Hey guys, still on the search for my first tractor and have a question. How important are the FEL and 4x4 on a tractor? I will be using the tractor for bushhogging and maintaining small roads on 40 acres of hunting property and for some landscaping type work around the house(~1 1/4 acres). I would also like to expand the road system on the hunting property(ie. make new roads through timber). Can most of this work be done without a FEL? I would prefer to have the FEL, but I am buying used and haven't had much luck finding a tractor with 4wd and FEL that fits my budget(<$10,000). I have however found some nice tractors, often with attachments that are well within the budget. Are there implement for the TPH that can be used for clearing roads, moving downed timber, etc.
Remember, I am a newbie at the whole tractor thing. Thanks for your help.
Mark
Hello Mark...and welcome. How necessary is 4wd and a loader? Well, it depends on the land. Sounds to me like you could use a couple of tractors! I've had about a dozen tractors over the years ranging from 16 to 60 hp. It's been a hobby since the 1970s.
The short answer is yes. Get 4wd and a loader if you can. When you say moving timber and clearing roads you have also upped the size requirement. I'd say to go 25/30 hp or above. BTW, if you are going to do any real work with the load that a 25 hp tractor can handle then you will also want power steering. You can find all this for under 10K if you look hard and are not in a hurry. I did so just last year. BUT! To buy wisely you will absolutely need to be comfortable evaluating used mechanical equipment like tractors. A background in general mechanics helps there too. As for trusting the seller, all the old adages about horse-trading absolutely apply to buying a tractor. Tractor buying and selling is absolutely "buyer beware". It doesn't mean it isn't the right thing to do; for some it's a fun hobby all by itself. But please by very cautious.
First some history. Farmers originated tractors, and they started with the old heavy farm tractors that mostly pulled an implement in poor traction in a flat field. At that time suburban homeowners - small landowners - with a few acres were a rarity, and those few folks didn't have many options other than to try to adapt the smaller farm tractors. If you have 10 to 40 acres and tend more towards trees, streams, rocks, and dirt driveways than towards lawns and landscaping then that's still a possible way to go.
For a farmer's use, the tractor had certain needs. They didn't need much in the way of power steering because the emphasis was on keeping to a straight line. For a loader you want power steering. For traction, a farm tractor was mechanically simpler (cheaper) to design if the concern was simply to optimize the traction of the rear wheels. A high weight to horsepower ratio, huge wheels, massive weight right over those wheels, and aggressive lugged tires all contribute. Add a locking differential and you have all the traction needed. Plus, when a tractors has that much traction through only two wheels then adding a useful form of steering assist via single wheel braking is easy.
Now for the compact tractor... They have a different purpose from a field tractor. They lift and carry more than they pull things. The tractor itself is surprisingly lightweight and leaves less of a footprint. THe smaller footprint is major. A farm tractor can leave a rut. In a compact, a diesel engine is more of a selling point than an economical necessity. Some very good farm tractors were gas engines. Since the compact tractor is light, it needs 4wd. And you do need a loader because that's basically about 90% of what a compact tractor does. And it does it well. And because a higher proportion of the total weight will be in the loader, bucket, and load ....and therefore concentrated over the front wheels....then you will find power steering a huge advantage.
As you've probably noticed, you can buy an awful lot of farm tractor for the price of a compact. Used farm tractors get older, but rarely wear out or need expensive repairs. Trying before buying is considered to be common in tractor sales. Sort of an extended test drive where you pay the delivery costs. That's because however it works for the first week will probably be exactly how it will work for the next couple of decades.
If you have enough land to use a medium or small farm tractor from post-1960 (roughly when the 3 pt hitch was standardized) then you should try one out for the hunting property. Your dollar buys more that way and it will do the work. About half the cost will be the loader. You must get a loader regardless. 2wd is OK in a farm tractor.
For the house and 1.25 acres a compact is the answer.
Sounds to me like you need two tractors!
Lucky guy!
rScotty
