You can absolutely buy a tractor that will meet many of your needs for less than $15,000. A used Kubota B series or small L series (or any other reputable brand) with a FEL can be had for $15,000 or less. Now, you're not going to lift 2,000 pound logs with the FEL on one of them, but you can drag good size logs out and cut them up into smaller chunks.
Compared to not having a tractor at all, you will think you've died and gone to heaven with a small tractor (even with the inherent limitations of a small tractor). And if you buy used, you can use it for a few years and trade up to something bigger without taking a beating.
IF you can get a decent bargain you WILL be able to lift 2,000 lb logs.
Pictured first is my Kubota
M4700 w/ 2 rear remotes purchased for $11.5K plus tax etc. bought about the date on the picture. FEL is an LA 1001. Kubota used to rate their FEL's based on kilogram lift capacity, thus my
M4700 is rated to lift a ton.
/edit its 50HP
Pictured second is a great condition
L4630 Barlow's was going to sell me for about $17K WITH shipping AND a engine oil and filter and hydraulic filters change.
So the bargains are there.
Your first basic machine should be; diesel,3,000lbs,4WD,power steering,Front End Loader(FEL),independent PTO.
Lots out there in your price range.Check with all your local dealers(also check out the dealers themselves).
Look and see what brands are popular in your area.Plan on using a lawnmower for the grass.
Or heavier.
Also check out Messick's and Barlow's.
I am a nubie looking at whether it is time for a "first-time" tractor. I know very little about "farming" per se, but have been here and running our operation "tractorless" for 15 years, so I definitely have a good sense of the kind of things I need to do.
I live on a ~100 acres of hilly land in Northeastern CT. ~15 acres of the property are fields which (for the time being) are hayed by a farmer down the street. The rest is woods with a few crude path/roads running through it. We heat with wood, get a bunch of snow, want to garden on a "fairly grand" scale, and would like to move lots of heavy things like rocks, abandoned equipment left in the woods, etc. We currently use a walk-behind brushmower, and would love it if that could become a thing of the past - particularly if we could fight back the multiflora rose and autumn olive that encroach on the fields if not held in check. In the ideal world, we could also use it to mow the lawn, but I am concerned that a tractor that is "delicate" enough for the lawn is not going to fare well in the woods. On the flip side, a monsterous tractor will not do well in our woods. Its wet, rocky, and uneven.
To date we have used a beat-up farm truck to do most of these jobs. It's not pretty, but it has been OK and remarkably cheap. With the kids getting older, we have less time to mess with this. A little speed would go a long way to making things easier.
A problem is that I can't spend $20k-$30k on tractor right now. We'll probably have that kind of money to spend on a tractor someday, but it isn't now and not likely to be in the next 10 years. We have the house, and the kids, and other stuff. I could probably spend $10k-$20k, but would rather be <$15k. I don't know that that tractor exists. (I like to think I am somewhat realistic)
On the new/used argument, I am reasonably good at fixing things, but I don't need another "project." I have a house that is one of those.
Options that have been suggested to me are;
1. Buy a smaller new tractor, have the farmer do the heavy lifting for now, buy a bigger tractor later
2. Buy a bigger used tractor now.
3. Wait and buy a bigger new tractor when you have the money
4. Get an old 2WD tractor as an "intro machine"
5. Hire out the work to locals with machines of their own.
I would appreciate any insight people could offer on these approaches or maybe even one I have not listed. I would like to get started - more importantly my wife would like to get started, so I could benefit from making a decision on this soon.
Thanks,
Steve
Go with #2.
A good used tractor may still cost extra $$. I've had to replace about 4 hoses ($100?) and the front tires ($600).
LIVE on this board, Iron Planet, Tractor House, Craigs List, auctions and ebay until you KNOW the difference in value to you between a 40HP Jinma and a 40HP John Deere.
Get your price point nailed down and don't forget you WILL need attachments to take advantage of your tractor. A tractor is BASICALLY an engine, on wheels. It's when you add a FEL,a rotary cutter, a plow, a trailer, pallet forks etc. it becomes more useful.
Figure out your CRITICAL parameters. It seems price point is one.
Other examples are:
Dimensions - Do you HAVE to get in a narrow barn or have a bunch of narrow gates? I've a trailer that max dimension is 78" between the wheel wells, I had to run my tires to be narrower.
Lift capacity - many people HAVE to lift round bales. If your round bales usually weigh 1,500 lbs you'll want to match that. I had to be able to lift a ton to put it on my sawmill. I had planned on using the 3 point.
I highly recommend Public Service auctions for example at
Public Surplus: Auction #1078910 was a 1990 Ford 2120 (40HP, 4WD, ~2,000 hrs) in pretty good condition which went for $8,400. These are tractors used by local governments and are often well maintained and underused for their age.
