Help - Family Needs A Compact Tractor

[LS Tractor Owner]

My LS xg3025 weighs in at a hefty 4022 lbs with the loader /bucket and BH subframe mounts attached. It's a whopping 5657 lbs with the BH / bucket on the tractor. These weights were taken on a drive on truck scale. Tires are not filled.

The height is at 91" with the ROPS up. Fits in the 8' garage door just barely.

 

[KennyG]

Lots of weight and 40 or 50 HP are great, but remember we are only talking about 10 acres here. I'll stand by my 30 to 40 HP recommendation.

 

[dieselcrawler]

I doubt you 'need' a bigger tractor... not saying it wouldn't be nice, but you can do quite alot with a smaller one.

In 2013, we bought what we could afford for our 117ac of hillside... JD 3005, 4x4, loader, brush hog, and box blade, for about $18k... whopping 27hp Yanmar diesel, run hard, and racked up a little over 500 hours. Its brush hogged bushes and saplings... pulled logs out of the holler... loaded logs with forks mounted to the bucket... leveled ground for a (someday) new barn... run a post hole augers for fence posts... even pulled and run dad's old Massey Ferguson #12 hay baler last summer adequately.

Could I use a 50-75hp machine? Absolutely, a used, larger tractor is in the plans within a year or so. But my lil green machine has served me well, and will have a place to live here beside it's bigger future friend.

 

[dodge man]

I think the tractor you are looking at is a good choice. If it痴 used make sure it is setup for a grapple or figure that in the cost. You need the hydraulic hook ups for a grapple. Like already mentioned a grapple is an expensive option a with a limited budget you might want to wait. Like Jeff said, forks work well for hauling brush.

People will often recommend their favorite brand, JD makes good tractors if your heart is set on one, German one.

 

[nards444]

I got a B2650, weight does matter, tractor bare is around 1800, not sure what cab weighs, but with loader and filled tires Im guessing the tractor is around 3500lbs or so. With that said I could have gotten the B3350 but it only weighed 100lbs more and provided 9hp more or so. So for added cost and dealing the emissions I really dont think it was worth it. Id thinking highly about finding a tractor at the 25hp mark, im not sure something around the 30-33 mark is going to give you a marked difference.

 

[Gafn]

. Like Jeff said, forks work well for hauling brush.

Well now... Forks WORK for hauling brush, they don't work WELL.

I recently upgrade to a 2019 35HP tractor and went all in on a 66 inch grapple, and there is a huge amount of goodness in a grapple...

1) When working alone, without getting off the tractor you can load the large amount of brush - on the fly, just scoop, clamp and go
2) Brush falls off the dang forks all the time - you will need to take an ATV out and pick up the trail of brush bits... Does not happen as much with the Grapple clamped down on the brush
3) Cleaning up in snake country - your in OK so you will have snakes, loading brush on the fly and not getting into the mess to clean up - simply avoids the little biters, as your safe on the tractor
4) Firewood - picking up logs - grapple is a HUGE helping hand to securely hold logs while you cut your rounds, with forks you have to add in chains and straps - just extra work
5) Firewood - while cutting rounds - you set the height of the log - saves you back - seeing how you retired from the Marines (Semper Fi) I am sure your back will thank you
6) Other trash pick up - the grapple can grab sheet metal from an old barn, or leftover construction scrap, regular forks simply can not, you have to get off tractor and load the forks
7) Don't forget it is a Root Grapple - you want to clear out some woody brush - the root grapple rips that like it was designed for it - maybe it was...

Anyway - I am still a rookie tractor guy - having had a 35HP now for about 4.5 years.
If I could do it over - I would have had a grapple form day ONE, this is my lesson learned.... let the equipment do the work, and you stay in the tractor seat as much as possible

 

[Shaneard]

Like Jeff said, forks work well for hauling brush.

Forks work better than nothing for hauling brush. Grapple works 100 times better than forks. Forks are all I have now, had a grapple on a skidsteer. There is no comparison.

 

[Rebeldad1]

Kubota 3,600 pound L3560 open station is 90" tall with ROPS folded.

I own one, purchased January 2013.

Is yours a factory ROPS?
With the ROPS up it would be around 10 feet or more tall Any pics?
My Kioti with the ROPS up is about a inch too tall to go through a 8' garage door opening.
Never measured it down but guessing 6' give or take.

 

[AllByteNoBark]

Kubota 3,600 pound L3560 open station is 90" tall with ROPS folded.

I own one, purchased January 2013.

Jeff, you sure on the height? When researching I have notes that show the L3560 with ROPS folded was 85" tall which makes a pretty big difference. Maybe I was told wrong.

 

[Diggin It]

This says 97" with it up. Pretty sure more than 7 inches folds over.

TractorData.com Kubota L356 tractor dimensions information