Greetings from SE PA

[c304]

He's even closer to one in Reading.

Which one is that? I drove out to Messicks in Elizabethtown and whew, I certainly wouldn't want to trailer a (S)CUT that far. I wouldn't mind maybe picking up smaller parts or even some small attachements like palate forks, but yeah, I hope whoever services my tractor can do it on site.

EDIT: Found it. Reading Tractor & Equipment. The name is so obvious, I don't know why I didn't find it earlier when searching. They sell Kubota and Bobcat.

 

[4get gto]

Which one is that? I drove out to Messicks in Elizabethtown and whew, I certainly wouldn't want to trailer a (S)CUT that far. I wouldn't mind maybe picking up smaller parts or even some small attachements like palate forks, but yeah, I hope whoever services my tractor can do it on site.

EDIT: Found it. Reading Tractor & Equipment. The name is so obvious, I don't know why I didn't find it earlier when searching. They sell Kubota and Bobcat.

I use to know it as Reading Kubota. Same thing. Bought my yanmar there years ago.

 

[c304]

Living in Fleetwood you should be able to get to a dealer of any brand in less than an hour. so don't lock yourself into one brand look at them all and buy what is right for you.

There's a Zetor dealer about 65 minutes away.

There's a LS dealer about 1 hour away.

There's a TYM dealer about 1 hour away.

There's a Massey Ferguson dealer about 45 minutes away.

There's a Yanmar dealer about 45 minutes away.

There's a Kioti dealer with two locations each about 35 minutes away in opposite directions.

There's a Deere dealer about 25 minutes away.

And as I just discovered, there's a Kubota dealer 15 minutes away. Also sells Bobcat.

That should give me a lot of options.

 

[c304]

The actual brand I'm less concerned about right now, I more need to square away what kind of equipment I need and how to go about shopping for it so I can make good comparisons.

I was just out today planting some small bushes. Apparently I live on a pile of rocks with a thin layer of dirt sprinkled on top. So I think a backhoe may be needed.

As I mentioned before, I have a gravel drive which hasn't been maintained well and the ground around the house isn't graded right. Instead of sloping away, it slopes toward the house. So need to fix that too, which probably means a FEL.

I assume I'm going to need some snow removal setup, either a plow or a snowblower. My drive is 2500 ft long. All gravel. It's short enough that I could do the rear mounted snow plow trick, but long enough that I wouldn't want to just shovel it all with a FEL.

I've got some stumps to clear, but that might be a rental job or just hire someone to do it.

There's bunch of overgrown brush between the trees at the edges of the yard with nasty thorns and poison ivy. I'd like to clear that out while leaving the trees and replace it with some more pleasant flora. So that means either a brush hog, a flail mower, or similar. Whatever it is, I'd want something narrow, since this isn't field work.

A wood splitter would be nice too. Not essential, but they look so handy.

I'd POSSIBLY be interested in mowing my lawn with the tractor, but it seems like it would be really cumbersome compared to something smaller and dedicated to the task. Also seems like a waste to run up the hour meter on mowing. But if I buy a separate mower, that's money I don't have available in the tractor budget.

So a quick summary:
Probably need a backhoe.
Definitely need a FEL
Definitely need something for snow removal.
Maybe need a brush clearing attachment (otherwise I'd rent)
Maybe need something to remove stumps (otherwise I'd rent)
Maybe a wood splitter
Maybe need a finish mower (but only if it makes sense vs a dedicated mower)

 

[Tractorable]

Sounds like you're going to need access to your 3 point hitch and PTO.

Given that backhoe's are expensive and limit the use of your PTO, I'd say rent a mini excavator to do your trenching and stump removal. It'll be faster and cheaper.

For seven acres with tight spaces I'd say plan on purchasing a tractor that is suitable to run 5ft implements.

You may be a good candidate for a loader mounted grapple to move brush and logs. Get a third function remote for the loader.

For snow removal use a rear blade or loader bucket; rear mount snowblower for the deep stuff if you think you need it in SE PA.

Riding mower or zero turn once you establish your lawn.

 

[c304]

Yeah, frame mount backhoes look like they're running $4K - $8K depending on brand. I have a deep garage where I intend to keep the tractor and unused implements, so it's possible to leave the backhoe off most of the time, but it's a tradeoff of spending 30 minutes getting the backhoe ready vs scheduling a rental of a mini excavator. Excavators run about $400/day here, which doesn't seem too bad. Just have to figure out when buying makes sense vs renting. But the trouble I had today just digging a 2' hole for a bush today makes me think the backhoe might get used for mundane stuff.

How does the rear snow blade work? Do you drive backwards to push the snow or do you drive through the snow and drag the blade? Tractors are OK just driving through snow? Sounds like fun, actually. Either way, if you set the 3pt right it should be able to just skim the gravel without causing a mess. The trick must be just getting ahead of the snow so you don't end up with 3' to deal with. It's not that bad here that something like that happens often. Most we'll see is 21" or so in a 24 hour period.

I'm definitely thinking smaller implements are the way to go. Smaller is cheaper, takes up less space, and are easier to maneuver. There's no way I can grade the drive in one pass anyway, so what's the difference between 2 passes and 3 other than an hour of my time. Is there any situation where the implement being narrower than the rear tire track is a problem? And can smaller implements, when driven by enough HP on the PTO or enough hydraulics, do the same work that larger ones can, just with less coverage? Like will a 7' brush hog clear bigger saplings than a 4' brush hog will? I just don't want to get a smaller implement if say, it's not geared for doing heavier duty work.

Speaking of tractor size, is there any downside other than cost to getting a 45hp tractor vs a 25hp one? They don't seem that much larger but if it means more reserve power, less likelihood of getting stuck or not being able to do a job, and better resell value (if I ever move back to the city), that might make sense.

 

[Tractorable]

Rear blades work well when you get a foot or less snow, which is most common in your neck of the woods. Drive forward through the snow and drag the blade on an angle behind you. You can reverse the blade so the convex side faces forward and that way it won't dig into the gravel, it'll just push the snow off to the side. For deep snow a rear mount snow blower is the way to go. If you have a lot of money a front mount snow blower is even better, but pricey.

Smaller implements will do all the work that larger ones will, just takes more time. A medium duty 5ft Bush Hog might be the ticket for you. Generally, you want implements to cover your rear wheel tracks.

A Kubota L3901 or Yanmar YT235 might be good for you. There are a bunch of good options out there from other makes as well. Next step up would be models like the Kubota L4701, MX4800 or Yanmar YT347 but they're significantly larger, more expensive, and run 6ft or larger implements.

You'll have to evaluate what size tractor is best suited for your property. Most folks say decide on what you think you need then buy the next size larger tractor.

 

[paulfun9]

There's a Zetor dealer about 65 minutes away.

There's a LS dealer about 1 hour away.

There's a TYM dealer about 1 hour away.

There's a Massey Ferguson dealer about 45 minutes away.

There's a Yanmar dealer about 45 minutes away.

There's a Kioti dealer with two locations each about 35 minutes away in opposite directions.

There's a Deere dealer about 25 minutes away.

And as I just discovered, there's a Kubota dealer 15 minutes away. Also sells Bobcat.

That should give me a lot of options.

Yanmar and Massey dealer close to you both directions. The one in Orsfield is the same as the one in New ringold/Orwigsburg area and sells both.
I cant think of the exact locations of the others except the Kubota Dealer right there in leesport.

 

[paulfun9]

Sounds like you're going to need access to your 3 point hitch and PTO.

Given that backhoe's are expensive and limit the use of your PTO, I'd say rent a mini excavator to do your trenching and stump removal. It'll be faster and cheaper.

.

A decent backhoe on a compact tractor does not limit your PTO use anymore than any other attachment you might have on at any given time. So what your saying is really that my grader blade which hooks to the 3 point limits my PTO use!

 

[c304]

If I wanted to start by looking at small CUTs with cabs, there's two that pop out, the LS XR3135HC and the Kioti CK3510SE HC. They're close to the top end of what I can afford in cash, new, but I think 35HP is probably plenty anyway. I could probably get away with less, as I don't need speed with no fields to cover. Are there other small cab options worth considering?

I'm not married to the idea of a cab, would just be nice if the price is right (same with the backhoe).

There's a 2008 B3030HSDC on CL with less than 500 hours with the backhoe subframe mount and hydraulic remotes just no backhoe. It's selling for $17500. I'd have to find out what the backhoe would cost, but might be a viable option.