Newbie with buying decision.

[Soundguy]

Sorry ... I had brain flatulence with a late evening post.

It was a Sherman tranny I think. We regularly used a Marvel tree cutter with it and never had any drive train issues. Pretty good tractor considering the work we did with it. It had a very strong FEL.

Ok.. The allison part thru me for a loop. Was guessing you meant a pre or post tranny like an everett, hupp, sherman or other style As FWJ mentioned.. it could have been the infamous SOS tranny too... I hadn't thought about that one.

soundguy

 

[Gary Fowler]

You may want to take a look at the Mahindras. Your dont see much about them on these forums, but a couple of my friends bought them and really like them. The only complaint I heard from one was he wished he had bought larger with a cab. These hot summer days can be a pleasure to work a tractor with an AC and cab.

 

[RWolf]

As posted earlier check out your dealers. Pretty much any main brand tractor will be of good quality. I also agree that about 50HP is in the range you probably will be happiest with as it shouldn't break the bank. For me my JD dealer was the closest and has been very helpful. Good luck.

 

[IslandTractor]

45hp and 25K to spend should give you a fair number of choices. If I were in your shoes I'd go visit the dealers of just about every decent brand and incorporate that dealer's reputation and how they were set up as a major part of my decision. The JD, NH and Kubota options will probably be pricier than the others but those brands tend to have the most established dealerships. Don't forget that if you are willing to turn a wrench yourself for basic maintenance that this era of UPS/FedEx and internet support allows one to have a remote dealer. My Kioti dealer is 300 miles away and I'm very happy with the support (amazing what a good dealer/mechanic can diagnose while you are talking to them by cell phone as you follow their directions).

 

[Bob_Young]

With the luck you had with Farmtrac, the last thing you need is to buy another problem. I think your best bet at this point is to stick with JD, Kubota, or NH. Another flyer on a "less well known" brand that develops problems could get your purchasing pass pulled by the budgeteer for a long time. But going Big Three for the price you mentioned shouldn't be hard.

If you can live with gear, you could go either JD5103 or Kubota MX5100 with FWD and FEL for the price mentioned; maybe even a JD5203 for a few dollars more (might be JD5104/5204 by now). Both are utility tractors, rather than CUTs, and probably better able to take a beating. The Deeres would be heavier and arguably a bit tougher; but the lighter Kubota might just be more trouble free in the long run. If you expect to trailer, the Kubota's light weight would be a plus and maybe easier on fuel. If you're scrabbling across hillsides pulling heavy implements, you'll need the weight of the Deeres. All would give you class I/II 3PH capability, which is nice.

For HST, you could look at the Kubota L4400HST, though it's a CUT and might be a little too light. Kubota's heavier & stronger HST CUTs are all Grand Ls and would probably break the budget. Dunno what the others offer with HST.

As to how it feels when you sit on it; I wouldn't make that the deciding factor. Unless it's something really weird, you'll get used to it over time.
FWIW
Bob

 

[SESS]

BobTex: Which model Farmtrac did you buy in 2006?

 

[pitt_md]

I think you have lots of good advice so far. One thing I wanted to add was that it seems like 45 - 50hp for 10 acres of brushhogging/mowing plowing roads is a little over kill. You might want to consider a tad smaller say 30 - 40 hp and add a cab with AC/heat, cupholders, HST, etc. Also a grapple is a heck of a useful tool.

MY slice of land is 30 acres and I have the Kubota MX5000 (50hp). Its a plane Jane work horse. A cab would be real nice when it's 30 below and I have to plow the road so we can get out to the main road....

 

[BobTex]

Bob Young ... thanks for the thoughtful response. I went back to my NH dealer today for a walk thru of their inventory. As I have to work the weekend it will be next week before I can see the Kubotas.

SESS ... My Farmtrac is a 555.

pitt-md ... thanks for your input. As I'm in SE Texas the cab would be nice in June, July, Aug, and Sept.. Winter is not an issue here. But because of my trees (low limbs) and brush I'm afraid the cab won't work. I'd rather trade the cost of the cab for more tractor. I regularly also have to move timber, sometimes large logs, and I admit I omitted that in my worklist/needs. Weight and HP will help. I don't want to end up not having enough tractor. I have borrowed a neighbor's 30hp Kubota and while really nice, I considered it not enough for some of my tasks.


Thanks for everyones' input. I'll keep y'all updated on my quest.