Advice from tractor gurus

[bigsky355]

Hi guys,

My name is Chris. I have been doing some research on this forum over the last month or so- VERY informative site. I need some advice at this point on selecting the right tractor given my situation.

I have about 18 acres in Montana with wild grass, sage, cactus, some rock etc. that I will need to keep short (fires out here have been crazy- another one started up last night outside of town). Will be using a bush hog type set up for that. I have a gravel road that will need grading now and then as well. Looking for a loader for misc landscaping jobs.

Three dealerships in town- JD, Kubota, NH/Case

My budget will have to be less than 20, ideally around 16 if possible. I am leaning toward something smaller rather than something bigger. The biggest job will be the mowing so I should not be putting the tractor through too much stress (very much just a weekend warrior)

Models I have been considering JD 2320 (2305 was recommended by the dealership as a possibility as well but I think this may be a bit too low/ small for my needs. Also interested in equivalent Kubota models (7610?).

Have a buddy who is a tractor mechanic and he is VERY biased toward NH/Case. He knows of a DX33 for 16900 with loader, low miles, manual tran. I think this may be too big for my needs. Also I think I would like to have hydrostat, mid pto which this one does not have.

Apologize for the long winded initial post but wanted to give you all as much info as possible up front. I am very much a city boy now living in the country and loving every minute of it.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

 

[scott_vt]

Hi guys,

I have about 18 acres in Montana with wild grass, sage, cactus, some rock etc. that I will need to keep short

Have a buddy who is a tractor mechanic and he is VERY biased toward NH/Case. He knows of a DX33 for 16900 with loader, low miles, manual tran. I think this may be too big for my needs. Also I think I would like to have hydrostat, mid pto which this one does not have.


Thanks in advance,
Chris

Afternoon Chris,
Welcome to TBN ! Glad to have you aboard !

Case/IH have a excellent reputation, you can get gobs of info on that tractor on that particular forum farther down the home page ! Looking at the amount of property that you have I personally dont think that tractor is too big IMO ! You dont actually say how much of the property you will be mowing, but I would take your buddy with you and take a close look at that machine. I dont want you to get tunnel vision on that particular model but it might be a good starting place ! Good luck in your search !

 

[RoyJackson]

Brush cutting 18 acres with a B7610 or Deere 2320 is going to be a task.

If you have to maintain the entire 18 acres, I think you should listen to your buddy. Sounds like a decent tractor...

If you do not have to maintain that entire 18 acres...give us a better description as to your tasks (such as how much you really have to cut) and maybe we can provide better help. The way you describe it...one thing you won't need is a mid-PTO. The mowing you want to do is not for a finishing mower.

 

[Bird]

Chris, I've been called lots of things, but guru ain't one of'em. However, the three brands of tractor you named are the "big three" and you couldn't go wrong with any of them, as far as the brand goes. Size is another matter. The smaller tractors will do the job, but will take longer. Like you, I'd prefer the hydrostatic transmission, although the geared tractor will certainly do the job. Test drive some of them and pick the one you like best and you'll be alright.

 

[jbrumberg]

Bigsky355:

Welcome to TBN ! I agree with Scotty as to tractor size. I agree with Roy as to not needing a mid-PTO and the need for more information regarding your anticipated tractor tasks as well as planned short and long term projects. I agree with Bird as to getting some seat time on all the tractors with which you are interested. I would recommend a tractor in the high 20's to low 30's HP range. As to frame size/weight a lighter tractor if mowing will be your primary task; a heavier tractor if you will be using ground engaging attachments. You already acknowledged some concern about ground clearance so make sure the tractor you select has sufficient clearance and underbody protection. For FEL work and mowing HST makes your life a lot easier. Weight your rear tires for traction and the weighted rears will balance out the FEL weight. There has been a lot of discussion as to road grading here at TBN with many opinions posted as to what is the best attachment for gravel road grading. I suggest that you search out the old threads and come to your own opinion. I personally like my box blade for driveway maintenance and it is heavy enough (~500#'s) to provide additional ballast for "balancing" my FEL work. Keep the posts coming and the membership will be more than happy to help you spend your hard earned money . Jay

 

[bigsky355]

Appreciate the responses so far. Did have a chance to look at the Case over the weekend with my friend. I'll defer to him regarding the tractors condition- he said it was in good shape with no apparent mechanical issues.

My desire for the mid pto was directed towards future needs. Eventually I'll have some proper grass that will need to be mowed.

Currently, I would say that there is about 12-14 acres of field to bush hog if that helps.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I've always been very conservative in my approach to HP per acre(s). (I farmed over 200 acres with 60hp as my biggest tractor) But, I'd be very cautious about going "too small". Better to be slightly overkill than slightly underkill. That Case/IH (Case/NH/IH/Fiat/ect) sounds like the best option of those you're looking at. A good friend has a Kubota 7610 (w/loader) It's a very capable tractor for its size, but limited in the size of implements it'll handle for my purposes.

Just a tick bigger than you HAVE TO HAVE allows for future upgrading of implements if and when you choose.

JMHO, and worth all you paid for it.

 

[RoyJackson]

Appreciate the responses so far. Did have a chance to look at the Case over the weekend with my friend. I'll defer to him regarding the tractors condition- he said it was in good shape with no apparent mechanical issues.

My desire for the mid pto was directed towards future needs. Eventually I'll have some proper grass that will need to be mowed.

Currently, I would say that there is about 12-14 acres of field to bush hog if that helps.

12-14 acres of brush cutting is not a task for a subCUT. I'd suggest you'll want a solid 25 PTO HP or more to run a 60-72 inch cutter. Sounds like the Case has the power (30 PTO HP) and would be a good fit and already has a loader.
I think I'd go with your buddy's recommendation on this one.

Here's some owner reviews of that machine: Case DX33 Review, Price, Information

Since I don't expect you end up with 18 acres of lawn, you'll find the cutter useful in the future. Unless you have a lot of obstructions (trees and such), you'll find a rear finishing mower quite acceptable for your lawn and defiinitely easier to install then a MMM. However, since MMM's are available on the DX33, a mid-PTO may be able to be added if it is a dealer installed option.
You may need a self propelled walk-behind mower for trim work though.

If this is as nice a tractor as your buddy says it is, it won't be on the market too long...

 

[N80]

I'd agree that for 12+ acres, the more tractor the better. This spring I mowed a large area, I won't say how much because I don't know but it took a good part of a day. The picture below shows the area. There is at least as much of this field behind the camera as in front. I used a 45 hp tractor with a 6' mower. If you have all day to ride around in circles then a smaller tractor might be okay, but the bigger the mower you can pull the better.

As far as a loader, just get one. Right now you can't imagine how useful it will be. But once you get one you'll be amazed that you condsidered going without. For your budget I'd consider the Kubota L4400. It is very basic, gear drive, 4wd with FEL and will cost a little less than $20k new. The fanciest feature is the cupholder so you're getting a lot of tractor for the money. Loader specs are okay, not great. Same with the 3 pt hitch specs. For your needs they'd probably be plenty.

But, if you have a reliable mechanic friend recommending the Case, it might be the thing to do.

 

[flusher]

Hi guys,

My name is Chris. I have been doing some research on this forum over the last month or so- VERY informative site. I need some advice at this point on selecting the right tractor given my situation.

I have about 18 acres in Montana with wild grass, sage, cactus, some rock etc. that I will need to keep short (fires out here have been crazy- another one started up last night outside of town). Will be using a bush hog type set up for that. I have a gravel road that will need grading now and then as well. Looking for a loader for misc landscaping jobs.

Three dealerships in town- JD, Kubota, NH/Case

My budget will have to be less than 20, ideally around 16 if possible. I am leaning toward something smaller rather than something bigger. The biggest job will be the mowing so I should not be putting the tractor through too much stress (very much just a weekend warrior)

Models I have been considering JD 2320 (2305 was recommended by the dealership as a possibility as well but I think this may be a bit too low/ small for my needs. Also interested in equivalent Kubota models (7610?).

Have a buddy who is a tractor mechanic and he is VERY biased toward NH/Case. He knows of a DX33 for 16900 with loader, low miles, manual tran. I think this may be too big for my needs. Also I think I would like to have hydrostat, mid pto which this one does not have.

Apologize for the long winded initial post but wanted to give you all as much info as possible up front. I am very much a city boy now living in the country and loving every minute of it.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

That JD 2320 has a 24hp engine, a little larger than the 21hp engine on my Kubota B7510HST. I mow about 7 acres of weeds with the B7510 and a 4-ft King Kutter brush hog. In the Spring the first mowing takes me 10-11 hours in low gear (weeds 3-4 ft tall). The 2nd mowing in late June goes faster (5-6 hours) in 2-ft weeds.

Don't know if that 2320 can handle a 5-ft hog, but maintaining 18 acres with a 24hp tractor means that you can expect to log a lot of seat time doing your mowing chores.

I would consider other brands of new tractors that will give you more hp per dollar (Mahindra, Branson, Montana, TYM, Kama, Koiti) or shop around for a 4-5 year old used tractor in the 35-45 hp range.