Buy or Rent tractor for wooded 1/2 acre?

[AspenLeaf]

Looking for some advice on whether I should consider buying a tractor for our home which is only 1/2 acre versus renting one. And if buying one, what size?

Much of what I need it for will be at the onset of getting the property the way we want it (i.e landscaping, rock moving, mulch, flagstone, unloading materials from trailer, post hole digging, foundation prep for garage etc) and then after that, will probably be using it for various tasks around the home (moving logs, brush cutting, general material movement). I am sure I can find other uses for it, but the majority will be getting the area prepped and that will take me months of work (not just a week rental here and there).

The land is a wooded mountain property and is very sloped in some areas and there are tight spaces to maneuver in (around trees, rocks, river, etc). A skid steer loader is appealing (i.e. MT55 or MT100) but just seems to be too pricey (not to mention the attachments) when I can get a SCUT (i.e. MF 1526 or JD 1025R) for about 1/2 the price.

Rental costs are $867/wk for a SCUT so renting one for about 8 weeks is about 1/2 the price of a new one. I know that if I rent, I will be rushing to get the job done and return the tractor rather than taking my time to get it right. Plus, interruptions (i.e. mountain weather) also occur frequently.

So, if I buy something:

1) What am I in for when it comes to maintenance? Are new SCUTs relatively low maintenance or do I need to go take some mechanic classes to keep this thing running. The joke around here (for the older tractors anyway), is that there is always something to fix on a tractor.

2) Are these SCUTs still too bulky for .5 acres?

3) Should I find it doesn't get used as much as I would have thought, how much do they depreciate if I had to sell it in a few years?

4) Has anyone been able to haul a SCUT on a 5' x 8' single axle trailer? I saw somewhere that it was done, but not sure how successful it was.

 

[jeff9366]

Looking for advice on whether I should buy a tractor for our home on 1/2 acre versus renting one.

Rental costs are $867/wk for a SCUT so renting one for 8 weeks computes to $6,936, about 1/2 the price of a new one.

SCUTS are primarily excellent lawn mowers, an application you did not mention. In addition a SCUT can perform light tractor duties, usually described as landscaping:

landscaping, rock moving to 400 pounds, mulch, unpalletized flagstone, unloading loose materials from trailer, unloading full pallets of materials from a trailer, post hole digging, foundation prep for garage, pulling 4" diameter logs with chain, light brush cutting, general material movement.

Should I find it doesn't get used as much as I would have thought, how much do they depreciate if I had to sell it in a few years?

What am I in for when it comes to maintenance? Are new SCUTs relatively low maintenance or do I need to take mechanic classes to keep this thing running?

There are numerous YouTube videos coaching DIY preventative maintenance, primarily fluid and filter changes.

First time tractor owners can count on dinging up the tractor as part of the early operating process. Hopefully only to a minor degree not requiring a dealer repair. (Some writing here admit to unmercifully abusing their equipment and seek replacements after only two years because overhaul estimates are so high.)

Is a SCUT too bulky for .5 acre?

Will you have room in your garage to securely store a theft-prone tractor?

SCUTS are recommended for .5 to 3 acre relatively even lots.

 

[mini14]

Buy a used one and sell it when your done.

 

[finn1]

That’s skid steer work you described, not tractor work, particularly not scut work.

Rent a tracked skid steer (CTL), or better yet, buy one and sell it when you’re done.

 

[Torvy]

Heck, my city house on almost a 1/2 acre. I don't even have a riding mower for that. I would rent as well unless you have money that really needs to be spent.

 

[4570Man]

I’d buy one or just hire out the work. I can do more in 2 hours with my CTL then you’ll get done all week on the scut. Renting for a project that’s going to take more than a week is a waste of money IMO. And of you do rent at least rent something to get something done. Paying $867 per week for a scut is absurd.

 

[Egon]

From the sounds of what is required a scut will do just fine. It may take longer but it also fits into small places.

A used Kubota B7100 hst would do everything you have mentioned. I used one for some years on a 68 acre hilly drumlin area. It will move rocks that weigh far more than 400 pounds. Tow logs, move dirt, dig out trees and bush And so on.

A thread from some years ago showing work by Kubota B7100.

Lakeside Project

I was inveigled into making some landscape changes at a fellows lakeside cottage. He was advised my little B7100 was really not large enough and a backhoe would also be of help. Anyway I agreed to try. It involved widening the boat ramp and making a level pad for a 14 x 20 foot boat house...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[s219]

I bought a B2920 for use on our new property (8 acres) in 2011, where we now live. In the meantime, I stored it and periodically used it at our old property (0.4 acres) when not trailering it to the new place. Even that small B model was like a bull in a china shop on 0.4 acres. A SCUT would have been a little better, but not much.

If the SCUT with FEL will take a load off your back for a lot of chores and tasks where you might otherwise need to carry stuff or use a wheelbarrow, then maybe it's a good idea. If these chores/tasks are beyond what you can do with a lawn tractor and wagon, then maybe it's a good idea. If these chores/tasks will be repetitive and keep going for years, then maybe it's a good idea. I'd need to see at least two of these conditions be a strong "YES" before considering purchase. Otherwise rent.

 

[AspenLeaf]

@jeff9366 Thanks for the videos. Very good stuff in there for sure. I currently have a garden tractor for my city home (which we are hoping to sell and move to the mountains) and that I have used for pretty much just mowing. The city house land is so sloped that I have a hard time getting up to the upper level despite having ag tires. Granted this is a city home on 2 acres and it is pretty much mowing only, but I have used it for 10 years or so with only 128 hours on it. Moving to the mountains, however, is a whole other ball of wax. The majority of work there will be material movement and bush whacking rather than mowing even grounds. If a SCUT is primarily a bigger brother to a garden tractor but not much of a "tractor" then I wonder if it will even handle logging and such.

I agree @4570Man that it is too much, but that is what it goes for in Colorado. This is why I have the dilemma about renting vs buying. The rental prices are so high that I might as well buy one....CAVEAT....you don't just buy a tractor and then you are done...there is always something else you need, whether implement or maintenance. Buy older with goodies...may need a nearby mechanic....buy new...have to buy all the goodies but maintenance is low.

@s219 asks the questions that I have been grappling with. I suspect there will be a lot of repetitive tasks of moving things around that would save my back. Could I do them with a garden tractor and a wagon, sure, but loading rocks, sand, gravel via a bucket would be MUCH easier.

@Egon ... very encouraging that you were able to do that with a 16hp tractor. In my area, it is boulder laden mountain terrain. Once you get past a few inches of surface, you start getting into rocks and I have seen some big CATs struggle when building a slurry pit for a well drilling operation.

I don't expect that will be the norm and I have friends with big excavators when I need that kind of assistance, but it sure would be nice to chip away at a foundation and do most of the work without having to pay someone. Excavators here can be easily 10k for 3-4 days of work. If I can get that down to a day's worth at about 2-3k the tractor starts to pay for itself.

....decisions...decisions.....

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I could maintain a half acre with a wheelbarrow and a chainsaw.

A sloped half acre? Sounds dangerous for a tractor.