I'm also considering the 3030 and would greatly appreciate advice for a slightly different set of requirements.
I'm looking for a cab tractor for:
1. Removing snow from a 1/2 mile long, gently sloping dirt driveway
2. Grading the driveway (and applying dust control)
3. Mowing about 8 acres of fields (I have a John Deere Z225 ZTR mower for our lawn that I love, so no need to use the tractor for that).
4. a bucket would be nice for yard work
I'm in southern NH, close to a Kubota/New Holland dealer and a John Deere dealer. I have no preference for any of these brands (I bought the mower based on Consumer Reports' recommendation).
I'm leaning toward Kubota because numerous friends/neighbors have recommended them (some who have owned several of them).
A trip to the Kubota dealer resulted in a quote for:
-
L3240 HST cab ($30,900)
- 7' snowwolf plow (didn't specify model) $3900
- 5' rotary cutter ($1600)
- 72" Land Pride grader ($1300)
Questions:
- would the 3030 be sufficient for my needs?
- any recommendation on front mount snowblower vs. plow? (dealer said that rocks would chew up the snowblower on a dirt driveway)
- transmission? (I've never owned an automatic transmission car and enjoy shifting)
- price: I've never paid more than 30k for a car (and I've had some nice used cars), so the thought of paying close to 40k for my first tractor was shocking to me. I'm happy to buy used if it makes sense, but I also want a tractor that will last a long time (I keep my cars to 200k+ miles) and want to spend my free time with my family, not repairing a tractor.
What's a reasonable ballpark to pay for a setup suitable for the needs listed above?
Thanks!