Looking for a good compact tractor

Hermio · Dec 3, 2021

geoffleach said:
I would add to the already good advice: 4WD and equal-sized tires, front and rear. There is an ideal solution for your situation, which seems to be the same as mine: Antonio Carraro TTR 4400. Regrettably expensive and no longer in production. "Pre-owned"?

I'm working at removing dead trees that were downed by the fire crew, on 20-30 degree slopes and very loose footing, so my recommendation comes from experience.

I hope to get a logging winch for cases like that someday.

geoffleach · Dec 3, 2021

ptsg said:
Those are indeed great tractors to work on hills. Super low center of gravity and great tractor, along with great stability with the rims setup as wide as they go.

I looked at a Tigre 4000 when I was shopping for a new tractor and kind of regret not going with it. Would fit a lot better in my orchards that the conventional tractor I have now, at the cost of losing the loader capability and some other features, but wouldn't be a big deal either.

Antonio Carraro had to change their line quite a bit due to the Stage V emissions in Europe. Basically the 4000 (31HP) and 4400F (38HP) were discontinued and replaced with the 3800 and 3800F, both with 25HP so it falls under the no DPF requirement. I'm sure they will release higher HP versions of these tractors once they get the emissions figured out and find a place to mount that big DPF.

Yup. I purchased the 4400 (No F!) recently. It had been on the lot for 2 years -- probably the last one in the US. One of the selling points was that it pre-dated the latest DPF :-(

Hermio · Dec 3, 2021

anothernewbiefarmer said:
2032r seems like a good fit. I have 25 acres of sometimes heavily sloped fields, woods from which I pull tons of downed trees every year and flat lands and stables etc. Very rarely do I find something I can't pick up. I've pulled, to my amazement, 50ft trees along the ground. I'd get some wheel spacers if you have sloped land.

To my amazement, I found I could pull a 60 foot long, 20" diameter log at the butt end, up a 5-10 degree slope with my Mahindra 5035. I use a quick hitch with a towbar on the lower link end as a dragging device. I use the upper link to get the log off the ground when I can get the tractor close to the log.

Metalmaster10 · Dec 3, 2021

Reagen said:
I'm looking for a compact tractor for 11 acres. 5 of those acres have a lot of dead trees we are looking to remove. We have goats and are looking to get more animals, and will need a tractor that can handle those. We also would like to be able to lift and pull a good amount. Any recommendations?

Jeff said a lot when he mentioned weight.
I looked at a lot of kubota and deere tractors in the "35 hp range".... everyone shops HP, but I needed to pull a good sized subsoiler and want real loader capacity.
I LOVE my Massey Ferguson 1736 with syncro trans. It will dramatically out pull a similarly sized hydro.
It is the heaviest tractor in its class, far more lift capacity with the 3 point and loader than others in its hp class.
I had the tires filled with rim guard and it is a beast.
Look at what YOU want to do. Choose based on your needs.

Hermio · Dec 3, 2021

I have to add my 2 cents worth. I would not recommend EVER using any kind of gear drive tractor for logging, stump pulling, etc., unless it is weighted so heavily in the front that it cannot possibly do a wheelie, especially when pulling a log that if lifted up so the pulling force goes to the top link. If the tractor does a wheelie, you have 90 degrees of rotation before the tractor flips over backwards, and my bet is that you won't get your foot to the clutch that fast with a gear drive tractor. With an HST, you just have to stop pressing on the pedal. In terms of pulling power, the pressure relief valve on an HST prevents you from developing more torque than the axles and transmission are designed to handle. With a gear drive, if you really load it up, the engine torque multiplied by the gear ratio in low range will exceed what they axle can handle, and you will break it. Your only torque limiting safety mechanism is tire slippage. With stock weight, the tires will slip before anything breaks. But if you load the tires, add wheel weights and a load-transferring rear implement such as a logging arrangement, you can develop enough torque to break the axle. So how much can an HST pull? On my Mahindra 5035 HST, I have managed to break a poly tow rope with a rated breaking strength of 20,000 lb. I have broken 3/8" proof chain, which has a working load of 2600 lb and a breaking strength of about 10,000 lb. So far, I have not broken 3/8" grade 70 chain, which I think is rated at something like 5400# working load, but i have stretched it. So, what an HST can pull is really based on what the manufacturer has designed it to do. A gear drive tractor with the same axle and bearings cannot pull more without going over the manufacturer's design limits, which the user does at his own risk. Back on the safety aspects, when working in the woods, I have had sharp logs and branches pop up and try to hit me in the face or impale me. I have gotten bruised pretty badly by that. But the HST saved me from potentially lethal results. I wish I had the money to put on a forestry package, which has a full cage around the operator, but I do not. I did invest in a custom-made skid plate to protect the tractor underside.

jeff9366 · Dec 3, 2021

Hermio said:
Not quite correct. Any weight carried by the 3-point hitch actually reduces the weight on the front axle. Simple physics; the lever principle.

When the Top Link is in compression implement weight is transferred to front wheels.

Hermio · Dec 3, 2021

jeff9366 said:
When the Top Link is in compression implement weight is transferred to front wheels.

While that is true, the top link will never be in compression while lifting an implement or mowing. Only when plowing or possibly discing will this happen.

k0ua · Dec 3, 2021

Having owned geared tractors, and Hydrostatic transmission tractors with treadle pedals and twin pedals. In my experience it takes about 1 full days operations to get comfortable in switching back and forth from treadle pedal designs to twin pedal designs. I sure would not base my whole decision to buy a tractor because I "hate" one or other of the designs. Many here "hate" treadle pedal designs, and they base that "hate" on a 5 minute test drive around the dealers lot. You CANNOT in any way make a valid decision on such a low time test. If you haven't operated the "hated" treadle pedal design at least a full 8 hours, you are just fooling yourself. BOTH designs are just fine. Sure it takes a little getting used to at first, but you CAN adapt. It just requires a little self enforced training. My current tractor is twin pedal design, but I have owned two that were treadle pedal, and they worked just fine.

anothernewbiefarmer · Dec 3, 2021

Hermio said:
To my amazement, I found I could pull a 60 foot long, 20" diameter log at the butt end, up a 5-10 degree slope with my Mahindra 5035. I use a quick hitch with a towbar on the lower link end as a dragging device. I use the upper link to get the log off the ground when I can get the tractor close to the log.

What counter balance do you use?