Compact tractor hunt -

[jyoutz]

Get a CUT with local-to-you dealer support. Look at consumables pricing. Nothing wrong with MF/NH/CIH/JD/K. My personal experience is K parts are cheaper and easier to obtain quickly than NH/JD which is why I sold my NH CUT and bought my fourth K.

Buy a used CUT eg. 2015 M59TLB last year of manufacture no DEF/DPF
or
Suck it up, get with the times and buy a new CUT with DPF

DPF/DEF is a cost of doing business

With 40 acres I would be shopping for a utility tractor, not a CUT.

 

[rScotty]

I'm shopping for a new compact tractor. I'd like to get something that's diesel powered, 4wd, has a loader rated to lift 1,000 lbs., and comes with a manual transmission or shuttle shift (no hydros). Shouldn't be that hard, right? Because I don't do this all the time, I didn't know that some tractors in this category have Regen. Ugh. No thanks. I looked at a Kubota today, closest to what I need/would like is a L2502. Only 25hp but dealer said everything bigger comes with Regen. I will be looking at Kioti next. Unclear on what they are doing for emissions. There's a Massey dealer nearby. What else should I be looking at? Brands or model recommendations would be welcome. Thanks!

O.

The golden age for the old style mechanical injected 4wd diesels with shuttle shifting & no regen was before about 2015.... but you say that you want to buy new. Even so, that should be no problem.

The tractor world changes slowly. There have got to be plenty of models under 25 hp from the 2005-2015 era that are still being produced new today. Maybe even older ones.
Just finding which ones are still being made today would be an interesting list of small tractors.

I don't blame you for wanting a manual or shuttle/powershift. They are more traditional and sometimes even more fun to run. As well as being easier for the home mechanic to diagnose, service, and repair if needed. Which is good, since to my amazement, the HST trannys seem to be more reliable that the older type transmissions. I wouldn't have believed it, but that's the impression I get over the last 20+ years here on TBN.
rScotty

 

[arrow]

People get too caught up in acreage sizes. Just because someone has 40 acres doesn’t mean they plan to work all 40 acres. There is definitely a difference in mowing 40 acres vs 4 acres but not much of a difference in dealing with tree and brush work on 40 acres verses 4 acres.



I have 20 acres and purchased my 2502 to clean up brush, deal with tons of trees and tops laying on the ground and help harvest firewood to sell, also to put in gardens and food plots, to create ATV trails, and basically for just general tractor work. I am not mowing 20 acres and never will be. For my 20 acres I had everyone under the sun telling me to buy bigger and I came close to pulling the trigger on a Grand L, but I am certainly happy I didn’t listen to them. There isn’t anything I don’t like about the 2502, it fits my needs perfectly. And I have none of that emissions stuff to deal with and have the most basic mechanical engine available which means it’s easy to work on. I purchased my 2502HST because at the time, I couldn’t find a 2501 used close by. Since then, 2501’s are easily had with very low hours in the $16K-20K range with some implements. I think it’s a lot of tractor for the money.

Very good you are content w your machine.
One of the factors of tractor choice is climate. Another is the lay of the land.
Of course one of the most important parts are jobs planned.
There is another consideration and that’s the owners disposition to work time. The larger machine will do everything faster and not by a little bit.
The op is benefitted by member experience but all those experiences may have or may not have anything to do with the ops requirements.
That is why it’s important to also list the “the whys” of contentment.
Everyone is wired differently.

 

[jyoutz]

Very good you are content w your machine.
One of the factors of tractor choice is climate. Another is the lay of the land.
Of course one of the most important parts are jobs planned.
There is another consideration and that’s the owners disposition to work time. The larger machine will do everything faster and not by a little bit.
The op is benefitted by member experience but all those experiences may have or may not have anything to do with the ops requirements.
That is why it’s important to also list the “the whys” of contentment.
Everyone is wired differently.

One of my primary reasons for upgrading to a larger heavier machine was stability. On rough ground my previous 25 hp tractor felt unstable and tippy, and this goes without saying that it felt the same when using the loader.

 

[arrow]

I'm shopping for a new compact tractor. I'd like to get something that's diesel powered, 4wd, has a loader rated to lift 1,000 lbs., and comes with a manual transmission or shuttle shift (no hydros). Shouldn't be that hard, right? Because I don't do this all the time, I didn't know that some tractors in this category have Regen. Ugh. No thanks. I looked at a Kubota today, closest to what I need/would like is a L2502. Only 25hp but dealer said everything bigger comes with Regen. I will be looking at Kioti next. Unclear on what they are doing for emissions. There's a Massey dealer nearby. What else should I be looking at? Brands or model recommendations would be welcome. Thanks!

O.

Selling these things for awhile now.
More important than brands are dealerships.
Go to your closest dealer first.
Hopefully they have a good reputation and with some longevity and good help and savvy techs.
Just about everyone makes a good tractor and everyone has a lemon but so as to not use unpredictables without being able to foresee the future, buy what you like and what fits you best and hopefully your jewel will be at your closest dealer.

 

[arrow]

One of my primary reasons for upgrading to a larger heavier machine was stability. On rough ground my previous 25 hp tractor felt unstable and tippy, and this goes without saying that it felt the same when using the loader.

Lay of the land can become a critical piece in selection. Glad you brought your experience up.
It is certainly important for the dealership sales staff to ask these kind of questions.
There is more to tractor choice than many realize.
The dealership that simply states: “well, here they are. Go sit on some and tell me which one you like” without first having a very telling conversation with the perspective buyer, is not a dealership that best serves the customer in my opinion.