First tractor purchase

[IslandTractor]

Thanks for all the replies. Very informative and much apprecaited. Will definately go with the dual remotes if not too much of a cost issue. Makes sense. My wife also is very skeptical of this purchase for similar reasons cited! Hope it works out though as I can think of a ton of uses around my property for the tractor (and the many attachments I could make use of!). Now all I have too do is justify spending the money! Thanks again. This is a great forum.

We don't know much about the tasks or size and type of the land you will be working on. That info is fairly critical to selecting a tractor. We can then better help you avoid our mistakes.

I started with a Craftsman rider with the primary purpose being to clear 5 acres of overgrown pastures. I learned quickly but in relatively expensive stages that I needed bigger equipment and implements. Now, having gone through a DR brush mower then a CK20 I finally have stabilized with a DK40. It would have been cheaper and faster to have better evaluated the work and chosen the best matching tool to start with. That said, the WAF or wife acceptance factor is a reality we all face so compromise is often necessary. It is also much better for marital peace to educate her as you explore so she can appreciate the choices and trade offs.

You are looking at a mid size CUT in the $18K price range. It should be able to do most tasks on 1-10 acres as you list in your bio. However, while that machine will easily pull a six foot mower, and care for yard or field, you should make sure there are not other tasks that would influence the best tractor sizes for you. If you are doing a lot of lifting, especially of heavy bales or stumps etc then the next size tractor up would make sense. The DK40 costs about $4K more but more than doubles the loader capacity and is a larger heavier machine. One notch down is the CK20 or one of the fine Mahindra or Kubota sub 30hp machines that will put less of a dent in your wallet and still pull a 5ft finish mower easily. I cannot stress enough that getting the right size to begin with is the most important decision economically. You should get out a piece of paper and jot down the specific types of routine and special projects you'll be using the tractor for. You may find that a small tractor with specialized implements may beige effective for the same cash outlay or you may find that a bigger tractor will cut the work load in half for only a 25% increase in cost. Do your homework before price shopping. And have fun doing it with your wife if possible.

 

[kiotiken]

We don't know much about the tasks or size and type of the land you will be working on. That info is fairly critical to selecting a tractor. We can then better help you avoid our mistakes.

I started with a Craftsman rider with the primary purpose being to clear 5 acres of overgrown pastures. I learned quickly but in relatively expensive stages that I needed bigger equipment and implements. Now, having gone through a DR brush mower then a CK20 I finally have stabilized with a DK40. It would have been cheaper and faster to have better evaluated the work and chosen the best matching tool to start with. That said, the WAF or wife acceptance factor is a reality we all face so compromise is often necessary. It is also much better for marital peace to educate her as you explore so she can appreciate the choices and trade offs.

You are looking at a mid size CUT in the $18K price range. It should be able to do most tasks on 1-10 acres as you list in your bio. However, while that machine will easily pull a six foot mower, and care for yard or field, you should make sure there are not other tasks that would influence the best tractor sizes for you. If you are doing a lot of lifting, especially of heavy bales or stumps etc then the next size tractor up would make sense. The DK40 costs about $4K more but more than doubles the loader capacity and is a larger heavier machine. One notch down is the CK20 or one of the fine Mahindra or Kubota sub 30hp machines that will put less of a dent in your wallet and still pull a 5ft finish mower easily. I cannot stress enough that getting the right size to begin with is the most important decision economically. You should get out a piece of paper and jot down the specific types of routine and special projects you'll be using the tractor for. You may find that a small tractor with specialized implements may beige effective for the same cash outlay or you may find that a bigger tractor will cut the work load in half for only a 25% increase in cost. Do your homework before price shopping. And have fun doing it with your wife if possible.

I'll have to agree with IT, I'm on my 3rd tractor in 3 years and although I gained valuable experience with tractors, it wasn't free. I'll add LS to the list of not to overlook. The DK40 is nice if you need the FEL lift capacity (as I did) and the DK45/50 are nice if you are doing intensive PTO work. There are a ton of other differences between the CK and DK and they make the $4K difference seem like the deal of the century. Of course there's always a bigger tractor in the next field...

 

[ToddFather]

Thanks IT and Ken. I appreciate the advice. I will be primarily grading drive and leveling a portion of the property using a 72" box blade, limited mowing with probably a 72" finish mower (would love to have a flail mower for the small trees and underbrush) and probably a 60" tiller. Most of my lot is heavily wooded and I burn wood in an outdoor boiler. That tractor will be used to carry firewood out of places where it is hard to get my truck both on the property and off-site. I pto wood chipper for the brances I deal with every year as well as a grapple bucket for the front would be a couple of implements I would really like to have in the future. I certainly see the point about going to the DK40 and you make great recommendations. However, the physical size of the CK35 is about as big as i would like right now. I dont want to go down to the CK20 because I want more HP. So I'm thinking the

 

[grm61]

MY thoughts...Have you looked at the DK40?

If the size is doable you get alot more tractor for not much more money.

I used my Dads 97 JD 970 33 horse tractor on my property and although it did get the job done, I was working on the outer limits of the tractor for ground engaging work and loader capacity (Moving BIG rocks on homemade fork attachment).

The JD has similar specs to the CK35 as far as weight, and lift capacity.
I think it would be easier on the tractor to be working in the middle of its capabilities, than on the outer edge.

You get get more work done when your not bouncing off stuff.
My place is rough, I was lucky enough to get to try the 30/35 horse tractor size and realize how much easier things would be with a heavier machine.

The step up to the 40 horse gets you alot more weight, and the lift capacity with The DK is 2700lbs lift of with the loader, thats twice the capacity of the CK.
Bigger pins sturdier everything.

I am seriously considering the DK40 HST Cab for my needs with FEL and Backhoe.

If the smaller machine will work for you than great, less money, less fuel, I can appreciate that. (your place is probably not as rough as mine

Like some of these other folks have mentioned its cheaper to spend the money once.

We all have different needs.

just my thoughts

Good luck with your purchase

 

[IndyIan]

Thanks IT and Ken. I appreciate the advice. I will be primarily grading drive and leveling a portion of the property using a 72" box blade, limited mowing with probably a 72" finish mower (would love to have a flail mower for the small trees and underbrush) and probably a 60" tiller. Most of my lot is heavily wooded and I burn wood in an outdoor boiler. That tractor will be used to carry firewood out of places where it is hard to get my truck both on the property and off-site. I pto wood chipper for the brances I deal with every year as well as a grapple bucket for the front would be a couple of implements I would really like to have in the future. I certainly see the point about going to the DK40 and you make great recommendations. However, the physical size of the CK35 is about as big as i would like right now. I dont want to go down to the CK20 because I want more HP. So I'm thinking the

I think wanting the grapple pushes you into DK40 territory. Maybe with r4's you could finish mow with it, my r1's do rut soft ground. R4's on the DK are width adjustable so maybe it could be set very narrow? I like my DK as with the big box blade on the back, it's a lifting, pushing machine. I had a few trees come down into my fields this spring and I could lift the hardwoods to buck them and jamb the softwood into woods.

 

[IslandTractor]

I think wanting the grapple pushes you into DK40 territory.

Yep, it sure does.

 

[rmorey]

Thanks IT and Ken. I appreciate the advice. I will be primarily grading drive and leveling a portion of the property using a 72" box blade, limited mowing with probably a 72" finish mower (would love to have a flail mower for the small trees and underbrush) and probably a 60" tiller. Most of my lot is heavily wooded and I burn wood in an outdoor boiler. That tractor will be used to carry firewood out of places where it is hard to get my truck both on the property and off-site. I pto wood chipper for the brances I deal with every year as well as a grapple bucket for the front would be a couple of implements I would really like to have in the future. I certainly see the point about going to the DK40 and you make great recommendations. However, the physical size of the CK35 is about as big as i would like right now. I dont want to go down to the CK20 because I want more HP. So I'm thinking the

I have 2 points.

1. You mentioned a grapple bucket is on your "wish list". The CK27 - CK35 uses the KL 130 loader, which has a lift capacity of about 1,100 lbs. This includes the weight of the grapple (300 - 500 lbs), making the load limit around 600 - 800 lbs. (1 - 16" red oak log, 10' long). Basically, the grapple could be 50% of the loaders capacity.

The DK loader (KL401) capacity is about 2,700 lbs. Grapple would be 11 - 18% max.

2. You mentioned the CK is as big (dimensionally) as you would like. The DK is 12" longer and 9" wider than the CK. Not a huge difference in dimensions.

I'm not advocating for a DK vs a CK, but I just finished owning a CK35 for one month, before trading up to a DK40 and don't want someone else to make the same "ill planned" decision. Get whatever you want, just understand all the issues before you do.

LOL, good luck!

This is all part of the fun. Enjoy!

 

[IndyIan]

I really have to get a grapple... What does that one weigh again?

 

[Illini22]

I have the 48" grapple from palletforks.com. On my ck35. They say its just under 400 pounds. I don't think it's that heavy. Remember, your removing your regular bucket, which will give you another 150 pounds of lift (after you subtract the weight of grapple).

 

[IslandTractor]

I really have to get a grapple... What does that one weigh again?

A 48" grapple can weigh between 300-400lbs. The CK tractors do well with these grapples on brush and small trees. As noted by others, you can calculate the approximate net lift capacity of a loader at the pivot pins by subtracting the implement weight from the max lift capacity. This is what you could lift to full height. You can lift more to traveling height which is typically what one does with a grapple. You can also curl more when the grapple is pivoting on the ground as it will be when digging out roots or stumps for example. I currently have a 300lb grapple on my DK40 but that same grapple was previously mounted on my CK20. Obviously I can lift more with the DK but I was able to lift some pretty decent sized stumps and loads of debris with the CK. I posted photos with the DK earlier and here are some photos of the CK (with a KL120 loader that is essentially the same as the KL130):