Can a Yanmar compare....

[phatgemi]

Lions, I have been rereading the posts, trying to convince myself that you actually need a tractor. I may be wrong but just in my humble, you are not yanmar material. I never saw listed what your requirements for a tractor were. What are you actually going to do with it?? I saw where you think you need a 19-24 HP, fwd and probably a loader. And on another thread I believe you said you have 3 or so acres. So what jobs are you actually going to do with your tractor??? I still think you would be better off buying something from you local dealer where you can be covered 100% support wise. You would be happier in the long run. Lighter in the wallet, but happier. Good luckl.

 

[Lions_TX]

What are you actually going to do with it?? So what jobs are you actually going to do with your tractor???

First of all thanks to everyone who replied i appreciate the feedback. Thanks for the honesty, thats why i ask questions.

FEL:The first task i would use a tractor for is to help me to clear and rough level a 1600 foot fence line and to clear a spot for a small barn. I have an earth tank thats about a 1/4 acre +or- in size that needs to be filled with an earth berm that surrounds it. I need to remove alot of small trees and pop out rotted stumps. I have a wet weather creek/sloth that has light erosion that needs to be filled and leveled to slow and stabalize the flow. I have several piles of dumped shingles out on the back acre that need to be put into a dumpster. There are also a couple of burn pits back there that need to be cleaned out and back filled. Eventually it will also be used to help move and stack small bales.

Blade or box blade: I need to maintain the 600 foot gravel and dirt drive. I will use it to level planting beds and general leveling of high spots.

Brush hog: The ride on mower i have was not designed to mow what i have as it is grass mixed with oak shooters, the mower can handle a very limited amount of what needs to be mowed, even a light duty brush mower would be much better then what i have now.

Tiller: Presently i have about 100 x 4 feet of garden space, that is now doubleing, by next year that will double again, more once i get a tiller. Over all of my lot is sand in in dire need of having organic matter added and turned in. I will also use the tiller in areas to bring some of the oak shooters into check if its feasible.

I have another run of fence line to clear of brush about 500 feet long. I need to lengthen the driveway about 200 feet to the present barn/garage and perhaps beyond to the back of the property eventually. I may eventually get something to get deep and break up the subsoil. I may eventually get a rake to help harvest leaves, sticks and other organic matter. I am also thinking of some type of utility trailer to help move various meterials like compost and dirt around.

I did think about a post hole drill but at this point i can dig my corners and mains supports in by hand and i plan on using t-post for the majority of my lines. I thought about a back hoe but for what its worth its more cost effective to sub that out or rent a machine when i am ready for heavy stump removal. I thought about a cement mixer but again i realized it would not be cost effective once figureing all factors. A ditch digger would be nice but that too would be cheaper to rent once i am ready to move my main water line and set up better water distribution, but i am sure the loader and blade will help make short of back filling.

I am establishing an organic micro farm/ranch. I already grow veggies and keep chickens. Soon i will have a couple of pens built so i can get a goat to help with the brush control in spots. Eventually once i have some larger areas fenced and a barn built i will get a calf or two. I suppose i could get a whole assortment of small tools like a tiller and a walk behind brush mower but the reality is i am not getting any younger and 3 and 1/2 acres it a pretty big size to be manually mowing. I could probably pay some one a few times a year to do my brush mowing and i am sure i can find someone to fill the pond but its about cost vs. what i end up with, availability and convienience.

Once the place is fully established i will build a slab framed house with a concrete safe room on the lot when i am sure i will think of a mess of ways to use the tractor. Presently i live in a double wide manufactured home.

So i hope that clarifies why i think i need a tractor. I dont think i need over 24hp and i dont really want anything smaller then 20hp but will settle for a little less as long as it can handle a small loader and decent brush mower efficiently for my purposes. So what do you think?

Thanks again.
Lions

 

[mark777]

I think you need a tractor. And one with every bit of 24 HP. including a minimum of 4WD, FEL and box-blade.

Mark

 

[vallyfarm]

oak is toxic to goats. Make sure those saplings are gone first. I'd be looking for a tractor at ltest 30-35 hp. From the sounds of your last post, you have quite a long list of heave jobs. A smaller tractor could do it, but like you said about your lawnmower, it couldnt do it for long. Just my thoughts, I would not go near a China tractor for you. They are made for light/homeowner use. If they are used easy thay may last, but youur list isnt easy. I have a lot of wrenching under my belt, I would be leaning towards a mid 50's to mid 60's tractor. These are almost bulletproof. If you can find a mechanic friend, that would be my route. 2wd would work for everything you've listed IF you go with a tractor with a little more weight/size/HP. The problem is the garden. You would want a creeper gear for rototilling, and few to none had that in older tractors of any size. I would lean towards a tractor of your original post for garden work, and a larger for chore work. If you tried to find one machine to do it all, I think you would find that it would do none of it well. Little more money for the extra tractor, but repairs on an overstressed machine can add up fast. So can planting on 5 ft row spacing in the garden instead of 3.5 ft. Almist all of my farm equip is 1953 or newer, and I run cows, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, 3A of garden, raise my own grain and hay, and all with Farmall leter series tractors. Mike

 

[Lions_TX]

oak is toxic to goats. Make sure those saplings are gone first. I'd be looking for a tractor at ltest 30-35 hp.... Mike

Hi valleyfarm.
Thanks for the heads up on the goats. I did a little research and think i might have a few other toxic plants around. I was always under the impression that goats could eat just about anything, so much for believing everything you hear.
What jobs are what you think a smaller tractor couldnt handle? Mabe i could sub out some of the task. The fence line i have to clear is mostly clear and the tractor would just help speed the process along as i am pretty sure i could clear it by hand, but thats alot of work. As far as filling the tank, i planned on attacking it in small bites. I think at an hour or two a day, it would be mostly filled in a week or two.

Thanks again for the heads up and the input.
Lions

 

[Tractors4u]

Hi valleyfarm.
Thanks for the heads up on the goats. I did a little research and think i might have a few other toxic plants around. I was always under the impression that goats could eat just about anything, so much for believing everything you hear.

Thanks again for the heads up and the input.
Lions

I have never heard that oak was poisonous to goats before. I do know that wild cherry is, but only after the leaves have dried out. Supposedly as the leaves dry out there is some sort of chemical reaction. I have had goats for many years. If you want them to eat something, put a fence between it and the goat. It is like telling a child "no". They seem to always want what they can't have.