RTV or Tractor

[dodge man]

I was in the same boat about 3 years ago. I was thinking a Kubota UTV or a tractor. Now that I have a tractor, it would have been a huge mistake to buy a UTV, the tractor does so much more. On the other hand, I have a much smaller piece of ground, and still wish I had a UTV at times.

 

[Jay4200]

We've been looking at the Kubota RTV 500 & 900. Looks like the 900 has attachments available that would dig fence holes & do some light grading (or at least remove snow from the driveway since it snows infrequently here).

The one thing we haven't figured out yet is how we'll turn the compost pile without a tractor/loader. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions/recommendations that don't involve a pitchfork?

I'd recommend getting a couple of ATVs instead. Put winches and trailer hitches on both, and have one equipped with a snowplow rig. ATVs work great for plowing, provided the snow isn't too deep and heavy. You can get a hitch-pulled landscape rake for your occasional driveway grading if you want, and a light-duty trailer (~$250 at harbor freight) will handle any hauling tasks. Lastly, a pair of matching ATVs will be great for you and your husband to terrorize the neighborhood and local trail networks, buzz around town from BBQ to BBQ, and maybe even take an occasional romantic nighttime foray into the woods.

Can't help you on the compost. Yuck.

JayC

 

[ovrszd]

a tractor's pretty much a tool carrier anyway. even if you are using a drawbar.. it's an implement.

easy to add a carryall to the 3pt for carrying materials.

soundguy

This point is rarely understood by a first time tractor buyer. A tractor, any tractor is worthless without attachments, even if the attachment is as simple as a drawbar. You only have the luxury of riding around or dragging something with a tractor and no attachments.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. like a gun without bullets.. it becomes an expensive club..

soundguy

 

[Ford tractor]

UTV does one thing better than a tractor. Transport more than one person.

Every "work" aspect is trumped by the tractor w attachment. If you are just going to move your person place to place and do manual labor at those spots, then the UTV would shine. If you are lazy (like me) and want a machine to do that work, then a tractor may be best - depends on the work being done and the attachments you have.

A good used tractor like a ford 3000-4000 series will run $6-8,000. Add 500-1000 for one with a FEL. Add 2-3000 for a set of used attachments like a rotary cutter, plow, disc, forks and you are still UNDER the price of a 'bota UTV. Won't have that "new vehicle smell", but after hauling the first pile of manure nothing does.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

There are at least two areas where the UTV is superior: carrying two people and joyriding(recreation).

Oh, I thought you could joyride on a tractor too...

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I would go with a 30hp compact tractor.

 

[Soundguy]

in todays economy you can get that machine with loader and implements for 6-8 max.. prices down here in the south have dropped like a rock...

get running tractors for just over a thousand..

soundguy

 

[whodat526]

just get both used and then the problem is solved u will beable to do everthing u need to do

 

[whodat526]

do u happen to know where i can get 6-8k for a 3000 or 4000 series i can haul three at the time and can be there tomorrow cause where i from u lucky to get 3500 out of a power steering 3000 and 4000 out of a power steering 4000 unless completely original and low low hours

 

[MESSMAKER]

I can't think of very much that you can't do with a cut with a loader and the right peice of equipment. I don't think that works the other way around. Get a tractor with a loader and a trailer of some sort. It is 20 acres, how far would you have to walk to get to the parts the tractor won't take you?

 

[Soundguy]

do u happen to know where i can get 6-8k for a 3000 or 4000 series i can haul three at the time and can be there tomorrow cause where i from u lucky to get 3500 out of a power steering 3000 and 4000 out of a power steering 4000 unless completely original and low low hours

same here.. 3000$ for a 3000 if lucky.

the higher number I quoted was if it had a good hy loader, and a 20' trailer load of implements! maybee the trailer too!

soundguy

 

[Scotty370]

27 acres here! Tell ya what I did.......Purchased a 4200 JD off the roadside for 9K. Added a new loader from a JD Dealer 3.5K, Built a grapple, Stump Grinder, etc., bought a JD Backhoe on E-Bay, for 3K. Have since bought a 550 Tiller, for 1300-, a post hole digger on Craigslist for a couple hundred. Still lookin' for a Box-Blade! If it's a one choice issue: UTV, vs. Tractor, I don't think you can beat the overall versatility of a tractor! That said, now that I've got those 'toys', I'm lookin' for a Side By Side! Good luck, One can never have enough 'goodies'! ~Scotty

 

[Ford tractor]

in todays economy you can get that machine with loader and implements for 6-8 max.. prices down here in the south have dropped like a rock...

get running tractors for just over a thousand..

soundguy

I like the sound of that! Prices are still high here.

 

[doall]

soundguy, I figure they make so much more money up there that the prices are really the same adjusted for cost of living and income.

 

[crazyal]

I have both and each has it's strengths. If your limited moneywise I think your best option would be to get an ATV (maybe used) and a CUT. The ATV will do even better in the woods than the UTV will do and you can pull a trailer. It will solve problems like how do you get more than one person to the back of the land without taking a hike. That'll leave you to use the tractor less for the tasks like hauling feed and moving posts for fences around.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

With living in western Oregon also, having 23+ acres, some wooded and some pasture, a tractor was my first choice. Used it for grading roads, hauling logs for fire wood, brush cleanup and cleanup after storms. Added grapples to bucket and then later on got a root/rock bucket that stays on more than the dirt bucket. With the rainfall that we get here a good brush hog is needed to keep fields and blackberries cut back and loader is useful for moving dirt and rock to make level places out of the slopes.
The RTV came later when it became obvious that using the tractor to move things one scoop at a time was going to be slow. The RTV has shown its usefulness for going down our hillside for firewood and be able to crawl out without a problem. It is also good for moving gravel and dirt for other projects.
To get a grasp on things you need to go out and look at what projects that need to be done around your place. Next go vist some dealers and look at all the atachments that can be used, in my case one of the biggest gains on tractor use was the grapple bucket for picking up logs to brush piles and even large boulders.
The utility vehicle world also has a lot of uses but is poor for implements because of gearing and turn radius along with durability. The Kubota RTV has it's own niche among RTV/UTVs.
Some have mentioned the Bobcat Toolcat. I was talking to my one dealer and he mentioned that a local goverment had bought one and how they could of purchased a tractor and a UTV for less money and they would of had more productivity with the two seperate units.

David Kb7uns

 

[8404]

I guess that BobCat rilly messed up when they charged so much money for the Toolcat. Ive been reading that its not quite as usable in real life work as a real tractor is.

 

[tommaple]

There's really only about 3 - 4 acres of pasture right now, and the rest is woods. Our plan is go get some goats and pigs in the woods there to clear out the underbrush. We're just headed into the rainy season now, so I haven't experienced it, but it's clear that there are several seasonal streams & creeks throughout the woods.

I am no expert on livestock, but I question whether the goats and pigs will eat the white oak and poison oak. If it's too woody to eat but not large enough to cut with a chain saw you may be better off with a tractor and mower.
I've been clearing/thinning a 10 acre woods and found that a flail mower does a great job of shredding the multiflower rose, young saplings and poison ivy. The larger material (3' - 6") is cut with a chain saw to five foot lengths and put in the bucket and larger logs are skidded out to the field for processing.
Since you desire a savannah at some point in the future, I would think a CUT would work well for you.

 

[Ford tractor]

I am no expert on livestock, but I question whether the goats and pigs will eat the white oak and poison oak. If it's too woody to eat but not large enough to cut with a chain saw you may be better off with a tractor and mower.
I've been clearing/thinning a 10 acre woods and found that a flail mower does a great job of shredding the multiflower rose, young saplings and poison ivy. The larger material (3' - 6") is cut with a chain saw to five foot lengths and put in the bucket and larger logs are skidded out to the field for processing.
Since you desire a savannah at some point in the future, I would think a CUT would work well for you.

Cutting poison oak / ivy is nasty. Wear a face mask, long sleeves, long pants, gloves, a hat, etc. Cover every exposed inch of skin. Then toss the clothes after your done. You will have to do some fancy cleaning on the equipment to get the ruchiol (sp?) oil off or you can get the rash from it weeks, months or even a year later.