First tractor - did you buy too big or too small?

[newred]

Thought I bought right , DX24E Farmall. Then I developed a need to unload heavy shipments for electrical contracting business , didn`t have a loader on DX24E and could`nt see spending that much on a loader that may not (wouldn`t ) do what I wanted so I cut my losses and traded 2 year old machine with 150 hrs. Went to DX 26 , had to trade mower , tiller , front blower and cab . Atleast I didn`t have to trade loader .

 

[mark4Jesus]

I bought too small. But that was because of financial considerations. I thought that I would buy bigger when I could afford it, which I did. Is it possible to buy too big? Well, maybe. The carport that I keep my Massey in is only so tall!

 

[LBrown59]

I'm not sure what I'm more confused about, a B model going for 21500 in 1984 or a dealer marking a tractor down from 21500 to 12500. I must have read it wrong, even 12500 sounds high for 1984 bucks.

rob

OK so what do you think new 1984 Kubota B 8200 tractors with a FEL a Back hoe and a 60'' Rear finish mower were selling for in 1984 ?

Did you go to 5 or 6 dealears back in 84 and get their price on one like I did ?

I really don't see anything in my post for you to get confused about.
But your reply certainly stumps me.

 

[roxynoodle]

My primary use for my compact was stall cleaning. I wanted a tractor that could fit through my 4' wide stall doors. A grey market Yanmar was the perfect fit with a 38" bucket on the FEL. This allowed me to fork all the leavings directly into the bucket and drive them to the compost bin. It also allows me to dump new shavings directly into the stalls. No more heavy lifting for my arthritis degenerated hands and wrists. I use that loader to stack hay bales, too. Because I only have 2 acres this small tractor is perfectly fine for both finish and rough mowing, using a post hole digger, etc. I am very happy with the size tractor I picked.

Eventually I decided I also needed a bigger tractor for pulling my manure spreader so I wouldn't be using my very nice truck to do it. For that purpose I found a good running, cheap Farmall H. I am glad I didn't go with anything larger than this tractor because it just barely fits through the doors of my corncrib and I like keeping it indoors. I also don't want to take in the width of the rear wheels because I want as much stability as I can get. So I feel both my tractor purchases were the right ones for me.

 

[CDsdad]

Bought just right. I have 38 acres, originally 20 of it was in pasture. Wanted something to pull a 6' bushhog but settled on the MF 1533 w/a 5'. Now it's planted in pines and cut my mowing needs by more than 2/3, and the 1533 will fit down the rows where a larger machine wouldn't. My wife says lucky, I say pure genius with unlimited amounts of foresight.

 

[Kubotasrking]

I had a Kubota B7800 for my place (20 acres) and it was too small for the jobs I needed done. I put the tractor up for sale, it sold in 2 days, and I'm still waiting for its replacement. I have found, and am (still) negotiating w/ a dealer on a NH TC45DA. I question whether or not it will be enough...but I cannot afford more.

 

[bx23barry]

I only have 3 acres and it came with a big craftsman garden tractor with front blade (I was always gonna build a FEL for it) and rear tiller . The tiller pto wore out and parts were longer available so it got sold and I did with a riding mower/yard tractor for about 5 years. I really wanted a backhoe for irrigation line repair/replacement and digging in the hardpan, a box blade for the driveway and leveling the property, a tiller for the pastures, garden and weeds and a bucket just because. Found a used Kabota BX23 and went for it. I really would have liked to go up one size but couldn’t/can’t justify the extra dollars. While the Little BX struggles in my hardpan and won’t lift as much as I’d like, it does fit in the horse stalls. It takes longer to do stuff than a larger tractor would but I worked part of my way through college driving tractor so 2 or 3 days working the same field seems pretty normal plus I’m retired. I’m not sure if the BX is too big or too small for my needs so it must be about right.

 

[RoyJackson]

The first tractor I looked at was a Kubota B22. This would have been perfect for my acreage, but we didn't want to go that far in debt (about 13K at the time).

The first tractor I bought was a Deere 670 ($6500 including a Befco 60" RFM which I still use). This machine was perfect for my 2½ acres. It had 19 Gross engine HP and 16.5 @ the PTO. The tractor had a #60 loader, which did everything I needed.
The sole downside was using a 60" Land Pride cutter. The 670 did quite well, but when it did bog down, it took longer then my 790 (with 24 PTO HP) to recover.
I do miss that little tractor sometimes...for one thing, it would have been paid off by now (actually, between 12-18 months ago). I've still got a couple years left on the 790 loan.
I do more brush cutting now (with the 790) since I'm maintaining about 3 acres for a neighbor) so the 790 is the better machine...but that little 670 was a heck of a nice tractor!

 

[RoyJackson]

The first tractor I looked at was a Kubota B22. This machine would have been perfect for the tasks I envisioned. However, we didn't want to go that far in debt ($13K at that time).

The first tractor I bought was a Deere 670. This machine was perfect for my 2½ acres. It had 19 Gross engine HP and 16.5 @ the PTO. The tractor had a #60 loader, which did everything I needed.
The sole downside was using a 60" Land Pride cutter. The 670 did quite well, but when it did bog down, it took longer then my 790 (with 24 PTO HP) to recover.
I do miss that little tractor sometimes...for one thing, it would have been paid off by now (actually, between 12-18 months ago). I've still got a couple years left on the 790 loan.
I do more brush cutting now (with the 790) since I'm maintaining about 3 acres for a neighbor) so the 790 is the better machine...but that little 670 was a heck of a nice tractor!

 

[GaryE]

The first tractor I "bought" / acquired was a Kubota B6000. Great little tractor, but to small for many of my needs, but much more tractor than I thought it was. I then bought a L3710. Great tractor, but to big for a few tasks, but one amazing machine. I should have NEVER sold the B6000, it would have been the perfect addition to the L3710. I can see the need for a still larger tractor for a VERY few of my needs. Maybe someday I might pick up a M series for the few tasks the L has trouble with. But a M series will be way to heavy to do much of what I use the L3710 for.


What I have learned, for at least my needs, there is no such thing as "one size fits all..." Owning multiple tractors is probably the best way to go, getting the largest tractor you can afford to take care of the top 5% of your needs is, in my opinion ..... well, let's just say, is not the way to go!


Gary

 

[chrisjbell]

Too small, alas. I have a B7300 - should have gone up a couple of sizes to something in the 30HP range. On the other hand, it has handled everything that I've needed it to. A larger tractor would have just made things easier / faster.

 

[LBrown59]

I bought an 18 horse Economy Power King with an end loader when I had a half acre lot. I guess it was considered as too big. My neighbors said I was nuts. I got tired of my neigbors and bought 30 acres. The thing was too small now. I bought a Ford 1910 (still have it) and it was perfect.

What year is the 1910?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Talk about an easy life!

We had to push the bus 5 miles to school, up hill, both ways, against the wind. We were far to poor to afford fuel. Wouldn't have been so bad, but the parking brake was stuck on, the clutch was rusted to the flywheel and the transmission was in 1st, the front tires were flat and we didn't have shoes.

jb

You all could aford a bus to push?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I went the big route with a couple tractors I bought in the 1980's. They worked out well for a time, but as retirement aproaches, I've got away from the chores requiring anything big. No hayin', no corn crop, no more land to clear. The biggest tractor (Deere 4250 110hp/mfwd) went away already. The next biggest (Deere 2440 60hp) hasn't seen more than a few hours of bush hogging in the last 16 months. Looks like its days are numbered here. (Son wants it) That'll take my down to 2 (useable) tractors, 40 and 47 hp, to take care of 45 acres. That's more than enough. (3 future restoration projects sitting out behind the barn don't count as "working tractors")

IMHO, once you get a place to your liking, maintaining property is easier with something a little less "monsterous". I personally like smaller tractors with high HP to weight/High hp to size ratio. You can still do the pto work of a bigger tractor without the physical presence of a giant. Heavy tractors compact soil, drink fuel, usually repairs come with a price tag comparable to the tractor itself, and they don't fit between or under trees very well. And then there's providing a protected place to KEEP it.

Bigger may be better. BIGGEST isn't always better. BTDT, got the butchered barn doors to prove it.

 

[3RRL]

I had a Kubota B7800 for my place (20 acres) and it was too small for the jobs I needed done. I put the tractor up for sale, it sold in 2 days, and I'm still waiting for its replacement. I have found, and am (still) negotiating w/ a dealer on a NH TC45DA. I question whether or not it will be enough...but I cannot afford more.

Robert,
LOL .. when your new NH comes in you'll have to change your TBN name.

 

[California]

I think I hit it about right.

I wanted a rig just big enough to handle a loader and lift pallet-size loads. I figured the minimum would be either around 18hp/4wd or a little larger and 2wd, no preference. Anything big enough for that could also handle a bushhog and box scraper at the size I needed. (4 ft and 5 ft.)

A large tractor would be a liability in this orchard since it won't fit under the trees.

And a major emphasis was on inexpensive. At the time I didn't anticipate how much I would use a tractor so I didn't see a reason to have a lot of money tied up in it.

This Yanmar does everything I hoped for and has been inexpensive to maintain.

I finally found its upper limit, the hp is insufficient for disking going uphill. But that project was free help for a neighbor so that is hardly a necessity.

At one time I expected to replace this tractor with a smaller one after I completed some major projects, for example re-aligning the driveway. But now I think this one is permanent.

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