Idahoagie
Bronze Member
We live on 26.5 acres in the Idaho Panhandle. About 5 acres from the road to the house is a sloped field that was let to go wild and weedy by the previous owner. All I've been able to do with it is rough cut it with a mower towed behind a borrowed tractor.
Starting at the house the trees start to get thicker and the last 20 acres is Idaho forest of Red Fir, Pine, Tamarack, Cedar and Aspen. This past summer we had the forest selectively thinned by a local logger.
Neighbors and friends have been great in bringing their tractors over, but it is time we had our own.
I've managed to get most of the trenching I needed done by others, so I'm thinking of holding off on the backhoe for now. (Yes, I know a backhoe has many more uses than trenching.) Here are some of the tasks I see us using this tractor for.
I visited the local Kioti dealer (about 1 hour away, but he's the closest.) Great salesman that was willing to take the time and answer questions, ask questions, and offer some ideas. He recommended an NX4510HST. I am not looking at the cab model due to cost. As the salesman put it, "You can buy a lot of insulated coveralls for the cost of a cab." Also, I've been told that with a lot of forest work to do I'm asking to break a door. ($780 replacement cost plus labor)
He quoted me a price of $27,945. They fill the rear tires with beet juice and weld two hooks on the loader bucket on all their tractors. This is included in the price. Adding the 3rd function on the front for the grapple is an additional $1,100 and the grapple would be $2,895. I did not find out anything about the grapple mfg. The second set of rear remotes would add $650.
He specified the NX4510 due to its loader capacity. He felt moving large rocks/boulders, as well as the need to work in the sloped field, this was the tractor to go with. Especially if I decide to add the backhoe at a later date.
The dealer has been in business for about 18 years, has an extensive service department, a large inventory of parts and accessories (I looked) and a yard full of implements and attachments. They've been a Kioti dealer for about 10 years and according to this salesman, they are one of the top 5 dealers in the USA.
So how does this all sound to you guys? Is this a good fit for our first tractor? I know the general rule of always buy more than you think you'll need. I've used a couple of friends SCUT and CUT units and they just don't have the HP, weight, lift capacity, etc. that I think I am going to want. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Idahoagie
Starting at the house the trees start to get thicker and the last 20 acres is Idaho forest of Red Fir, Pine, Tamarack, Cedar and Aspen. This past summer we had the forest selectively thinned by a local logger.
Neighbors and friends have been great in bringing their tractors over, but it is time we had our own.
I've managed to get most of the trenching I needed done by others, so I'm thinking of holding off on the backhoe for now. (Yes, I know a backhoe has many more uses than trenching.) Here are some of the tasks I see us using this tractor for.
- The forest needs some serious cleanup. Loggers up here are not required to clean up all of the broken branches, short logs, and general garbage left behind. Plus, we experience a number of blown down trees every year. I'm thinking a grapple would be good for the initial cleanup as well as ongoing maintenance.
- The loggers left over 100 stumps exposed. I'm looking at a 3PH stump grinder.
- We may strike a deal with a local rancher to allow them to run a couple of head on the front field. This will require some work to get it ready for cattle.
- Ongoing we will need to move dirt, gravel, mulch, etc. for maintenance and gardening.
- We have found a lot of large rocks/boulders already. There are sure to be more that need to be moved.
I visited the local Kioti dealer (about 1 hour away, but he's the closest.) Great salesman that was willing to take the time and answer questions, ask questions, and offer some ideas. He recommended an NX4510HST. I am not looking at the cab model due to cost. As the salesman put it, "You can buy a lot of insulated coveralls for the cost of a cab." Also, I've been told that with a lot of forest work to do I'm asking to break a door. ($780 replacement cost plus labor)
He quoted me a price of $27,945. They fill the rear tires with beet juice and weld two hooks on the loader bucket on all their tractors. This is included in the price. Adding the 3rd function on the front for the grapple is an additional $1,100 and the grapple would be $2,895. I did not find out anything about the grapple mfg. The second set of rear remotes would add $650.
He specified the NX4510 due to its loader capacity. He felt moving large rocks/boulders, as well as the need to work in the sloped field, this was the tractor to go with. Especially if I decide to add the backhoe at a later date.
The dealer has been in business for about 18 years, has an extensive service department, a large inventory of parts and accessories (I looked) and a yard full of implements and attachments. They've been a Kioti dealer for about 10 years and according to this salesman, they are one of the top 5 dealers in the USA.
So how does this all sound to you guys? Is this a good fit for our first tractor? I know the general rule of always buy more than you think you'll need. I've used a couple of friends SCUT and CUT units and they just don't have the HP, weight, lift capacity, etc. that I think I am going to want. Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Idahoagie