Compact Tractor: Help making the right decision

[Weaselfish]

Hi all!

Long time lurker, first time poster.

Help me decide if 25hp+/- is enough or if I should be aiming higher (35-ish).

i only have about 5 acres and it’s mostly flat, with a swale here and there, and a gently sloping hill or two. We’re getting ready to transform what used to be entirely pasture into a mix of orchard, pasture, and large garden. Most of my regulars tasks will be mowing, tilling, grading and maintaining a long gravel driveway and footpath, and clearing/hauling brush, feed, fertilizer,etc.

My thinking is that I can get this all done with a loader, box scraper/ripper, mower deck, and tiller. Probably buy and resell a used auger for orchard planting and refencing some of the pasture.

Do you think I’ll be satisfied with the smaller end of the compact tractor range? or should I step it up and hit higher into the 30+ hp range?

Also, not sure if you are seeing this in your parts of the country, but where I am you’re not getting much of a discount going used? Should I bite the bullet and go new or target a low hour used model to save a couple thousand dollars?

thanks in advance for all of your help!

 

[Scar0B2150]

I recently obtained a 1993~94 Kubota B2150(24 HP) that was very well maintained and had very low hours(-900). It came will all the attachments you mentioned (less the auger & mower deck).
We have 5 acres I maintain with it, along with my Mom's 5 acres. I brush hog 2.5 acres on our property which is 1/2 wooded. My Mom's place is mostly trees. So I bought bought a grapple.
The 2150 can do more then I expected.
If the implements you get, mate up well with the tractors capabilities, you'd be amazed how much you can do.
I can't advise you new or used. A lot of that has to do with your abilities to maintain or fix things that may go wrong.
I think that for what you are planing to do a 25 Hp should work well. I know mine does.

 

[Rockbadchild]

bigger the HP quicker is task is and bigger the operating cost but I don't think a 5hp difference or so makes a huge difference as far as operating cost... I think its better to have more HP that you need instead of needing more HP that you have. For a 5 acres Id say you are definitely in the right ballpark for sizes. for you I think the main thing is to make sure your tractor can operate all the accessories you need, that's the bottom line and if you have enough time in hand you can accomplish all the work you want.

I have a 60Hp and I've been land clearing (scrubs, brush trees and small trees) with it, I am happy I have every single horse power I have … and also looking at round bailers and again happy I bought a 60hp if I would have smaller the options narrows down.

 

[oosik]

I have 80 acres in NE WA state. I have a mile long gravel driveway. From 1982 until 2009 I had a Ford 1700 4WD which I purchased new in 1982. With the appropriate implements it did well. Finally, in 2009 I traded the Ford in and got a new Kubota M6040 4WD. All the small projects were completed and I wanted to move on to larger projects. Plus I simply got sick and tired of clearing snow with a 3-point blower. Every year - it took longer for my aching neck and shoulders to feel better after dealing with the snow.

Now with the heavier tractor - the rear blade is completely adequate for snow clearing. I now have a larger, heavier tractor that does larger projects very well.

Make a list - all the jobs you might do on the property. The jobs plus the attachments plus your available time will be a good indicator of the size tractor you need.

Welcome to TBN - Weaselfish.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I think 25 hp will do it for you. I'm not sure you're going to want to mow pastures with a belly mower on a SCUT/CUT. The belly mower is going to drastically limit your ground clearance over obstacles and they don't tolerate finding rocks and things in the grass like a 3pt rotary brush hog will. Think of a belly mower as more of a finish mower (they usually are), more intended for lawns and cleared land. I would run a 3pt brush hog over all the areas that are not "lawn" surface.

As long as the rest of your attachments are sized down to run off of a 20-ish hp pto power source you should be fine.

For clearing and hauling brush you may want a grapple. I would certainly get a set of pallet forks no matter what, and maybe see if piling the brush on the forks will work for you. If you don't have too much brush or it's just a one time job to clear it all out and be done with it, you may want to put off on the grapple expense. Are you going to haul off, burn in place, or chip your brush piles? If you're going to run a chipper (off of the tractor pto) you're going to need way more horse power than 25.

Around here used tractor prices were INSANE when I was looking 4 years ago. Folks were asking more money for their USED tractors than you could buy a brand new one from a dealer for. Unless it was beat up old junk. I went new because used was very limited pickings, and prices were ridiculous. Other parts of the country will vary, plus with this whole "covid thing" I don't know if used market is better or worse right now. Once I bought I stopped looking at market and prices.

 

[dodge man]

The big advantage of the 25 hp number is no emissions equipment. Both Kubota and JD and others make tractors in this class. That said I wouldn’t be afraid of higher horsepower tractors.

I have a JD 2025r, for me it’s the perfect size. You will see a lot of debate on mid mount mowers on tractors. Some say they are terrible, over priced and get a zero turn to mow with. I like my mid mount mower, it’s one less machine to store and maintain.

I also found used tractors are priced high and can be hard to find good ones in my area. I went new. There are so many brands available and most of them are good. In my area Kubota and John Deere are local for me and are popular nation wide.

Good luck on the search.

 

[Egon]

If you want to use an auger make sure the three point will give the proper clearance.

 

[Diggin It]

grading and maintaining a long gravel driveway and footpath ............ , box scraper/ripper,

To me, that will be your decider. Will a smaller machine pull a scraper of sufficient weight to work your drive?

The rest of your task list won't be much of an issue though you may consider a rear mower deck rather than a mid mount.

 

[CoyPatton]

It seems a split to me fairly evenly on 25hp is enough to you need bigger.
One caution that has not been mentioned and even in my opinion ignored by many, is the physically size of the your tractor purchase. I bring this point up because you mentioned trees. Trees and limbs provide their own set of issues. You did mention what type and varieties of trees you plan to plant. My caution is to be sure you include this high in your priority list if you want to mow around the trees, and or use a grapple around them.
With pruning trees in your not so distance future, plan on a grapple purchase in a few years. Part of that planning is including that 3rd function capability—if new purchase have it included by the dealer unless you are very mechanical/plumbing capable.
Also with gravel driveway maintenance as a part of your regular projects, also include rear remotes. This I suggest the dealer install. It usually makes a huge difference in the appearance of the install. You want these to be able to do “on the plow” adjustments of aggressiveness of cutting edge as well as crown for the road. This is commonly called TNT—top and tilt. I do not have this function and find that often I should make an adjustment, but do not because it requires stopping getting off snd fighting the turnbuckle adjustment to only find my guess at adjustment was no better than before.
As for what tractor size to get , go to others that do orchards (small operations as commercial operations will likely buy tractors designed for orchards.
Once size of tractor is determined, get within that size as much HP as your budget allows. The only caveat to this will be your willingness to endure the emissions stuff and how the brand of your choice deals with this requirement. It is probably the biggest item pushing lower HP tractors regardless of size.
As for new or used, I just recently went through this with my son. He is in NC and I am in MO, impractical for him to use mine. At the price for used equipment with the hours he did not want to exceed between price (including finance rates) and availability, he went new.
Whatever you decide to purchase, a well informed decision, will result in years of good service. The poster who got 27 years service out off his compact ford before going to a large tractor in my opinion was well served. Also tractors are not like cars that you typically trade in several years. A well inform decision should allow you to purchase a tractor that provides decades of service.
Also ask the orchard operation about tread style for your uses. Now 4 styles to consider R1 (AG), R3 (turf), R4 (Industrial) and a relatively new one R14 (a cross between R1 & R4). There is a 5th but you are unlikely to encounter in your shopping R2 (Ricers), they can sometimes be found on gray market imports

 

[jeff9366]

i only have about 5 acres and it’s mostly flat, with a swale here and there, and a gently sloping hill or two.

A 25-horsepower tractor will be fine.

Your next decision will be between a tractor that weights 1,700 - 2,000 pounds bare weight or 2,700 - 2,900 pounds bare weight.

The heavier tractor will have more tractor grunt and will be wider, therefore more stable for these applications: tilling, grading, maintaining a long gravel driveway and footpath, and clearing/hauling brush, feed, fertilizer,etc.

Small tractor wheels drop into holes, disrupting traction. Larger wheels and tires supplied on heavier tractors bridge holes and ruts, increasing traction. Larger wheels and tires permit higher operating speed over uneven ground by reducing implement bounce and operator perturbation.

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

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