Confused about which tractor to buy.

[warhammer]

I am trying to figure out what the right tractor for me would be. I am a complete tractor newb but am mechanically inclined. I have been reading these forums and some other sites daily for a couple of months and have purchased and read Muhammed's Compact Tractor Buying Basics.

I recently purchased 38 acres near Austin Texas. It has been leased and rowcrop farmed for decades. There is an 8 acre strip with a couple of stock ponds that has not been cultivated and is grown over with brush and has some gullies throughout. It slopes down about 30-40 feet over its 300-350 foot width.

Access to the street has not been used for decades and is tough to walk through with a lot of trees and dense undergrowth. This area encompasses about 2 acres in a long thin strip. Eventually a gravel road will need to be put in and will be 1800 feet or so long.

I would like to convert the crop fields, and the sloped area if possible, to pasture eventually and run cattle on the entire property. Two sides of the property are presently fenced.

$20,000.00 or so is maxxing out the tractor budget. Given that $$ amount I am assuming hiring out the heavy jobs and buying enough tractor to maintain things afterwards.

In my inexperience 4WD, HST with an FEL at 30-40HP looks like about all the budget will allow. Will that get me by?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Jeff

 

[john_bud]

I would think that an L4400 would be a good new one to get. Also the Kioti tractors have a good following.

In used tractors, the 4000 series 3 cyl diesel ford's were hard to beat. Also the 5000's are good. Mostly 2wd in those series. Around here you could get a 6000 or 7000 series tractor in that price range. Would have to look a bit, but the larger tractors don't have the demand on small lots as the 30-40 hp tractors do.

 

[warhammer]

Thanks for the reply. The Kioti's and Kubota's definitely look to be the most bang for the buck in my price range.
I had also considered trying to find a low hour used 20-25 HP tractor for about $10K knowing that it would likely be too small but figuring after I used that for a while I'd have a much better handle on what I really needed.
Way too many choices!

Jeff

 

[JoeinTX]

I may start sounding like a broken record but I would recommend something simple, cheaper, and more for the money.

4wd is not a necessity in buying a tractor......it's a nicety. I have used both and having the front wheel assist is nice, but, it's not a must have especially if you're not working in wet/hilly conditions on a consistent basis. A tractor, after all, is still designed and built around the driving power of two huge rear tires to deliver its primary traction..........FWA tractors split that 20/80 front to rear.

HST is also not a necessity and, in fact personally, I don't like it. It robs too much power to the ground and is a little too "mushy" for me. Many do buy it and love it so it comes to comfort level. A good geared powershift tractor will provide all of the gears and speeds you need for most applications.

FEL is as close to a "must" as I can see in a new tractor........never run out of uses for it and handier than a clock on the wall. Of the these three, I sack the others for this one on the biggest machine I can get for the money.


Again, sounding redundant, I would recommend a look at Farmtrac 435/445/545 or Mahindra 4500/3525 with FEL and coming in well within your budget numbers. You have dealers within your area for both and if you can catch an 06/07 model still on the lot you could get a heck of a deal on a brand new tractor with warranty with FEL and spend the rest on implements or keep it in the bank.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

If you have a Massey Ferguson dealer in your area, take a gander at the new 500 series. A LOT of bang for the buck. Also, IMHO, one of the best bargains in small to mid sized AG utility tractors today is the 5X03 series John Deere.

 

[TheDingy]

I may sound like a broken record, but we have been happy with our Mahindra 6025 with FEL that we purchased. Our dealer sucks, but the tractor is great.

I have driven HST and 4wd machines many times but prefer a simple 2wd tractor with a lot of HP and filled tires. They don't break as often and usually you get more for your $.

 

[BizDoc]

Thanks for the reply. The Kioti's and Kubota's definitely look to be the most bang for the buck in my price range.
I had also considered trying to find a low hour used 20-25 HP tractor for about $10K knowing that it would likely be too small but figuring after I used that for a while I'd have a much better handle on what I really needed.
Way too many choices!

Jeff

I'm not sure I'd do that. I'm only mowing 7 acres and used a NH TC21D for three years and found that after about the first year it was too small. It was a very nice tractor, just too small for what I was doing. I moved up to a B3030 and it made a big difference. the only down side to the smaller tractor was that I lost money when it was time to sell and rebuy. The bigger tractor is able to handle larger equipment. I went from a 5 foot MMM to a 6 foot MMM, which cut off an hour of mowing time. The smaller tractor didn't have a 6ft option. The power on the side hills also made a big difference on the larger tractor for me. You didn't say what you were going to do with the tractor but with 38 acres, MHO is that a 20 to 25 hp tractor would be a mistake.

If you have any thoughts of bailing hay that opens up a whole new area that even a 30 hp is too small for.

 

[warhammer]

Thanks for the reply's. There were some models listed that had not popped up on the radar in my search. I will take a look at those.

Planned usage on the tractor:
Need a bunch of fencing so lots of post holes to dig.
Eventually a long gravel driveway to maintain.
Lots of landscaping with gullies to fill etc.
When I get the fields converted to pasture - spraying, aerating, mowing for sure.
Not sure whether I would want to bail hay with this tractor or hire that out.

While speed of task is not really a concern, as this is not my day job, I would want a big enough tractor to handle these tasks without thrashing the machine.

Jeff

 

[bjcsc]

While speed of task is not really a concern, as this is not my day job, I would want a big enough tractor to handle these tasks without thrashing the machine.

The fact that it is not your day job is precisely why speed of task is important! Too slow and it will be your day job, or you'll be hiring out, which wastes your $$. What is your terrain? Flat? Dry most of the time? I am also not a fan of HST, but I love my PowerReverser. I think you should be looking at 2WD gear tractors. With a 20K budget you're going to have to sacrifice somewhere
Spend the money on power, not accessories like HST/4WD...

 

[flusher]

I am trying to figure out what the right tractor for me would be. I am a complete tractor newb but am mechanically inclined. I have been reading these forums and some other sites daily for a couple of months and have purchased and read Muhammed's Compact Tractor Buying Basics.

I recently purchased 38 acres near Austin Texas. It has been leased and rowcrop farmed for decades. There is an 8 acre strip with a couple of stock ponds that has not been cultivated and is grown over with brush and has some gullies throughout. It slopes down about 30-40 feet over its 300-350 foot width.

Access to the street has not been used for decades and is tough to walk through with a lot of trees and dense undergrowth. This area encompasses about 2 acres in a long thin strip. Eventually a gravel road will need to be put in and will be 1800 feet or so long.

I would like to convert the crop fields, and the sloped area if possible, to pasture eventually and run cattle on the entire property. Two sides of the property are presently fenced.

$20,000.00 or so is maxxing out the tractor budget. Given that $$ amount I am assuming hiring out the heavy jobs and buying enough tractor to maintain things afterwards.

In my inexperience 4WD, HST with an FEL at 30-40HP looks like about all the budget will allow. Will that get me by?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Jeff

There are lotsa options with a $20K budget.

I've gone the 2-tractor route for my 10 acres of flat pasture land. Bought a new Kubota B7510HST (21 hp diesel engine, 17 hp pto) in 2005 for $12,600. It has an LA302 FEL (4-ft wide bucket). It's fine for general purpose use and I mow about 7-acres of weeds with a King Kutter brush hog (48" wide). For heavy work I bought a 1964 MF-135 diesel (45 hp engine, 38 hp pto) in July06 for $3600. I'll use it for haying.

My neighbor to the East recently bought a new Kubota L4630 GST (45 hp diesel engine, 38 hp pto) with a 6-ft wide FEL that's one nice machine. He must have about $20K invested.

Another neighbor bought a nice Branson (35 hp diesel engine) with gear tranny and FEL. It's a solid, heavy tractor. Cost about $16K, IRRC.

My neighbor to the North gets his work done with a 1980s vintage JD 2640 diesel (70 hp pto) with a 6-ft wide FEL. You can find these for $8-10K on the used market.