City Boy Could Use help

[Maury]

I feel fortunate to have found this site. I am about to buy my first tractor and I would definitely appreciate the help and suggestions of some experienced “veterans”. After some preliminary visits to dealers, I believe I am interested in a John Deere, Kubota or New Holland. Because of that, I will place this request on all three boards.

I have 4 acres in the Texas hill country. About a third of it is flat and the remainder is hilly and has some gullies (arroyos) for water run off. There are a number of trees but most of the land has natural grasses, which I hope to cut infrequently with a rear mower. The land has its share of rocks and some small cedar stumps (about 6 in. hi and 6 in. in diameter). I would like to have a front-end loader, to use basically as a power wheelbarrow.

Besides my own ignorance, I am concerned about ground clearance in general but particularly stability on the hilly sections.

What model and size would you recommend?

Another question is should I get attachments like the FEL, rear mower and rake, etc from the dealer or can I get a better value from Tractor Supply or similar non-OEM?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Maury

 

[JDgreen227]

Welcome to TBN, you came to the right place for advice, but by saying you are willing to consider green, blue, or orange, I am certain many members will have their opinion of what color you should buy. Narrow your search down by letting us know a few particulars such as how many hours you intend to use your tractor a year, do you want gear or hydro drive, and how long do you intend to keep it?

As you mention stability it goes without saying you should have a 4WD model. Can you say what other tasks you will use your new machine for besides some loader work and infrequent use of a rear mower? From the size of your property and the description of the work you plan to do I am sure something around 20-23 pto horsepower would suffice.

A last bit of advice....GREEN IS BEST.

 

[Soundguy]

Youv'e made the right choice.. that is.. getting a tractor..

Though there are dozens of possibilities, any -running tractor in good condition- is better than no tractor. You've indicated blue, green or orange... more or less the common 'big three'.. can't see you going wrong with any new one from any of those three proven colors.

As for what Jdgreen said about 'green' being the best.. well.. I don't know if it is or isn't.. but certaintly is the mo$t expen$ive out of the three...

I'l try not to give my color opinion ( much ), as you will find most of us hear have a favorite color / flavor ( blue! ).. so I'll try to be unbiased ( blue ) as much as I can (blue ).. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

4 ac is too much.. I would guess you could get away with anything in the 18hp range up to 30 hp.. I'm more familiar with Nh so I'll comment there., and leave the green and orange fellows to preach their own pro's / cons.

First.. siz your model based on your wants and needs. If you want to mow fast, .. get a slightly larger unit to use a 5' mower.. my guess would be a tc29 or 30.. though just cutting light grass.. a tc 24 may pull a 5'.. though I wouldn't want to. do yourself a favor.. get 4wd.. hills and 4wd go together for comfort, and ease.. and safety.. same for the loader. Tranny is personal choice. I like a gear tranny.. but then most loader users love the hydrostats.. just get what you are comfterable with ergonomically and price wise.

Nh ( and green and orange ) mowers are all heavy duty... I've seen and used all three of those colors, and they are by far some of the most rugged I've seen.. followed closely by manufacturers like 'bushhog'. Name brand is the most expensibe.. followed by bushhog.. then there are a bunch of other medium and light duty units too. If yer' not mowing stumps and rocks all day.. the medium duty units like a king kutter will save you about 50% over a big brand one.. though it is just that.. light/medium duty.. use accordingly.

( I'm picturing you in a tc29d right now in my head...)

good luck


Soundguy

 

[RoyJackson]

"Because of that, I will place this request on all three boards."

Just posting this on the generic "Buying/Pricing" forum would have done the trick.

As far as which tractor, that depends on how much you want to spend or if you're willing to buy used.
You've got a heck of a lot of choices. With 4 acres, maybe a B7500 or one step up for Kubota (BX2200 and such probably won't have the ground clearance you desire); TC 21, TC 24 or TC 30 for New Holland; smaller 4xxx series for the Deeres (or 790 if you don't mind gears). Then there's all the lesser known brands. MFWD of course... You want those rear tires loaded for better stability on slopes. Dealer might throw that in as part of the package. Tires...unless you're going to cut a finished lawn, ags or industrials. I like the width of bar-turfs myself.
Get the FEL when you buy the tractor and what ever kind of deal you might get on another implement. If the dealer doesn't give you a nice break on implements, there is a lot of other brands that cost less and do the job. My RFM came with the tractor, bought a used rear blade for 60 bucks. About the only thing I splurged on was a Land Pride 60" rotary cutter. That was just over a grand.
Since you have field grass, you probably don't even need a RFM. Not much use, since that field grass won't really look like lawn grass.
I'd sure consider cutting those 6" high stumps down as close to the ground as you can get them. Chain saw should be able to get them almost flat. You really don't want to hit a stump that size with a rotary cutter...hard on the cutter and not too good for the tractor. You sure as heck don't want to run your tires over one on a slope (closest I ever came to flipping my tractor was running one side up over a stump (hidden in some brush I was cutting).

 

[Docsknotinn]

I do not really think any one can give you much helpful input until you offer a price range etc. Right now you will get recommendations from 10-30k. This probably does not narrow the field much. Your first step really should not be on a forum but instead going to the dealers to see what you like. Its rather impossible to be of assistance when you do not even know what brand you want to focus on or what models. Test Drives and first hand shopping are the way to start. Narrow your field then if you have general questions this is a great place for help. Best Wishes shopping, Dave

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> I believe I am interested in a John Deere, Kubota or New Holland. Because of that, I will place this request on all three boards. </font>
Maury, first welcome to TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Second, questions that are not brand specific, or questions about several brands belong in the Buying/Pricing forum. Posting the same question in multiple forums means not only you have 3 different threads to follow, but TBNers who want to help have three different places to do so. In the Buying/Pricing forum you will get responses from owners of all three brands, plus others.

I have moved all three threads you started to the Buying/Pricing forum and closed the shortest two threads, leaving the longest one open.

BTW, the problem with the word 'veterans' in your post is typically caused by copying text from a word processor into a post.

 

[PineRidge]

Maury whether its John Deere, Kubota or New Holland you owe it to yourself to try a hydro as well as a gear model. Compare the two and I think that for your needs you will see the time & effort saved and choose the hydro transmission. With the hydro even your wife won’t mind mowing the grass. Welcome to the TBN board! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[normde2001]

Maury, if your concern about ground clearance is because of the rocks, stumps and gullies, you need to stay away from the gullies, and remove the rocks and stumps before you start mowing. I would stay in the 25-30hp, (20-25pto hp) range, with a 4' or 5' rotary cutter, (not a finish mower, for infrequent mowing). You can probably work your best implement deal as a package with the tractor. You will also want a box scraper, (maybe you can fix those gullies).

 

[jinman]

Maury, welcome to TBN and the fun world of tractors. Some of us are pretty familiar with the terrain of the hill country, but none of us can be as familiar as your neighbors. Do you have someone close who might make some recommendations of dealers and tractors? What are the distances to the local dealers, and do you plan on transporting your tractor back and forth for service? Transporting a small tractor at 3,000 lb or less is a simple task, but larger tractors can cause you to spend thousands more just on trailers and vehicles for hauling. I'd check with my local dealers to see which ones seemed most accomodating for buying a tractor and also providing service. Check if they will come and get your tractor or do on-site service (this is often an extra-charge service).

Any of the tractor brands you mentioned will have tractors to suit your needs. I'd think a tractor around 20 hp would certainly meet your needs. Including 4WD and hydrostatic transmission will also make your work much more pleasant. Be sure to consider the costs of implements and their size. For example, a 4-ft rotary cutter to pull behind a small tractor is much less expensive than the 6-ft cutter behind a larger tractor. By staying small and buying wisely, you will be able to outfit your acreage without ending up in the poorhouse. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[5030]

Maury:

Welcome and have fun.

I think I will be more non-committal than anyone else.

Buy whatever tractor brand you are comfortable with but be advised....
Visit dealers in your area and talk to them. Look over their service facilities and their parts and accessories areas. Whatever dealer seems to be the most helpful and attuned to your needs, BUY FROM THAT DEALER. Brand isn't a consideration, they are all good.

Some brands are better than others in the opinion of us here. That is just an opinion. Whether it is fact or fiction remains in the minds of the posters. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Remember, service and/or warranty issues after the sale, coupled with the dealers attitude toward you will determine what brand you buy. Let your experience with various local dealers be your guide.

 

[Rch]

I don't know how severe (slope angles) your arroyos are but industrial or turf tires don't usually come with the ability to widen the stance like agriculture tires/set-up does. Agri tires, of course, are hard on lawns if the tractor is to serve that purpose also. I see on the dealer lot some new balloon turf tires that are quite wide. I guess my point is that you got to figue out the tire/wheel business according to the tractors uses. Myself, I need traction for spring ground work so I want an agri set up. Besides, I find taking a finishing mower on an off a PITA since you use it so often and it affect clearance ( if mid mounted ) Also, I want to never mow the grass so I have a dedicated hydrostatic mower the wife and kids can handle. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[frank_f15]

first of all welcome to the foum, as for tractors, with out being brand specific, some thing in the 22 to 29 hp range would do the job, my personal choice would be 4wd. hydro, p/s with fel.

 

[JDgreen227]

Soundguy,

Green may be the most expensive, but remember the saying:

"We have no quarrel with those who sell for less, they know what their stuff is worth".

 

[Old_Hickory]

"We have no quarrel with those who sell for less, they know what their stuff is worth".

I have a JD 4400 and I could argue this point. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif But I am not going to. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Maury]

You guys are good! And friendly. Thanks for the comments.
A few more thoughts from my perspective. I certainly agree with a good dealer being key. I learned that the hard way with a couple of motorcycle dealers. While money is always a concern, reliability, versatility and safety are more important to me. I like the idea of a hydro transmission and am sure I won't need turf tires. Also, since I'm retired , the speed to do a task is not too critical.
Maury

 

[PineRidge]

<font color="blue">Buy whatever tractor brand you are comfortable with but be advised....
Visit dealers in your area and talk to them. Look over their service facilities and their parts and accessories areas. Whatever dealer seems to be the most helpful and attuned to your needs, BUY FROM THAT DEALER. Brand isn't a consideration, they are all good.

Some brands are better than others in the opinion of us here. That is just an opinion. Whether it is fact or fiction remains in the minds of the posters.

Remember, service and/or warranty issues after the sale, coupled with the dealers attitude toward you will determine what brand you buy. Let your experience with various local dealers be your guide.

</font>

I agree with 5030 and might also add, don't let just color be your guide. If you look throgh the various forums I think you would have to agree that just because a tractor costs more doesn't mean that it won't have it's share of problems just like all the rest.

 

[Egon]

Take your time in choosing. Look around lots. Get an idea for pricing. Take some for a drive. Tractor shopping can be an enjoyable task so make the best of it.

Retired and lots of time!!!! Buy the tractor of your choice and you'll find you don't have any spare time. Projects will continuously pop up with a rapididy that may surprise you.

I'd suggest hydrostatic with a loader that is easily detachable. Hp is important for rotary equipment. Weight and four wheel drive for pulling.

Think of your needs, go shopping and enjoy.

Egon

 

[grandad]

Congratulations on a) being able to enjoy your retirement, b) having some land in Texas hill country, c) realizing you need a tractor and d) finding this forum, where you are already getting lots of good advice!

Only thing I would suggest that's a bit different from what the others have already said is for you to try to develop an inventory of the tasks and chores needed for whatever improvements you plan to make. Those tasks, plus whatever regular chores - like periodic mowing - will help define what kind of equipment you're going to need.

For example, if you will need to get a bunch of rocks out of an area before you start to mow it, make a plan for how you figure to go about doing that (de-rocking an acre by hand in some places down there is something I wouldn't want to do!).

In addition to knowing the equipment better than just about anyone else, the "veterans" here usually have lots of good advice about how to get things done, so don't be shy with questions!

Good luck and have fun!

 

[JDgreen227]

"Retired and lots of time"....must be nice to have that. After falling off the treadmill 14 months ago sometimes I wonder how I ever managed to get anything done for ME when I was still working for a living. You are very right about projects popping up, here it is not even winter and my better half is talking about a pond in our backyard this summer. Hope she is serious, 'cuz then I can justify a backhoe purchase....

 

[Slamfire]

There is an answer to stability problems caused by steep terrain. Look around and see if you notice one. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif