Tractor Sizing I have no clue...I need help!

[wcampbell47]

WOW you have a lot to consider. Woods. Snow. First time tractor owner/buyer. New or Used.

First time tractor owner/buyer with an FEL. Definitely HST and 4WD. Operating an FEL with a gear drive tractor takes both feet and both hands with a lot of hand and eye co-ordination. Go NEW and save your cash. Operate on their money. With decent credit you can put a new tractor on the trailer and haul it home with the stroke of a pen. You have a warranty and in some cases insurance to fix any mishaps you might experience. I have done that 3 times already and can't see myself buying someone eles's troubles. Each time I did that I bought larger. I have done a lot of heavy work with a 21 and 32 hp tractor, but it took time as I don't like to push my machines to the limit all the time. Loving my 39 hp tractor as it does the same jobs with ease. There is such a thing as too big so choose wisely.

Implements: you could probably find a good used slasher/shredder/bushhog for clearing a food plot. Then a used disk to cultivate before seeding. Will you have a lot of snow to deal with? No experience there. Until now I have not considered a backhoe. Recently pulled the trigger on a 3 point backhoe as my needs are light duty like trenching for underground utilities. Half the price as one that mounts on a subframe. Driveway maintenance: box blade, grader blade or land plane. I have used them all. My best work is done with the land plane. Mine is 5 foot wide and 5 foot long with two blades mounted at an angle between the sides. Not really designed to move dirt like a box blade but will re-condition a drive leaving it smooth and level. It also works well when building a pad for a concrete foundation. I don't move many logs but I do move up to 12x12x24 timbers for contractors. I have a pair of logging tongs from Northern Tools that hook onto the front of the FEL. Much easier than straps or chains.

Tractor size: I am just throwing something out here based on experience. The 21 hp would pull the 5 foot land plane with a minimal amount of gravel build up. The 32 hp tractor did better but it would occasionally spin out with a lot of material build up. The 39 hp handles the land plane with ease and will actually move material from one location to another. The quality of my work is much better with the 39 now. I started out with a 2400 lb 21 hp tractor that is 48 inches wide. I have a 3500 lb 39 hp tractor that is 58 inches wide. No regrets on the increase in size which does not substantially affect my ability to move in tight spots. The 39 moves so much more dirt the either of the others!

Well cheers and welcome to TBN. You will find lots of opinions and advice. You just have to choose your own path.

 

[TMR]

Hello "neighbor" and Welcome to TBN.

I am up on 120 acres of woods between Duluth and Two Harbors (5 miles inland from Lake Superior).

One nice thing is that just north of you in Mason, WI are a couple of pretty good dealers...Northland Lawn and Sport (John Deere) and Lullich Equipment (Kubota and another brand?). Both sell lots of tractors and appear pretty knowledgable.

I am also planning a spring purchase of first tractor and likely going with Kubota B2650/3250 or L2501/3301/3901. I have two pieces of property and one is about 30 miles from the other...so frequent towing is part of my "routine" and while I want "heavier" as you will learn "heavier is better (usually)"...my tractor selection will drive my tow vehicle choice.

I think the L3301/3901 (only difference is about 6HP) would be my first choice...if I decide to go lighter and a bit smaller frame the B2650/B3650 is a nice tractor also. Note these are Kubota's.

This site is great and you will get many helpful opinions and thoughts. My "problem" is that I am a CPA by trade (retired) and as a analytical type person I try to buy just the "right" tractor and the truth is there is no ONE tractor that will do all you want in the best way...there are tradeoffs that need to be made. Many solve this in the longer run by having two or three (or more) tractors

Good luck...Tom R

 

[TripleR]

As mentioned, lots of variables that may point you in one direction or the other. my brother and I own land and tractors collectively and separately and have bought new and used. My brother is an excellent mechanic, welder etc., so buying used after his evaluation has saved us a lot of money, but sometimes as mentioned, decent used tractors in the size and equipped like you want just aren't available in a decent time frame for the right money. Mechanical ability, shop facilities are sure a consideration for us.

As to backhoe, we owned an older model Case bought used and fixed up, used the heck out of it building our houses, but it just sits in the shed now, if we need one, we go rent one or a mini excavator. It just makes more sense for what we need now and we have several hundred acres with a combination of open fields and woods. No doubt one would be nice to have, but our money is better spent elsewhere.

A skid loader was mentioned. We had one for several months storing it for a friend, thought we might buy one. After a few days using it, it just sat in the shed. A couple of years ago, we needed one and was able to rent a tracked one with cab for $1100 for a week, haven't need another one since and they ride rough and are slow if you need to go very far not to mention how much they tear the ground up. May be great for some, just not us.

My initial impression would be a 50-50 HST with quick attach loader, grapple, box scraper and rotary cutter. I really like third function and three rear remotes with top and tilt, but you can certainly get by with less and add later.

Good luck

 

[jeff9366]

Second, do you have any prior experience with tractors or similar equipment?

A backhoe is a handy, but they're quite expensive, and many people find they don't use them very often...as in so few times they could rent a real backhoe once or twice a year for years and be money ahead. How many trenches or footings do you really need to dig, or are you planning to use it to dig out stumps?

As far as used versus new, I'm going to somewhat disagree with 4570Man. Right now, anything that's reasonably new goes for close to new prices. In late 2012 I bought a new LS R4047H, put 215 hours on it in 15 months, and sold it for $2K less than I paid for it. I don't see $2K getting you "a whole lot more tractor" for less, and there have been many similar stories related here recently.

Operating a tractor is more complicated than novices expect. A new tractor is easier to learn on. Most tractor novices do not realize that the Three Point Hitch is the key part of the tractor. You want to keep ithe 3-Pt. available for implements and not cover it with a Backhoe unless you will use the Backhoe a good deal. Backhoes on the size tractors you will be considering are not very powerful but they are expensive. A new tractor may be within your budget if you forgo a $5,000 to $7,000 Backhoe.

From your posts so far, a FEL and bucket are essential.

How many acres of your 65 total acres will you work? You have mentioned a few game food plots but nothing else. Also, how flat/sloped is your land?

Tractors are inherently unstable. Light tractors are less stable than heavier tractors; heavier tractors have a wider stance and larger tires. If you have to operate on slopes you will want a tractor two increments larger than if you will only operate on flat land.

Try to buy enough tractor the first time. I acquired my first tractor used, a John Deere 750 subcompact (20-hp), then a new, larger Kubota B3300SU (33-hp) and finally a satisfactory new Kubota L3560 which is HEAVY and has 37-hp. It would have been simpler and safer had I bought the heavy, stable, L3560 initially. Not much of a financial penalty, though.

Give us a range for your tractor budget. $15,000-$20,000? $20,000-$25,000? $25,000-$30,000?

Here is a LINK to tractors offered on eBay, within 150 miles of zip code 54888: Industrial Tractor | eBay

 

[Utopia Texas]

Holy Toledo! Unless you are experienced at gardening a 1 acre food plot is huge. I have been gardening seriously for 50 plus years and help maintain a acre communal garden for the 13 neighbor families at the back of my rural subdivision. Our one acre supplies way more than enough vegetables and some fruit for all 13 families and there is usually so much extra much is canned and preserved. If you are serious about a one acre intense food plot I would forget the backhoe and get a PTO driven tiller. Down this far south on the Texas Gulf Coast the biggest time consumption with gardening is keeping the weeds under control between the plant rows. There is nothing worse than 80-90 pepper and tomatoe bushes 3 feet high surrounded by 4 foot weeds! Your mileage may vary....

 

[4570Man]

If you are not going to plow anything you might want to consider a skid loader. IMO, they are a lot safer for the user, as you are caged in, land speed they are a lot more maneuverable, is not as fast as tractor, could go two speed high flow and come close. Have to go used to going backwards, If you plan on using the loader a lot, skid steer is the way to go. Then get small lawn tractor or splurge and get ZTR. Oh, almost forgot when I looked skid steer was more cost effective. Know you asked for a tractor and this a tractor web sit, had to get in my,:2cents:

He said he had about an acre he wants to make a food plot.

 

[jeff9366]

Any thoughts on the bare minimum implements I woud need to do the food plots? They have field grass that will be mown short and have never been tilled.

There are two schools.

I use a Disc Harrow followed by a Cultipacker to press in seed. However, unbroken land needs to be broken by a Moldboard Plow or a Disc Plow (which is NOT a Disc Harrow) before a Disc Harrow will till effectively. Minimum size Disc Harrow which is effective has 18" diameter pans, better is 20" diameter pans. A subcompact tractor cannot pull an effective size Disc Harrow.

( If land has NOT been broken with a plow, Disc Harrow pans just roll/float over the sod root structure.)

Others use a PTO-powered Roto-tiller. There is a roto-tiller made for every size tractor having a Three Point Hitch. After roto-tilling, drag or use a Cultipacker to press in seed. You do not need to plow before using a roto-tiller but more than one slow pass with the equipment will likely be necessary.

 

[jenkinsph]

My 1715 is coming with FEL, Mid mount mower (MMM), and I also bought a Land Pride 50" tiller. The ultimate food plot, mowing machine, in my eyes anyhow.

$13,600 for the tractor, FEL, MMM, and $2000 for the tiller.

The poster has indicated he has mowing covered and is looking for a tractor.

 

[DK35vince]

Operating a tractor is more complicated than novices expect. A new tractor is easier to learn on. Most tractor novices do not realize that the Three Point Hitch is the key part of the tractor. You want to keep ithe 3-Pt. available for implements and not cover it with a Backhoe unless you will use the Backhoe a good deal. Backhoes on the size tractors you will be considering are not very powerful but they are expensive. A new tractor may be within your budget if you forgo a $5,000 to $7,000 Backhoe.

I think backhoes on midsized CUTs have more power than you give them credit for.
Most have enough power to lift or drag the tractor around and can be removed/installed relatively quickly.
Takes me only a few minutes to remove my backhoe and maybe 5-10 to install.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would look used. You can get a whole lot more tractor for less $$$. If I was buying another tractor I would look hard at the TLBs like a L45 or JD110. The TLBs are considerably tougher than a regular tractor. The TLBs aren't very good at field work, but kick *** with the loader and backhoe. If you want a regular cut sized tractor I would highly recommend my L3240 Grand. It would be a little small for mowing 65 acres, but you said you didn't plan on doing that. It could easily handle the other described task. It could mow 65 acres, but it would take a while. I mow 40 acres on a smaller tractor.

If I were to buy new this spring starting from scratch getting one machine I would lean heavily towards the new M59 with factory cab. I would also recommend a good Florian pole saw to trim branches or a gas powered pole saw. This would be costly but if taken care of would hold its value well. The cost over time would be reasonable imo. Tractors seem to hold their value much better than trucks and autos.