Late to the party but here’s my $0.02
I have a property much like yours, 17 acres, 10 in woods that will stay that way. I do move snow here. A couple pieces of advice I’ll reiterate.
Shop the dealership, not the brand. Let’s say you decide to flail mow a couple acres of really overgrown pasture with lots of woodies. It’s Saturday at 10 am and you have TODAY to get the job done. 15 minutes into the job you snap a sapling with the loader bucket and the stem cracks a fuel filter. You’re hemorrhaging diesel fuel faster than you can call the dealership to see if they have a fuel filter cup in stock. If they do and they’re close you’re back in business and the day is saved. If not the day is shot and your tractor is a lawn ornament until parts arrive. If like me you’re new to tractoring and you’re still in the “taming” phase with your property you’re going to break things. Think about who will repair your machine and how you’ll get parts. I have a Kubota tractor, a Toro ZTR, and Stihl small engines. My local dealer is a Stihl, Toro, Badboy, Kubota shop that’s 25 minutes from me and on my way to work. This is a long term relationship you’re investing in. My service manager has walked me through repairs on the phone. Don’t undervalue how important the dealership will be in the future.
Cold call the service departments of local dealers and make something up. Ask when you can get on their schedule, or how long it will take to get parts. My local Massey dealer also services Toro and I knew from prior experience that they have a standing 3 week wait in the summer for service (lots of commercial customers). They were off the list even though Massey makes a great tractor and they’re the closest dealer to my house. Also, see if there are dealers that can ship you parts. Messick’s can have you Kubota parts overnight if you want to pay for expedited shipping.
I have a
B2710 HST. I got it used with low hours for a good price. It’s very nimble and can get into tight spaces. However, the added weight of an L would be very nice at times and if I ever trade up, I’ll probably go one size larger. I knew that when I bought the B so my implements are large enough to run on a bigger machine. First thing I did was have the tires loaded with beet juice while she was getting serviced and repaired.
If you have a place to store a larger/heavier machine and the coin to go bigger, do it. You’ll find that as you “tame” your property, everything will eventually be sized for your equipment.
Also, get an idea of what equipment costs to rent or have a pro do it for you. A 40 HP Deere is about $120 a day here. If I need bigger, it’s easy to rent. The excavator that worked my place costs about $100 an hour for dozer work and he can get more done in that hour than I can do in a weekend.
Enjoy the hunt!
(Maybe we should start a new thread for that.) I'm proud my FEL was made in Pennsylvania.
