong tractor.
If that 294 checks out after your thorough inspection and test drive and if the 1600 hours showing
on the meter can be verified, then I'd say go for it. The only negative I see is the relatively puny overall hydraulic flow capability (9.4 gpm) which might be a limitation depending on the type of implements you want to use on your place (e.g. any implement that uses a hydraulic motor).

I have a 1964 MF135 diesel deluxe with multipower. I bought it in Jul06 for $3600 with 4600 hours showing. It runs OK. It's in my shop now with oil leaks. It's a field tractor that's been modified to squat low for work in the local olive orchards. The usual 28" dia rear rim have been replaced by 16" dia rims carrying BF Goodrich 6-py 18.4-16A rubber (18" wide, 16" dia rim, 40" tall overall). The front axle spindles have been shortened to keep the tractor level. You might want to consider something like this if you "mountain land" is steep enough to be hazardous (tractor rollovers are no fun).



Good luck

 

[trinculo]

I looked at the Massey today and it has been outside for much of it's life. Consequently the hoses look dry rotted and cracked, small leaks in various places like the steering column. It cranked right up and ran for a few minutes then quit. Seemed like the fuel was low and possibly some trash in the filter or something. Also at first the 3p hitch would go up and down and then it stopped at the bottom and wouldn't return. Later it worked normally again. ONe thing that concerned me was that there were welded repairs around the p.vot points on the FEL.

It does not have any ROPS. THat will be the first thing I add if everything works out.

The owner has agreed to trailer the tractor to the local dealer and have an evaluation. I'm ok with replacing the hoses and things I can see so long as there are no major issues. If all checks out looks like I may have found more tractor than I was expecting to be able to afford.

Thanks for all the prompt answers and helpful advise., shortthrow50 excepted. It appears that I HAVE budgeted a sufficient amount for the needs of the property.

I also came across a few other 30-40hp JD and Kubotas locally that look to have potential if the MF doesn't pan out.

 

[Mark Page]

$12,000 is a mighty tight budget for what you want to accomplish. Do you want to be on the top of a mountain when a head gasket goes? I owned a 42 year old MF 35 Deluxe with a gas engine. Over the ten years I owned it I replaced a few hoses, ignition parts and put new tires on it and it never let me down. I've since owned a 231s and 2615 both have been trouble free.
Although I am strictly a Massey fan this one sounds like trouble, especially the welds. It sounds like some one really abused it. The 3pt thing also worries me. To get a total evaluation they will have to split the machine which is pricey. You might think you're getting a deal until buy it and things start going wrong. It will nickle and dime you to death.
As you stated 4wd is a must and I wouldn't want less than 35 hp, 45 would be better. Only consider ag tires on all 4 corners. Be sure to have the tires ballasted

 

[joshuabardwell]

You are right about one thing: you can't get near what you are looking for in a new Kubota--or any other brand, I think. But if you are willing to shop used, I think you can get in the ballpark. I did some searching in Asheville Craigslist and found a bunch of tractors, none of which was exactly right. For example, some had way more HP than you want. Most were 2WD and few came with loaders. But they were all in the $5k-10k range, which makes me wonder whether you just need to hang tight until the right one comes along. If you can buy a 110 HP 2WD tractor without a loader for $9k, shouldn't you be able to find a 40 HP 4WD with a loader for under $12k? Seems like so.

Here's something that looks close. Don't know how much HP you're thinking, but meets your requirements. Cub Cadet 30hp Tractor w/loader Oh heck. That's Knoxville by accident. Well, maybe it's worth the drive.

This one looks like it has potential. 750 John Deere 4x4 Compact Tractor No loader, but at that price, you could probably buy one with the leftover money. Only 20 HP though. Probably enough to get the job done, but you might want more.

New Holland TN65 4x4 Now there's a sweet tractor, but no price listed on the ad.

1428 MASSEY FERGUSON TRACTOR There's a Massey 1428, 4x4, for $7k, and they say they can add a loader. Would probably come in around $10-11k with a brand new loader, and less with a used one.