Buying advice for small land-owner in New Hampshire

[rScotty]

Yellow fuel jugs, good call. Let's not mix up the gas and the diesel.

Thinking about a 3-point drawbar with a ball on it for dragging my utility trailer into the woods with me.. and for skidder work.

That is a handy bar, but check the tractor first. Some have a heavily built tube to accept a standard trailer hitch ball square mount same as your pickup truck. Look for it right below the PTO output shaft.
If you get a 3pt drawbar that is fine too, but get the kind that has some sort of clip or stop so it doesn't rotate. The cheap ones that rotate are a pain to hook up. I've seem some that are an A frame, hook to the 3pt arms and top link, and have a trailer ball tube plus chain hooks. Very handy.

Don't be to quick to buy attachments. New tractors are wonderful, but after you get the tractor you will find that old used beat up attachments will work just exactly as well as new ones and cost a fraction of the price. They are fun to search for and a lot of time the old stuff is better made. Implements haven't changed much in decades. All an old one needs is paint and grease. Pulling it through the dirt will polish it up. I've got a whole line-up. In time you will too. Check in the weeds in the vacant lot behind the dealership......$100 is the price for most; it's basically scrap metal price. I've got some inplements out on "loan" that I haven't seen in years. Probably most of us older TBNers do too.
rScotty

 

[Carl_NH]

Agree 100% - look for sales on CL for plows, Rakes, rear blades, and you can buy older, maybe rusty HD attachments at 15-20% of new then spend a few $ and elbow work for sanding, greasing and paint.

My 6' rear blade is a 80's vintage, but looked like new after sandblasting and paint in 2000 and still looks good, and was under $400 total.

 

[BigNuge]

Congrats! Now get to work, and post some pictures!

 

[Diggin It]

I decided on the Kioti CX2510. Loaded R4's. Loader and hoe with thumb. Plus a couple of implements.
I was dealing with Concord Tractor. I haven't been able to get in touch with the guy in Hampton. Concord had at least 2 a week ago. Sold all of them last weekend. I've called a few other dealers in the region as well. Same story.

Have you read this thread?

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kioti-owning-operating/428471-do-you-know-brian-faulkner.html

 

[rScotty]

Agree 100% - look for sales on CL for plows, Rakes, rear blades, and you can buy older, maybe rusty HD attachments at 15-20% of new then spend a few $ and elbow work for sanding, greasing and paint.

My 6' rear blade is a 80's vintage, but looked like new after sandblasting and paint in 2000 and still looks good, and was under $400 total.

Yep, blades are one of the very expensive attachments that can be bought for a fraction of new & work the same. But blades are popular attachments, so you may only save 25 to 50%. For lots of other implements the diff is even better.
And if it needs to be adjusted or fixed to work right it can easily be 90% off. That's about scrap iron value. Tillers and seeders are in that category.

My other advise to newby would-be tractorites is on the mechanics of actually purchasing anything major....a car, tractor, or house. In this case a tractor, so it up to the buyer to put right on the sales contract who is responsible for hauling during any warranty work and under what conditions that the dealer must provide a loaner tractor.

It's amazing how many people get so excited that they forget to protect themselves on the most basic elements of doing business. Putting your terms on the contract is important. It shows you are being professional, and it saves both sides from misunderstandings. You can simply write these addtions out by hand in ink right on the contract & both parties then sign & initial the hand-written part. Do it twice because both buyer and seller then get an original signed & initialed copy.
rScotty

 

[nhbubba]

I take delivery tomorrow. Planning on taking Friday to get straight to work!

The one thing I hadn't considered is how to move a trailer with the dirt bucket and hoe attached. I'd like to be able to use my utility trailer as to move brush but want the hoe attached for ballast and to be able to use the thumb to load once I remember how terrible I am at working a loader! I hit hardly-fraught the other day and have a receiver I intend to clamp on the loader bucket to see how that works out.

But anyway.


Talk to me about tires. I wanted R4/industrial tires but with the delays and stock issues dealers around here are facing that wasn't possible. Dealer has decided they will deliver the tractor with turf tires installed and will swap them out for me at some point when they get them back in stock, including trucking the tractor back and forth on their dime. I decided this was okay by me.

Talking with my neighbor I'm starting to wonder if I won't want to keep the turfs after all.


To recap, I plan to use my loader a lot. This machine will mostly do lanscape/dirt and light logging/firewood work. Secondary goal is to move snow in the winter. (Because why not!) Part of the selling point of the Kioti was the strong loader & good hydraulic specs.
I have no plans to mow with it at all.


I hear a lot of people, my neighbor included, claim that turf tires are where it is at for snow removal. He and I have almost identical paved drives and he does his without chains. A lot of my buddies with R4 tires on their tractors say chains are basically mandatory in the winter. But then they also have more hills to deal with than we do. Our lots here are very flat and quite sandy and dry. I don't see much mud at all. He has never had trouble using turfs on his machine, snow or in the yard.

What am I in for here? Will I risk wrecking or breaking beads on a 4-ply turf tire doing heavy loader work in the woods? Am I going to run out of traction in a hurry?

 

[rScotty]

I hear a lot of people, my neighbor included, claim that turf tires are where it is at for snow removal. He and I have almost identical paved drives and he does his without chains. A lot of my buddies with R4 tires on their tractors say chains are basically mandatory in the winter. But then they also have more hills to deal with than we do. Our lots here are very flat and quite sandy and dry. I don't see much mud at all. He has never had trouble using turfs on his machine, snow or in the yard.

What am I in for here? Will I risk wrecking or breaking beads on a 4-ply turf tire doing heavy loader work in the woods? Am I going to run out of traction in a hurry?

I have dry sandy soil and like the turf tires. Have had them on two tractors now. Use them in the woods a lot. There is no problem with beads or slippage and they handle full buckets on the loader fine. I suspect they are easier to get a flat....but haven't had that probem. Traction can even be better with turfs on sandy soil because of the greater surface area. When you do loose traction, it doesn't dig such a hole. Plus they ride better and give noticibly more side stability

I do have a full set of re-sized automotive type chains that we sometimes mount in the winter. Not for snow so much as for ice.
And bottom line - yes the industrials are probably the best compromise, then turfs, and then ags way last - but that is specific for use dry sandy/gravel soil and powder snow. On wet snow or ice any of the three types of tread do better with chains.
rScotty

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I take delivery tomorrow. Planning on taking Friday to get straight to work!

The one thing I hadn't considered is how to move a trailer with the dirt bucket and hoe attached. I'd like to be able to use my utility trailer as to move brush but want the hoe attached for ballast and to be able to use the thumb to load once I remember how terrible I am at working a loader! I hit hardly-fraught the other day and have a receiver I intend to clamp on the loader bucket to see how that works out.

But anyway.


Talk to me about tires. I wanted R4/industrial tires but with the delays and stock issues dealers around here are facing that wasn't possible. Dealer has decided they will deliver the tractor with turf tires installed and will swap them out for me at some point when they get them back in stock, including trucking the tractor back and forth on their dime. I decided this was okay by me.

Talking with my neighbor I'm starting to wonder if I won't want to keep the turfs after all.


To recap, I plan to use my loader a lot. This machine will mostly do lanscape/dirt and light logging/firewood work. Secondary goal is to move snow in the winter. (Because why not!) Part of the selling point of the Kioti was the strong loader & good hydraulic specs.
I have no plans to mow with it at all.


I hear a lot of people, my neighbor included, claim that turf tires are where it is at for snow removal. He and I have almost identical paved drives and he does his without chains. A lot of my buddies with R4 tires on their tractors say chains are basically mandatory in the winter. But then they also have more hills to deal with than we do. Our lots here are very flat and quite sandy and dry. I don't see much mud at all. He has never had trouble using turfs on his machine, snow or in the yard.

What am I in for here? Will I risk wrecking or breaking beads on a 4-ply turf tire doing heavy loader work in the woods? Am I going to run out of traction in a hurry?

Man, if the dealer is going to give you turfs and let you change later without charging you an arm and a leg, I'm impressed. That sounds like a pretty expensive proposition for the dealer.

I have no experience with turfs, I use R4's as a compromise of "traction, but without tearing the **** out of my lawn for the occasional trespass". If you're using the loader you'll need traction, can't imagine sticking with turfs. I slip my R4's all the time doing loader work unless I use 4WD. It also seems to be universally agreed that if traction is king, R1 ag tires are best, so it's always a compromise as to needs.

Why not just go ag/r1? Especially if they're already in stock?

Re: snow removal, on pavement or dirt/gravel?

 

[nhbubba]

Yeah. I was surprised too. I am guessing they have an incentive to get the tractor delivered and off their books.
Whatever. I have work to do so it works for me. I didn't argue much.

I don't have any interest in ag tires. At least I don't think I do. I imagine the skinnier tire would be miserable for most of my use.
I am not even sure this dealer regularly stocks ag tires. I believe most of what they sell is R4.

My snow removal is all on pavement. Almost all the driveways around here are paved.

In my informal research I've seen that most people around here run R4s, second to turfs. I don't know anyone that runs ag tires at all. But then I don't know anyone that does anything more than hobby-farm.
My farming goals in life are probably more accurately called "gardening".
I am trying to remember back. I think every rental I've ever had was on R4s.


"ask tractor mike" on the internet says that turf tires => lousy resale. But then he also says turf tires => poor snow traction. Everyone I talk to says turfs are great in the snow. Maybe he's wrong about the resale thing too?!


I did seriously give Kubota an extra point in my shopping as they have the new R14 tire available. (Dealer had them in stock, no cost vs turf or R4.) I took away half a point when I realized they were 4-ply where industrials are 6 or 8 ply. Sounds like ply count is maybe not that important?

 

[nhbubba]

I have dry sandy soil and like the turf tires. Have had them on two tractors now. Use them in the woods a lot. There is no problem with beads or slippage and they handle full buckets on the loader fine. I suspect they are easier to get a flat....but haven't had that probem. Traction can even be better with turfs on sandy soil because of the greater surface area. When you do loose traction, it doesn't dig such a hole. Plus they ride better and give noticibly more side stability

I do have a full set of re-sized automotive type chains that we sometimes mount in the winter. Not for snow so much as for ice.
And bottom line - yes the industrials are probably the best compromise, then turfs, and then ags way last - but that is specific for use dry sandy/gravel soil and powder snow. On wet snow or ice any of the three types of tread do better with chains.
rScotty

Good stuff. Thank you.