Buying Advice I need a tractor for...

[docbets]

Of course you are right about needing our own tractor. Stalls are cleaned by hand, always. But we need the arena dragged a couple-three times a week. That's the job I'd hoped to handle with the riding mower, but no, the sand is way too heavy.

I am okay with driving a tractor to mow and drag (though someone else will do that job most of the time). Using a front end loader seems more daunting, but I figure I can tie my shoes, and I can make a pie from scratch, so surely I can master the levers and such for the FEL.

I appreciate everybody's encouragement here. I remember driving my father's Massey Ferguson and stopping altogether to shift gears, since gears were not about speed, but power.

It is time to go shopping in the material world, now, so I will do it.

 

[KU Gator]

FELs are pretty straight forward too once you get used to it. Pull the handle straight back and the FEL raises. Push it forward and it goes down. Push it to the right and the bucket dumps and to the left it curls. Safety issues are it is best to have weight on the back of the tractor when using the FEL as a counter balance. I keep the box blade I use for smoothing the drive on mine. You can buy a ballast box and fill it with something heavy like concrete or a rotary mower will work, but it is big back there. Next safety issue is keep the FEL as low as possible when moving. A raised FEL can get the tractor off balance quickly. Make slow movements and work with no one around. All of us have made mistakes, hit something, etc.

 

[benhunts]

These guys all make valid points. If you buy used, stick with a known brand (Kubota, John Deere, New Holland, Massey-Ferguson) or at least with a dealer/repair shop that can service the tractor in your area. When buying used, avoid those with high hours, even if they are relatively new models. Most likely, those were used by highway maintenance departments and have been put through the wringer. Some dealers (I know of a couple here in Alabama where I live) will sell new or almost new tractors complete with a few implements and a trailer to pull them home with. You can usually negotiate a good deal like this and it can save you some time and money. These "packages" usually include the tractor, a brush hog or tiller, and a box blade or auger.

I've got a JD 5103 that has served me well. While you mention it might not be used during the rainy season, if you can, go with a 4WD model. You never know when you might need to pull out a vehicle or trailer that is stuck and the added traction would prove invaluable, whether rain or snow is involved.

Best of luck and let me know if I can help with anything else.

Ben

 

[sandman2234]

A couple of things sounded good, and one was renting a tractor. Find a tractor that you want and before you buy it, rent one the same size and as close to the same horsepower with a loader if possible. See just how easy it is to manuever it around your horse barn and pens. Not all tractors are created equal, nor in size. I purchased a Ford 7710 to replace my JD2555 because I needed 4x4 and the 7710 looked great at the farm where I was allowed to see it. Company policy forbid me from driving it, and the battery was dead, so I bought it on the advice of a friend who had recently drove the tractor. It was sitting in a tractor shed next to several 3 to 5 hundred hp tractors, so appeared sort of small in comparison. I didn't realize just how big it was until they went to load it on a Landoll trailer and it overhung both sides. I grabbed a tape and that's when I realized it was 13' 3" across the rear tires. How do you spell OPPS!!!
The used market can be great or a mistake, just depends on you and yours experience and a lot of luck. My 2555 runs like a champ, almost amazing and I purchased it for 25% of what I paid for the Ford, and had it been four wheel drive, I would never have been looking.
The large acres need a larger machine, something with some hp, so your not out there from sunup to sundown every day, but the horse pens need small a loader, so your going to need to decide which one is going to have give. The fields can be mowed by hiring it out reasonable if you shop (and lucky) and then you could go with a smaller four wheel drive with loader machine. Or buy a smaller machine new and a larger ag sized tractor(used) to haul a huge mower around the fields. A larger mower new is probably more than a used ag tractor if you shop around for it. A little mechanical knowledge wouldn't hurt around the place, hopefully you or somebody has it, to keep them running without problem. Simple maintance requires a good greasegun and the knowledge on how and where to use it.
David from jax

 

[R_Walter]

Thanks in advance for any help forthcoming.

I have 38 acres, of which 10 are in nut orchards handled by someone else; 8 in woods that might need a tractor for pulling deadfalls out and for pulling out brush when we cut it up; a horseback riding arena (80 x 200) that needs a tractor to pull a dragger to level the heavy sand (cut, heavy sand, almost all rock, very little dirt); roughly 15 acres of horse pastures to mow with bush hog that will chop as it goes; maybe a flail or similar implement to decimate the blackberries that threaten to choke out everything, though this may be a job to hire out.

What were you using to take care of this property?

 

[bucktaker]

another thought is to buy older equipment to start with and determine for yourself what works for your situation. For example a MF 135 with a 5 ft rotary will do your mowing and arena work. Can be bought for under 4k . try it for a few years really decided of you need anything more. could be sold for the same price if you do modernize.

 

[docbets]

A good idea, there, to get something like a Massey Ferguson 135 and see if it does or doesn't meet our needs, and go from there.

Thanks for the idea.

Is it typical for a dealer to include implements as part of a deal? And to figure out the value of such a deal, one ought to know what the implements cost bought alone?

Sheesh, and to think the people who sold us the farm had everything we could have used but didn't honor their agreement with us to give us first crack at the stuff, instead letting their adult kids have it all.

 

[foreman Etexas]

2007 Kubota Tractor L4240 HSTC I found you 1!!!

 

[Piston]

Maybe I missed it, but what are your initial thoughts on how much your willing to spend?
You've definitely come to the right place if your looking for information on tractors

Just be careful, we here on TBN have a tendency to talk people into a lot more than they actually NEED to get the job done. Most of us are on here because we truly enjoy 'tractoring' around and are interested in tractors and attachments and the jobs they do in general. We tend to go overboard when recommending equipment to newcomers. However keep in mind, although you don't currently look forward to mowing your fields or dragging a drag around the arena, you may quickly realize the relaxation you get when all you have to do is mow that field!

I would recommend looking into the b series kubotas, 3x20 series john deeres, and others in that size range. It doesn't sound like you need a large frame tractor, just enough horsepower to pull a mower. Also make sure to test drive different makes and models (not just kubota and JD)
Kubota's HST pedal can be awkward to some. I always figured I would get used to it and I actually don't like it and probably will get something different in my next tractor. I love the HST system, just not the pedal, it's all personal preference.

I encourage you to look at used tractors rather than new. For the price, as long as you have someone knowledgable look over the equipment, you can get a lot more tractor for a lot less money. There is ALWAYS some risk in buying used, so keep that in mind as well.

I personally had a certain budget when I was tractor shopping. I bought a fairly basic, used, 46hp kubota with 500hrs on the clock. I then bought a grapple for the front end, am adding hydraulics, bought a box blade, a 5' rotary mower, quick attach front forks, landscape rake/blade combo, had the tires filled with liquid for extra weight, and bought a used log splitter. I still have considerably less into my setup than I would have if I bought a brand new tractor, even a much smaller sized tractor.
I would have much rather buy a brand new grand L5740 with cab but I couldn't afford it, and didn't want a payment. Remember that a tractor is just the tool to run the implements and attachments, and if you spend your budget on the tractor and can't afford any implements or attachments, all your left with is a very slow toy to drive around and not get any work done. Although that can be very fun as well

You can always sell a used tractor for close to what you paid for it if you decide it's not a good fit for you, but if you try and do that with a new tractor, your going to lose a LOT of money. Keep that in mind.

I would rather you buy a brand new one with all the attachments you need, and I would love to see pics, but realistically, some of us can't afford (or don't want payments) to buy a new tractor.

Watch out for the 0% financing that many dealers are offering. Your not getting free financing, it's just a clever marketing scheme to make you THINK your getting free financing.

Good luck in your tractor shopping and don't be shy around here. Ask all the questions you can and take all our opinions in consideration. There is a lot of experience on this forum and some very smart tractor people (I'm not necessarily either of those)

 

[Piston]

2007 Kubota Tractor L4240 HSTC I found you 1!!!

That's a heck of a deal if that's true!:thumbsup: