Building new home on 1.6 acres.....need a machine

[fried1765]

Hi all, i've never owned a tractor but I want one to assist in building my house and developing my property. I have looked at all of the brands and capabilities and I am a bit unsure what would be best. I will list what my objectives are for this machine and would love to hear suggestions.

- I want it to be built to last, I would enjoy getting under the hood and doing repairs myself instead of depending on the dealership. I would be learning as I go. Would like to limit the amount of plastic and electronics if possible.
- Needs to be a good machine that can assist in developing our flat property. Not too many trees, but a little clearing and land shaping/dirt moving/backfilling will be necessary.
- Need front end loader, maybe forks.....would a hoe be overkill, or should I just rent a hoe?
- This isnt a must, but if it could be fun for the wife to use as well, that would be nice.
- Prefer hydrostat instead of manual shifting, but open to both
- I would rather buy too much machine rather than not enough
- I am not interested in paying full price and getting a warranty. Would rather buy the parts and repair myself.
- Once the house is complete and the property is in good shape, there won't be nearly as much work for this machine......until I buy another property.
- Asthetics does matter to me. I like beefy looking machines. Not a deal breaker though.
- Want to have fun AND have plenty of options

Thanks in advance !

I bought my very low hour 2006 Kubota L48 TLB (11' hoe) last June.
I am 79 years old, and have had a for play TLB (Ford w/10' hoe) for the past 33 years.
As 4570Man suggests......you seem like the sort of guy that does need a REAL TLB.
Renting a hoe is just not realistic.
Sometimes you don't need it for weeks, and other times you may use it one or two times each week.
You will absolutely love having a REAL TLB.

 

[polarred21]

Has anyone ever priced the difference between the Kubota BX TLB and a B TLB?

 

[EddieWalker]

You are talking 2 different machines. The machine needed to build a house isnt the same as one needed to maintain 1.5 acres. Rent the correct construction equipment and look for a machine that fits your needs on 1.5 acres. That would be the BX series, or JD 1 series or the GC with Massey....many others. The great news is there are lots of these machines on the used market because most figure out they are too small to do what they originally intended, or they were urbanites that decided it was easier to pay someone to landscape so they didnt get their hands dirty changing oil.

Agree with this. What you need to build the house isn't what you want to have to maintain your land. You also want to build the house as quickly as possible and you will be wasting a lot of time trying to do this with the wrong machine.