Tractor Purchase Preparation

[Soundguy]

Maybee the 90hp issue was because the person he was talking to was a comercial mower operator.. I.E. the more power the better.

I mow with a 95 hp tractor...and have less land that the original poster does. Course mine is flat.. so my tractor is 2wd.. etc.

For a hill.. 4wd would be the only way to go... and if there were places that could be accidentally 'driven off of' then HST... might be nice..

Soundguy

Dual rear tires, 4WD, and 90hp for mowing? Now I admit I'm a closet hp junkie but that sounds a little extreme. That sounds like a very good dealer that would come out to your place and give you recommendations based on your terrain. I'd seriously consider the Kubotas for that reason alone. You'd probably actually do well with a Kubota Grand L such as an L4630 or 5030. If you want a standard synchro-shift transmission consider the M-series, which I am, of course, partial to. But as stated earlier, I am not in a real good position to give you great advice since I am now just at the purchasing stage. I have done plenty of research and shopping though. Keep in mind about the PowerTracs in regards to dealer location. If you don't have a dealer for several hundred miles and you need a quick part or repair it could be a negative factor in that choice.

 

[flusher]

Have been reading these forums for quite some time. Feel like I have learned quite a bit but still in the "overwhelmed" stage.

Two dealers close by: John Deere and Kubota. Driven by and asked questions. Kubota salesman helpful, JD only so so. Kubota has large inventory.

Bought 17 acres in middle TN. In center of property is large, steep hill. While having it surveyed asked surveyor about heighth. Using his gear he said it was about 770' tall. Am including some aerial shots. Anyway, home will be built on top of hill, leaving issues for keeping area around house and around hill mowed.

Intended usage of tractor:

1. Mowing/bushogging approximately 17 acres. House will be located on 770' steep hill. Trees line property on two sides. 95% of land is cleared, 75% flat.

2. Fencing, post holes

3. 1/10 mile long gravel driveway maintain, clear snow.

4. Landscaping, filling in ruts on hill. Garden.

5. Hauling firewood, etc.

Am concerned about stability of tractor on hillsides. 4WD a must. Do not want to spend days keeping land cut. Thinking 6 to 7' bush hog and RFM? Mid mount mower I don't think would work as hillside not smooth, a few rocks.

HST/GST?
Horsepower?
Implements?
Tires? R1 for sticking on hills?

Tons of questions! Including pics of land taken by friend with camera attached to remote controlled model airplane.

Like the photos and the innovative use of an RC airplane.

I would be looking for a 40-60hp (pto) tractor with a wide track. I have a used 1966 MF-135 diesel tractor (37hp pto, 45 hp engine) that has water-filled orchard tires on the rear. Track measures 82" wide. You could probably find a new or more recent used tractor with similar features from any of the tractor manufacturers.

My second tractor is a 21-hp (engine) 2005 Kubota B7510HST with the LA302 FEL (4' bucket). My advice is to get a larger tractor with a larger FEL (5-6-ft wide bucket). The FEL has a million uses around my 10-acre spread (flat pasture land).

So far my mix of attachments include a 4-ft King Kutter box blade, a 4' Yanmar 1200 rototiller, and a KK middle buster/subsoiler combo plow.

Just keep looking. You'll find something that will satisfy your needs.

 

[Glowplug]

flusher--That's some seriously wide Ags you've got on the rears of that MF. I'll bet with those things loaded it would be very stable with low COG. Good thing too with no ROPS. Be careful out there!

 

[volunteer]

After reviewing the PowerTrac forum it sounds great except for the lack of dealer network.

Having read these forums extensively (almost an obsession) I have come to these conclusions:

1. Figure out your minimum hp needs and then buy up a notch. No one generally complains about too much hp, just too little.

2. Bush hogs need about 5 hp at pto per foot. So at this a

3. Buy used or new, but if new, buy from a dealer you trust to take care of you after the sale.

That said I think the minimum is 30 to 35 hp, so I should be looking for 40 to 45 hp.

Questions: Is the hp just a means to determine how fast (incl size of implements) one can get the job done without adversely straining the engine? In other words a smaller hp tractor would still be able to go and down a hill just slower with a smaller implement.

Is a GST as easy to operate for a novice user as a HST? Are there any safety issues to using a GST model going up or down a hill as opposed to an HST model? Major or minor?

Kubota announced an additional $750 cash rebate on top of other rebates in lieu of forgoing the 0% financing. Told that this morning by a dealer.

All that aside I plan to go look at Ford and Massey Fergusons and compare them to Kubotas. BTW, flusher I loved the shots of your tractor and orchard.

 

[BillyP]

Thanks for all the compliments on the land. It's really something to call your own after all these years. As to looking at the PowerTracs, I'll check them out.

The hill was measured from the driveway entrance.

Locals that I have met use all types. Neighbor with fairly flat land has new Kubota, L3830. Other neighbor has huge tractor, probably IH, I'll check. BIL has Kubota L4200 nearby while his friend has Ford about 30 hp.

Doc Bob, looked for link, not yet found but will find. Thanks.

Since you said you'll do finish mowing also, I'd stick with a CUT. Your BIL has the perfect tractor for you to try out on your property. You did say 75% was flat so that only leaves 25% to worry about. That 25% can be done at a slow pace and shouldn't be a problem, as far as time.

Steep hillsides should be done with caution, no matter what size tractor you're using.

As far as the mid mount mower vs the rear. Neither one will take rocks very well. The only concern I see is ease of removal. The RFM can be removed in a couple of minutes.

 

[flusher]

flusher--That's some seriously wide Ags you've got on the rears of that MF. I'll bet with those things loaded it would be very stable with low COG. Good thing too with no ROPS. Be careful out there!

Those are B.F. Goodrich Silvertown 18.4 x 16A Power Grip tube-type orchard tires on 16" rims. Tires are filled 2/3 with water. They're pretty worn so "Power Grip" probably is a misnomer at this point. Probably will have to replace them to get enough traction to pull the 7-ft offset disk that my next-door neighbor dragged over to my place a few weeks ago.

I'm refurbishing the 135 now (gauges, paint, decals, lights, steering wheel, seat, etc). Work is going slow. Don't need the 135 until next Nov when the planting season kicks in around here. So there's no rush on that job. Anyway it's too cold and damp to do a decent spray paint job now.

I'll probably invest the bucks in a ROPS before I do any serious tilling with that beastie. I bought the front weight frame so I'll be looking around for suitcase weights before long. Don't want to do a wheelie with that tractor.

 

[Glowplug]

I'll probably invest the bucks in a ROPS before I do any serious tilling with that beastie. I bought the front weight frame so I'll be looking around for suitcase weights before long. Don't want to do a wheelie with that tractor.

No kidding!! Good idea on the ROPS before doing anything serious. I'm sure that all the people who are killed in tractor rollovers think, "It won't happen to me." Once again, be careful out there.

Volunteer-You have a very good handle on what to look for in a tractor already. You probably didn't even need to start this thread! Just kidding. I wouldn't equate horsepower with speed. Ability to use bigger implements which could result in getting the job done faster. . .maybe. I think you're definately on track to getting an appropriate tractor for your needs.

Are you talking about Kubota's glide shift transmission when referring to GST? My understanding is that it's a clutchless shift-and-go. The "clutch" actually works off of hydraulics automatically when manually shifting. It should be pretty user-friendly for a novice. It would be something to seriously consider if most of what you're going to be doing is mowing on straight-aways without any direction changes. It would be easy to just put it in gear and go without having to keep your foot on the pedal. If you're talking about a standard synchro-shift that's slightly different. It has a clutch. But would still be good on straight-aways. There's a reason this is exclusively what is found in the more full-size agricultural tractors. It gives you a lot of control over the power of the tractor and when plowing you're not changing direction. Now if you had loader work planned or a lot of direction changes with mowing then HST would likely be the winner.

Hope that helps some. Remember, I'm not an expert on these things. Just trying to give a little helpful information.

 

[Glowplug]

P.S.: I'm hoping to get a Kubota M7040. It has a standard shift synchro transmission. That'll work well for me because my mowing should be without much reverse. Also I plan to do some ground-engaging activities like plowing and discing. Now it may prove to be a little bit of a pain with loader work.

Once again, in your situation the L4630 and L5030 come to my mind. I really like that tractor. But I went up to the next class myself because I guess I'm a little power hungry! If I got a Grand L I myself would probably go for a GST for reasons already mentioned. But if you'd feel more comfortable and/or plan to do a lot of loader work the HST is an option on that model.

Ohhh! I almost forgot! The new L40s are arriving at dealers now! It's the next generation from the Grand L30s. Something to think about.

Keep us posted on your tractor search and planning. And have fun!

 

[volunteer]

Thanks for all the posts. Yes, the GST/HST is on the Kubota. Some posts on other topics have stated that weight as well as "width" is important for stability. Other posts have stated that a low center of gravity is better. Low center of gravity appears to roughly equate with smaller, lighter tractors. Some posts suggest smaller riding mower (PowerTrac) to cut hillsides as well as tractor for larger open tracts.

I admit the PowerTrac sounded great reading from website but after reading PowerTrac forum, the lack of dealer network and my lack of mechanica skills...

So I guess I should be looking for a low profile, low center of gravity 4WD 45 to 55 hp tractor with as wide a stance as possible, AG tires, with strong dealer base.

Any pointers in the right direction greatly appreciated.

 

[coasterez]

Only problem I see with the powertracs and the like is that the FEL lift height isn't very high except on the largest of them. I don't think the smaller ones will reach the bed of a pickup over the side. But, if you don't need the high lift, then they might be the safest and most versatile for your property.