A little advice from the experts please.

[90acres]

I have 90 acres in planted pines in SE GA. I have built a road (1/2 mile long) using borrowed/rented equipment and plan to buy a tractor to maintain the road, clear some of the 5 year old planted pines - to plant 1 acre food plots, and mow between the 10' rows. Basically, I want to create a place to hunt for years to come and need a good tractor. I am looking in the 45-55 HP range with loader, box blade, disk, and bush hog. What would you buy? Thanks for your opinion.

 

[90acres]

Additionally, the land is flat, but has some swampy areas (appox. 10 acres). I think Ag tires are a must. I have looked at JD, NH, Kioti, Kubota and will most likely choose one of the above unless this web site can convince me to buy something else. Thanks again for any help you might give me.

 

[Donnyj]

You can't go wrong with any of the 4 choices. Test drive and buy the tractor you can afford. See which one fits you the best. My tractor was in my price range and it handled great. Most important is what you like. The dealer can be a part of your decision, but I really don't think with any of the 4 tractors that you will spend much time going back to the dealer for repairs. Good luck!!

 

[90acres]

Thanks. I just visited the Kioti dealer today and found both the 45 and 55 to be very solid looking machines. They were quiet as a mouse, easy to operate, and priced to sell. I was impressed even though this was my first look at Kioti. Had to drive 70 miles, but worth it in my opinion. I would like to get everything I need to last for a very long time, so I am willing to spend up to 30K for the tractor and all of the implements.

 

[sassafraspete]

Those are all good choices, however if you have an open mind and like to shop.... you might want to take a look at a Branson 4720 , since their corp headqtrs are in Georgia.

Oops ...you said advice from experts....well scratch what I said.

sassafraspete

 

[90acres]

That's what I am looking for. Advice! Thanks. You know those titles-what do I name this thing? Why Branson?

 

[sassafraspete]

yeah... I know... I prefer to think of it as a kukje....since that is the company in S Korea that makes them. It is worth a look though.... especially for what your are using them for. With that much acreage, If you were into heavy farming...I'd have to say look at the bigger utility tractors like those jolly green ones. However, if you are doing food plots and bushhoging and a little driveway maintenance... the kukje..er I mean branson would be worth a look. You might find enough of a price advantage to be able to pay for some of your implements.

Good luck with your hunting grounds...and good deer hunting.

sassafraspete

 

[90acres]

Thanks again. My food plots will only be 1 acre in size and I plan to have about 10 of them spread out all over the property. I have to let the pines grow to earn a profit from them when I thin them in ten years, so I won't be using the tractor for heavy farming, just to maintain the food plots, mow a few rows and keep the road maintained.

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

Welcome aboard Sailor! I'm no expert and a rookie to boot, but I'm an ex Jar-Head and I always did like you Squids /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif So here's my two cents worth.

I just bought a JD 5205 MFWD and FEL. 56HP gross, 50 PTO. I think it is a lot of tractor for the money and sounds like it would do what you need it to do and then some. It is a utility tractor. Most folks here have compact utilities and have done some incredible work with them. I also own a small Kubota B8200D I bought used which has served me well for keeping up the driveway.

The 5205 fit me well and the dealer is close by and took the time to actually listen. There are a lot of excellent tractors out there. Decide what is the most important features to you and compare apples to apples. How important do you consider your relationship with your dealer? Lots of things to think about.

These tractor owners here have been around a while and know a lot more than I do. Plus there is a ton of information in the various forums.

Hope this was helpful. Happy shopping!

 

[90acres]

Hu Ya Sir. Thanks for the infomation.

 

[90acres]

Hey. Saw a 5205 for I believe $23000 new. What do you think of the price?

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

I paid $20,307 for the 5205 MFWD and $3890 for the 522 loader. No tax in Ga. for agricultural use. You are a deer farmer, right? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Total $24,197.

If you can get a new one with a loader for 23K, that is a great price.

 

[gmsssi]

All are great tractors, I chose Kioti based on comfort and price! Previous Kubota owner and now a new Kioti DK45s with 6 hours..... /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[JerryG]

Check out the 400 series Massey Ferguson. They are a good solid heavy ag tractor. They have very few bells and whistles, but are designed to last 50 years. They are also less expensive that most and are now available with a cab and different real transmissions.

 

[Bob_Young]

I think you'd want something compact, low-slung with side or bottom exhaust and a good tight turning radius. Power steering's a given on tractors the size you're considering. Big tractors and vertical stacks cause more pain than they're worth mowing around trees.

I'm trying to do about the same thing on 50 acres with a Kubota L4300. This year I'm going to attempt at least part of the mowing using a sickle bar mower. Don't know how well this will work, yet, as there are downed branches hidden in the grass in certain areas. In years past, the mowing was handled with a 5' brush cutter pulled by either a Ford 2000 or a Ford 4000. They got the job done, but neither were ideal.

The 45HP L4300 (now discontinued in favor of the new L4400) was a good match for my needs and budget, but it has a straight gear tranny; no shuttle shift or HST. With 90 acres and trees on 10' centers (mine are on 20') you might want to consider something with a more sophisticated transmission; though I don't think you'd want to go much larger physically. I suggest looking at a GST or HST from L3830 to L5030 in the Kubota line.
FWIW
Bob

 

[90acres]

Thanks for the advice. I have been to see my Kubota dealer twice and both times I got to look through the fence. They look good, but I just can't get there during the week and he is closed on Saturday. It's a box that will eventually get checked though. I won't usually buy something until I feel that I am fully informed. That's why this site is such a good place to get smart.

Still got to find out where my neearest MF dealer is too. Got too many irons in the fire and not enough time to tend to them all. I'll get there too eventually.

 

[gippolit]

I was looking at the big three and ended up buying a Kioti ck30hst. I know I made the correct choice. I don't think you can go wrong with any of those trators, but I would take a good long look at the DK45S it's an animal.