Advice on first tractor purchase.

[rmorey]

Hello everyone,

I'm hoping you can help steer me in the right direction on my first tractor purchase. I've been lurking for awhile and want to run a couple things by the group.

I live in central Maine, and I originally started looking at ATV's last winter to work around the house. However, after a good deal of research, I think a mid sized tractor might be the way to go.

I am primarily looking for a tractor for processing firewood and clearing land. I get some of my firewood delivered tree length and I process it on my own. I think the tractor would be great help around the wood pile and hauling the splits off to a small wood lot I have been clearing the last couple years. I will also be using the tractor to clear land of trees, brush and rocks. I live on about 3 acres of densely forested, rugged (sloped, rocky, rutted you name it) land that was logged about 30 years ago. The woods are a real mess, and I want to clean then up.

I also have a 300-400 foot gravel driveway that I have been using a walk behind snow blower on for the last 7 years or so. The driveway is twisty and goes over a small stream, so I Have never dared have someone plow it. I have a commercial grade snow blower, but because of the layout, the twistiness etc., it is the better part of 3 hours to clean up after a storm whether we have 2, or 20 inches. For now, I would probably just use the bucket for dealing with snow, or maybe a plow? I'd appreciate advice on that - I see a lot of talk about blowers here, but I think whatever I do will be better than the walk behind, and I'd rather put the money into the tractor for now and maybe upgrade my snow handling equipment in a couple years.

I am leaning towards a used tractor because I think I could get more tractor for my money. There are two tractors in my area right now that have my interest. One is a 2006 Kioti ck25 for 10,500, and the other is a 2010 Kubota L3800 for 18500 - I am leaning more towards the Kioti mostly due to price I guess. Kubota has about 250 hours, the kioti about 550.

So, do those seem like appropriately sized tractors for what I am looking to do? Any other comments are appreciated.

Hey hiker,

Welcome to TBN!

I started out with a 2004 CK25 HST. It astounded me the amount of work it would do. I mounted a Meteor 68" pull type blower on the back and "asked it" to blow over 20" more than once. It worked ok but it was obvious that more hp would be better.

I upgraded to a DK40 HST Cab this April. Looking forward to a good storm to see how much better the 40 horse will blow snow.

Do your research and be honest with yourself on how you will use this tractor. Most of all, enjoy the hunt!

 

[hiker88]

Yea; steering away from a cab for now due to concerns about the damage it could take in these woods. I have a dedicated splitter; I figure it is better to use a replaceable, $200 dollars Briggs as compared to a tractor diesel.

I think the tractor would be great around the log pile; I tell my wife, if anything ever gets me, it won't be the chainsaw, but those log piles when they get all tangled up.

So, I just though I should look for a pretty good sized unit, I'm not set on any one brand at this point. I'm taking the long view here, I'd rather take 10 years to do it myself than hire it out. I'm a computer guy during the week and just play lumberjack on my off time.

I appreciate the responses. I was a little hesitant to post because there seem to be so many "help me decide" type posts.

 

[dave1949]

Yea; steering away from a cab for now due to concerns about the damage it could take in these woods. I have a dedicated splitter; I figure it is better to use a replaceable, $200 dollars Briggs as compared to a tractor diesel.

I think the tractor would be great around the log pile; I tell my wife, if anything ever gets me, it won't be the chainsaw, but those log piles when they get all tangled up.

So, I just though I should look for a pretty good sized unit, I'm not set on any one brand at this point. I'm taking the long view here, I'd rather take 10 years to do it myself than hire it out. I'm a computer guy during the week and just play lumberjack on my off time.

I appreciate the responses. I was a little hesitant to post because there seem to be so many "help me decide" type posts.

If you want to do it yourself, and don't care how long it takes, then you should look at something larger probably. I don't know what sort of "challenges" you have on your three acres, but I have a 40 hp New Holland tractor with a sub-frame backhoe, and I use every bit of its abilities and then some cleaning up around here. I've been at it for ten years now. It is hard on the equipment. I wouldn't want to see you beat up your tractor unnecessarily.

If you want to dig stumps and rocks of any size, I would look at tractors in the 40-50 hp range with a good backhoe, but you will spend a lot more to get that unless you can find an older but good used machine. As you know, Maine is not exactly blessed with a very good used mid-range tractor market which keeps the prices too high for what you get IMO.

Do a search on tractorhouse or machineryfinder for some specific models and brands for examples, all the stuff I want is half-way across the country it seems like. We just aren't in farm/tractor country.

 

[hiker88]

Hey, we're practically neighbors. I am just south of you in belgrade.

I know what you mean about the tractor market. If you look at todays posts on Craigslist Maine, you will probably see the units I was referring to.

 

[dave1949]

This one (Kubota) looks nicer.
2010 Kubota L3800 Tractor and Quick Detach Bucket 255 hours

Have you considered something like this? Can't mow grass, but it will do everything else you want.
1998 new holland 4x4 backhoe

Yep, we aren't far away. I'm about 5 miles beyond Clearwater Lake on Rt. 148. We pass through your area on Rt 27 going to Augusta, or to get to the turnpike.

 

[grm61]

Yea; steering away from a cab for now due to concerns about the damage it could take in these woods. I have a dedicated splitter; I figure it is better to use a replaceable, $200 dollars Briggs as compared to a tractor diesel.

I think the tractor would be great around the log pile; I tell my wife, if anything ever gets me, it won't be the chainsaw, but those log piles when they get all tangled up.

So, I just though I should look for a pretty good sized unit, I'm not set on any one brand at this point. I'm taking the long view here, I'd rather take 10 years to do it myself than hire it out. I'm a computer guy during the week and just play lumberjack on my off time.

I appreciate the responses. I was a little hesitant to post because there seem to be so many "help me decide" type posts.

A grapple would be really nice to have to hold/move/carry logs.
My dad is 75, he uses a set of forks, when they dropped a tree, they used to drag the wood splitter out in the woods to the tree ,cut it up split the wood, load it into the pickup, take it up to the woodshed unload and stack it and repeat until done.

Since he got the tractor in 1996 he drops the tree, limbs it where it lays, with two passes on each side of the tree with the tractor he can scoop up the brush and take it to the burn pile, he then cuts the logs into twelve foot or so sections carries the logs up to the woodshed, he can put the logs at whatever height he wants to comfortably cut the rounds up and split them.

 

[Don87]

Yea; steering away from a cab for now due to concerns about the damage it could take in these woods. I have a dedicated splitter; I figure it is better to use a replaceable, $200 dollars Briggs as compared to a tractor diesel.

I think the tractor would be great around the log pile; I tell my wife, if anything ever gets me, it won't be the chainsaw, but those log piles when they get all tangled up.

So, I just though I should look for a pretty good sized unit, I'm not set on any one brand at this point. I'm taking the long view here, I'd rather take 10 years to do it myself than hire it out. I'm a computer guy during the week and just play lumberjack on my off time.

I appreciate the responses. I was a little hesitant to post because there seem to be so many "help me decide" type posts.

I too have a dedicated splitter. I have two acres of ground.......1 acre wooded, the other cleared with my house, garage and a small barn.

To be honest..........I can't tell anyone to buy more than a SCUT for that small of acreage............it's just a waste of money.

SCUTS(subcompact tractors)are just fine for 5 acres or less, the downfall is the ground clearance. But if you are careful(like I am)you will have no problems.

 

[dave1949]

I too have a dedicated splitter. I have two acres of ground.......1 acre wooded, the other cleared with my house, garage and a small barn.

To be honest..........I can't tell anyone to buy more than a SCUT for that small of acreage............it's just a waste of money.

SCUTS(subcompact tractors)are just fine for 5 acres or less, the downfall is the ground clearance. But if you are careful(like I am)you will have no problems.

I tend to agree with that Don, maybe not a SCUT, but not a real big CUT either. Least cost-wise, I would hire someone to do it and be able to minimize the tractor, implement, storage space needed and maintenance costs. But he says he wants to do the cleaning up himself. It won't do any good for him to be scratching around a rock rising out of the ground and find out it out-weighs his tractor. I think of it this way: the rocks and trees don't know or care what size lot they are on.

It all depends on what he faces to clean up, and what final result he is after. We need pics, as always.

 

[Don87]

I tend to agree with that Don, maybe not a SCUT, but not a real big CUT either. Least cost-wise, I would hire someone to do it and be able to minimize the tractor, implement, storage space needed and maintenance costs. But he says he wants to do the cleaning up himself. It won't do any good for him to be scratching around a rock rising out of the ground and find out it out-weighs his tractor. I think of it this way: the rocks and trees don't know or care what size lot they are on.

It all depends on what he faces to clean up, and what final result he is after. We need pics, as always.

In a way I agree with you. A scut may not be the best tractor.........but from some other posts I've seen on here over the years from your area............they have had boulders in excess of 5 ton's that were just(poking through the ground). You and I both know that a SCUT or CUT ain't moving anything of that size.

I was just trying to save the OP some cash, and get him into a machine that will do his chores effectively.

Although a small CUT tractor would work............it's an added expense, but the resale may be a couple hundred more when and if he decides to sell.

 

[grm61]

Yea; steering away from a cab for now due to concerns about the damage it could take in these woods. I have a dedicated splitter; I figure it is better to use a replaceable, $200 dollars Briggs as compared to a tractor diesel.

I think the tractor would be great around the log pile; I tell my wife, if anything ever gets me, it won't be the chainsaw, but those log piles when they get all tangled up.

So, I just though I should look for a pretty good sized unit, I'm not set on any one brand at this point. I'm taking the long view here, I'd rather take 10 years to do it myself than hire it out. I'm a computer guy during the week and just play lumberjack on my off time.

I appreciate the responses. I was a little hesitant to post because there seem to be so many "help me decide" type posts.

You are on track here , buy the biggest tractor you can afford, much safer, and get a backhoe for digging up rocks and stumps.

For a couple thousand more than that used l3800 you could get a new DK40 with a warranty, and have twice the tractor.