Buying Advice how much HP? need 4x4?, and other advice appreciated

pdubdo · May 31, 2015

Poopdeck Pappy said:
My post was a comment relating to the OP's post, but certainly was not an attack on him. I apologize for derailing his thread and won't comment or argue further so as not to further derail it.

You're fine-no worries.
Short answer is I saved over 10 years to buy the land, now I'm saving cash for the tractor, so 10K is what I've got. I've got no credit card debt and don't plan to start now. If the brush hasn't been cleared in a couple years, it can wait another 6 months for me to save a little more. Thanks to y'all for the advice. Sounds like I should probably save a little more and up my budget. Looking forward to adding my tractor to my profile down the road

Poopdeck Pappy · May 31, 2015

Thanks for being a gentleman about my rudeness. I see you're in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area. If I see anything that looks like it might be a deal, I'll certainly give you a heads up.

What brands of tractors have dealers near your property? The first thing I'd suggest is finding out which ones are good and which ones are not so good. That will be a factor when it comes time to decide on a tractor, just in case you need repairs that are beyond your capability.

City Farmer · May 31, 2015

I'd probably look at an older 2wd machine to start with: Ford, Massey, Deere or whatever you can find parts for. Your milage might vary but around here you could in the seat of a nice 3000 Ford for under $3k. I've had my 3000 for about 6 yrs now and it always gets the job done. The only thing I've done to it is a tune up, fluids & lift cover orings ($90 total) but It needs a clutch now. It will pull a 2 bottom plow, 8' disc, 5' tiller and a 6' brush hog with no problem. A machine like that should put a dent in whatever needs to be done while you save for a loader tractor.

redman135 · May 31, 2015

Hello pdubdo, few points to consider: 1)try to get double action rams all round on your loader. (older tractors are often single(lift only) action) double action lets you push yourself out of trouble with the bucket if you are only moderatley stuck.
2) If you go 2wd then the above is important.
3) Consider dual wheels. You will be amazed where you can go that single rear wheels get you stuck.(you mentioned brush hogging around creeks)
4) Many 4wd tractors are 3wd when you get stuck as most have only a rear diff lock and no front diff lock
5)Lastly, have you costed a contractor for the larger "get established" jobs? what effect will this have on the size of tractor you need?
I drove a 2wd fel tractor on duals in hill country (similar to WV) for many years,a properly ballasted 2wd can do a lot.
Which ever way you jump, don't hesitate to ask questions, and good luck

ovrszd · Jun 1, 2015

Poopdeck Pappy said:
Thanks for being a gentleman about my rudeness.

There is a definable difference between rudeness and bluntness. Your comments fell in the bluntness category. The OP understood that. Good comeback on his part. Wish everyone on here could be that way.

Eric C · Jun 1, 2015

If you wanted to get something now, I see tractors like the Massey 231 and 3000 Ford that are well within your budget. My experience is they are reliable and hold their value. Parts for both are pretty easy to find. There are many other makes out there too, these seem to be more common in my area. If you shop around for a deal and take care of it, good chance you can get your money back after using it a few years if you decide you want to get something different. I did that on a 3000 Ford. You will be amazed what you can do with a cutter, box blade, a few other implements and a some nice days to work. Do you buy something now or wait and save more? I don't know the answer to that. Either way you get a tractor, which is a good thing. Good luck on the path you take.

Poopdeck Pappy · Jun 1, 2015

pdubdo, I know where there is a clean looking Kubota MX5100 with a front end loader with less than 600 hours on it. It's 2wd and a standard gear shift transmission, but it looks clean from the pics. He's asking $16,500 (and I have no idea if that's a good deal, ok deal or terrible deal) but who knows what he would take for it if you can stretch your budget a bit. PM me if you're interested. I have no affiliation with the seller. I just saw the ad for it and thought I'd pass it on.

gladehound · Jun 1, 2015

A quick search of tractorhouse.com 9K-11K in Texas with loader. There is a 2002 Mahindra 4110 there 4wd w/ loader (41hp). I'd consider this to be one of the smaller large frame CUTs (the irony of "smaller large frame compact" is not lost on me). But since you entertained 35hp which are mid frame CUTs this is on the big side of that. For the same price you can get a 2002 Mahindra 6000 2wd w/loader (59 hp). This is a much heavier tractor, more than the difference in hp would suggest. both are at ~1000 hours. Gives you an idea of what you can get in 2wd vs 4wd at that price from the same manufacturer.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/li...ST=Texas&SO=2&btnSearch=Search&units=imperial