First Tractor

[newbury]

I am getting ready to purchase my first tractor.

First problem - Get ready to purchase your second tractor. First tractors are like ice cream and s3x- they don't last to long before you want more..

Last year my wife and I purchased six acres. Approximately half of it is flat, the other half is from a gentle grade to steep. I am raising fir and cedar, both for timber and Christmas trees. I have been reading posts on this site for several months. I have read about how to navigate on steep slopes, safety, and maintenance. Four of my friends have Kubotas. THey have all been great tractors, and have me sold on them. I will mostly be using the tractor and brush hog to cut blackberries, clear brush, mow, and for landscaping.

I am mostly stumped on the tracor to buy. I know that I want 4wd, automatic tranny, a bucket, brush hog, and probably need between 20 and 30 HP. I would like to buy new. Especially with the 0% financing. However, I am not made of money. What Kubota would you recommend? What is the difference between the B and L series? Which series is less expensive, but will still do what i need to do? Any and all information is appreciated. Thank you very much.

Consider your first tractor as an educational expense. Check out local dealers. Right now Bobcat is giving GREAT discounts on what is basically a Kioti.
Also look at Barlow's used.
example:
L3130HST w/ Kubota loader and backhoe - 750 hours, very nice, 9' backhoe - $18500

 

[flusher]

I am getting ready to purchase my first tractor. Last year my wife and I purchased six acres. Approximately half of it is flat, the other half is from a gentle grade to steep. I am raising fir and cedar, both for timber and Christmas trees. I have been reading posts on this site for several months. I have read about how to navigate on steep slopes, safety, and maintenance. Four of my friends have Kubotas. THey have all been great tractors, and have me sold on them. I will mostly be using the tractor and brush hog to cut blackberries, clear brush, mow, and for landscaping.

I am mostly stumped on the tracor to buy. I know that I want 4wd, automatic tranny, a bucket, brush hog, and probably need between 20 and 30 HP. I would like to buy new. Especially with the 0% financing. However, I am not made of money. What Kubota would you recommend? What is the difference between the B and L series? Which series is less expensive, but will still do what i need to do? Any and all information is appreciated. Thank you very much.

When I bought my 10-acre place in late 05 (flat pasture), my next purchase was a 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto) with LA302 FEL ($12600 plus tax). I mowed with a 4-ft King Kutter brush hog, rototilled with a used 4-ft wide Yanmar RS1200 ($300), added a Markham toothbar to the FEL bucket, scraped with a King Kutter 4-ft box blade, plowed with a King Kutter middle buster and subsoiler combo. That 7510 is a powerful, nimble tractor so you can work in tight spaces. It came with a mid-mount pto so you could handle a Kubota mid-mount mower for landscape work (I couldn't afford that mower so my lawn mowing is done with a $900 Huskee riding mower--42" cut, from Tractor Supply).

If your budget is tight and you don't intend to do any field plowing/discing, then the 7510 might work for you.

I traded my 7510 in Mar08 for a much larger Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny) when I decided to change my pasture into a hayfield (oat hay).

 

[whistlepig]

I am getting ready to purchase my first tractor. Last year my wife and I purchased six acres. Approximately half of it is flat, the other half is from a gentle grade to steep. I am raising fir and cedar, both for timber and Christmas trees. I have been reading posts on this site for several months. I have read about how to navigate on steep slopes, safety, and maintenance. Four of my friends have Kubotas. THey have all been great tractors, and have me sold on them. I will mostly be using the tractor and brush hog to cut blackberries, clear brush, mow, and for landscaping.

I am mostly stumped on the tracor to buy. I know that I want 4wd, automatic tranny, a bucket, brush hog, and probably need between 20 and 30 HP. I would like to buy new. Especially with the 0% financing. However, I am not made of money. What Kubota would you recommend? What is the difference between the B and L series? Which series is less expensive, but will still do what i need to do? Any and all information is appreciated. Thank you very much.

None of us are made of money. For sure not me. The Kubota's are a lot of tractor in a small package. Even one you think one is too small will do more than you think. 30HP will get you in to a 5' brush hog and 6" finish mower range. My 30HP will pull a 7' disk for food plots. Although we have 20 acres I wouldn't recommend less than 30HP for six acres. A 5HP jump up or down is a quantum leap in tractor size and weight. My dream tractor is a L3400. It's just too big for me. It would rut the yard while mowing. Bigger is not always better. Neither is too small. 30HP is perfect for me. Finish mows well, handles a loader and brush hog well, digs post holes like a champ. To me this is the perfect size on a small farm.

 

[LD1]

You really have to figure out what the main uses of the tractor will be. You are basically looking at 4 size classes of tractors.

The BX's. They are very small and nimble, with limited loader capacity. Would be great if it's primary use was mowing.

The B's. A little bigger, better than the BX's for bushhogging, a little stronger loader, and still great at mowing.

The L's. Not many fancy features, but a workhorse. Better loader lift, bigger than the L's, Much better for bushhogging and loader work, but no MMM. So for mowing the only option is a rear mount.

The grand L's. Many fancy features, which are nice but also add cost. Much bigger frame and loader capacities than a L. But weigh more too. Bushhogging is about the same as the L, finish mowing isn't as good as they are bigger and heavier, but it excells at loader work.

You have to decide what is important to you. If a MMM is a must, then it's a B or BX. If a mmm isn't a must, but you still want a decient loader and rear mount mower, then the L is a good compromise as it is cheaper than a grand L, and much lighter, while a little heavier than a B with more loader capacity.

Best advice is to go to the dealer, and sit on some and drive them around. get a "real world" feel of how big they are. The pics on the website can be very decieving. If you decide on a L, get the 3400 and not the 2800. Not much more money, and the same physical size, the 3400 offer more power which is better for PTO work. And also a live PTO if you opt for gear. If you get HST, they both have a live PTO.