Hi everyone...fairly new here. Although, I've been reading many discussions recently. Who knew there was so much to consider when buying a tractor? I have an old 9N with around 20hp. I'm looking to get another slightly used but nearly new tractor for around $10,000 plus or minus 3,000. Reliable name brand, with some history and plenty of replacement parts is very important. Would love a FEL but I am also willing to wait a yr to add one on. I wanna move dirt around, dig post holes, move hay, snow removal, brush cut, plant trees, plant various veggies on 3-5 acres and eventually I'd like to dig out a dairy(root cellar) and expand my pond from 1/4acre to 3/4acre (although I think I'll just have someone else do that with a big loader backhoe).
So, like I said, I'm fairly new to all this. I'm on 11 acres in S.E. MI, got some bees, goats n chickens, a dozen fruit trees and a gooey clay garden. Now I've planted 7 trees already and its been half heavy clay and half sandy loam. I also have neighbors who grow corn, orchards and whatever else. I'm currently considering a TN55 with 8x8trans, and a TC40D with hydro trans. I was told by a co-worker "get a TC30-HST w/FEL, 4x4 with R4 tires loaded with beet juice". All sounds good, but I do intend on discing and rototilling, or general ground work, I guess.
So considering all this, and hoping there may be someone out there with similiar conditions, let me first ask, what kind of tires should I go with? I may cut some grass with tractor too and dont want deep ruts in the grass. I did see some R-1 wide tires, any comments on these?
I'm also thinking I should go a little higher than 30 or 35hp....maybe 40-60hp? Is 4x4 necessary (gotta admit though...I want it!)
And lastly, is hydro trans really gonna get all this done? I am also not completely confident I am user friendly with a manual transmission and while I never had to replace a clutch in a car or my 9N, I've also never had either for very long.
Thanks in advance for any input, opinions, or other!