Had a new tractor all picked out with all my wants and needs. Came to about $41k for a Kubota (M7060), or $50k for a JD. Not really any other dealers here. My wife said "No, not now. Maybe in a few years."
I rarely buy anything new anyway (big Craigslist fan), and am now wondering if a used tractor would be the way to go.
I had planned on 60HP at the PTO (to turn a 12 ft flail or rotary mower,) a FEL, and soon, a grapple. No cab. Diesel. R4s as it will often be used on turf. Hoped for 4WD. Eventually a rear blade of some sort, and a post hole digger.
The tractor is for property maintenance as I am not a farmer. I have 32 acres. Basically, it's a gorgeous historic estate that was neglected for about 30 yrs and sold in foreclosure to my wife and me in 2012. It has some hills that a 2WD zero turn loses traction on at times. I spend about 80% of my free time on the property (our main home is 40 miles away). Half of the property is mowed. Half of what I mow is finish mowed, half is hayed, but it's a bear finding anyone who will hay it because hay doesn't go for much here. Plus, I really enjoy maintaining it myself. There are overgrown historic gardens, massive specimen trees, and eventually there will be a tiny orchard.
I envision about 100 hours per year on the tractor. I envision using the tractor with a 12 ft mower and finish mow less of it to save time. I envision using the FEL for mulching and soil and compost and manure moving. I envision using the grapple for woods clearing and maintenance. I am a meticulous property owner and never seem to have enough time to get all my projects done. While I understand that a smaller tractor can do just about anything a larger one can do (but that it takes more time) time is an important currency for me. Thus the interest in a larger tractor, mainly for faster mowing. I've rented a JD 35HP with a 7 ft rotary mower multiple times over the past few years, and it feels overmatched with the tall grass and hills unless I crawl along at 1-2 mph. The FEL does the job, but I usually end up wishing for more capacity (for example when distributing enormous piles of chipped wood). Having said all this, several people have said I should get something smaller. I am open to suggestions about size.
So now about the choices. I will not be doing any mechanical work on the tractor other than routine maintenance (e.g. no repairs). It seems to me the options are 1) New Big - $40-50k (in a few years, per my wife) 2) 10yr old Big- $25-35k 3) older Big $10-20 4) Smaller tractor.
I am tempted to start looking at option #3 as a way to get a tractor sooner than later. Plus I won't be using it so much that my hours on it will pile up, and in theory I like the idea of a simpler machine with fewer things to go wrong. From what I read online, there are not too many fans of the mostly imported tractors from the '80s and '90s. This means buying a 40+ year old tractor. Questions about this: 1. Mistake? 2. If not a mistake to buy such an old tractor, what specific models do you suggest as time-proven workhorses that have parts available and have some/all of the features I noted above? Bottom-line what would you get for under $20k, and is Used/Old a better way to go than options 1, 2, or 4 (because it seems a lot cheaper, even with LOTS of repairs).
Sorry for the long post, but thanks for any advice.
I rarely buy anything new anyway (big Craigslist fan), and am now wondering if a used tractor would be the way to go.
I had planned on 60HP at the PTO (to turn a 12 ft flail or rotary mower,) a FEL, and soon, a grapple. No cab. Diesel. R4s as it will often be used on turf. Hoped for 4WD. Eventually a rear blade of some sort, and a post hole digger.
The tractor is for property maintenance as I am not a farmer. I have 32 acres. Basically, it's a gorgeous historic estate that was neglected for about 30 yrs and sold in foreclosure to my wife and me in 2012. It has some hills that a 2WD zero turn loses traction on at times. I spend about 80% of my free time on the property (our main home is 40 miles away). Half of the property is mowed. Half of what I mow is finish mowed, half is hayed, but it's a bear finding anyone who will hay it because hay doesn't go for much here. Plus, I really enjoy maintaining it myself. There are overgrown historic gardens, massive specimen trees, and eventually there will be a tiny orchard.
I envision about 100 hours per year on the tractor. I envision using the tractor with a 12 ft mower and finish mow less of it to save time. I envision using the FEL for mulching and soil and compost and manure moving. I envision using the grapple for woods clearing and maintenance. I am a meticulous property owner and never seem to have enough time to get all my projects done. While I understand that a smaller tractor can do just about anything a larger one can do (but that it takes more time) time is an important currency for me. Thus the interest in a larger tractor, mainly for faster mowing. I've rented a JD 35HP with a 7 ft rotary mower multiple times over the past few years, and it feels overmatched with the tall grass and hills unless I crawl along at 1-2 mph. The FEL does the job, but I usually end up wishing for more capacity (for example when distributing enormous piles of chipped wood). Having said all this, several people have said I should get something smaller. I am open to suggestions about size.
So now about the choices. I will not be doing any mechanical work on the tractor other than routine maintenance (e.g. no repairs). It seems to me the options are 1) New Big - $40-50k (in a few years, per my wife) 2) 10yr old Big- $25-35k 3) older Big $10-20 4) Smaller tractor.
I am tempted to start looking at option #3 as a way to get a tractor sooner than later. Plus I won't be using it so much that my hours on it will pile up, and in theory I like the idea of a simpler machine with fewer things to go wrong. From what I read online, there are not too many fans of the mostly imported tractors from the '80s and '90s. This means buying a 40+ year old tractor. Questions about this: 1. Mistake? 2. If not a mistake to buy such an old tractor, what specific models do you suggest as time-proven workhorses that have parts available and have some/all of the features I noted above? Bottom-line what would you get for under $20k, and is Used/Old a better way to go than options 1, 2, or 4 (because it seems a lot cheaper, even with LOTS of repairs).
Sorry for the long post, but thanks for any advice.
