Hello from Central Washington State!

L98camino · Sep 26, 2017

I have been lurking on this site for a while and now I am ready to buy my first tractor so be gentle

My wife and I purchased our "forever home" about 3 years ago. We both retired this year and closed on the old house last week. All moved out of the old and sorting our the new lol.

We have about .82 acre with a house and detached garage. Lots of landscaping to do and a shop to build. Lots of mature pine and fir trees, some of which will have to come down to make room for the shop and associated driveways.

I will be using the machine to grade/create driveways, site prep for the shop and landscaping. We get up to 3 or 4 feet of snow in winter and will need to deal with that.

Looking forward to meeting everybody and tapping into the vast array of knowledge on this site.

Cheers, Dan

oosik · Sep 26, 2017

Well........ Welcome to TBN & the forum. Kind of nice to have a few days without smoke. I have a mile long gravel driveway and cleared snow with a Ford 1710 4WD( about 28 hp) for over 25 years. I did have to use a 3-point snow blower on the berms as they would build up. The Ford just was not heavy enough to clear them with the rear blade. My new Kubota at 10,000+ lbs will do the job easily with just the rear blade.

I'd suggest that you develop a list of all the projects you want to undertake for, at least, the next five years. This will give you some kind of idea of what you will need in the way of a tractor and basic implements. Remember, with proper maintenance, a tractor will last a lifetime.

Wagtail · Sep 26, 2017

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

jeff9366 · Sep 26, 2017

1) We have about .82 acre with a house and detached garage. Lots of landscaping to do and a shop to build.

A Kubota BX series or a Kubota L2501 is ample for these tasks.
VIDEO: BX LANDSCAPING - YouTube

Many/most of us keep our tractors in the garage, cars and tractor implements outside. A BX is physically small.

2) Lots of mature pine and fir trees, some of which will have to come down to make room for the shop and associated driveways.

You can drop the trees with a chainsaw. Removing stumps is work for a Skid Steer or a mini-excavator. You can really bang up a new tractor in a few hours wrestling stumps ~~~~ then you have to live with the depreciated tractor for years. It is not worth it.

VIDEO: mini excavator removing stumps - YouTube

3) I will be using the machine to grade/create driveways, site prep for the shop.

Best a tractor with at least 3,000 pounds weight, bare tractor. A Kubota L2501 is a bit under 3,000 pounds, bare tractor, but it would do.

VIDEO: TRACTOR GRADING DRIVEWAY - YouTube

4) We get up to 3 or 4 feet of snow in winter and will need to deal with that.

All-at-once or over an entire winter?
Are you considering an optional $8,000 factory cab with heat and A/C?
Light snow can be moved with FEL and bucket.
Medium snow requires a rear blade. Snow blades have TALL moldboards.
Deep snow requires a snow blower, front or rear mount. Front mount blowers more expensive and require tractor front PTO.

KUBOTA WEB SITE: http://www.kubota.com/product/GroupTractors.aspx

There are several brands of tractors probably equal to Kubota. I have had three tractors, last two have been new Kubotas. Kubota is the brand I am familiar with, hence the Kubota illustrations. Consider other tractor brands along with Kubota.

Creamer · Sep 26, 2017

Welcome to the 2wonders of country living! I too have a 1710 Ford that has been wonderful although I do agree that it is a little small to push thru hard snow drifts so a snowblower could be quite useful. Having said that a SCUT (subcompact or some refer to it as an over-equiped garden tractor) may do you very well as well. they have a lot of power for their size and and take up less space, turn shorter and all those fun things. It is all about what you are comfortable with.

Tractor Seabee · Sep 27, 2017

Welcome to the site from the left coast. I have a BX 25 and it does all I need it to do. Great for landscaping as it is small and handy around structures. it does most of what the bigger tractors do just slower. Definitely not a production machine. I just sold 21 AC of timberland with a large house, garden and 1.5 AC of landscaped area. You will be glad in the end that you have the BH. Get forks for the bucket; I put on 4 and that is a lot better for handling brush and logs. Must have other implements useful for small acreage like yours are: 3PT hitch W/Quick hitch attachment, rototiller, box blade, QH for the FEL, snow plow assemble for the front w/shoes. Get both the 8 and 12" buckets for the BH. The 8" works better to cut tree roots. That will do 90+% of what you will encounter.

I have taken down trees and dug out the stumps as big as 12" across the stump. Cut the logs in lengths the FEL will carry or make the firewood at the tree site. Be real careful on side hills and when the FEL is loaded, turn overs are common. Keep situational awareness at all times. Music and mood altering substances can be an enemy to that awareness.

Keep asking questions; we love to tell you haw to spend your money and sometimes have solutions to your problems or situations.

Ron

Thomas · Sep 27, 2017

:welcome: to TBN Dan.
Congrats to you and your bride on retirement.

jeff9366 · Sep 27, 2017

Tractor Seabee said:
Get forks for the bucket; I put on 4 and that is a lot better for handling brush and logs.

I use dedicated Debris Forks on my tractor.

If I could do it over I would buy ULTRA FORKS in lieu of Debris Forks.

LINK: Multi-Spear Ultra Fork

I have a Bucket Spade from Bucket Solutions. This outfit is dedicated to robust quality. Watch the VIDEO.