Buying Advice A tractor for 35 wooded acres

[paulfun9]

Not talking about a JD...

Didn't say you were but you do have to take off and reinstall the 3 point.

 

[sea2summit]

Didn't say you were but you do have to take off and reinstall the 3 point.

Yep but from your description it sounds like my MX is significantly easier to switch.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My 2 cents: I recently took over maintaining approximately 33 acres, mostly wooded, with a 3 acre overgrown pasture. There was a veneer cut in the woods taking out the large walnuts and oaks about 12 years ago and the pasture hasn't been maintained since then. As a result of the break in the forest canopy, the forest understory is infested with invasive multiflora rose and Russian olive. The pasture was mostly multifloria rose. We're looking to build a house on part of the property but that excavation will be done by others or with rented equipment. What I needed was a tractor for all around maintenence and reclamation.

I was also tired of years of big old tractors beating up my now 60 year old body. I ended up buying a new LS 2025 H with loader and backhoe as well as a small 4 ft brush hog, box blade and a rachet rake. I have visions of a snowblower in the future. I know this is heresy to the bigger is better crowd but some of my observations are:
1. For woods maintenance, smaller is more maneuverable and causes less damage. The loader/backhoe combo is ideal for ripping out medium sized stuff and assisting in cutting up firewood. You can maneuver around stumps and leave them alone.
2. Cabs are useless in the woods unless you intend to knock them all down.
3. The most useful combination for attacking invasive brush while in close quarters is a SMALL tractor with a rachet rake and a SMALL brush hog. (that rachet rake is **** on multiflora rose).
4. If you are mowing less than 5 acres of pasture once a year, you don't need a 100 hp tractor with batwing mowers. A 4 or 5 ft brushhog will do fine.
5. Creating a driveway is not a tractor job. Maintaining it is easy with a SMALL one.
6. Small tractors and implements are way cheaper and can get the same job done with a little more time.
7. My small LS fits easily on my 8K trailer and is no problem towing with a 1500 pickup anywhere I want.
8. If you're running a commercial firewood operation, you need the loader capacity a 40 or 50 plus hp utility tractor offers or a skid steer. If you're bringing wood out of the forest
for your own use a SMALL one works great.

I've used big farm tractors and commercial utility tractors in operations where a small cut would never work out. I think they work fine in maintaining a less than 40 acre property that is essentially residential.

I have to say that having both a large and small tractor is the best of both worlds, but I do use my B26 (26 HP engine) for everything except tillage and bush hogging which is done about once a year. The previous owner used it a lot with a 4 foot bushhog but all I have is a 7 foot 1500# model that is way too big for the B26. I really like the way it fits into tight spaces and I can get really close to buildings and not damage them because of the exceptional visibility which is lacking in the large cabbed tractor.

When my brother in law and I first bought our 42.25 acre tract, he bush hogged almost all of it with a JD 750 2 WD with turf tires and a 4 foot shredder so it is possible to do the job with a small tractor. I later bought a 45 HP 4WD with R1 tires that allowed me to work the low lying areas without getting stuck. He now has a NH 2310 with Cab and with help from me and my chainsaw, he can now drive it just about anywhere without fear of hitting a low limb. We don't have large wooded land though, just a few trees to keep trimmed up.

 

[paulfun9]

Yep but from your description it sounds like my MX is significantly easier to switch.

I really don't think the MX is as easy as some but definitely way better than others.

I pull two pins disconnect the lines and drive away to attach other things, then when returning Simply back straight in attach the lines, lift to line up the frame, back in all the way and insert two pins. My very first timed test to remove the hoe, attach my rear mower and then reattach the hoe was about 8 min with a smoke and a coffee while I did it.
While your putting on the lower arms I would have already been cutting the field, and while your taking off the lower arms I would already be digging!
By my friends own description while you and I would both be half way done one or the other before he was finished switching.

 

[ripHST]

After looking at the hills and the stuff I needed to pick up, I upsized from 40HP where I started looking to 91. It was too small still to pick up the new generator that was delivered on the forks so the neighbor brought over his 150hp JD and it picked it up and put it on the pad. The generator guy was suppose to drive by with his crane truck but it was way to wet and muddy so we decided on this. I am building a house and started clearing the first field of 40 acres and cutting another 30 acres of grass. I am happy I went up a couple sizes for the stability and the extra grunt doing the work. I could have gotten most of it done with the 46HP L I was looking at but I have a small Yanmar for little stuff and this one pulls a 15 foot batwing and a grapple on the front has seen the most use. Go around and look at what you want to accomplish and a smaller unit can do it but it will take more time and effort. I am 55 and the cab was mandatory and bigger to do more with less personal work is much easier. I am not saying you have to go that big but I would problem look around 45-60 depending on frame size and manufacturer. I like that my unit is 12900 lb with filled tires and loader.

It would be nice to go that big and not have to think too much about what I can and can't do with what I guy, but I don't think it would work for me. With the dense woods and my relatively modest budget, it's probably not in the cards. It does help me decide where on the 25-50 hp scale I would fall....it seems HP is relatively cheap....for given size tractor the engine upgrade isn't too terrible. I'm helped by the fact that all the time sensitive stuff that will need to be done will be handled by the builder....or at least, that's the plan.

 

[ripHST]

Yeah, most BH should come off in a minute, and on in about 5, if you have it set up right and know what you're doing. You should be able to switch between 3PTH and BH like switching 3PTH implements.

What are your thoughts on 3PtH mounted hoes? I've heard a few people cast them in a bad light, and it wouldn't be my first choice, put could it do the job for the relatively light duty BH work I would run into? I'm looking at used machines right now and found only a handful of TLBs...but there are a few standalone BHs available as well and a couple of those are the 3PtH variety. Just wondering was people's thoughts were on that?

 

[TJP89]

What are your thoughts on 3PtH mounted hoes? I've heard a few people cast them in a bad light, and it wouldn't be my first choice, put could it do the job for the relatively light duty BH work I would run into? I'm looking at used machines right now and found only a handful of TLBs...but there are a few standalone BHs available as well and a couple of those are the 3PtH variety. Just wondering was people's thoughts were on that?

My manual says never to use a 3PTH BH. I've heard they put too much strain on the hitch, you need the strength of the sub frame. I'd stay away from them, too much chance of messing up the tractor really badly.

 

[ripHST]

Yeah, I'll stay away from them. I found a few sub-frame BHs for sale on craigslist, so that gives me hope I might be able to find one later if I decided not to spring for one now.

That said.....I've been doing some running around a price checking and the current deal on a Kioti CK3510 with BH isn't too darn bad. Can't really consider a used machine with a BH with the price they're offering. I was leaning toward LS prior to this deal, but the price is quite a bit better. Despite both telling me they could get within a few hundred dollars of their competitors, JD and Kubota were WAY off the mark. The Kubota salesman was OOO last time I stopped but the manager gave me their current deals before the incentives, but I think he's too high to approach the Kioti or LC pricing. I'll follow up though to be sure. Then I'll start asking for some stick time (a couple of them have already offered but I don't want to waste their time until I'm ready to buy). Any tips for what to look for when I try these things out?

 

[ripHST]

I know people hate seeing old threads revived so apologies......I'm finally back to looking at tractors and re-read this one (and many, many newer ones) to help my decision and realized there is a ton of great information here provided by the good members of TBN. I think it's still relevant and useful, definitely to me and perhaps to others.

Interesting that I've basically picked up where I left off back in 2016/2017 and have it narrowed to basically the same tractors. My short list is still the Kioti CK3510H (the SE) and the LS XR3135. I've recently also added the TYM T474H and the Branson 3515H. Same two dealers for the Kioti and the LS....both seem good and have had their lines for quite a few years it seems. The Branson dealer is typical to what I see in this area, started with something else (car repair, small engines, lawn equipment, etc) and recently added tractors. No face to face yet but on the phone he seemed very helpful and knowledgeable. That means a lot to me. The TYM story is more complicated....I like the tractor specs and have seen generally positive things about it and especially the engine, but no nearby dealers and the guy with good price (almost too good) is farthest away and seems a little fly-by-night. I know, cross him off the list, but we're talking enough cheaper to make me consider it anyway. Plus I like the idea of giving a small guy a shot.......what can I say. Cooler heads (my wife) will probably prevail though and I'll end up forgoing the huge savings.

all the other tractors are within a few hundred of one another, which is to say cost isn't an issue between them really. The Kioti, LS and Branson are spec'd almost the same (same niceties for the most part, same power, Branson might have the slight edge on specs but loses a bit on dealer and name stability for me). The TYM is quite a bit more tractor but the dealer is farther away and one of these bigger equipment dealers, rather than an established mom and pop shop that I tend to favor. Also, I'm a little less sure of TYM even though they've been around for a long time. The dealer I spoke with did confirm that they'll do onsite (my site) warranty work for free, but if the tractor needs to go to the shop that's on me).

Same old story.....lots of threads like this. Just hoping something in my experience will help others as I've been helped. I'll try better to add to this as I go. If anyone wants to talk me into or outof any of the above, I'd love to hear those comments.

My list of tasks that are waiting for this tractor are:
brush clean up....LOTS of brush clean up.
moving logs...bucking, sawing
removal of invasives (those tree pullers have caught my eye)
pond edge clean up
water diversion
snow removal
gravel drive maintenance
maybe some tilling eventually
general loader work (gravel, mulch, etc)

 

[deezler]

Personally I hate it MORE when old threads die with no resolution. No problem reviving an old one if you have the ball moving again!

I have a similar tractor short list to purchase next for my 10 acres. Same task list, too. I'm renting an 8000 lb excavator next weekend to knock out a ton of projects. $660 for a long weekend aint bad compared to a $7500 backhoe purchase that gets in my way every day.