Recommendation for 6 acre hobby farm

[WinterDeere]

I'll echo some of what's been said, and I guess voice my disagreement with some other points

1. HST is the overwhelmingly better option for a multi-use machine. If you said your primary use was crop, and the other things were just an aside, maybe you could argue for manual. But if any significant part of this machine's time is moving snow, using the loader for random tasks, or as a general-purpose helper... HST is the only way to go.

2. Big 2 only: JD and Kubota. Several other brands listed make perfectly adequate machines, nothing against them, but their resale value is low, they have less support, less ability to maintain a parts channel when the machine gets old, etc. The guy over at Good Works Tractors actually did a decent youtube video on this very subject, about two years ago, if you want another perspective.

3. Agreed on weight and 30 - 40 hp. But completely disagreeing on any machine without a removable loader, unless you're going to have two tractors. eg. JD 3032E?!? Don't even think about it! If going JD HST, you'd be looking at R's only, never E's.

4. Agreed on not trying to mow with this tractor, for reasons already stated. Get yourself a good zero turn, work it into the same deal with the tractor, to leverage a better price on both. Belly mowers and mid-PTO options are expensive on machines in this class, not to mention the proposed machine being way too heavy, slower, less maneuverable, higher cost per hour, etc., etc., etc.

5. Quick-attach machines ONLY. Don't buy any machine with a pinned bucket. Go read the flame wars between JDQA and SSQA if you want, and you'll see a bunch of tractor owners with nothing better to talk about, as both work just fine. I use JDQA, and have one neighbor in each camp, I honestly haven't seen any scenario in which one has been vastly better than the other in a non-commercial setting.

6. You can't have too many hydraulic channels. Consider 3 the absolute minimum, so you can at least tilt your loader-mounted plow or operate a grapple. But then you need a fourth for the chute rotator on your snow blower, or the hydraulic top link tiller, or rotary mower. No matter how many you add, and how superfluous they may feel at time of purchase, you will eventually use all and wish you had one more. Oh, and if you have a quick 3-point (eg. iMatch), you'll be glad for that hydraulic top link, as it allows you to drop and retrieve implements easier from the seat.

7. Dealer support. I do all my own maintenance, and all of my own out of warranty repairs. But dealer proximity is great for any in-warranty repairs and for parts counter support.

All this is just one guy's opinion, like all the others. Look for the commonalities, and where they appear to agree with your priorities. One solution is not right for everyone.

 

[DaBear3428]

lot of good information here, i would add that IMO the first thing to do is research (like you are doing) the second is to go to the dealers and talk to them, talk to the service manager, sales personnel, let them put you on the tractors you are looking at and get a feel for the different tractors, the fit of the dealer and tractor may change your mind on what is best for you. any of the brands you listed can and do make great tractors it is more a question which is best for you.
if the dealer is reluctant to do any of the things listed above you then know where not to buy.

For someone not use to tractors the HST is a better choice IMO.

I do not really agree on the need for more than 40hp you need to focus on weight first, 30PTO hp will drive a 5' RC just fine and for your use i do not see you needing more.

get a FEL and 3rd function kit as well as remotes, IMO skip the MMM and go far a ZTM if you property is not too hilly.

as to the JD and Kubota question for me personally i found that the cost delta was too steep for those in an apples to apples comparison. i hear the thing about resale value but any of the brands you listed will resale just fine and if you keep it long term the price delta you just eat.

 

[Yander]

I would take all of the recommendations that lead you to believe that the only tractors you should consider are Kubota and JD and throw them out. Ridiculous

 

[MTGreen]

The reason I stick with John Deere and Kubota has to do with how long you plan on owning it and not necessarily quality of manufacture. I have owned a number of 10-30 year old tractors that I have purchased used and broken for cash at near salvage prices and refurbished. I've done this a number of times over the years and after some hard experience I now only buy John Deere or Kubota for the primary reason that new parts are readily available in US warehouses and used parts are a lot more common. I can still get nearly every part new from Deere on my 20-year-old 5220 for instance.
If you're going to finance a new tractor and sell it or trade it in in 5 years this argument doesn't apply, but if you are purchasing a 10+ year-old tractor or you intend on keeping it more than 10 years part availability really becomes important

 

[Yander]

Maybe with enough tractor bias we can get every newby to this site to consider only JD or Kubota. We could eliminate all of their competition and make the tractor buying experience so much more simple for all of us. We could live in a world where a green tractor is our only choice... let's strive for that!

I have a BIL who owns a really nice new JD 3032, he mows his yard with it, he has about 1.5 acres that is immaculately manicured and he NEVER Does any dirtwork, won't let my sister have a garden, doesn't want his yard touched in any way. So why does he have a tractor, for snow I guess. His drive is about 40 yards long.

Anyway, why do I bring him up? He is also the type of guy who has never considered any other make of tractor. He has such a JD bias that he didn't even look/consider any other make of tractor. He has no idea what is out there. He drove over an hour to buy his tractor to get the cheapest tractor he could even though he has a JD dealer 3 minutes from his house. He has no idea that there are better made tractors for less money. But he has a green tractor.

He has no idea that there are MUCH more capable tractors for much less money if you want to get into a Mahindra, Kioti, LS, Branson etc. He doesn't care, he doesn't need more capable, he just wants a green tractor in his garage; a big one. His mind is closed and he knows nothing of the better made tractors than JD. IMO, Yanmar, Iseki (Massey), Kubota all make a better tractor and for less money.

For what the OP describes his needs and his situation, he isn't buying old tractors and fixing them up so parts availability isn't the big factor. When you consider how many different tractor makers are not making their own parts or tractors for that matter, JD being one of the worst offenders, I think parts availability is an overplayed hand. Now, if you are talking old tractors as @MTGreen is referring to, parts availability is a big deal.

I'm probably overthinking all of this, as I'm usually guilty of doing, but I think the guys who do know and research and understand tractors have some responsibility to present all of that to the newbys who come to this site for advice and not present just their bias. Of course if you fall into the category of my BIL, with no real knowledge, your just going to tell them to buy green because that is all you know!

Personally, I don't think there is a better tractor made than Yanmar right now. But I don't go on every newby thread and tell them they should only buy a Yanmar.

 

[Hay Dude]

I do have some brand bias, but gave up on the one-brand blind loyalty and better off for it.

 

[sea2summit]

I would take all of the recommendations that lead you to believe that the only tractors you should consider are Kubota and JD and throw them out. Ridiculous

Of course, because there's only one choice. Orange power.

Just joking...mostly.

 

[sea2summit]

I do have some brand bias, but gave up on the one-brand blind loyalty and better off for it.

I'm with him^

 

[sea2summit]

So, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say there's a ton of bad advice in this thread. Some good stuff.

Really sounds like a lot of folks are basing their recommendations of their own uses, doesn't seem like we have much from OP regarding the tractors applications.

Generally like Jeff said, weight is a pretty bid deal. Really it dictates how much work you can do. HP just tells you how fast you can do the work.

I love my geared tractor but also love my HST. If it's your first tractor and you're mostly in the woods and on small acerage doing chores to save your back HST probably gets the nod.

Now for everything else. You talk a lot about the loader, which is fine, but it's a horrible implement to do much more than lift things straight up and put them down. Not made to dig, push, pull, or really even carry loads over distance (even though I'm sure we all do this with our loaders to some extent). The hind end of a tractor is where the most work can be done, the most efficiently. The front axles are the weakest part of the tractor only second to the loader. But, as a general rule figure out the heaviest thing you want to lift to full height, make that 80% of the max load per manufacture specs at that height. Figure out the heaviest thing you want to carry through the woods or for more than about 200', make that 50% of your max load per manufacture specs (one bump generates tremendous forces on that loader and tractors have no shocks so all that energy is absorbed by the tires, axles, and loader arms).

Think about how much time you want to spend on the tractor, I had a BX-25D when I moved to 6 acres of harvested pines and digging a stump would take 45 minutes or more even though the tractor didn't struggle with the work. I upgraded to the MX-5800 which would pull the same stump in 6 minutes. If you have time you don't necessarily need the HP (but still need weight adequate for the task).

Snow removal and maintaining a driveway is really a back side of the tractor task. Again, how fast do you want to do the work is going to drive the size. PTO HP if you'll use a blower will creep into your weight considerations.

I sold my BX long ago, I miss it a lot. I've had my MX seven years. I've had a M4 a few years now and love it. I do a lot of hay and chores in the woods. Every tractor has huge advantages over the others, I wish I still had my BX. No single tractor is perfect for every application, probably better to lean a little large than to lean small.

As for manufactures, think hard about supply chains and who's going to do the work (you or the dealer). Messicks enables a lot of maintenance for several brands via online parts. Nearest dealer if you're going to go that route ensure they cater to you (i.e. if you go to the local green/red dealer and the have 50 220+ HP tractors and five under 50 HP they probably wont be real responsive when you need work as you are not where they make their money, if they only have 25-75 HP tractors probably more likely they'll be there to help when you need it). I've bought Kubota tractors because they had what I wanted, when I wanted, at the price I wanted and I can get parts and do my own maint. I have or operate implements and equipment from most other colors and don't have things to say that would make me totally adverse to any one color but many thing's I'd think about when buying.

Goodluck OP, it's a big decision. Take your time and go test drive as many as possible, maybe even jump in with a neighbor and see how they like theirs.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

JD should be shunned due to their stance on right to repair, how they treat dealers and the use of plastic panels.

They have gone into cheap junk territory with a hostile corporate leadership