Your input?

[Valorum]

We have 10 acres, 7 horses, and do all the things you mentioned you plan on doing. Staying away from brands (theirs plenty of info to help you decide that), 25 -35 hp will do all you need and then some. (I have a 25hp gear that works fine).

...

Thanks for chiming in, that's good info from somebody with a comparable setup.

I thought i mentioned it, but we are in Georgia. So no chance of snow The whole clutching you mention... that's a good point and i hadn't thought about that. How does the PTO speed work in relation to the tractor RPMs? This is where the newbieness kicks in. How are the PTO RPMs kept constant? On any tractor i suppose, not just HST... If you're mowing or spreading etc... What all do you need to do on a gear vs HST?

As for post hole digging... Good info, didn't know that. I think we're fairly rock-free here. It's mostly the red Georgia clay that we'll have to contend with and some tree roots here and there probably. The thing is what we want to do enough fence work spread out over enough weekends that renting is probably going to be expensive.

Good luck and let us know what you buy!

Thanks and will do!

 

[Airic]

Speaking from the other side. Alot of what you describe fits with what I have on my property although mine is 6 acres and I don't have the additional 10 to mow. I have a MF2310 + a Hustler 60" ZTR mower which I feel is the perfect combo and size. As for mowing there is nothing better than a ZTR.

As for the tractor and if it fits within your budget, get the backhoe. I could not live without mine, its the most versital tool I have. I clear fence rows, haul logs for cutting, flower bed prep, compost turning, stumps, posts, and of course holes an trenches.

Other than using a bush hog why would you need a larger tractor? Once a field is done once or twice with a bush hog a quality finish mower will do a great job moving foward. Before my purchase I questioned the size as being to small but, I have yet to reget and would not change a thing. The little tractors can look like glorified lawn mowers but, they are serious work horses. Unexpectedly and I believe because its small, the wife loves the tractor so, when doing clean up chores, I'm on the ZTR with a yard trailer and she is on the tractor.

One thing I've been sort of currious about is what is cost of ownership (gas, oil, parts, etc) between different size of machines over a year of the same hours?

Good luck on your purchase. Its a fun but hard decision to make.

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

With the HST transmission you have infinate speed control without affecting your PTO speed. Works very well when using a snow blower, or a rototiller.

As for the Mahindra's, the 2816 has a few less creature comforts than the 3316. The 3316 has a more rummy platform and the HST transmission is smoother and quieter than the 2816 transmission. Both are solid and very trouble free.

Good luck with your shopping.

 

[canoetrpr]

Airic raises a good point. There are days when it would have been really nice to have a little BX with a backhoe around my place. Would be great for pretty much most of what I can think of wrt. backhoe use.

I've pondered the option myself of some day picking up a little BX with a backhoe to replace my Husqavarana riding mower

I do not think that I would want to be mowing MY pasture with a finish mower though. Before I started tractoring, I thought this would be an option. I hit WAY too many rocks, logs, etc. etc. for a finish mower to last on my pasture. I'm pretty darn glad I have a bushhog for it. YMMV.

 

[canoetrpr]

I think that your HST experience is an aberration. HST tractors have brakes and parking brakes just like non HST tractors.

Are there no 0% financing plans from either Kubota or Mahindra at this time? Generally a good reason to buy new is 0% financing? How about JD? I'm surprised they would end these - I expect they would need to push sales like crazy these days!.

If you are not getting 0% on these tractors, you might also want to look at used but relatively new. You should be able to get a great deal on one that is a year or two old that has done its initial bit of depreciation. The interest rates you quote are not far from what you can get on a secured line of credit. You can save quite a bit getting a 100-200 hr old used L3240 or L3130 which is practically brand new anyway. I don't know how high sales taxes are in Georgia but you can usually also save sales taxes on a private sale as well.

 

[gerard]

Thanks for chiming in, that's good info from somebody with a comparable setup.

I thought i mentioned it, but we are in Georgia. So no chance of snow The whole clutching you mention... that's a good point and i hadn't thought about that. How does the PTO speed work in relation to the tractor RPMs? This is where the newbieness kicks in. How are the PTO RPMs kept constant? On any tractor i suppose, not just HST... If you're mowing or spreading etc... What all do you need to do on a gear vs HST?

As for post hole digging... Good info, didn't know that. I think we're fairly rock-free here. It's mostly the red Georgia clay that we'll have to contend with and some tree roots here and there probably. The thing is what we want to do enough fence work spread out over enough weekends that renting is probably going to be expensive.

Thanks and will do!

My sister is outside Atlanta - I seem to remember the blizzard of 93 dumping a foot on Atlanta!! (OK - I wouldn't have a snowblower down there either )

PTO speed is set by the engine rpm's. You get the rpm's up to the point on the tach that indicates your pto is at 540 rpm. The engines revving pretty good at that speed. Now with a gear tractor this will come into play when bushhogging uneven cuttings that may run heavy to light. If you get into really thick stuff and the engine starts bogging down you can either slow your forward progress or raise the bushhog and go over the patch again in a lower gear or if you have a gear tractor with two stage clutch you CAN slip the clutch. This keeps the pto at full rpm but takes the tranny turning the wheels out of gear. Problem with doing that is as I mentioned - hard on the clutch. Kind of like burning rubber in a car by revving the engine and popping the clutch. This is not an issue with an hst. You rev the engine to proper pto speed, and put it in the proper range (most have 3 - low med and high. You'd probably be doing most things in med). Step on the pedal and go, get into heavy stuff and just let up on the pedal a little and you slow down but the pto doesn't and there's no added stress on the transmission parts since it's designed to do just that.

re post hole digger - you can always buy one and try it, you may be lucky. I've heard that hardpack clay can be pretty tough to get bite in without downpressure (a 3 pt just has the weight of the digger. A skidsteer mount has the down pressure of the bucket and whole front of the machine). guess you can always try the 3 pt if you have plenty of time, then if you get a long weekend you can try and rent a machine and knock off a whole bunch in a long weekend. Just know if I had to lay out pastures with posts every 8 feet I'd rent a hydraulic one. I've seen them work and nothing stops them short of solid rock shelf

 

[Gittyup]

On HST rolling on a hill... a manual tractor in neutral will do the same thing only much faster. So the lesson is: set the park brake. I forgot to do that once on my HST. Parked it with a trailer attached behind. Went out to the store. Came home to find it jack knifed and a nice gash left by the trailer on it's pretty green fender. Learned my lesson: set the part brake.

On PHD. I have hard clay but few rocks. No problems at all digging holes. I don't have a lot of fence, only about 500', but I have yet to shear a pin. Look for a PHD that uses cheapo soft steel bolts instead of some custom shear pin. Here's the difference I found: cheap bolt $1.50, shear pin $9.00. Bolts are availabe everywhere, shear pins not. Or consider adding a slip clutch. They are usually less than $100. Put that on and no more shear pin issues. I don't see too many used PHD around here. And when I do they want nearly new prices. So get the PHD with the tractor.

On the 2 stage clutch. At least on mine, with fully sychronized gears, I don't think you are slipping anything when you depress the pedal half way to disengage the drive train. For sure it's designed to do that. I prefer the 2 stage to the electric over hydraulic PTO clutch that some have (more to go wrong here).

Do take the time to look at Kioti. Free loader on CK's. 0% financing on some. You should be able to get into a CK30 with loader for around $16K. If TYM is nearby, I'd also look at the T273 or T330. The T273 is a super value and compact in size.

 

[greenmule]

those kiotis musta went up in price in last 6 months or so,I bought a ck30 in june I think for 13,000,no loader,but you said the loader was now free.

Those kiotis are well made tractors,only got about 50 hours on it so far, but its a solid tractor,mines gear/shuttle shift,guess hst would add a couple more thousand,but you don't need hst,[I wouldn't even want it],,mine runs a tiller just fine in low first,thought it might be to fast but its just the right speed really,[been going to slow I guess on my other tractor].

Alls else you need besides attachments,is a lawnmower,and if money is a problem,you could just get you a sears 50 inch cut,something or other,sometimes those will last you 9-10 years,[mine has],so for about 18,000 19,000 or so,you'd be set up to brush hog,mow your yard,do fel work,drill your post holes and till your garden!

 

[greenmule]

Oh,forgot to mention,my ck30 kioti's hitch is not jerky like they say the one kabota's is.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

If it was me, I would take a good look at either the Mahindra 2815HST, 3215HST, or the newer 3316HST. The Kioti CK30HST or CK35HST are very good machines also. I think that your monthly payment will be a lot lower with the Kioti with their present financing deals. And as has been said before, as long as a tractor with HST is adjusted properly it has little or no movement when the pedal is not depressed, but you SHOULD still use the emergency brake when leaving the tractor. These are very nice sized tractors and I believe that you would be satisfied with any of them. Oh, the 3pt lift capacity is 2646lbs on the 3316. the spec shown is a misprint.

Just my opinion, and that is not worth all that much.