Buying Advice Hiring or buying a tractor

[scaredychicken]

TBN is great for info, sounds like there is a lot of work that you could use a tractor for, so my suggestion would be to take the time to research your needs, check out local dealers, and save for the right machine and time to purchase it. if there is a large amount of sloped mowing to be done a Ventrac might be suitable, but the other tasks probably require more of a typical tractor. welcome and enjoy the forum

 

[blueriver]

As with buying anything .. If you can make the payments without putting yourself and family in the welfare line ... Buy it.

 

[Grandad4]

You've come to a tractor forum, and, obviously, you'll get recommendations to buy a tractor. Here's another one. With that amount of property to be mowed and with other jobs as well, it sounds like you've just about figured out that you need good equipment to do it safely and efficiently. Experience is a good teacher, isn't it? Do the right thing for yourself and your family by finding tools that are capable of doing your work. As you'll note from some of the replies here, if you take care of it, your equipment investment will retain its value quite well and improve your productivity at the same time. Kubota makes excellent equipment. If the nearby dealer is a decent one, that's a great place to start. Can't hurt to also look at other makes, of course. Also suggest you keep your lawn mower for the places you can't get to with something larger.

 

[GManBart]

I have about double the acreage you have now (might wind up being up to 50 eventually), and simply couldn't get by without a tractor (have two now, and looking at a third to be dedicated to mowing). I started out with a used tractor to get my feet wet, and get a better idea of what I was going to need in a bigger, newer machine...that worked out well, but adds some time to the plan.

I don't think you'd want to go down to something the size of the B-series Kubotas. L-series, minimum of 30hp is probably where you'd want to look for starters. A 5' or 6' brush hog would do nicely to keep everything cut short, and you need about 5 PTO HP per foot of brush cutter to run comfortably.

When I started looking at new machines, I tried to look at almost every brand, and quickly realized that there are a couple of brands that give you more performance for the dollar than the others. I'm not saying this to brag, but I'm fortunate to have a wife with a killer job, and I do okay too, so I could write a check for pretty much any tractor in the compact, or utility categories, and not feel too much pain. Still, I couldn't justify the higher costs from the bigger names when I compared features, and performance.

After all of that, I narrowed it down to LS and Kioti....by far, the two value leaders when you compare price, power, size, etc, etc. I wound up buying a 47hp LS for $21,500, and if I'd gone with the Kioti, it would have been a bit more. If you go look at most of the big brands you can't get a similar tractor for under $30K. For a weekend warrior, I think that's a pretty significant savings. If I was running a rental shop, or farming every day of the week, the difference might not be nearly as significant. From what I've seen, the quality and construction seems to be every bit as good, and I'm only missing out on minor frills like an eThrottle that adjusts itself when you step on the pedals...not a big deal. I'm just coming up on 100hrs (after 5 months), and all I've done is the 50hr service, and add diesel

The most important thing is to try as many tractors as possible....sit in them, run them a little bit, and see what you like, and don't like. Sometimes little things will become obvious that you didn't consider when looking at the specs. The good thing is that pretty much everybody makes good machines in this size class right now....lots of competition, so it's hard to go wrong. Good luck!

 

[scoutcub]

Hello all,

This is my first posting as a new member. I'm in a quandary about equipment that I know my farm brothers and sisters with their years of experience can help with.

I moved from city life to country life last September. We have almost 8 acres of rolling land. Most of it is pastures with our house being in the middle and the land gently slopes down on all sides around our house leveling off at the bottom.

As we are already in fire season, I am wanting to mow the fields down very low and then will plant some orchards in the fall. I have a John Deere D140 riding mower that I have been managing the roughly 7 acres of area that I need to manage. The steeper parts I can only go downhill as the Deere is not 4WD and its also just a little on the steep side.

So, after Fall/Winter/Spring and now into summer, I have decided that I just cannot manage the property with the riding mower. It was fun the first few times, but endlessly going back and forth with that is just way too cumbersome. It takes too long to mow and if there are any thistles and other stuff I often have to go over a few times. There are places that the Deere can only manage in reverse as it's steep or if the grass is green it can just spin out since it's not 4WD.

I have found that hiring somebody to mow my fields will cost me from $600-$1000 each time I want it done. I think that purchasing a tractor with FEL is the way to go. I would like the FEL for pulling up fence posts and for moving rocks, fencing, and other large things. I would also get fence post driller (that corkscrew thingy - LOL - I dont know what it's called) for digging holes for trees, fenceposts, etc.

I have a Kubota dealer very close by and they quoted me a good price for a L3200HST 4WD.

I would have many uses for this tractor right now - I have piles of rocks in the driveway - piles of debris - heavy stuff - mowing galore. But I am having a hard time justifying spending that much money after spending a lot on some home renovations. I could get this for Zero down and Zero % financing for 60 months.

I haven't done the math - but I am wondering what people would suggest for this situation. Should I hire somebody to mow and save myself very many hours and tanks of gas using the Deere? Should I just use what I have and neglect all the other work I have to do? Should I just bite the bullet and go into debt and use this thing for everything like digging holes - I mean LOTS of holes and fenceposts, mowing, grading, etc. We have a long gravel road that is about 1/4 mile long that needs grading every once in a while.

Thanks for any input. I don't want to buy the wrong thing or waste money on hiring somebody to do stuff when I know that eventually I will just bite the bullet and get a tractor.

First of all, :welcome:!!

Some decent advise given already. I would second the notion of trying different sized and perhaps brands of machines if you are able, to get the best machine for your needs. Check around all the dealers nearby to get a feel for the right "fit" and "size" machine, then if you could find a used one the extra savings could be used for implements or pocketed. Or, go new with the warranty and low apr payments. Depending on budget and timing.
The one issue that sticks out in my mind....you said mowing the field....would you prefer a mid-mount mower like you're used to, or a rear mower? I'm not very familiar with the "L" Kubota, but looking it up it may not accept a mid mount mower if that's what you would prefer. Good thing about Kubota is they have tons of different models for every application. I think they might be pushing you towards an "L" as that is one of their premier models....thus more $$$.
Given your situation, I would definitely buy a machine vs hiring it out....you'll always have it to do all your projects.
Good luck in your quest!

 

[Minor9th]

Im with Pine, buy a used machine and enjoy doing it yourself. I have to ask though. Did somebody really quote you $600 to $1000 to mow 8 acres? Or did i read something wrong?

Actually, my neighbor just had a 2 adjacent fields done and she paid $600. I have 3x as much to mow. She was miffed that it was so expensive and I have been looking for somebody else to quote me since this guy seems super expensive. It makes me want to go ahead and buy the new one and start my own mowing service. Immediately I would have multiple neighbor customers that I would not even have to get a trailer to do.

 

[Minor9th]

First of all, :welcome:!!

Some decent advise given already. I would second the notion of trying different sized and perhaps brands of machines if you are able, to get the best machine for your needs. Check around all the dealers nearby to get a feel for the right "fit" and "size" machine, then if you could find a used one the extra savings could be used for implements or pocketed. Or, go new with the warranty and low apr payments. Depending on budget and timing.
The one issue that sticks out in my mind....you said mowing the field....would you prefer a mid-mount mower like you're used to, or a rear mower? I'm not very familiar with the "L" Kubota, but looking it up it may not accept a mid mount mower if that's what you would prefer. Good thing about Kubota is they have tons of different models for every application. I think they might be pushing you towards an "L" as that is one of their premier models....thus more $$$.
Given your situation, I would definitely buy a machine vs hiring it out....you'll always have it to do all your projects.
Good luck in your quest!

Talking to other neighbors and given my hilly terrain and what I plan to use it for, I trust the model this guy quoted me. They are the local Kubota dealer and sold another neighbor this same model and our property is larger and more hilly. He's very happy with it and uses it all the time. They really work with the clients to find the right machine for their needs and I think they have the right philosophy in that regard as they know that happy customers will recommend them to other people.

There is lots of great advice here. I will definitely look at other models and maybe check out the JD dealer here as well. I have my name out to several people that I am in the market for a tractor and all my neighbors are a wealth of knowledge and experience.

 

[Minor9th]

I have about double the acreage you have now (might wind up being up to 50 eventually), and simply couldn't get by without a tractor (have two now, and looking at a third to be dedicated to mowing). I started out with a used tractor to get my feet wet, and get a better idea of what I was going to need in a bigger, newer machine...that worked out well, but adds some time to the plan.

I don't think you'd want to go down to something the size of the B-series Kubotas. L-series, minimum of 30hp is probably where you'd want to look for starters. A 5' or 6' brush hog would do nicely to keep everything cut short, and you need about 5 PTO HP per foot of brush cutter to run comfortably.

When I started looking at new machines, I tried to look at almost every brand, and quickly realized that there are a couple of brands that give you more performance for the dollar than the others. I'm not saying this to brag, but I'm fortunate to have a wife with a killer job, and I do okay too, so I could write a check for pretty much any tractor in the compact, or utility categories, and not feel too much pain. Still, I couldn't justify the higher costs from the bigger names when I compared features, and performance.

After all of that, I narrowed it down to LS and Kioti....by far, the two value leaders when you compare price, power, size, etc, etc. I wound up buying a 47hp LS for $21,500, and if I'd gone with the Kioti, it would have been a bit more. If you go look at most of the big brands you can't get a similar tractor for under $30K. For a weekend warrior, I think that's a pretty significant savings. If I was running a rental shop, or farming every day of the week, the difference might not be nearly as significant. From what I've seen, the quality and construction seems to be every bit as good, and I'm only missing out on minor frills like an eThrottle that adjusts itself when you step on the pedals...not a big deal. I'm just coming up on 100hrs (after 5 months), and all I've done is the 50hr service, and add diesel

The most important thing is to try as many tractors as possible....sit in them, run them a little bit, and see what you like, and don't like. Sometimes little things will become obvious that you didn't consider when looking at the specs. The good thing is that pretty much everybody makes good machines in this size class right now....lots of competition, so it's hard to go wrong. Good luck!

I was thinking that this is the right machine for our size and topography. I know I need at least 30 HP with these hills. It's so steep in places that you can only go downhill. I know, I have asked somebody that has mowed this actual property before with a 4WD 30+ HP tractor. I know that If I buy something that is not quite right, I will use it and then get another - I actually thought I could manage this property with a Deere riding mower. I did that and it worked but it's very cumbersome and the novelty has definitely worn off. I am a firm believer in buying the right tools first - if I went ahead with an L-series from Kubota I have a feeling that I will not be replacing that with something else in the near future and thus saving time and money. From all my reading, the majority of people seem to buy up every time they buy a tractor - that the tractor they thought was going to fit the bill just didn't quite measure up.

 

[Minor9th]

I was in the same boat as you a few years ago; "buy new or used?". After a few months of searching local dealers & Craigslist for pre-owned I decided on buying new. It seemed anything pre-owned in decent shape was going for nearly the price of a new machine. Buying new you get low or 0% financing + warranty. I think you should educate yourself on who has what to offer & spend some seat time on different tractor sizes & brands. Also consider what attachments/implements you may need down the road. Good luck!

This seems to be the consensus with my neighbors as well. I worry that used ones - and I see some pretty old, funky looking ones that I am not sure how I would service them if they do have problems. I do not want to become a tractor mechanic and I would really like to have something that is going to be super reliable for years and years to come or else it will waylay the plans and work that has to be done here.

This quote is already hugely discounted - the 2 that were quoted to me were grape harvest returns so they have very minimal use and are still considered "New" but definitely discounted.

 

[DeereMann]

Presuming you moved to the rural life because you enjoy it, you won't regret getting a CUT tractor. Per the posters above, the only real question is finances. If finances are tight you can buy used, but if not too tight they are offering low interest rates on new.

Life is short, don't be afraid to kick back & enjoy it some! I just upgraded from John Deere 445AWS to 1026R SCUT & love it. More torque, smoother & more comfortable ride, faster cut, mulching (no more bagging grass clippings!), and of course, an FEL for all those postponed landscaping projects while my kids were small. On 3 acres.

Good luck!