O my, I am comfused

[AxleHub]

Yes i can know see it was my technique "bulldozer is not good". So i def will go look a kubota on my next day off.

Also something the has the safe under belly as immseeing alot of pictures of people hitting crap underneath a breaking hoses.

Do they make under belly protection?

Nikko, scuts are shorter in height so of course they are closer to the ground. Some more than others are vulnerable to expensive damage. Kubota has a long history of easy damage from sticks where its underneath fan is very accessible and a goodly sum to repair/replace. So there are several under plate choices for Kubotas. Also many of the other bigger name brands have 3rd party choices for protection plates (a rear plate and even a front plate) as options.

 

[KennyG]

The plastic vs metal is not a game changer for me to be honest Nor is how fancy and ergonomics it is. Im looking for a strong bull per say. Strongest lifting, strongest pto, fastets hydraulics, stuff that means something on my property. Also something the has the safe under belly as immseeing alot of pictures of people hitting crap underneath a breaking hoses.

Do they make under belly protection?

Based on your "wants" I think you would be happier with a "2" series John Deere than a "1" series. That will take you out of the $15K range of course, with accessories. If the cost limit is a hard limit for you, you will probably need to go to what I would call a 2nd tier brand (no offense to those owners). You get more weight and capability for a lower cost but you don't get the brand name, and potentially some of the dealer and industry support. I'm really happy I went with JD and mine has been very capable and reliable. However, if I had been financially limited I probably would have ended up with a lesser known brand.

Also, I think you are right not to worry about the plastic parts. Some of the forum participants are really old school on metal vx. plastic. After 5 years of use, the only signs of wear on my tractor are on the metal parts, not the plastic ones.

 

[AxleHub]

Based on your "wants" I think you would be happier with a "2" series John Deere than a "1" series. That will take you out of the $15K range of course, with accessories. If the cost limit is a hard limit for you, you will probably need to go to what I would call a 2nd tier brand (no offense to those owners). You get more weight and capability for a lower cost but you don't get the brand name, and potentially some of the dealer and industry support. I'm really happy I went with JD and mine has been very capable and reliable. However, if I had been financially limited I probably would have ended up with a lesser known brand.

Also, I think you are right not to worry about the plastic parts. Some of the forum participants are really old school on metal vx. plastic. After 5 years of use, the only signs of wear on my tractor are on the metal parts, not the plastic ones.

Greeting KennyG,

I confess that although I looked at a J.D. I never even test drove it because I wouldn't own one (I like production recognition not name recognition).

However that doesn't mean it might not be good choices for others. Who now makes the J.D. engines in the 1 and 2 series. And who builds the tractors?

I did notice the sales person at the Tractor Central I stopped at was really both quite professionally skilled and helpful.

I also was very confused why J.D. puts their fel valve location where they do . . it seems totally exposed to harm. Any hints what their reasoning is.

 

[gladehound]

On the issue of tractor size... I was just on another thread and someone with a large utility tractor (I think it was around 90 hp) wrote to someone with a smaller utility tractor (55hp and heavy for that hp) that he didn't think the 55hp tractor was big enough to push snow.... This just goes to show that everyone's expectations are different. A shovel can push snow. Obviously any tractor can. It's a matter of how much / how well / how fast and that's where we get into varying expectations. This is why when asking for advice about which tractor to get, you need to be very, very specific about your expectations if you want useful input.

 

[paulfun9]

Don't look at "second tier brands" simply because of budget! I paid cash and would have had no problem paying more for a tractor that was worth more but from everything I looked at no one built a tractor that was worth more just tractors that cost more.

 

[gladehound]

Don't look at "second tier brands" simply because of budget! I paid cash and would have had no problem paying more for a tractor that was worth more but from everything I looked at no one built a tractor that was worth more just tractors that cost more.

I second that notion. I couldn't find a better value regardless of brand. I was willing to pay $10 grand more if the value was there. I was seriously looking at a John Deere but moved away from that due to reliability concerns with that particular model - that brings up another point. Each manufacturer has models with good and bad reputations. So research specific models rather than just going with a manufacturer's reputation.

 

[tman1020]

Yes i can know see it was my technique "bulldozer is not good". So i def will go look a kubota on my next day off. Yes the deere dealer gave a 15,900 out the door h120 loader and the easy off mower so the i dont have to engage the shaft lr whatever he said. The plastic vs metal is not a game changer for me to be honest Nor is how fancy and ergonomics it is. Im looking for a strong bull per say. Strongest lifting, strongest pto, fastets hydraulics, stuff that means something on my property. Also something the has the safe under belly as immseeing alot of pictures of people hitting crap underneath a breaking hoses. Do they make under belly protection?

It doesn't matter what size tractor you get compact subcompact or even larger it's not going to push dirt the same as a bulldozer. They just aren't designed for that. But I don't think that is the main reason you were wanting to purchase a small tractor. It just takes some practice and you'd be amazed at how much work you can do with a small machine. You might want to check out Kioti they are known for being very competitively priced and often one of the heaviest in there segment. They often have higher hydraulic flow rates and lift capacities than the competitors as well. They have a model I believe it is CK 2510 but I'm not positive on that. It is A step above what you've been looking at size wise and should be close in price. It has some very impressive specifications but is not that much physically larger.

 

[4570Man]

It doesn't matter what size tractor you get compact subcompact or even larger it's not going to push dirt the same as a bulldozer. They just aren't designed for that. But I don't think that is the main reason you were wanting to purchase a small tractor. It just takes some practice and you'd be amazed at how much work you can do with a small machine. You might want to check out Kioti they are known for being very competitively priced and often one of the heaviest in there segment. They often have higher hydraulic flow rates and lift capacities than the competitors as well. They have a model I believe it is CK 2510 but I'm not positive on that. It is A step above what you've been looking at size wise and should be close in price. It has some very impressive specifications but is not that much physically larger.

Even a BIG tractor with a blade can't push dirt like big dozer. I borrowed a D3 dozer to grade my driveway. My L3240 against a a D3 dozer was absolutely no contest. It was comparing a small tractor to a wheelbarrow.

 

[s219]

S219, your neighbor's Mahindra max 28 . . . Didn't that just come out in the last 2 years ? I thought I read somewhere they are already replacing it because its Tier 4 situation is DEF and canister rgen required and that has been an issue of cost and inconvenience.

Max 28 was out for a while -- he got his in early 2013 if I remember right. In 2014, Mahindra de-rated the engine and now calls it the Max 26 to stay under Tier 4 Final. It's pretty much the same exact tractor but with less rated HP.

Lastly . . Niko mentioned the jd 1025r he tested and was quoted . . I know 1026r units are considersbly more than his quote and I know what the 1023r is like. What is the differences in a 1025r vs a 1026r ?

The 1026R was the model before the 1025R, and is otherwise identical -- was just de-rated to 25HP (probably for same reasons as Max mentioned above).

 

[k0ua]

As for scooping up material (dirt, gravel etc) it just takes a while for the actions to become automatic. My first attempts at using a FEL many years ago were laughable. I enlisted the aid of my wife when we got our first tractor many years ago, to stand out by the side of the bucket to tell me if I got much of anything in it when I scooped. What a joke. A month later I was moving mountains of dirt. It just takes a little time and practice. And it has nothing to do with the size, as my first tractor was the largest of the 5 tractors I have owned. A true Utility tractor, not a CUT. I later used it to scoop up a whole hilltop and build a berm for a shooting backstop with it. I did that without a toothbar too, but undoubtedly it would have improved its performance. It was also an old 2 stick Prince valve FEL control too. A definite disadvantage compared to a single stick like all modern tractors have now. My point is, while they are not bulldozers, tractors can move a lot of materiel with a skilled operator.