What can I do with A 24HP tractor ?

[mossdown]

Het MT , I started with a 16hp massey 1010 standard gear with a 5' loader many many years ago. I had 8.5 acres of at one time extremely overgrown woods and riverbank. This unit did all and MORE that could expected of a small hp tractor. I have graded driveways, mowed, bush hogged, tilled my garden areas, box scraped, pushed snow, ripped wild grapevines, drug felled trees, made trails, cleared , leveled, and turned the bank into a nice camp area. This small machine was and still is to a new owner very capable of doing all tasks. It just takes longer. I have since moved up to a massey 1739E with the hopes of doing greater things. All my implements are still useable with the exception of the tiller and I have moved up to a 65" one. Small hp can do the job . How much time do you have? Enjoy with whatever choice you make.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Het MT , I started with a 16hp massey 1010 standard gear with a 5' loader many many years ago. I had 8.5 acres of at one time extremely overgrown woods and riverbank. This unit did all and MORE that could expected of a small hp tractor. I have graded driveways, mowed, bush hogged, tilled my garden areas, box scraped, pushed snow, ripped wild grapevines, drug felled trees, made trails, cleared , leveled, and turned the bank into a nice camp area. This small machine was and still is to a new owner very capable of doing all tasks. It just takes longer. I have since moved up to a massey 1739E with the hopes of doing greater things. All my implements are still useable with the exception of the tiller and I have moved up to a 65" one. Small hp can do the job . How much time do you have? Enjoy with whatever choice you make.

Very well said.

 

[pinetree10]

I sold a very clean Kubota L3130 HST earlier this year, with a quick attach 72" HD bucket, filler rear tires and NO issues at all. For $13,700. It would have been a great machine for your work. Not a lot of horse power, but plenty of weight and function. Add a toothbar to whatever you get for digging power. If you need rear weight, build a ballast box, or hang a HD rear blade of some sort. I welded up this ballast box from 2x2x1/4 angle, and filled with rocks, it's easily over 500 lbs. Cost was under $100, but I had the non-angle steel scraps around.

View attachment 416768

Nice ballast box. Simple, useful, and well made.

I agree with the posters who say you can do a lot with these machines regardless of size. It comes down to things like what you want to spend, how much room you have to store it, and how fast you want the work done. Mine's perfect for me but it lacks weight, which isn't a big deal for me but might be for someone who wants to do a lot of work that requires a heavier tractor. All I really needed was a PTO and a FEL and something that would fit through an 8' overhead door.

 

[PILOON]

A big tractor will do everything the small one will do only (generally) faster.
The inverse is also true.

HOWEVER, the small one will finish the job that the large one started as it is much more agile and can weave in and out of the places the large one could not even contemplate.

I had a big Deere 510, 7' bucket and 7' blower.All that monster could do is a straight run up and down my drive, and that with difficulty even chained up.
Mt Mutsu 20hp is so agile that I never need a shovel, can turn 360 in width of drive clear snow right up to the doors etc etc.
With teeth on the 4' bucket I get full loads every time.

The big old deere simply was not maneuverable enough for me. That bucket could never get a full load and I had to jack the front in order to turn the steering.

OK the small one is slower but it goes where no other can. Great for landscaping.
We are in a heavy snow belt area. (Quebec) so every snow event (usually about 25) takes me an extra 10 mins to clear my drive. Big deal!

 

[MT2501owner]

Lots of good guidance here, thanks! Had the MT2501 checked out by a professional and he said it was in great shape mechanicaly. Good /even compression, runnig strong and worth keeping. I may look into adding PS if it continues to be a pain. Will add some weight to the box blade to see if that helps also.

 

[DJF228h]

I have been using my BIL's Kubota 3010. It's nice and easily does all I need a tractor to do. For the most part that's dragging a box blade and moving dirt and crushed limestone with a FEL in an effort to get my 2.5 acres to drain correctly and to have a place to park the cars. I do need to move a bunch of clay to the waterfront to dress up the shoreline but that can be done in small steps over time. I need to return the borrowed tractor and have been looking at compact tractors to use to finish up the needed work on the property. I suspect there is actually a lot of difference between a 30 and a 24 HP tractor, but since I can't try them side by side, I'm sort of looking for guidance. A 4' box blade is OK, and a small bucket is OK, but not being able to scoop up a full bucket of heavy clay (from a pile) is probably not OK. So would I be happy with a small compact tractor ? Looking at both the Kubota and John Deer 24 HP models.

Thanks !

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.

I owned a 22 HP Kubota BX2200 and was pleasantly surprised with what it could do. It never failed to start and deliver full service although it wasn't up to quite a few heavy jobs on my 40 acres. I bought a new 45 HP Kioti DK45SE which is up to all the jobs around here, it sips fuel about like the little Kubota but isn't as reliable. In a little over 2 years it's been in the shop 3 times for the same simple 10 minute repair to the starting circuit. The most recent time I watched them jump on the faulty relay like they have seen it 100 times before and bought myself a spare. Hopefully, Kioti will eventually get around to fixing this problem once and for all. Otherwise, it's been a reliable workhorse up to every job. But at 25k new it may be more than you want to spend. Since I only use mine about 250 hours a year I wish I had looked for a used one. As an afterthought, I wish I had bought a used 45 HP Kubota instead.

 

[DGinVT]

I have been using my BIL's Kubota 3010. It's nice and easily does all I need a tractor to do. For the most part that's dragging a box blade and moving dirt and crushed limestone with a FEL in an effort to get my 2.5 acres to drain correctly and to have a place to park the cars. I do need to move a bunch of clay to the waterfront to dress up the shoreline but that can be done in small steps over time. I need to return the borrowed tractor and have been looking at compact tractors to use to finish up the needed work on the property. I suspect there is actually a lot of difference between a 30 and a 24 HP tractor, but since I can't try them side by side, I'm sort of looking for guidance. A 4' box blade is OK, and a small bucket is OK, but not being able to scoop up a full bucket of heavy clay (from a pile) is probably not OK. So would I be happy with a small compact tractor ? Looking at both the Kubota and John Deer 24 HP models.

Thanks !

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.

You might be happier with a tractor that has a wider rear wheel spacing like the New Holland TC34DA or its Kubota equivalent. Narrow wide rear wheels, ie, TC24DA can make things a little uncomfortable when turning with a full bucket. I know because I had one and sold it shortly after I got it and went to the TC34DA. What ever you get make sure it has power steering with good tires. I prefer agi tires but R4s are OK. I also use and have had since 1980 a Ford 2600 with a front end loader. with backhoe attachment on it. Wide rear wheel spacing and good on hills.

 

[jb92563]

I bought a old Yanmar 240 (~24 HP Diesel) with loader and 4' box scraper and have been learning how to move dirt with it.

It does not have power steering or 4wd and its not an issue turning the wheel with a full bucket, just need to keep it moving and pull a bit harder.

I have been working it in Sand/clay and its extremely capable.
I do work an area on the beach where I live and for that the wider lawn style tires might be better as my recent regrading of the sand had me leaving some deeper ruts, and in the powdery sand section
I have nearly become stuck a few times due to insufficient traction (Wheels turn and dig you deeper in the hole).

Like all the others said, the HP is not an issue as I drive it around at 1/4 throttle most of the time.
The real issue is traction more than anything else as when the scrapper or bucket goes too deep the wheels simply spin instead.

I think the best things you should have is 4WD and weight those rear wheels as much as possible, plus you need to be able to lock the rear differential for traction in the tricky spots.

Lifting a full heavy bucket is more a function of the hydraulics design and the pump capacity and although adequate I would not say that you can yank a tree out of the ground with it, but my hydralics leak and need new fluid so a better maintained system would do better. HP is not an issue at all with Hydraulics either.

I'd say that 17+ HP should do the job for what you need.

 

[Raw Dodge]

The general statement that as all tractor will do anything a large one will just slower is true sometimes.To me PTO power is very important,and there is no way to make a smal tractor,run a high draw Pto impliment. other than that and reduced lift capacity,I kinda like,smaller tractors,as long as they aren't to tall and narrow..they can get in areas larger ones can't and do a better job on fine detail work,which means less manual labor..

 

[vtsnowedin]

If my wide butt tractor can't fit between two trees then they are too close together and one of them belongs in the wood pile. All these narrow set up tractors are nice when they are cramming them into shipping containers but few people need them to be that narrow in use. A 24 HP tractor should have the same ratio of width to height of COG as a larger tractor. So if the COG is three feet high the rear out to out ought to be six feet. :2cents: