Tractor Sizing Dealer thinks 1023 I think 3005. What do you think?

[TripleR]

I agree with the dealer and I am in much the same situation as you. 3 acres, trees to clear, etc, etc.

I chose the 1026R and it performs better than I could have ever imagined. I bought mine in a Tractor, Loader, Backhoe with mid mount 60" mower. It has done everything I have asked and moved literally 100 yards of dirt with it. You just have to space it out over time.

The only reason in your case that I would get a bigger tractor would be the fill in that you want to do, but that would depend on your time table. If you want it done quick, hire somebody and have it done in a couple of days. Otherwise, save the money, get the 1023 (Or even better, 1026R) and enjoy a very capable tractor and get some seat time. I see so many people claiming that the 1 series tractor is not big enough, or it is a toy.. For someone that has an 80 horse tractor+ and has to tend cattle, small farm work, etc. Then sure it might be. But for what you are describing, the 1 series is perfect. Just today I was doing something everyone told me couldn't be done. I was using a full size Cat 1 subsoiler at full depth, pulling it through clay dirt so hard it was like concrete. In fact the 1026R has so much power that I broke a shear bolt just pulling it through the hardest area, no roots or rocks to hit. The tractor gets great traction and has enough weight to do what you want. Yet is still light enough to mow your yard with quality of the best lawnmowers on the market.

I don't think anyone is saying a SCUT won't meet his "present needs"; used our BX on a small plot of land for years with no regrets. It is the additional 20 acres he plans on getting that changes the equation. I don't care who you are, trading up always costs money.

"Maybe" a SCUT will handle 20_ acres, but having owned them for ten years, I sure can't recommend one.

 

[RoyJackson]

Maybe I'm getting cranky in my dotage but it bugs me to no end when people post about equipment and don't give the make, only the model. :irked:

These are Deere models...

 

[cjdavis618]

In a John Deere Buying/Pricing forum.

Kind of what I thought too. lol

If he is managing 20 acres then sure, move up. But even then the 3005 wouldn't fit the bill as well as a 3520 or a 4 series if he is trying to bushog it or something like that. If he is felling trees and dragging them back to the house in chunks or trailered, the "John Deere" 1026R is capable and much less expense. A simple grapple and a chainsaw can really move some wood.

 

[Mace Canute]

In a John Deere Buying/Pricing forum.

I was reading through the "Today's Posts" or the "New Posts" section and hadn't gone into the "John Deere Buying/Pricing forum"...that's why I didn't get it! Thank's for the info!

 

[El Wood]

I was in the same situation you're in.... I have spent months researching a tractor for 20 acres I will be developing, building a road to a pond, and doing a host of other jobs with. I posted my first thread and started looking at the 1 Series tractors. By the end of the thread, we were into 5000 series tractors! I even went and looked at a New Holland 90 horsepower tractor with bat wing mowers I thought would be handy for making the road. Then I woke up and said to myself, "What the heck am I going to do with this monster after I build the road?". I finally settled on the 3320. It is what I could comfortably afford. I found a guy with some heavy equipment that will do the heavy work for the road for cheap. I'll maintain it after that. I think any tractor will do the work you want it to do, it's just a matter of how fast you want it done. And me personally, I love seat time, so a few extra trips to the pile is just that much more fun. Good luck

 

[hunting404]

Lots of Pros and Cons for both tractors have given me a lot to think about. Remembering what we used when I was a kid it had its limits. The size of the tractor was easy to handle, traction was never an issue with the weight it had. Which is one of the reasons I am leaning more towards the 3005 than the 1026
I do like the seat time, it is enjoyabe and productive at the same time. Saving time is also a good thing allowing more time for other projects that need to be completed.
Since they are tv shows where "The People" choose the winner may be I can do it that way. Call 1-800-YOU-PICK and choose for me. JUST KIDDING!!!!!
Thank you again for all your input. You have given more to think about.

 

[TripleR]

I like seat time as much as the next person, but trust me, it can turn into real work and seat time can get old when you have other things that need to be done.

 

[Grateful11]

Thank you for the quick responses:thumbsup: I agree, not only is the 1023 a little small for the jobs planned, my money tree has dried up with the drought around here so upgrading will be difficult for a while.
I have thought of other transmissions. Have used the neighbhors tractor with a hydro. It was easy to changing directions while moving dirt. Hydros are nice but I am used to a gear shift. Grew up on Ford 2,8 &9 N's.
They say the 3005 is designed for pushing and pulling. Which is what I expect to be doing with it.

You might be used to a gear drive but after you use the Hydro for a few weeks you'll never look back. Hydro or Gear, traction is what's going to get you not how it puts the power to the ground. You'll spin out anything due to lack of traction not whether it's geared or not. Wife used the IH 574 for may years which even has shuttle shift but there's no comparing it to the work you can get done in brush and loader work with the Kubota L3940.

 

[jbeall]

Thank you for the quick responses:thumbsup: I agree, not only is the 1023 a little small for the jobs planned, my money tree has dried up with the drought around here so upgrading will be difficult for a while.
I have thought of other transmissions. Have used the neighbhors tractor with a hydro. It was easy to changing directions while moving dirt. Hydros are nice but I am used to a gear shift. Grew up on Ford 2,8 &9 N's.
They say the 3005 is designed for pushing and pulling. Which is what I expect to be doing with it.

So, some time has passed... did you make a purchase? What did you decide? And where are the pictures?

Even though I may be too late, I'll throw my two cents in.

You got a lot of votes on here for the 3005 (or even bigger). I'd like to suggest that even though smaller, the 1023 is a very capable machine. There are few things you truly cannot do with it; instead, many things will take longer--but still get done. The places where you will be truly limited are things like lifting a very large rock with the FEL--if the rock is over the max lifting capacity, then you're not going to be able to do it. In other circumstances (e.g., spreading dirt), you can always put less in the bucket and take more trips.

So, having said that, you need to decide a) how much you can afford and b) how much you're willing to spend to save some time.

If money were unlimited, then sure, get the biggest tractor possible. But money is finite, and only you can make the call on what is the best compromise between the most capable tractor money can buy, and what you can reasonably spend on this project.

Additionally, remember that money you spend on the tractor is money you can't spend on implements. So if you've got a $20,000 budget, and you spend it all on the tractor, then you aren't spending it on a backhoe, a post hole digger, a box blade, a flail mower, etc., etc.

So, let us know what you decided and be sure to post pictures!