Total Greenhorn Here! ! !

[jezreel]

Hey Folks,

My wife and I used to own 6 acres of trees, and built a house in the middle of it. Job moved me back into the city 16 years ago. Wow, how time flies. We have wanted to move back out to the country ever since we moved to the city. After 30 years of Federal Law Enforcement, I am retiring (Dec. 31). We found the PERFECT 20 acres, and closed on it last month! ! ! 14 acres of trees. 6 acres of pasture that is divided into 3 sections by the trees. We should be building a house on it by next spring. There was absolutely no work to be done on our 6 acres of trees other than to enjoy it. This 20 acres, on the other hand, will need some work, and I have SO many questions! ! ! I will need a tractor, and have no idea about new/used/what brand/what size. I need to keep the pastures mowed. I would like to get pastures to grow grass rather than the junk that's in it now. a little clearing in the woods. Blah, Blah, Blah. . . So many questions. I look forward in tapping the experience of the folks on this forum.

Also, is there any trick to posting pictures? ? ?

john

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Welcome, John, and congrats on buying your dream property!

You're going to have a big learning curve, so settle back and take your time.

Before you even think about *which tractor to buy*, carefully consider what you want to do with your property. Once you have a plan, that will dictate the machine you need. Just a few thoughts to get you started:

What is the "junk" in your existing pastures?

Do you plan to keep any animals? Six acres of pasture is a lot to maintain if you don't plan to keep horses, cows or other stock. There are other options for pastureland that is not needed for stock. Do you want a garden and where will that be?

Re: the 14 acres of trees. What is your goal here? To have some walking paths? To make it more visually appealing? Is there a lot of brush or downfalls that need to be cleared? If you clear too much will you lose privacy? Choose the location of your "clearing in the woods" and note the size of the trees that will need to be cleared, and whether that one-time job is something better hired out.

IOW make a plan. I'm 6 years into mine; it's a lifetime project, but a great one.

 

[jeff9366]

We found the PERFECT 20 acres, and closed on it last month! 14 acres of trees, 6 acres of pasture that is divided into 3 sections by the trees. We should be building a house on the land by next spring.

I need to keep the pastures mowed. I would like to get pastures to grow grass rather than the junk that's in them now. a little clearing in the woods. Blah, Blah, Blah. . .

Congratulations on nearing retirement.


The most efficient way to shop for a tractor is to list your tasks first, then determine bare tractor weight needed to safely accomplish your tasks. The fundamental importance of TRACTOR WEIGHT eludes many tractor shoppers. Heavier tractor chassis weight is more important for most tractor operations than increased tractor horsepower. Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models, new and used.

Within subcompact and compact tractor categories, bare tractor weight must increase 50% before you notice a significant tractor capability increase. It takes a 100% increase in bare tractor weight to elicit MY-OH-MY!

Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range. I spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise. I have a column for cost per pound.

Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten flat acres. Subcompact and compact tractors under 3,000 pounds will enter a residential garage with typical 84" door height.

Selling a used tractor is easy. Selling multiple light implements in order to buy heavier, wider implements for a heavier tractor requires a lot of time. Depreciation on implements is generally greater than depreciation on a tractor.

A quality dealer, reasonably close, available for coaching, is important for tractor neophytes. Almost every new tractor is delivered with a glitch or two requiring correction. My kubota dealer is six miles away. I feel my local dealer continues to add value to my equipment. Dealer proximity is less important to those experienced with tractors and qualified to perform their own maintenance.

Every tractor brand includes a model in the 2,600 pound to 2,900 pound (bare tractor) range with 100 cubic inch/24 horsepower engine ample for six acres and your forecast applications. Tractors under 19 KW ( 19 KW = 25.4794-horsepower) are currently exempt from stringent, Tier IV emission controls which abruptly increase a tractor's cost some $2,000 above the 19 KW power demarcation. In Kubota, this is Kubota model L2501.

KUBOTA SITE: https://www.kubotausa.com/docs/default-source/brochure-sheets/l2501.pdf?sfvrsn=34e9b1d_8

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

If you'd like to post pictures, one method is to click on the "Go Advanced" box below the + Reply to Thread area. Once there, there'll be a paperclip icon in the toolbar. Click on that and follow the prompts. (Clear as mud, eh? )

Enjoy the site.

 

[majorwager]

"Within subcompact and compact tractor categories, bare tractor weight must increase 50% before you notice a significant tractor capability increase. It takes a 100% increase in bare tractor weight to elicit MY-OH-MY!

Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range. I spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise. I have a column for cost per pound."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There is nonsense interlaced w/ the above advice. There are many smaller tractors purchased that serve their owner's well. The MY OH MY factor is the realization that the new owner has purchased TOO MUCH tractor and burdened w/ unnecessary expense. Buying a tractor by the pound indicates some folks spend too much time in their local grocery store.

These are a few links that may be useful to obtain a flavor of differing opinions. Welcome to TBN.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...32-guide-shopping-sizing-tractor-version.html
The above thread is quite lengthy, but worth the time investment to make an assessment.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...-mahindra-max-26xl-hst-new-7.html#post5176845
This thread is by poster #2 This person performed extensive research before purchasing her tractor and this is a true honest assessment of initial tractor operating. It is also the closest compilation of advice a new owner may identify as a true guide to buying a tractor.

Kubota builds a good tractor, So do other manufacturers wherein the investment is more ECONOMICAL. Shop around...……..


DISCLAIMER: All postings are opinions, none more or less valid than the next. With that said, Tractor purchase by (buy) the pound is just silly.

 

[jezreel]

Hey Folk. . . Thanks so much for your initial thoughts. Yes, I will post a thread in the main Tractor forum with my intentions for my property, and get some thoughts there. Question? ? ? Where should I post my question about transforming my pastures from Weeds and flowering weeds to some sort of grass? Should I post it in the "Rural Living" section? There I will describe what I want to do, and post pictures of the weeds, or what I call junk that is in the pastures now.

Again, thanks so much for the replies.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Hey Folk. . . Thanks so much for your initial thoughts. Yes, I will post a thread in the main Tractor forum with my intentions for my property, and get some thoughts there. Question? ? ? Where should I post my question about transforming my pastures from Weeds and flowering weeds to some sort of grass? Should I post it in the "Rural Living" section? There I will describe what I want to do, and post pictures of the weeds, or what I call junk that is in the pastures now.

Again, thanks so much for the replies.

No reason why you can't continue that discussion here, but "Rural Living" would also be good for future reference, as the thread will likely have some value for others planning what to do with their property. And BTW, your "weeds" may be native grasses--or not. Looking forward to seeing pics!

 

[TBN Support]

:welcome:

Congrats on your new land!

TractorByNet Support FAQs - TractorByNet <<< This link covers how to post pictures and a few other little things that may be useful.

 

[jezreel]

Okey Doke. . . Here are a few pics of what is in my pastures.








These "weeds" were mowed about 2 months ago, and now they are getting pretty thick.

This is what I would like my pasture to look like.


I am not afraid of the time and work to make this a pasture with grass, and I'm sure it is going to take some time. I just have no idea on what it will take. Give me some general impressions, and then I will ask specific questions. I just "previewed" the post, and it looks like the pics are sideways. Don't know how to fix that. Sorry.

Edit: Ahhhh, looks like they fix themselves when you click on them.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Looks like all the grass died and weeds took over. I see what looks like a whole lot of dead grass lying on the ground, with weeds growing out of it. Is that jimson weed or knotweed? You'll probably want to identify the weeds to know what you're dealing with.

I'm thinking you had some severe conditions which caused all the grass to die. Going forward, you might want to consider what your current climate conditions will support.

In any case, the first step is to mow. Stop the weeds from growing so enthusiastically, and the shredded plant material will help the soil, which will help grass or other more desirable plants to grow.

Okay, basic principle: "Weeds" thrive in poor, dry soil. More desirable plants like turf grasses and even most native grasses, will outcompete weeds in richer moister soil. So make your soil richer and able to hold moisture better by adding organic material. IOW, mow regularly with mulching blades to add organic material to the soil. This technique alone will renovate most pastures.

You might also think about planting some trees and hardy shrubs. Seems like everything in the southwest is getting hotter and dryer all the time, so a more diverse landscape might be more resilient.