What can I do with A 24HP tractor ?

[RalphVa]

My first job with my 18.5 hp JD 4010 was hauling 22 tons of gravel to put on a pathway that goes ACROSS near the top of our hill behind the house, so that it wouldn't slide sideways down the hill. Just needed a bit of technique to get the bucket going down and curling up a bit as I eased forward to fill it every time.

My present JD 1025R does it at a little lower rpm. That's all. I'd take my 4010 back if it had the goodies on it that the 1025 has and save the 0.15 gph increase in fuel that the 1025 uses.

Ralph

 

[Baby Grand]

PS I just purchased an old MT2501, but it's unlikely I will keep it after realizing how hard it is to run with a load in the bucket and no power steering.

Next time you do any heavy FEL work, load up some weight on your 3pt hitch (weight aft of the rear axle) and see what that does to your steering before you ditch the Mitsu. If you don't have a heavy implement like a tiller, read up on DIY ballast box builds. Should greatly reduce the steering effort by taking a lot of the load off of your front axle. Your front axle will thank you by lasting a lot longer, too.

 

[bigtiller]

Thanks for all the feedback. My budget is $13K or less, which is what a JD1023 with FEL runs locally. Might consider used but the land is the project, not the tractor. Learned that with the MT2501.

With your list and that "lawnmower", the easiest thing to accomplish will you getting frustrated. Forget the 1023. Jump up in frame size to at least a 2025

 

[meos1]

BX2370 for me. I have been digging and pulling out smaller trees (<6 inches in diameter). The tractor does everything I want and I have a little more than 2 acres of property. Yes, mowing is its primary duty. I am done in an hour now as opposed to the old riding mower which took about 3.5 hours. The FEL gets the job done, I am able to spread rock on the drive and pull a tiller as well as a small plow. I just dont ask it to pick up items which are obviously too big for it.

I am thinking of making a grapple for the FEL even. I am happy with what I have but new I paid about 16K for the tractor, FEL, MMM, and a bagger on the 3pth. I bought all the other implements as I went along. 2 cents.

 

[Jay4200]

24 HP is plenty. The benefit of higher HP shows up when running ground engaging powered implements. Dragging around a blade or running a backhoe doesn't require much in the way of HP, but does require weight for traction and stability, so don't get a glorified garden tractor if you want to do real work - get something with size and weight, but don't worry about the rated HP.

 

[MortalWombat]

I have a 23 hp Kubota, a B2320, and it has done everything I've wanted to do. It's my primary mower, it plows my 1/3 mile long driveway in the winter, and it skids logs out of my woods. I needed something small enough to be able to maneuver in my woods, but hefty enough to handle the snow plowing and log skidding. I never try to skid too big of a log. If it's too big to handle, I just cut it up some more with the chainsaw.

 

[Threepoint]

OP, you're getting some good advice here. I think 23 - 26 hp is plenty for what you describe, especially if you go with the larger frame size in whatever brand you end up with, and have the rear tires filled for ballast. E.g., I do think Bigtiller is right about the frame-size jump from the JD 1023 to the JD 2025. But the price jump between those two will be significant. Folks seem to love their Kubota BX models. But there again, if you can swing it, I think you'd be happier with the B series. Especially if you like using your BIL's Kubota L3010, with its still larger frame. My little Kubota B 2150HST with LA350 loader is rated at only 22 hp (downrated from 24 due to the HST), and has only 18 hp at the PTO. It has just 800 lbs lift for the 54" FEL at full height of 96", and barely more than 1000 lbs lift at the 3pt hitch. But it is a virtual beast with its frame and big rear wheels and filled turf tires. For 21 years. it has amazed me with the amount of work it can do. Quick for loader work in mid-range, and handles a 5' lightweight box blade (even with scarifiers partially down) and a 6' lightweight scrape blade with ease, again in mid-range. So hp is certainly not the be all and end all.

I know you said you are looking at JD and Kubota. Fine brands, but do yourself a big favor and look also at the smaller Kioti series HST tractors with loaders, particularly the CK2510. I think you'll be surprised at how much farther your dollars will go. You're in Houston, with several dealers in shouting distance where you can easily test drive and kick the tires. The Kioti website is fairly user-friendly for comparing specs, attachments, implements and tires.

 

[geminimoon66]

We have a Satoh S550G that puts out 17 HP and have never had an issue of lack of power. Has a FEL and a CAT3- 3-point hitch. Use a 4' Yanmar tiller, 5' back blade, middle-buster and a 12" single bottom plow.

This thing is used to clear fence rows, plowing snow, plowing/tilling an acre garden, collecting maple sap, clearing trees and then some on our little 3 acre hemestead. It has moved tons of dirt, rock, mulch & gravel with little to no trouble. Got this for a great deal and was in the market for a bigger machine but this has not failed us yet!

 

[RPW]

My first tractor (and we still have it) is a 12HP powerking economy tractor with FEL. When we first got it I used it to mow our 25 acres and it did great. Not real fast of did the job great. Also used it to dig out pits and level areas etc. With it I can actually pick up so much weight in the bucket that I can lift up the back end completely off the ground. And yes the tires are loaded and I 100# weights on each tire. So you can do a great deal of work with a 24HP tractor. We've cleared our new land of Junipers (scrub cedars) and now that they are dried out we're moving them to the burn pit. My wife is on the PK and I'm on our 50HP JD 5103. She's very capable at pushing these fairly large root balls and trees to the pit. The only advantage I had was I could pick up those same trees with the FEL. As long as the PK has traction it will do amazing things.

 

[Scrambler82]

Here on Pi day I will comment, 3.1415... !

I had a Yanmar SC2450, 24 hp little tractor, did all I needed, had plenty of power.

I sold it got a Mahindra Max28, 28 hp, feels under powered, runs out of steam just going up a hill.
I am learning to work with this tractor but so far I am thinking the 24 hp tractor had a more powerful feel.

Give me 8 months to a years and things might change.