28 HP too small??

[manny2005]

I just purchased a 2 acre wooded lot for building a house. I will have a crew come in and clear most of it. I am planning on doing the small work myself. grading, backfill, landscape, etc. I have access to a full size dozer, so if the work is too big for the tractor, I can bring that in and finish.

In addition, I have 80 acres, mostly wooded in another location, that I will be doing some clearing and planting pecan trees. Will also have to set in and maintain roads in and out.

I have reading just about all I can for the last few days on this site and find it very informable. I think I have narrowed it down to a new Kubota B7800 with FEL. I have found simular compacts with the same specs, but the dealers in my area are that impressive. I spoke with a Mahine dealer, but they are 120 miles away, the local dealer, in my opinion, leaves alot to be desired. Other compact dealers seem to be a good haul from me and may be a problem for any good service.

My question, will the Bota B7800 do the job I am planning on taking on?

Thanks in Advance for the advise.

 

[manny2005]

I made a mistake in the post, the B7800 is a 30HP, but am considering the 26 to 30 HP models.

I am new to purchasing and have researching both new and used. I found that for the most part, the used models are running within a few thousand dollars of the new ones, with no warranty. That is what is driving me toward a new model.

Thanks again

 

[canoetrpr]

It probably would but it wouldn't hurt to go bigger.

Like most of us, you probably wouldn't be dissapointed with more tractor and probably could use it with the amount of land you have.

If price is a real issue then I would suggest looking into the L3400 which gives you a reasonable amount of more tractor for not very much more money than the 7800. I'm not a huge fan of the lighter tractors in cases where you are not really planning to do much mowing.

I started off thinking that the 7800 was right for my application also - this is the direction the first few dealers I talked to took me in and then the dealer I bought from guided me toward the L3400 which he thought was a better tractor for me and managed to keep it in a price range that was very close to the B7800/B3030 to keep me happy. If I had had ANY more flexibility in budget, I would have gone with the Grand L - even the 3130 but I had to stop somewhere given I had moved up from a budget of $8000 or so to a brand new machine!

If budget is less of an issue and you have some room up, the Grand L series are very very nice tractors with some pretty nice loaders to boot. I think everybody needs a L3830 at least! but I am sure you will get by with a 7800 and get by much better with a L3400.

My 0.02$... I'm biased - I bought the L3400.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Welcome Manny.
I dare say I could probably do what you want to do with my Kioti CK20, so, yes, I think you can do it with what you're talking about, but you have a good bit of land, and dirt work is going to want a heavy tractor. If I were you, I'd go for more HP, and a heavy frame like Manhindra or Kioti or a heavier Kubota than the ones you first mentioned. Dirt work can take a lighter tractor way off track, and it would be hard to add the proper weight, whereas a heavier, but not too heavy tractor can have weight taken on and off and still have enough guts for typical after jobs.
John

 

[Oleozz]

Manny-I used a 28 hp JD for six years, very manuverable and fuel efficient, plowed my driveway, mowed my lawn and fields with it, moved shale and stone with the FEL, there were very few times I felt underpowered. Some of the mowing that I did were in fields where the weeds were 6 to 7 feet high and I can't remember it ever bogging down. You have to decide if you want the flexibility of a small tractor or the brute force and pulling power of a bigger one. Good Luck.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

At first blush, that sounds like a nice size for the 2 acres, easily transported to the 80 and very manuverable in the woods.. A little light for much real work in the woods, though...

 

[manny2005]

Thanks for the input so far!!!

Sounds like I am on the right track ( I hope ) I have been trying to keep on the low side due to cost. My local Kubota dealer quoted me just under $16K for the B7800 w/FEL. Feel I could do better with other manufactures but its seems hard to find a reputal one here and keep the cost low.

I will keep researching and decide if a dealer 50 to 100 miles away may the one to deal with in the long run.

Thanks again

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Some of the mowing that I did were in fields where the weeds were 6 to 7 feet high and I can't remember it ever bogging down. )</font>
Heck, I can't remember yesterday either, but I guess it happened! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Soundguy]

I'd like to echo some of the concers of the others. The 'small' factor will make it usefull on the 2ac, and also help with manuverability int he trees on the 80.. however that 'small' factor willlimit it when you need power. For instance.. if you ever timber and stump that 80 and are mowing a significant portion of it.. you will want more than a 4' or 5' hog.. Of course.. there is nothing wrong with owning 2 tractors.. for instance.. a new (expensive ) 'small' one for 90% of the chores, and an older (cheap) ag tractor for the occasional big jobs. Older ag tractors from the 60-70-80's go for pennies.. for instance.. eeasy to get 60-100+hp machines for 3000-6000$ all day..

Soundguy

 

[ronjhall]

There are many B7800 owners here on TBN. They do some amazing things with these small tractors. Tractors that use the same frame but have more or less power are the B2710, B2910, B2630, and B3030.
I have a B2910 that I cut 2 acres of lawn with. Rotary Cut the other 2. Plus keep the weeds down on the property bordering mine.
If you plan on doing logging on the 80 acres. You may find that this tractor is small. But it is easy to tow on a trailer. Plus its great for getting into tighter places than a larger tractor.
All the projects you list except setting the roads on your 80 acres are what this size tractor does best.

 

[btownacres]

Manny-
With your HP question you also need to consider what type of drive you will want. Keep in mind if you go 28 HP for example and decide you want a Hydro, you will lose HP at the PTO. Like 7-8 HP loss. A B7800 with 30 HP will yield 22 PTO HP. However if you go gear drive you should lose less HP at the PTO, with any tractor. I'm very new here and like you asked many questions and got lots of help from the guys on this site. I ended going with the platform size of the Kubota you're looking at and was attracted to the Kubota. I ended up going Massey 1531 with 33 HP hydro that yielded 24.5 PTO HP which will be good for anything I want to do. It was also a bit heavier that the K, but I loaded the tires anyway. I have already used it to scrape off about 8 yards of topsoil to fix some grading problems and spread 8 yards of crushed stone with it. It's also plenty for logging timber on my 10 wooded acres. The other guys also have some very good points on transporting a larger tractor. If you step up in size, keep in mind the specs in your sales brochures do not include the weight of a FEL. So if you go with next size up in platform, hauling it around may be a task for you.
Anyway, keep looking, good luck, and make sure you feel good about your dealer. I got lucky, mine is about a mile away!

 

[EastTexFrank]

Manny, I run a B2400 around the house and 13 acres and find it almost ideal. It is not too heavy to run over sprinkler and septic lines and has just enough "beef" to handle the hilly pasture with a 4' mower. It's just over 5 years and 1000 hours old. If I had to do it again, I would probably go for a B2710 or B2910 just to get a couple of extra horses and maybe a 5' mower. In heavy dirt work it is a little challenged beause it is so light but with a little patience and perseverence, it can do it. I take it over to the farm occasionally to get around the lake and among the trees but for general, everyday work there it is over matched. I think Soundguy's solution would be perfect, get the size you are looking at and pick up an older ag tractor for the 80 acres. My M-I-L won't sell me one of the older tractors at the farm, she thinks of them as family pets, although I can borrow any of them anytime I want. So, I've been kinda looking for an old one of my own for a while. I just can't seem to find one that I like and I can't convince my wife that "we" need a new Toolcat. Good luck with your search.

 

[SuperDave]

Hi. I have a B7800 that is 3 years old with 300 hours. I own 100 acres of mostly wooded land. Attachments consist of a FEL, box blade, rear blade, Brush mower (5'), and front snow blower. I have a mile long driveway that I must maintain year round. The snow blower is a must in the winter. We just got 14 inches of snow, and the job was a breeze. We just built a house a couple of years ago, and rented a large front end loader for the big work. However, the little 7800 moved hundreds of yards of material over the last 3 years. Rocks so big the tractor's rear tires were off the ground. I mow approx. 30 acres of sapplings and grass. The 5 foot rotary mower is great. I think the 7800 would be adequate. It would always be nice for more hp, but with a budget, the 7800 is great. A comparable John Deere was 5k more. You must go with the HST drive. I have no regrets with my purchase thus far. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[daTeacha]

I'll just jump in and say I used a 16hp B7100 to maintain trails, move smallish logs, clean up after a commercial logging operation, move firewood, move dirt, plow snow, etc. etc. on 7.5 acres of wooded hillside for several years. It's a little light and tippy for the new place which is a bit steeper and I'm moving up to a Case DX29, which is over twice the weight and about twice the hp.

If you get the 7800, you will be amazed at what you can do with it in a bit of time. Just plan your work in not to huge bites and it will be fine. And don't forget you have access to the dozer for the big jobs. Loading your tires, adding wheel weights, putting on a ballast box, dragging a box blade or your bush hog on the back -- all these things will keep the rear end down and still be removable so you can mow with the thing if you wish. If you don't plan to mow, get the Ag tires for maximum traction

 

[ToadHill]

Before I bought my Kioti DK35 I worked my 90 acres for over 20 years with an old Ford 8N at about 25 hp. It did all I needed it to do, In some cases like hauling logs from the woods, I added some weight to the front end, but you'll be supprised how much work a small tractor can do.

 

[MattBeef]

I know I'm a little late to this party, but I gotta jump in...

We bought a B7800, FEL, MMM, 5 ft Shredder, Rear Blade, & Sprayer last summer. Adding attachments as we go along.

We have 20 acres of alfalfa, 15 acres of grass (hay), and 5 acres of yard. We do NOT hay with the Kubota - the neighbor does that. But, I'm thinking about buying some used hay equipment and give it a try. Anyway...

My $0.02:

It's light. Doesn't tear up the yard when mowing. Perfect for hauling around w/FEL & Blade on a car hauler behind my 1/2 ton pickup. Still, when the drive washed out, I had no problem rebuilding with it. Go slow -- you'll be fine.

It's small. Extremely maneuverable as a lawnmower; easily gets into the shelterbelt for spraying / cleanup; AND, the spouse ain't scared of it. (She's put 3x the hours that I have.)

Power. No complaints, so far. Hey -- if / when I get really serious about haying, I'll follow SoundGuy's advice: buy another, larger, used Ag tractor.

Great for SNOW REMOVAL (big, here in SD). I don't move as much as fast as my neighbor does on the big JD with the 8' blower. But, I'm a helluva lot more maneuverable than he is -- I can really get in between the barns, do a really good job up around the house and buildings -- places the big unit just can't get to.

Price. The neighbor is the local JD salesman. With all the toys AND trailer, we're still under his "extra special / good neighbor" price on the equivalent JD tractor, alone.

Con's: I do NOT appreciate the lack of an alternator -- that really sux. I cannot bring myself to toss a new dynamo for an alternator. I just don't have a big need (so far) for big lights...

Bottom Line: it's done everything we need. We love it.

Good Luck!

mlg

 

[Av8r3400]

Manny, for the record, I was in the same place you are (sold on the B7800) when on a lark I had the dealer quote me an L2800. It was far cheaper. So far in fact that I went to the (gear) L3400 for almost the same money ($200 difference). The 7800 is a great little machine, especially if you will mow with it later, but if working the finished lawn is not in the cards, look bigger.

You may be surprised.

 

[flusher]

Seems to me that you first have to figure out how you're going to handle the storage and transporting issues since you have two parcels of land that vary greatly in size and are some distance apart. This involves nailing down the type and size of vehicle you'll be using to move your tractor(s) between the two sites.

How to you plan to move a 30HP CUT or a smaller CUT and a used ag tractor? Don't forget to include the size and weight of implements you'll need to transport to your 80-acre site along with the tractor. Need a sufficiently large towing vehicle and trailer. How many trips do you want to make to get the tractor and implements moved?

One possiblity is to store the necessary implements and one of the tractors (assuming you're taking Soundguy's advice) on the 80-acre site. Is this feasible? Need to worry about security at that remote site.

I have 10-acres of flat grazing land that I maintain with a 21HP B7510HST with an LA302 FEL ($12,600 plus tax last May). That setup weighs about 1900 lb and can be easily moved with a 16-18-ft twin-axle flatbed trailer and my F150 automatic with the small Triton V-8 (7200-lb towing capability).

 

[LarryD]

I think a 30hp CUT would be an excellent companion to a dozer on 80 acres, and give you flexibility on your 2 acre homestead.

 

[Buck]

I love my JD 790 w/ 30HP 28HP@PTO

With all the dirt work I do, tough tilling, log hauling, big stone hauling, I wish I had 47 HP.

Better to buy big now.