First tractor ... confused ....advice please!

[PILOON]

Sure hydrostatic is nice.
While I don't own one I have a fair number of hrs on a FEL equipped B21.
My tractor is A Mitsubishi gear drive and has a FEL and I use mostly for snow blowing.

The hydrostatic sure is nice, somewhat faster but there is nothing I can't do with my gear shifting Mitsu.
It is all about techniques and practice.
I installed a tooth bar (home made) on my FEL and even though it is clutched I get full buckets every time.
As to snow duties, again techniques come into play, example 10-12 inches I simply take a small bite (like 1/2 width or on first pass I lift the blower to take the top half)
Sure takes a bit longer but I'm not about to spend maybe $5-10 K to upgrade either and actually I could afford the luxury if I chose to.

Another factor to consider.
Older (proven brands) are much simpler to DIY maintain as the do not have computers nor anti pollution devices like additives that need constant topping off.

With an ohm/volt meter and a set of wrenches most handy guy type can do most of the maintenance and repairs himself.
Stick to the well known brands and purchase a parts/shop manual and you'll be happy.

My 2 cents! maybe .03 (inflation)

 

[dnw64]

I saw you are located in Jericho. I would guess you know about them already, but if not, check out Ackerman Equipment | Home | Jericho, VT

I bought my Massey from them and they seem pretty straight-up.

 

[paulfun9]

You will get used to and competent with it weather it’s a gear or hydro and as pointed out a in other post, as long as your obstacles are not littered across the lawn and evenly spaced a rear finish mower will work fine. I cut with one and have to negotiate around 26 trees. Doing so is no problem and I can get closer with the finish mower than I could with a zero turn or ride on with a center mount deck. So close in fact that I only have to trim up close to some of the trees on the 2nd or 3rd cut. The others are pines and the finish mower goes right under without me having to go under with it.

As far as the backhoe goes I will suggest you do some real consideration before going with it or not but there are some real advantages if your the type to do things yourself and are constantly coming up with new projects or changing things.
For me I would spend more money renting for how many hours I actually put on the hoe.
This doesn’t even begin to take into account the untold hours spent building up to the point where renting becomes feasible or the frustration of having to have multiple projects started but unfinished to ensure your rental time would be used effectively.
Also think about if you would be able to do projects for others with it. I live in an area with a lot of tractors in peoples garages and barns, but still make lots of cash every year doing small jobs as they all keep coming back because they “saved the purchase price of a backhoe when they got thier” 25 to 50HP tractor.
Last year I realized that when the cash was added up the neighbors with tractors and no hoe have paid for just over 1/2 of my hoe. When I average the hours and time saved by not having to go rent and compare that with the TRUE cost of rentals which includes hauling it, fuel for your truck or paying more for the rental which is the case if you can’t haul it yourself around here. Having to complete the job in a set time or paying extra for the extended time, missing out because your rental day turned out to be a wash out with the rain storms that snuck in, the purchase price was already covered and then some. So now it’s a tool that has paid me back in full for the purchase price and is always ready in a moments notice.
This doesn’t even take into account the convenience of having the ability of doing it right now, no wait time for an emergency like happend with my drain line last year. They wanted a lot of money to dig it out and wouldn’t be able to get to it for 3 weeks. I dug it out myself that night twice the distance they estimated and replaced the hole pipe instead of just fixing the section that went bad and at a cost far less than than they estimated. Not only did I save money but I also had one of thier workers here the next day because when I called and asked how long the wait would be if I dug it up the answer was if you have it done we can send someone out immediately. Sure was nice not having take showers with a garden hose and use a bucket for a toilet for 3 weeks. Guess I would have to say knowing what it’s like having to use an out house when I was Child I would have paid the full retail price of the hoe just to avoid that inconvenience alone.

Just remeber we are all different and value our time and money in different ways for different things for different reasons. Our plans might or might not change, projects may only be a once in a lifetime or you could be like me and like to keep changing things up (the wife is also always dreaming up new things also) so for me and many like me we would not be without a hoe.

Some claim taking a hoe on and off is a pain but in reality they are all not the same and some are downright easy. My Kioti for instance, the hoe can be installed, taken off and then put back on in about the same time it takes me to smoke a cigarette and take a few sips of my coffee. There isn’t even a need to remove the lower 3 point arms. It’s actaully harder to hook up most PTO powered 3 point attachments and many I know seem to have no issues with other brands.
Yes some can be a chore like my old JD was having to remove a cumbersome center mount deck, remove the 3 point arms then attach the sub frame and fiddle with it till it was in place so if purchasing an older machine pay attention to that. For things of his nature you should also consider that when I was young that wouldn’t bother me at all but now at my age I want it to be as easy as possible, but again I ain’t Dead yet and don’t really consider hooking up a 3 point attachment hard work so bending over to install 2 pins and hooking up 2 lines is no big deal.

Anyway good luck with you purchase what ever you decide to get.

 

[Baby Grand]

Mike,
Welcome to TBN and congratulations for thinking through the difficulties that life throws at you and making a plan to overcome them. I'd be proud to call you a Yankee.
Having never had a tractor & going through the process of getting your first with limited funds should confuse you. If it didn't you'd most likely be what my grandmother referred to as "simple".

I went through a similar process in 2007 and it was not a staightforward decision, by any means. The method that I used worked well for me: make a list of the jobs that you absolutely have to do on a regular basis, the jobs that you will need to do from time to time and the jobs that you think you might want to do. With that list in hand, figure out what attachment you will need to get the regular basis jobs and the jobs that need to be done from time to time and size your tractor to match those attachments. Don't forget to include the attachments in your budget.

Odds are, you will find that this approach yields conflicting answers that don't resolve easily. Such is life. A machine that's big enough to do meaningful earth moving can be on the edge of too big, heavy & hard to maneuver near a house, garage, parked cars, trees, fences, even mailboxes. Don't ask. Tires matter. Because you live in an area where snow, rain & deep frost are ways of life, you'll probably want something light with flotation (turf) tires to avoid making ruts everywhere you have a "lawn". Snow removal may also be a consideration - unless you contract that out.

The tractor in the photo looks like it has been well taken care of, kept out of the elements and lightly used. It's a nice size for doing many small of earth moving jobs - or even some big jobs if you're not in a big hurry. Seems way too big, heavy and hard to maneuver for lawn work. It would probably be fine for maintaining a field with a 3-pt finish mower or a brush hog type mower, depending on how rough the field is. TractorData lists the PTO as "Live" which might complicate field cutting. An over-running PTO coupling might be all you'd need to address that concern.

If it takes 5 hours to cut the grass, then I'd recommend a dedicated lawn mower (which you already have) and redefining what grass you consider "lawn" and what grass you're willing to think of as "field". If it's all "lawn", then you may want to consider upgrading to a better lawn mower and renting equipment to do the heavier jobs. A good, used, sub-compact or mini-ag might be a good compromise to get you the grass cutting capacity with a little light earth moving and good snow handling ability.

Good luck - keep kicking tires and asking good questions!

-Jim

 

[fried1765]

that New Holland is overpriced for a 25 year old tractor. You want HST

A 4x4 Ford 1920 TLB with 700 hours?
It is NOT over priced,.... especially if it is shuttle shift!

 

[fried1765]

Sure hydrostatic is nice.
While I don't own one I have a fair number of hrs on a FEL equipped B21.
My tractor is A Mitsubishi gear drive and has a FEL and I use mostly for snow blowing.

The hydrostatic sure is nice, somewhat faster but there is nothing I can't do with my gear shifting Mitsu.
It is all about techniques and practice.
I installed a tooth bar (home made) on my FEL and even though it is clutched I get full buckets every time.
As to snow duties, again techniques come into play, example 10-12 inches I simply take a small bite (like 1/2 width or on first pass I lift the blower to take the top half)
Sure takes a bit longer but I'm not about to spend maybe $5-10 K to upgrade either and actually I could afford the luxury if I chose to.

Another factor to consider.
Older (proven brands) are much simpler to DIY maintain as the do not have computers nor anti pollution devices like additives that need constant topping off.

With an ohm/volt meter and a set of wrenches most handy guy type can do most of the maintenance and repairs himself.
Stick to the well known brands and purchase a parts/shop manual and you'll be happy.

My 2 cents! maybe .03 (inflation)

BINGO !!!

 

[greggyy]

You could prob have 5 old tractors on that budget too....albeit minus FEL and hoe.

 

[Soundguy]

On the hoe.. be sure you need it...

I bought a used hoe.. got a great deal.. but frankly.. have only used it 3 times. Could have used it 4 times but that time I was in a rush, and the tractor it was living on was being a bit cantankerous.. so....

 

[PILOON]

OK, I'll add another slant to the backhoe debate.

Not the end all expert but I own a clutched tractor, have operated a hydrostatic and used a backhoe from time to time.

For the rather fewer times you will actually dig trenches a tracked mini 'digger' is really quite the way to go.

Example is my present home.
I rented a mini tracked excavator, did all necessary excavation, moved materials to appropriate locations and built retaining walls with boulders that presented themselves. With the dozer blade I had all the area ready for topsoil and sod.
That was 20 or so years ago and I'd do it all over again.
OK, some rocks (boulders) were kinda large but with a mini tracked machine I simply clamped the boulder between the shovel and the dozer blade and walked them to the wall I was building.
Oh yes. I'll add that I rented over a w/e so I only paid 1.5 days rental fee and got 2 days of usage.
Yes. I'd do it again.

 

[HAR]

Mike
For my 2 cents on this....
I live in Addison County, and have weather very similar if not milder than Jericho. I have an older (1999) Kubota B7300, 16HP, turf tires, with both Mid and rear PTO. It was about 2years old when I got it with 104hrs. It came with a 4' loader, 60" mid-mount finish mower, 54" rear snow thrower, and a 48" brush hog. I got a steal on it back in 2002. I have never looked back.

What I can tell you is hydrostatic is almost a given. While geared is good, for what you do most often, HST will be less work for you. Turf tires will not tear up your lawn, drive, etc when doing normal work. For snow and other extra traction, I put my chains on, both front and rear!

I use the bucket off and on year round. It takes me less than 10 minutes to put it on. It is used as a counter balance when I have the snow thrower, brush hog, or PTO driven generator on it. The mower is easy on and off, and I actually mount the bucket to make that even easier!

If I need a backhoe or trencher, I rent one....as I would seldom normally use one. For all the other jobs, the bucket does fine. I can mow an acre in about 40 minutes with my setup, and have used it to mow my neighbors yard when he is away doing 2.5 acres in just under 2 hrs. My snow thrower can easily tackle any snowstorm that we have had since 2002, including the big St Valentines party back in 2006-7? We had 24" and I spent most the day out clearing drives up and down our road, even getting a guy out who had buried his pickup with plow!

As you do not seem to be in a rush, I would say shop around, watching craigslist and dealer lots, keeping in mind your budget. There are deals out there!