new member

[TJP89]

hi all, my name is john and live in smyrna, tn. my wife somehow convinced me to buy her a 22 acre farm for her and my daughter's horses. i'm needing to get a tractor with a front loader. not sure which one to get, they all seem so expensive.

So, besides remarking on the expense, what are you looking for in a tractor. They can put a loader on anything from 18HP to 125HP, but my guess would be you're looking for about 30HP. More than that we need some help to help you. General budget, new or used, cab or no cab, any PTO work, what size loader loads are you moving, do you need to mow with it. Who is driving. What chores specifically do you have in mind, any implements you need/want? We can help, that's why we're here, but you have to give us somewhere to start with.

Also :welcome:

 

[BigBoyToys]

Welcome JD! NEWBIE here as well.
A 22 acre horse farm...I guess you ARE keeping the wife HAPPY!!! :laughing:
Just picked up a nice low hours 06 B3030. I don't have the acreage you have but I can see you in the Kubota L Series.
If you're patient and have the time, there are some good deal out there to be had.

 

[TSO]

We like spending other people's money!


But ... What is the terrain like, what kind of property maintenance will be required... And especially, which tractor dealerships do you have nearby (30-60 mins)?

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN, jdchandler!

Everything is relative. You can spend next to nothing and use hand tools to get your work done, like they did long ago. Of course farmers back in those days often worked themselves into an early grave. Or you can invest in some modern tools that make the jobs much easier. In that context, having good equipment seems downright cheap. Ask wifey if she expects you to be like the city guy on that old TV show "Green Acres" who moved to the country and didn't have the first idea how to get anything done, or whether you can get the right tools and stand a better chance of being around to enjoy the place for a while.

Pretty much how I view the tractor buying dilemma.
Just make sure you don't get yours from Mr. Haney!

You probably would be very happy with most any of the major brands.

Since (I assume) you're going to be moving hay and manure, get something with enough FEL capacity.
4WD & HST transmission are both very nice for loader work - some will tell you they are requirements for working safely, especially if you will be working on any kind of slopes.

With 0% financing available on new, and used machines retaining most of their value until they are heavily used, my first purchase was new. I didn't know anything about tractors & didn't have any friends who did, either. So I had no way to do a good job of evaluating the used equipment that I could locate. Plus, after buying this place, I was a little strapped for cash.

You'll get lots more helpful (and knowledgeable) advice as you describe your needs and land situation in more detail.
-Jim

 

[whizdbiz2]

Just my $.02, you can buy too big (I know that is heresy here) but if it's something that you will not use often you can have a lot of dollars tied up in something that will sit for long periods of time. A smaller tractor will take you longer (but you get more seat time... bonus!) but cost you less. On my small acreage tractors in the 22-25 hp. range are just fine. Mine are two old ones and one new one. In the end it is really determined by what you are going to need and how much actual time you will have to do it. Good luck.

 

[RPW]

Sit down with a pen and paper and write out a list of chores you will doing. Order them by frequency of use. Pick the items (top 5).then using those as your baseline for determining the size of tractor. Find the brands of tractors in your area and go visit the dealers. Also drive the country roads and see what others are using. That will also give you an idea of which brand is popular and which dealer probably has the best support.

 

[semofarm]

JD....Yanmar, Kubota, NH, JD, Massey, Case, Mahindra, LS....all great stuff and your dealer will affect who you go with. just remember, many tractors under different marketing names are actually produced by a certain manufacturer. After many years of owning/operating Kubotas, I purchased an LS for many reasons other that price. Price was simply icing on the cake. Quality is second to none. Granted, I'm blessed with excellent dealers for all previously mentioned. Dollar for dollar and pound for pound, LS in tough to beat IF you buy new. But hey, there are great used tractors out there. 22 acres does NOT demand big horse power. My LS R4041 HST and attachments serves me very well for our 70+ acres (mostly wooded hunting ground). Good luck