Buying Advice Green? Orange? Red? The other Orange? Where to start?

[Simon64]

Where to start?
I am a Brit, and after my US wife has been living with me in the UK, but now it is my turn to be a foreigner and we are about to move to an 18 acre mini farm, just outside Washington NC.
The site is 2 acres of yard, 4 acres of woodland and 12 acres that we are turning over to horse pasture. The site is flat, level, and pretty well drained. I will also have a 500 yard drive to maintain. Whilst we will have a big plot, we are only having a couple of horses to start with!
So I have started to look for what to buy. I have been looking at the trailer deals, but still unsure what size I should be looking at? I think I should be looking at 6ft implements (B Blade and Rotary cutter). Do I need FWD? Or will the flat land allow me a 2WD?
I have no intention of making my own hay, so tasks will be FEL, mowing/cutting, some work in the woods, and grading the road.
Finally for horse pasture, a rotary cutter set low, or a finish mower set high?

I will not say what I have already considered, as I want some views from others, rather than elaborating upon my own browsing!
Thanks in anticipation of what I hope will be some stunning insights! LOL

 

[Buggs67]

It seems to me you need to see what brands are sold near you. A close reputable dealer is important.

And since you've sized your attachments that will help determine the size tractor you will need for the PTO HP requirement.

If the tractor is large and heavy enough you may not need 4wd, but I'd let more experienced farmers/ranchers address that. At least you don't have to plan for snow!

 

[Simon64]

Thankfully by leaving the UK should see me wave goodbye to snow!
Have good JD and Kubota dealers close by, but NC is home to TYM as I understand.

 

[TripleR]

Tough call as there are probably more than fifty machines that will do among the top brands. We own various colors, so I have no brand loyalty, brands I'd consider. My preference would be a dedicated lawn mower with a tractor in the 30-40HP range in a size range comparable to an L Series Kubota, I haven't shopped for a new one that size in a while, just bought a John Deere 1025R, so someone more familiar with the recently changed model numbers can help you with that.

I would definitely get a 4WD, generic, with a FEL. we run several two wheel drive tractors, but none with a FEL, we tried one and took it back inside a month. My back blade hasn't been out of the shed in years, I use a box scraper, many really like a grading scraper for road maintenance.

For horse pasture, I prefer a rotary cutter, we don't use our finish mower anymore, but it was handy during reforestation.

I don't know how much you want to spend, but on my last tractor before the JD, I got three rear remotes, top and tilt, third function for a grapple and box scraper with hydraulic scarifers.

Good luck.

 

[Simon64]

Thanks Triple R!
Yes we will get a Yard mower, so it will be working elsewhere. Do you think the bigger l series would handle a 6ft cutter?

 

[Threepoint]

Simon, welcome to TBN and the States! Sounds like you have a great place, and shopping for your tractor and implements will be a lot of fun. For a small horse farm like yours, with a mix of woodland, yard and pasture, mostly flat, a medium-sized CUT in the 35 to 40 hp range, with HST, 4WD and a front-end loader, should do most everything you want for farms chores, driveway clearing and maintenance, mowing the pasture and much more. To power a rotary cutter, the usual rule-of-thumb is 5 hp PTO per ft. So 30 hp PTO for a 6' rotary cutter. You can certainly do it with less by going slowly and not letting the pasture get tall. For 2 acres of fairly level lawn, you'll probably want to go with just a riding mower, or ideally one of the less expensive zero-turn mowers.

For pulling a 6' rear blade (scrape blade), and a 6' box blade, PTO hp is not involved, but I think you'll want at least 25 to 30 hp (engine hp) to do it comfortably. BTW, don't count on not having to deal with snow at your new place!

As for brands of CUTS, I don't think that matters much at all these days, especially if you're planning to buy new. Test drive as many as you can to see what feels right for both you and your wife. Each of the brands has its following on TBN, and I think the quality is quite good across the board. Use the TBN search function to see what's been said on your topics in the past, as all are discussed frequently and well. As has been said, the dealer itself can be an important factor, but I myself don't think close proximity is as important as some other TBN'rs do.

For sure, don't limit yourself to the biggest-name brands. You mentioned that NC is home to TYM. Kioti's main distribution and parts center is in Wendell, NC. Mahindra and LS have dealers not too far from you. We are very fortunate to have so much to choose from. And TBN is a great source of info and support. :thumbsup:

 

[WM75Guy]

Welcome. :welcome: Like was said dealer support is important. I think any of the major brands offer good tractors. We are in a similar situation with 14 acres that we keep horses on. I have a 40 HP TC40DA and a 50 HP Boomer 8N tractor. The Boomer is used to mow with a 6' cutter and the TC is used to drag the arena and FEL chores. Both have done what we needed but have their limits. My next tractor will be larger with a cab and AC for the Texas heat.

Getting 4WD gives you a stouter front axle for doing FEL work. Dirt work will probably not be the primary use for your FEL after a while. Skid steer quick attach (SSQA) should be a must for any new tractor along with a set of pallet forks. Third function for a grapple would also be nice to have for cleaning up trees and such.

The larger the tractor means more FEL lift capacity and weight. My TC can lift 1500# at the pins. I buy square bales and want to buy a 10 bale hay grapple to unload the trailer when I stock up for the year. My TC will not handle the weight that far out in front of the pins. I buy shavings and sawdust pellets by the pallet load to save money. Fifty bags is more than I can lift so I have to toss a few off to lift the pallets off the trailer. The house, barn, and shop takes up about 4 acres, 2 acres are in trees, and I have someone round bale the remaining 8 acres which I sell to keep my for ag exemption. My TC handles the round bales OK but I have to have ballast on the rear. Same for moving trailers around with the FEL.

Consider all the work you need to do now or might need to do in the future. It's rare to hear someone wish they had a smaller tractor, it's always they wish they had gone a little larger. Shopping and comparing can be a lot of fun and frustrating at the same time dealing with some of the salespersons. Good luck with your place.

 

[Simon64]

Hey Randy,
Thanks for the reply, love the advice about buying big. I will quote you when I show my wife the bill of sale!
So far then I think it is agreed as follows:
30-45 hp
4wd
6 ft implements
So to the question of gear drive vs HST. Now I come from the land of stick shift, so changing gear and using a clutch is second nature, and with my land being flat am I right in thinking that as my work is mainly cutting, I will not have a problem with gear drive.

 

[murphy1244]

When using a FEL you will value a HST trans, if mowing or plowing large fields a gear is nice.

 

[DK35vince]

If you do go with gear I highly recommend a synchronized shuttle or a power reverser over a straight gear model.