Well, I am at the Rubicon looking accross the water at tractorville. I am prepared to buy a TC29 tomorrow, but now that I have learned a lot here, I can present more intelligent inquiries. First, I want to ask if the TC 29 with 25 pto hp will be OK for my uses, which I will outline below, and want to ask if the deal is a good one.
First, while we have 90 acres, it is my intent to first rent a dozer or hire one to complete major tasks of reducing grades on back roads, any major dirt I want moved around or areas leveled, take care of derferred maintenance on back roads, put in a culvert and put a road across it, and maybe tackle a pond.
Then, I will use my tractor (assume a TC 29) as follows:
- maintain roads (have a tenth of a mile drive way now road oil over DG, but thinking of graveling / have about a mile of back roads (winding / flat and with slopes going from 2400 to 4200 elevation) back roads are dirt and DG.
-mowing under an acre total in different spots, will need to do that only about 4-6 times a year given climate and rainfall patterns
-move material around for landscaping uses and projects ( a few times a year)
-take fence posts and material around the back property on trailer (a few times a year).
-pick up and haul in small boulders from back of property for my wife's landscaping projects (size from size of a fat cat to size of a couple of 80 lb cement bags stacked)(only a few times and then very infrequently if at all)
-some trenching initially (if I get a back hoe or other implement)- for water lines, then rarely
-backfill behind rocks or rr ties laid to terrace areas (at first and then as projects come to mind)
-haul cut firewood from back of property (once a year)
-general grooming of property around house and area (from time to time)
-clean corral area, restore slopes into barn
-build corral fences - (once - hopefully)
-level an area here and there if needed - small areas
-use FEL to gain height to top and prune tree
-and whatever I can do to get seat time
Will a TC 29 be adequate ? a close call ? need more HP ?
How important will the HST be for these uses ? (dealer advises he would suggest the HST if I was going to be doing a lot of FEL work, and on the tractor regularly for several hours, or if it was my strong preference, he said he will reasses tomorrow after I detail my uses for him - our contact today was by phone)
Dealer says he will put on the heaviest / best box he has for the size of this tractor, and will price out a mower, PHD and back hoe tomorrow when I go down there.
The deal is $14,400 for TC 29, 7308 FEL, and box. Will finance with 20% down at 0 % interest for three years. Tractor is lease return with 120 hours. Full warranty. Because I have cattle here, I get a break on sales tax - some program I was not aware of but dealer said I would qualify. I note that another post today advises a deal of TC29D with FEL and 60" mower for $17,000 delivered, if I recall it correctly.
I am ready to buy this now as is less than Kubotas I have found, though I wanted a Kubota at one point, and the dealer seems honest and interested in getting it right for me. Should I keep looking, get the TC29 D (with HST), go larger, or . . .
(note - I also found a used Kubota today a 2000 model, 37 hp
L4310 with loader, 720 hours, but was about $21,500 and last years model of a new Kubota GST(not sure which model) with 20 pto hp with FEL and box for about $17,500)
Brands I have been looking at: NH / Kubota / Kioti
Sorry for the long post, but now that I am ready, need a final bit of advice.
