Buying Advice First tractor. Which one?

[swicke69]

Hi everyone, New to forum and new to tractors. Been researching alot and talking with everyone I can. I have 23 acres wooded high ground very hilly. Power company came though and dropped a bunch of trees along the power lines which run down the back of my property. I have been trying to clean up this huge mess and have been splitting and stacking the wood. My plans are to sell the firewood and logs. Food plots along with a large garden. I have it down two tractors so far. New ck3510hst se with root grapple, rotary cutter, trailer mover, loaded tires. Or a 2015 jd 3033r with a 168 hours in very good condition. Would add a grapple, 3rd function, cutter, and load the tires. The prices for both tractors are about the same. About 26k for the kioti, 20k + 5k in extras for the deere.

 

[jeff9366]

I have 23 acres wooded high ground very hilly.

Ballasting rear tires and spreading rear wheels are the two most effective ways to increase tractor stability. With two-part R1/ag wheels increasing width an increcment is always possible. Only a minority of R4/industrial wheels are two-part and adjustable. Many R4 wheels are one piece and can only be spread with the addition of aftermarket wheel spacers.

Two part R4 wheels may be an option when placing a new tractor order.

Consider rear wheel/tire widths relative to your gates, doors and space between trees.

A quality dealer, reasonably close, available for coaching, is important for tractor neophytes. Most new tractors are delivered with a glitch or two. My Kubota dealer is six miles away. I feel my local dealer continues to add value to my equipment after seven years. Dealer proximity is less important for those experienced with tractors and qualified to perform their own maintenance.


It is helpful to your respondents to have your approximate LOCATION entered in your T-B-N PROFILE.

 

[TheMadOne]

Tractors can be compared in two ways. PTO HP and weight.

PTO HP, rather than engine HP, is what determines what PTO implements(shredder, tiller, finish mower) the tractor can handle.

Weight determines the tractor's ability to put power to the ground and is strongly linked with what ground engaging equipment you can use.

CK3510SE HST-28 PTO HP, 2921lbs ROPS weight.

JD 3033R Hydro-24.3 PTO HP, 2900lbs ROPS.

With the Kioti you could likely run 6' light duty implements on the PTO, or medium duty 5'. The JD is squarely in 5' light duty range. The 21lbs between them is negligible.

All that aside, go actually sit on the tractors. More power means nothing if you find the Kioti painful to use, and really like the way the JD works. The JD may be "tippy", which would be a problem for your hills.

 

[nybirdman]

I would lean towards new with R1 tires.We have a similar sized Kubota (L3000Dt) and it works great for the jobs you describe.

 

[swicke69]

Thanks for the responses. I have driven both tractors. I'm 6'4" and thought both were very similar in ergonomics. Was comfortable on both. Thought the deere felt a little higher end. Although I have been leaning towards the new kioti. I personally know a guy who has bought two kioti tractors from the same dealer and likes them. The dealer has a small satellite shop 10 minutes from me. Having a new tractor and a 2 year bumper to bumper/6 powertrain warranty sounds pretty good. As for tires dealer says r1s. which sound good but I am a little worried about my yard get rutted up while doing landscaping work.

 

[Jchonline]

I would go with the Kioti. Lots of happy Kioti owners on the forums. Wheel spacing is going to be important. I would also prefer R4 tires to add stability. Now the big challenge is slopes with a log in the grapple. Keep it low and try and go up and down only.

 

[nybirdman]

I know a fellow that has purchased four Kioti's over the years;happy with them.Having a dealer close for a new owner is a big plus.Just stay off the lawn when damp with the R1's;in the woods and slopes they are the best for sure.Go with a light weight grapple(best tool ever for a tractor).
We run five foot implements on our 30 H.P Kubota.

 

[ericm979]

I'm also on steep land. R4s are wider which means better stability on slopes. They will dent and tear up the lawn less than R1s. My last tractor had R1s, the current one is R4s. But even with R4s my tractor @ 5500 lbs is too heavy for the lawn unless it's really dry. I mow with a small lawn tractor.

A grapple is very useful for carrying logs. But the weight is far out there so you need ballast. I have Rimguard in the rear tires and put a box blade on the back. I have a weight box that I need to fill with concrete.

Getting a grapple to the log can be a challenge. I often have to chain up the log and pull it to where I can get the grapple to it. I also cut the logs into 8' sections so they're manageable. If you have a lot of logs and need to get them processed soon before they rot, or they're on areas where you can't operate a tractor, I'd look into a forestry winch.

 

[swicke69]

Thanks so much for the advice. It has been right in line with my thinking and what I've been reading. I'm going to start by moving brush piles to get used to using the grapple before I take on logs and hills

 

[tradosaurus]

My situation is close to your except I have 43 acres of woods and few hills. I recently bought a L3301 Kubota with FEL, grapple, heavy duty rotary cutter, and R1 filled tires.
I paid $28K. Had I known you can spread the rear tires another 5 inches in total width I would have had the dealer do it before I took possession.

If your choice is between Kioti and John Deere I would probably go with closest dealer with good reputation.

 

[swicke69]

I will mention tire spacing to the dealer next time I talk to him. I dont plan on skidding logs in wet or muddy conditions so loaded r4's may work. The dealer was against the idea last I talked to him.

 

[3Lfarms]

It sounds like you have the tractor part pretty well figured out. For the grapple, I highly recommend Everything Attachments wicked line of grapples. Very high quality, stronger, and lighter weight than what your dealer will sell you. Price will probably be a little more though. On a small tractor, you won’t have a whole lot of FEL lift, so every pound you can save in the weight of the grapple itself is one more pound of log you can pick up. The EA grapples are usually a couple hundred pounds lighter than competitors.
I have no connection to EA, just a happy customer. I just want you to know what is available before the dealer sells you something you aren’t going to be happy with a year down the road.

 

[jeff9366]

I will mention tire spacing to the dealer next time I talk to him. I dont plan on skidding logs in wet or muddy conditions so loaded r4's may work. The dealer was against the idea last I talked to him.

Tractors are designed to PULL. Towing logs is unlikely to be difficult.

Spreading the rear wheels is for stability. Large rear tractor wheels with small front wheels makes tractors inherently unstable. You describe your land as very hilly. If in doubt consider wheel spacers before tractor arrives, so spacers can be installed while mounting the detached wheels to the tractor axles. An increase of 6" in wheel spread greatly improves compact tractor stability.

Archive threads with WHEEL SPACERS in thread title:
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/search.php?searchid=5076579

 

[shooterdon]

If it was me, I would select the Kioti. Having a good dealer minutes away has a lot of value and tge warranty is a benefit.

 

[swicke69]

I have been looking at the wicked grapple. Mainly from reading posts on here. The dealer wants to sell me something else. His thinking is the heavier the better built. I do want something I can dig up roots and rocks with. I will be giving EA a call monday

 

[TheMadOne]

If you buy a wicked grapple that Ted rates for your machine you're more likely to break the tractor than the grapple. EA uses AR500 steel to reduce the weight of the grapple. The dealer is probably selling a grapple made out of A36, which needs the extra weight to achieve the same strength as the lighter EA model.

 

[swicke69]

My next decision is to get the wicked 55 grapple or spend another 600.00 to buy the wicked 60. ��

 

[TheMadOne]

My next decision is to get the wicked 55 grapple or spend another 600.00 to buy the wicked 60. ��

Call and talk to Travis. They sell these things all day long and will be able to guide you to the right grapple for your tractor and application.

 

[swicke69]

Yeah. I talked to him. He suggested the 60. I'm just being cheap and trying to justify another 600.00 on one implement. Especially when I need many