Another newbie w/questions. Which would you buy?

[oneslackr]

I'm sure you guys are sick of reading/answering the same kind of questions over and over again so I apologize in advance.

I have a 6 acre property in central TX that we bought in January. I have a couple of acres of open space/pasture but most of the property has Oak and Cedar covering it. I have about 600+ feet of driveway to fix up, stumps to pull out, trees that need to be cleared out, and lots of mowing to do (especially with the 35+ inches of rain we've received in the past 2 months). I have weeds over 6 feet tall out there. The area where the property is located is also fairly rocky. We're trying to open up a business out there so I'm sure I'll have many other projects that I can't even think of now.

Trying to keep up with the mowing with my 5 year old 21HP riding mower isn't cutting it (no pun intended). The rider used to do duty on my 3/4acre lot at my house. Now that job is left for my 26HP garden tractor (it's newer/nicer than the older riding mower so I left it at home).

Needless to say a tractor would be helpful. I have looked at Branson, Mahindra, Kubota, Massey, Kioti. I've compared the specs of the tractors/attachments etc... I've narrowed down my choices to the following:

Kubota GL3240/GL3940
Massey 1533
Kioti DK35/DK40

I'm leaning towards the Kubota. Definitely nice. The prices I'm being quoted for the Kubotas are:
L3240HST w/R-4 tires, LA514 loader, Rhino SE5 shredder - $20,339.60
(base tractor price $16,266)

L3940HST w/R-4 tires, LA724, Rhino 172 shredder - $24,038.96
(base tractor price $18,883)

Though these prices don't include anything extra than what I listed. Kubota already cleared me for their 0%/36mth, so all I would have to do is sign.

For less than either Kubota I could get the Kioti DK35 in a package deal (though not with HST):

DK35SE w/FEL (quick attach, 66" bucket), 5 ft. box blade, 5 ft. Brush
Hog shredder - $18.5K or $19,995 (which includes a trailer in addition to
the above).

DK40SE same as above except 72" bucket, 6 ft. box blade & shredder
$20,995 or $22,995 w/trailer

This particular Kioti dealer also ups the warranty from 4 to 5 years.

As for the Massey: 1533 standard synchro, FEL - $17,200
1533 HST w/FEL - $18,850

The prices above are what I would actually pay. I have an ag exemption on 5.5 acres out of the 6 acres so I don't have to pay any sales tax.

Like I said I'm leaning towards Kubota but the Kioti deal looks pretty good. Which would you choose?

BTW, the wife says NO TRACTOR! I'm trying to not let that stop me.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Welcome! We only read this board if we feel like giving free advice, so don't feel bad about asking questions that resemble questions others have asked before...

All of those tractors are bigger than I would likely recommend for the mowing and driveway maintenance. However, they may make sense for the tree and stump work. It might be good to elaborate on how many trees, how big, and what you're going to do with them so people can advise further.

Having said that, all these should be easily capable of the mowing work and driveway maintenance. The Kubota prices look rather high to me, though I haven't priced out those exact models. I wonder if they are selling at a premium because it's the new series. The Kioti prices look significantly better and more in line. I like Kioti; while I don't own one, I do think it's a quality product and I wouldn't hesitate to get one of the ones you list. The MF is also a good tractor. Some of it just boils down to which one you like better and/or fits you better, and which dealer you like better.

One comment - have you considered a cab model? A Kubota B3030 cab should be in the same ballpark, and it might be possible to get a Kioti cab model in the mid-20's. Mowing and dirt work are both hot dirty tasks, even here in the north. I wouldn't be doing them in Texas without a cab. If you don't get a cab, I would plan on getting a sunshade that mounts on the ROPS bar.

 

[Oleozz]

Seven years ago if anyone would have told me I would own anything other than a JD I would have called them crazy. But here I am owning a Kioti and liking it. I never heard of Kioti until three years ago but after doing some checking and pricing and comparing with other brands I decided on a 45. I have about 270 hrs on the tractor and so far like it. Fortunately my wife was very supportive of me getting a new tractor and even insisted that I get the cab model.

 

[Cacinok]

oneslacker, whichever you buy, make sure the bucket is long enough for you to sleep in b/c buying w/o telling your wife or against her objections, will probably mean you'll be sleeping on the tractor for a while. lol

 

[MarkV]

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new property.

I think it would be good to know how much more land you intend to finish on the six acres. To maintain a driveway and mow a couple of acres those are pretty good size tractors you are looking at. If the end goal is to have finish grass they will not make the best finish mowers due to maneuverability and weight. As far as the tree removal and stump removal even the size tractors you are looking at will be challenged without a backhoe.

Have you considered bringing a dozer or excavator to take care of the rough grading and tree work then getting a smaller tractor for the mowing and drive?

MarkV

 

[EFC]

BTW, the wife says NO TRACTOR! I'm trying to not let that stop me.

Ask her to help you for a while and hand her a shovel and wheelbarrow. It will only take a few hours to work its majic

Buck

 

[oneslackr]

oneslacker, whichever you buy, make sure the bucket is long enough for you to sleep in b/c buying w/o telling your wife or against her objections, will probably mean you'll be sleeping on the tractor for a while. lol

Another reason to buy a cab model!! Thanks for all of the replies.

A cab model would also be nice down here due to the heat (though this summer hasn't been very hot, we've only been in the 80s & 90s all summer). Don't forget the bugs. We have every kind of flying or crawling insect imaginable, including chiggers that like to bite you to pieces (anyone from the TX hill country will confirm this). If that wasn't enough we have all kinds of lizards, scorpions all over the place (I hate when they get inside), rattlesnakes, copperheads, and coral snakes. The only thing missing is a T-Rex!

A co-worker of a friend of mine was resently mowing under a tree & a snake that was up in the tree landed on him. Luckily, he reacted quickly enough & was able to grab the snake and get it off of him & then kill it (TX probably isn't sounding so nice to some of you from the north).

As for the trees I plan on keeping the oaks. Most of them are old, large, mature oaks. The cedar trees are what I want to clear out. The majority of the cedars are not very big (20 - 25ft. range). The ones that have been cleared out already I've been burning. No burn ban down here this year for sure.

Maintaining/improving the driveway will be important since this will be a commercial property with people constantly coming & going. I also need to modify the layout of the driveway.

As I mentioned the ground is very rocky. In fact many of the oaks have roots running across the top of the ground or very shallow due to the rocks. It makes for tough mowing. Even in places were it isn't overly rocky you can't dig any deeper than 18" and then you hit solid rock. The property also has an elevation change running from high (west side) to low (east side). It's hard to judge by eye exactly how much it drops but there is at least a 10 ft. elevation change or more.

We have a wet spring that runs through the property from west to east. I would like to put in a decent sized pond that is fed by the spring. In addition, we need additional structures for our business and I need to prepare areas for the foundations. We are also raising Alpacas on the property so the tractor would be seeing manure/compost pile duties.

These are some of the other jobs that come to mind in addition to stump removal (I can thank the old owners for most of the stumps). If I were to buy a tractor I was also hoping to use it to do side jobs (mowing, clearing etc..) to make it earn its keep & to help justify the expense.

Now the way the wife sees things is this: Tractor = expensive. If I really need one then go rent one for a few days for the jobs at hand. As for the mowing she says go buy the biggest DR Tow-behind Field Brush Mower (17HP & on sale now for $2,609.10): DR® Power Equipment - Tow Behind - Fast

The way I see it is that the DR only has a 44" cut path and my riding mower has a 42" cut path. I don't think the difference is worth $2,600+. If I break my mower I can replace it for a lot less than that. Though I suppose I could use the 42" deck on the rider and off-set the DR to one side & use it at the same time to increase the cut path. Though I'm not sure how well my riding mower would tow the DR (it weighs 465 lbs). There are places where I need to mow now but I can't get to because the riding mower loses traction or gets stuck.

I tried to hire several companies to come out to take care of the mowing. Once I described the terrain they weren't interested. They told me they don't want to take the risk of damaging their equipment.

So I don't know what I should do or buy. All I know is that it stinks just trying to mow it all with a 42" riding mower in 95 degree heat w/70%+ humidity & bugs in your face. By the time I get through mowing everything it's time to start all over again (especially with all of the rain we've had). Then if I'm not mowing out there I'm mowing for a couple of hours at home on my other riding mower. It makes it difficult to get anything done other than mowing!

 

[VABlue]

"TX probably isn't sounding so nice to some of you from the north"

All of that toxic stuff is why I'll never live further south than where I'm at now (No VA)!!!

I'll say that even pulling the DR behind the rider will take you more time than a tractor /w bush hog because you can't go as fast and still get a decent cut. I also agree with the previous poster that you should give a shovel and wheelbarrow to the wife and tell her you need help. It won't take long to get the tractor approval, then you won't have to sleep in it!

 

[Crash101]

As I read your description of the property I keep thinking "mowing". Once you've cleared the brush, trees and stumps, you've got mostly mowing chores left. Mowing chores and once in a while some driveway maintenance. This might call for a lighter and (hey wife read this) cheaper tractor.
I don't recommend the Kubota base "L" series because I have one. I have one because I believe it's one of the best combinations of price, reputation, features, capability and resale that was available to me. It works great with a Rhino 5 foot cutter (don't have a finish mower yet, but will get a 72 inch), 5foot box blade and 6 foot rear blade. The Kubota B3030 could very well be your perfect tractor, but it's a bit pricier, and may be a bit light for those stumps if you decide to do some back hoe work later on.

 

[canoetrpr]

I think that the CK25,30,35 might also be worth a look.

Unless finish mowing is one of your primary applications then I'm not a huge fan of the B series. Their strength is tht they are capable tractors which are not very heavy.

With pasture you want to really use a rotary cutter rather than a finish mower so I'd continue to steer you towards the heavier tractors as weight is not generally an issue with cutting pastures...

All these machines are perfectly capable for your needs: Kioti CK20,25,30, Kubota L2800, GL.

Personally, I would go down the path of a smaller machine (say CK25 or L2800) and get a hoe with it. I don't have a hoe but I think it would substantially increase the utility of your tractor over getting say a DK40 or a GL3940 with no hoe. You would probably spend the same money on a CK25 w. hoe vs. DK40 without and with the amount of land you've got you don't need a DK40 (unless you can afford a DK40 w. a hoe!)