Looking to buy a tractor

[xtech]

Hello Everyone,

i am looking to buy a small and cheap tractor for small farming (basically, a 100x50 meter yard).

Constraints:

• Between 20 and 30 HP
• 4x4 Traction
• Power Steering (called Hydraulic, i guess?)
• Narrow enough (less than 1,40 meters wide)
• Can be used... number of years is not important but has to be reliable
• I live in Portugal near the border with Spain, the brand is not relevant but i want to be able to get spare parts easily
• Price < 8000€

Besides normal farming tasks (plowing, etc) i would also like in the future to mount a small backhoe loader behind to help me to model the yard terrain features and plant some trees.

I have the chance to buy at a Massey Ferguson 210-4 with 24Hp for 6000€, but has no power steering.
I have also been looking to Hinomoto 250D, but seems the brand is not well known and there is no data online about it

I have also seen the brand new Solis and Avenger tractors which go a little bit above my budget (but being new, i could think on increasing the budget a bit) with 25-26HP whic i believe they are Indian, and some opinions about them are not the most flattering, especially regarding the gearbox problems and engine failures. I also don't know about spare part availability

Is the Massey Ferguson 210-4 my best option?

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

5000 square meters=1.2 acres.
Is it flat or hilly?
I would see what people in your area have and see what local tractor dealers in your area. I wouldn't want to buy any attachment for one time use.

 

[xtech]

The terrain is quite flat.

Indeed, the terrain is small, but the vegetation grows like crazy there and i want to plant some assorted fruit trees and vegetables for self consumption, including potatoes.
I also want to put some curbs (that's also why i want the backhoe loder) to delimitate the path to a garage there and make some terrain adjustments.

My parents use to do also agriculture as a secondary occupation besides their main jobs (my parent has actually two tractors: a New Holland 40hp and 17HP Kubota), and i've grown quite fond of "trustable" and chemical-free food.

Maybe a tractor may seem a bit overkill for such a small piece of land, but doing everything by hand is not feasible at all for me.

 

[jeff9366]

This currently running thread will answer many of your questions:

Newbie trying to nail down type & brands

Greetings All, I'm here to learn, & seek advice. We will be moving rural, just a small almost 2 acre lot. We will most likely be purchasing used & within 150-200 miles of SW PA. I am trying to narrow down what would work best for me/us & have read here for a few years while I dreamt of getting...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

A local dealer helped me choose the right one. That may be your best choice as well as availability of parts and service.

 

[Torvy]

@ptsg. This sounds right up your alley or neck of the woods or whatever English idiom works!

 

[ptsg]

Xtech, I assume you have check the usual places, like OLX and Custo Justo?

Basically, you have two options. If you plan on driving on the roads with the tractor, you'll need one with license plate and title. If you plan on work just inside your propriety, you can get away without the title and license plate. The second option, pretty much cuts the value of a tractor anywhere from 50% to 75%, that's why you find them a lot cheaper.

Personally, I recommend that you go with the first option. Leaves a lot more options open in the future and also holds the resale value a lot better. And if you feel like, you can just drive it to the market to get vegetables or even feed for any cattle you may or may not have.

Often, the tractors without license plate/title, are imported and come on a container filled to the brim. The price range is usually anywhere from €2500 to €4500. The issue with these tractors is that they are usually models used in the Asian market and not anywhere else in the world, so parts becomes an huge issue and often requires buying another used tractor just to harvest parts. These brands are usually: Kubota, Iseki, Hinomoto, some Mitsubishi models, Yanmar, Shibaura and maybe one or two more. I had a Kubota B7000, so I know bit on this subject. It was a pain to get a simple clutch disc back in the day.

With that budget, it'll be a bit hard to find a 25HP tractor with power steering though. I believe 9500€ gets you the Solis S20, 20HP, power steering and some more nicer features.

Another point, since you're considering having a front loader, I'll suggest that you stay away from the isodiametric (articulated) tractors, like Antonio Carraro, Goldoni, and some more, while this type of tractors are awesome, specially on hilly ground, they are not really loader friendly at all.

I have about 6500 square meters at home. I owned a 14 HP tractor before and now a much bigger 35 HP one. I can honestly say, the 20 to 25HP is about the perfect size.

I'll check some online places and see if I can find anything that may suit your needs, once I get a little bit of time.

EDIT: Every once in a while, a Same Solaris 25 or Lamborghini Runner 250 appear at fairly decent price, usually around 9000€. These are great tractors and since they sold loads of them, plus being European brands, they have great parts availability.

 

[xtech]

@ptsg thanks a lot for the post! Great points! Great to see other portuguese fellows around.


Yes I have been checking OLX mostly, and have already seen a couple of tractos from there in person.

Definitely i want to have a licence plate on it - it is a must. I want go go refuel it to the gas station, or to the mechanic for service and not having the risk of getting fined.

Ok, so i'll avoid these brands. The Solís looks very Nice visually, but how easy is to get spare parts for it? Are they reliable? I didnt know the brand a couple of months ago... If it's a Ford, new Holland, John Deere, Lamborghini, Goldoni, ir is easy to get parts.

Thanks for the advice, i Will discard then these Carraros - i've always found then a bit "strange" anyway!

I Will like to have not really a front loader but one of these:

Yes i AM considering that HP range: between 20 to 25hp too!

Thanks you for the help!! I'll definitely keep and eye on these Same and Lamborghinis - they seem the right dizem!

 

[ptsg]

Great call on going with the license plate one. It's just a piece of mind.

I would expect the parts availability of the Solis to be fairly good. After all, they have been the number 1 seller in tractors up to 25hp for maybe 5 years straight. I would expect them to have the parts logistics figured out.

After a quick search on Facebook marketplace, I've found a couple options:

- SAME SOLARIS 25 - 1232 Hours with a Joper rototiller + brush cutter - 10000€, located in Ourém. Looks good, just a few cosmetic stuff here and there. Normal from the age.

- Kubota B2410 - 1600 hours - 9250€, No power steering though. Located in Batalha

- SAME SOLARIS 25 - 2077 hours - Looks very nice and well taken care of. Definitely stored in a garage. Located in Rio Maior and asking 9800€.

- SAME SOLARIS 35 - 35Hp model, looks good. Don't know the hours though. 9000€ in Pampilhosa da Serra.

There is also this Ferrari 40HP, doesn't list the actual model. Located in Coruche. Fantastic shape but no price.

I hope it helps. I'll keep my eyes open.

 

[koshari]

@ptsg thanks a lot for the post! Great points! Great to see other portuguese fellows around.


Yes I have been checking OLX mostly, and have already seen a couple of tractos from there in person.

Definitely i want to have a licence plate on it - it is a must. I want go go refuel it to the gas station, or to the mechanic for service and not having the risk of getting fined.

Ok, so i'll avoid these brands. The Solís looks very Nice visually, but how easy is to get spare parts for it? Are they reliable? I didnt know the brand a couple of months ago... If it's a Ford, new Holland, John Deere, Lamborghini, Goldoni, ir is easy to get parts.

Thanks for the advice, i Will discard then these Carraros - i've always found then a bit "strange" anyway!

I Will like to have not really a front loader but one of these:

View attachment 822782

Yes i AM considering that HP range: between 20 to 25hp too!

Thanks you for the help!! I'll definitely keep and eye on these Same and Lamborghinis - they seem the right dizem!

if you do go the backhoe route get a sunframe made up, they put a LOT of load on the superstructure otherwise.