I don't know what tractor to buy or need.

[JorgeSerna]

How about expanding on your location. Where is Zapata? Location tells us something about your soil, topography, weather and emission control requirements.

Almost all small tractors sold in the USA are equipped with a FEL (Loader), HST transmission, 4-WD and Industrial (R4) tires; all "options" even though pretty much standard packages that will be on tractors you look at.

Tractors sold with 25-hp or smaller engines (in the USA) have relatively simple emissions controls referred to as Tier III emissions controls.

Tractors sold with >25-hp engines have to have more complex, more costly emissions controls referred to as Tier IV emissions controls.

All the Kubota BX models are <25-hp so are Tier III

Kubota 'B' models fall on both side of the 25-hp divide.

One Kubota 'L' model, the L2501, has a 25-hp engine and is Tier III

I think you will be fine with a 25-hp tractor. If you want something more powerful and heavier you may as well move up to 35-hp because the factory adding more complex Tier IV emissions controls is costly, and not really cost efficient until you get to 35-hp.

I am recommending a Kubota B2320 (Tier III) or a Kubota L2501 (Tier III)

Lawn/turf is mowed with a Finish Mower. Pasture, fields, long grass and light brush is mowed with a PTO powered Rotary Cutter/Shredder, also known as a Bush Hog, although, properly, Bush Hog is the brand name of the company which invented the PTO powered Rotary Cutter.

Kubota BX tractors are great lawn/turf mowing machines. Normally they use a Mid-Mount Mower (MMM) which is under the body of the tractor and comes in 54" and 60" widths. Great mowers but a little small for other tasks.

Some tractor owners prefer to mow turf with a 3-Point Hitch mounted Finish Mower towed behind the tractor. This would be my choice.

Kubota B2320 is a tad larger than a BX, which makes it a little easier to mount implements on the Three Point Hitch. A B2320 is about the same weight as similarly equipped BX.

L2501 is larger yet, and about 1,200 pounds heavier than the B2320. I think you need a L2501.

For sure I need front end loader, shredder and auger. An L2501 will do all these tasks. If your ground is really tough and if you cannot wait for moisture, you may not be satisfied with auger function.

Backhoes escalate the cost of a tractor considerably. None of the tasks you enumerated need a Backhoe. Take some time and expand on why you think you need a Backhoe. A Backhoe is much less expensive purchased packaged with a tractor, rather than later as an add-on.

For dealing with shrubs, small trees and light grading, I recommend a $330 Ratchet Rake bucket attachment. These are sold by the T-B-N store, which has more information. Delivery by convenient FedEx. (STORE button at top of this page.)

Zapata is in south Texas. I'm about 1 mile from the border. We don't get much rain here but I do have good soil with few rocks. The acres that have grass were due to a fire a welder started back then and is nice tall grass. I don't have animals so I want to be shredding it. The weather is usually upper 100's with winter in the 70 to 80's.

The loader is going to be used for a shooting range I want to build.

I had seen only online tractors from 25 to 38hp but didn't want to spend time looking at stuff that would not meet my needs or would be to big. The good thing I have gotten some good responses here to help lead me in a more accurate decision.

I will keep replying once I get on my laptop since my phone is kind of small.

thanks

 

[JorgeSerna]

Buy the next size larger than you think you need. My first was a 21 hp B model Kubota. Just wanted to clean the new property up. Did amazing stuff with the 7510. Then upgraded to a 32 hp B model and did more amazing stuff. Bought an auger for the B3200 but came to the realization it just did not have the PTO torque needed and traded it (the auger) off. Now I have upgraded to an L3901.

I cut two acres of grass with the L3901 and 72 inch Land Pride finish mower in an hour and forty five minutes. Faster than the zero turn we have been using. Think my L model would be better suited for the auger. For sure you want a tractor with a FEL. I still use the 5 foot shredder I purchased for the B3200. The L model has a larger more comfortable driver station than either of the B models. The position control for the 3 point attachments works much better than 3 point control on either B model. The 3 point on either B model would drift downward whereas on the L model the position control does not. Much happier with my landscaping work with a grading scraper on the L39 than either B model.

Tires - I am on a lot of grass yards and hard surface as well so I chose the R4's . Good traction and don't mark up the yards bad. If you are cutting a driveway you may need a box blade with rippers. Later a grading scraper will do a great job of maintaining the drive and keeping it free of potholes. The grading scraper could be used to cut the drive depending on how much dirt has to be moved. The box blade is definitely better at moving dirt. With an FEL for sure go 4 wheel drive. More traction and power for digging and constant ground contact for continuous traction. With a heavy load in the bucket the rear wheels can be light and lose traction occasionally. HST for sure for first time tractor owner.

Financing - JD and Kubota both offer zero down and zero interest for 60 months on certain models. I got started with Kubota because my first tractor the B7510 had more ground clearance than comparable JD models. Have stuck with Orange ever since. The dealer has been great with good service. You will probably buy from the dealer with the best reputation for after sales service who has the tractor configuration best suited for your personal situation. Don't let the dealer talk you into something you really don't want. LS (blue) is up and coming. Don't see many Case IH compact utility tractors in my area. More Kubota and a few John Deere with a sprinkling of LS. Have yet to see a Yanmar although I really did like the layout on one I saw at a far distant dealer. No experience with Kioti.

The L3901 was one of the first models I looked at in a package deal. I was going to visit a dealer but had to work that weekend.

Hopefully with all the information provided I can make an accurate decision.

 

[AxleHub]

Jorge,

So you are in "hot" country. That is even more of a reason for considering certain features on a tractor.

As an example:
the kubota bx products and
the Massey gc1700 series

Both models feature rear radiator forward cooling. This means the radiator and cooling fan are at THE BACK of the engine and the hot air flow goes away from the tractor driver and out the front of tractor.

The result is the engine compartment stays much cleaner and the driver does have dirt and dust and hot air blowing at him/her.

I don't know if other model sizes in kubota and massey have this feature or if other brands have it. Yanmar's sc2400 did but I dont know if their new models do.

 

[jeff9366]

The loader is going to be used for a shooting range I want to build.

I shoot too. You can build a shooting range backstop with just an FEL equipped with a Ratchet Rake for shaping and smoothing. You have to remove an RR to dig, otherwise it would be the perfect attachment. Fortunately on/off is 6-7 minutes each way, for me at age 68 years.

You will not need a Backhoe for a backstop.