Looking for tractor to maintain 8.5 acres in NH

[pedzola]

Yes lots of great info and lots to process. 1 thing I've changed my mind about with the feedback so far is to get a 3pt finish mower instead of MMM. 2nd thing is I see the many benefits of a larger machine. Need to kinda start over on the research and find what might fit in my price range in the "compact" category.

I also know absolutely zip about any dealers in the area so I will have to go find some. Will be good to see some in person, and not having a house yet will keep me from impulse buying.

My comment about pricing - nothing out there on Kioti, Ls, massey ferguson, couldnt get new holland site to work. Have not even looked at JD because everything ive read says they are overpriced, and I will obviously be trying to get the best value.

Snowback thanks for the pics! I dont anticipate a lot of "woods" work, they've done a great job cleaning up my lot already, but grapple still high on the list.

And lastly I am getting the impression that New England prices are higher than elsewhere. I was pretty sure I would hit my $20K limit with just about any SCUT. I am optimistic that maybe I just need to talk to a dealer to get better pricing, but what i am reading around the forum is that we might just plain pay more in The northeast.

We wil see. This sounds like its going to end up being more about $$ than anything else.

 

[Snowback]

I also know absolutely zip about any dealers in the area so I will have to go find some. Will be good to see some in person, and not having a house yet will keep me from impulse buying.

My comment about pricing - nothing out there on Kioti, Ls, massey ferguson, couldnt get new holland site to work. Have not even looked at JD because everything ive read says they are overpriced, and I will obviously be trying to get the best value.

Snowback thanks for the pics! I dont anticipate a lot of "woods" work, they've done a great job cleaning up my lot already, but grapple still high on the list.

Here is a new one up in Northern NH - $21,000 for just tractor. I think a lot of folks here love their Boomers. https://nh.craigslist.org/hvd/5445005620.html

Here's a slightly smaller used Kubota a little closer perhaps: https://nh.craigslist.org/grd/5444909988.html

You know, if your wooded area is already "cleaned up", then perhaps a SCUT or 25-35 HP unit could/should be in the works for you... MAYBE. I have my 2 acre homesite in town to the point where my Max 25 could have handled everything with a lightweight grapple and its 4' implements just fine. (Cutter and box blade). If I had 8.5 acres just like this cleaned up 2 acres here, then no doubt a SCUT would be fine. However, the stuff we work north of town is very rustic and no where near cleaned up or manicured, thus I was ripping off fuel filters and generally asking too much of the SCUT up there. If you can share a few pictures of your place with the group here we can probably give you a better handle on what you might be dealing with. You'd still like a 2538 HST as well I'm sure. Here is a dealer in Warner www. knoxland. com (just remove the spaces as it was forbidden for some reason...)

One other thing to research is how the brands you find handle the newer Tier 4 emissions requirements. (Pollution controls.) Some use filters, (DPFs), while others use filterless systems. They probably all work well, but some have nuances that you may wish to research. Great forum threads on here regarding this as well and you definitely want to talk to dealers with competing emissions technologies on this item as well.

I'll bet there are some NE and NH or Vermont users on here too. You might reach out with another thread directed to them for advice on dealers. (Or perhaps do a forum search for users in those states... Maybe someone knows how to do that as I do not.) Good luck!

 

[IslandTractor]

I'd be surprised if a true SCUT sized tractor would be the right type of machine. To be clear, the Kubota BX series is the classic SCUT. The B series Kubota or CK Kioti are all considered CUT size. It's a frame size issue not horsepower. SCUTs are very close to the ground and almost always optimized for mowing. SCUTs can definitely do real work but are generally not used for work in woods or rough terrain.

 

[Snowback]

I'd be surprised if a true SCUT sized tractor would be the right type of machine. To be clear, the Kubota BX series is the classic SCUT. The B series Kubota or CK Kioti are all considered CUT size. It's a frame size issue not horsepower. SCUTs are very close to the ground and almost always optimized for mowing. SCUTs can definitely do real work but are generally not used for work in woods or rough terrain.

Agreed Island - it think a SCUT is undersized 95% of time in this case, but if the pictures show a manicured golf course, then perhaps a SCUT is ok... Also - my perspective and SCUT was a Max 25 which is probably more comparable to a small B series Kubota, so there is that too. Good points to keep this discussion balanced.

 

[jeff9366]

We wil see. This sounds like its going to end up being more about $$ than anything else.

You began this thread looking for recommendations while reserving your budget thoughts.

All this input has changed your thoughts about what you need in a tractor and basic implements by one or two increments.

If the budget has to increase for the right mix, let it. Trying to make make small/light equipment "make do" leads to stability issues, especially learning, and the possibility of injury.

Your other option is buying used. Better used with enough weight/stability and ground clearance. However, used introduces more uncertainty. If I bought a Deere used as a newbie, I would want a Deere dealer within twenty miles of my property.

Used tractors are cheapest when there is snow on the ground.

 

[RoyJackson]

Here's a couple nice ones:
L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. - L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. Website

L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. - L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. Website

There's some pretty nice tractors on Craigslist too:
new hampshire farm & garden "4x4 tractor" - craigslist

Personally, I'd go for a little less money for the tractor and spend some on a zero-turn mower...especially with 3.5 acres of lawn. I used a rear finishing mower behind a Deere 4400...much slower than a ZTR and, IMHO, not as good a cut.

 

[groundcover]

Take a ride over to Chappell tractor, plenty of inventory to look at.

New Hampshire Tractor Dealer: Compact Tractors, Kubota Agriculture Construction Equipment, Wheel Loaders, Crawler Excavators by New Holland Stihl | NH

 

[MESSMAKER]

Here's a couple nice ones:
L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. - L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. Website

L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. - L.F. Trottier & Sons Inc. Website

There's some pretty nice tractors on Craigslist too:


Ha

Personally, I'd go for a little less money for the tractor and spend some on a zero-turn mower...especially with 3.5 acres of lawn. I used a rear finishing mower behind a Deere 4400...much slower than a ZTR and, IMHO, not as good a cut.

Hard to get one machine to do it all well. You will mow far more than you will do anything else.Zero turn would be on the top of my list. cut down mowing time by an hour per mowing or about 50 hours a year. That is a lot. Hard to say no to a loader but you could probably get by without one. A grader blade,boom pole,rough cut mower and a cheaper older tractor and you could get by. I think I would rethink my plan.

 

[newbury]

OP -
Before the guys get into a size war.

You have to determine your smallest, lightest piece of whatever that you will HAVE to move and the smallest place you need to get through.

Most of the "stuff" we move can be broken down into smaller pieces with effort. Even very large boulders can be nibbled away at with tools. But at what effort?

It reads like your primary heavy lift effort will involve moving wood and dirt. Often wood can be made smaller and dirt is by nature easy to sub-divide.

However how small do you want to go? At the extreme is a BX series Kubot with a lift capacity around 600 lbs on the 3 point. A cord of wood weighs about two tons . Thus to move a cord using the 3pt with the BX might easily require 4 trips. My M4700 is rated to lift two tons on the 3 pt.

However, if you need to move a log to a sawmill, and lift it onto the sawmill, you can't chop it up into firewood sized pieces and the BX would be useless.

Similarly if you needed to load dirt into a truck the BX would be hard put to lift the dirt high enough to dump it in the truck bed.

If you need to drive your tractor through a 4' wide barn door, or put it in a garage with a 7' high door be aware of those dimensions. My M4700 has essentially a fixed ROPS. I have about 1 inch of clearance to get it into one of my workshops. It won't fit through one of my 5 foot gates.

When I drive my B7610 down my lanes in the woods I've plenty of room. My M4700 requires more clearance.

Then a few more factors are near future plans.

Are you hoping to expand your 8.5 acres to more? A larger tractor might be needed, but a small or medium tractor will always come in handy. Two tractors are better than one.

What are you going to get for attachments/implements? A dollar spent on tractor is one less dollar for attachments. I've probably spent as much on attachments as I have on tractors. But as you can see in my sig I've a bunch of attachments.

 

[kthompson]

We mow 2 aces at hour house and shop. Then within in 1/2 mile mow in laws about same size and then grandparents about 1 1/2 acres. I have done that with 70 farm tractor and 6 foot rear finishing mower and did not tear up grass and left little foot print with the ag tires. Sharp turn with front wheels is to be avoid as they will tear turf. Moved from there to B2710 Kubota with hydo trans and used same finishing mower. Was easier and faster as easy to speed up and slow down for turns and little issue with tree limbs compared to farm tractor.

Issue with either of those set ups was trimming for I have issue with watching left side of mower as have done so much tractor time turned to the right with hand on lift just could not get comfortable watching the left side which is the closed side of all the finishing mowers I have seen. So bought mid weight zero turn mower with 52" inch deck to trim only. Worked fine. Then one day my wife who are running the zero turn was not home when I began cutting the grass I preferred to trim first and then cut the open are and hope on the zero cut and ended up cutting the full yard at our house. Was shocked, 20" narrower deck with about same ground speed save me 1/4 the time it took with the B2710 and 72" fear finishing mower.

But no setup is perfect: the zero turn is by far the fast method to mow I have seen. Yet on slopes and especially wet slopes helpless. Also if you really want to do the ZERO turn bit you need to be smoother than I am for if ground is wet I do tear up grass if not real careful.

Do note the more wheels that run across the grass before the cutter hits it the more grass you have not cut to same height.

In your setup would have NO problem suggesting you begin with tractor and rear finishing mower and look around for used. At least here many have been parked due to the zero turns replacing them on rural yards. Also no idea there or even here now but did lease my first tractor and it worked like a champ doing so. Also as far as web site search goes no idea there but here found the big sites that have many dealerships on there run behind what is on the dealership lots. This summer used them to find larger farm tractor and by the time they were on those sites often they were sold. The tractor I ended up buying the dealer had it sold to me before it ever hit his lot. Go talk with the local dealers. I would suggest at least three. Not to waste their time nor yours but the right dealer will ask what you are trying to do and then make recommendations to you. They will want to be sure it serves you well and that you know how to operate it.

Want to be careful how I word this, but I would never buy off an online add regardless who it is with unless I knew them very well without putting my hands on the tractor and all implements and time in the seat. There are stolen machines out there and scammers also. Not aware of any real way to check on such so I lean towards dealers that have been there a while of course there are true retired and estate sales for what you are looking for. kt