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

[Soundguy]

I bought too small the first time around..My first was a yanmar 1700. At the time i only had 3 ac.. figured it would do. Eventually had to get a larger tractor.. was only going to jump into the mid 20's but fell into a good deal on a id 30's Nh diesel.. that took up the slack. Bought 10 more ac along the way, and was spending way too much time mowing.. I ende dup getting a larger tractor to handle the mowing.

( I also have a buncha old antiques laying around too.. )

Soundguy

How many TBN'rs bought too small of a tractor on first purchase? How many bought too big? Just curious what others experience was since most advice here seems to be buy bigger than you think you need.

I bought a DX24 case and traded it back in after one year and 240 hours on a bigger case DX33.

 

[hudr]

I bought just barely too small. My 5005DI Mahindra is at the edge of its envelope w/ a lot of my projects. But the 4320 JD takes up the slack pretty readily. I would really like to have something in between. Say, about 75-80HP and cab/air for the hay meadow and bush hogging.

 

[riptides]

With the help of TBN I nailed my needs to my tractor size.

Then I went out and bought more real estate. So I get to start all over again.

-Mike Z.

 

[NIXON]

I bought the right size machine . But, I think that I should have gotten the 723 loader over the 513.

 

[LBrown59]

2 tractors nice
IDEAL Small Meduim & Large

 

[teach]

My first tractor was the right size, but lacked a FEL, while it was ok for a while, I would never want to go back. It is sort of like living in New England and driving a 4wd truck for years and trying to go back to 2wd. My first tractor, a B7100, is actually just an older model of my second tractor minus the bucket. I use the tractor to maintain 6 acres, plow snow, and haul out firewood from a 200 acre piece that I help maintain for someone. I think that the ideal size tractor for general property maintenance of say up to 100 acres and perhaps some mixed landscaping use, is something between the B7510 and the B7800. These machines offer enough horsepower for skidding trees, pulling a harrow, etc. and can also get into tight spots. I guess it really depends on what you want to do with the tractor. Perhaps equally important with tractor size are: appropriate implements, FEL/no FEL, power steering, hydro. and transportability. I can easily tow my B7100 with my Chevy 1500 4x4 on a 16' trailer.
Teach

 

[Podunkadunk]

All you guys with more than one tractor are so lucky! Tractors are beautiful machines. Friends come over for a beer and we end up standing around the tractor talking about how we each wish we had more than one.

Wish I had gotten the 46" deck....

 

[dgl24087]

My Dad used a Massey Harris Pony then an 8N to maintain 31 acres. He moved up to a Ford 850 before he passed away, my brother kept it to maintain the farm. I bought a JD 1530, about the same HP as the 850 but diesel, heavier, larger frame. Both it and the 850 are perfect as far as HP for the tasks they are used for, although the same tasks were done by smaller tractors in the past. I like the independent PTO and hydraulics, power steering, wet disk brakes, and ROPS with canopy on the Deere.

 

[john_bud]

I had to walk 2 miles to school (there weren't no buss) And it was up hill both ways which wasn't so bad except trudging through a foot of snow in the dark on those scorching 90 degree July days.

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

 

[LBrown59]

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

Now you know why we sabotaged the buss.