I NEED HELP PLEASE... I was told this was the place to come

[TexasOaks]

My family owns about 200 acres. We have been using an old truck to pull our disk for food plots. We have been using the old truck as our tractor but now we need to do things it cannot.

Now, we want to get a tractor but we are new to the scene in tractor buying. I was told this was the place to come for help.

Our property is mostly all hardwood trees with a few smaller food plot areas we plant. The terrain is adverse in nature with a river, creek lines, hills and valleys but do have a lot of flat areas as well. With the terrain in mind, I think the tractor needs to be agile in moving around the property and have good ground clearance.

Needs:
-Can so some digging
-Do road work
-Hall rocks
-Do food plot work (disk, plow, mowing) 2 acre or less flood plots
-One that will do a variety of chores and fieldwork.

Tractors that might be interested in?

-JD 990
-Kubota 4000's

Our budget is going to probably be around 15,000 (going used). I appreciate any help.

Questions:
-Where do you go for a mechanic to look at a used tractor?
-We have a John Deere dealer/repair shop right in the town close to where are property is located? Should this influence our decision since the closest city around is an hour away.
-What are low usage hours for a used compact tractor?

Any recommendations or tips is appreciated.

Texas Oaks

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

-We have a John Deere dealer/repair shop right in the town close to where are property is located? Should this influence our decision since the closest city around is an hour away.
-What are low usage hours for a used compact tractor?

Any recommendations or tips is appreciated.

Texas Oaks

Definitely, a good dealer makes all the difference in the world for keeping your tractor up and running.

990's are great machines. They have standard gear transmissions which hold up very well for the long haul but you will always be shifting/clutching. The engines are almost bulletproof. Figure about 100-150 hours per year for the average tractor on average land. Much more if used commercially. You might also look for a used JD 4310. Not as powerful but most have hydro transmissions which sure eliminates lots of shifting/clutching. Should be able to find one in your price range.

Kubota makes many fine machines too. I'll let an orange guy elaborate....

Good luck, you might fill in your personal file some so we know what county you live in or where your land is anyway.

 

[TexasOaks]

Comanche County, Texas is where our property is located. Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

 

[texasjohn]

Welcome to TBN ..congrats on putting detailed info in your first post, it really will help folks answer. Suggest you expand your personal information so much of this info will be available for folks to use in the future.

I'm about the same amount of land as what you have. I've had several 30hp to 40hp older tractors and struggled with each to make it work, keep it running and repaired. I finally got one that actually does all of what I need done... which I suspect is rather similar to what you need done. See my signature.

Now, to your questions:

A good mechanic is just about as hard to find as a good wife... no sure path, In my case, I got my current used tractor from a NH dealer who had traded for a low hours (160) Kubota 5030 and equipment

Depends on if you have the equipment to haul your tractor to a repair shop or need/must use the local fellow. Is this EXCLUSIVELY a JD repair place?
If you have the hauling equipment, truck and flatbed, then it's not a major factor. Otherwise, it could be if you get a somewhat unreliable tractor. I'm assuming you will do usual maintence yourself (grease, oil, tranny fluid, etc.). If not, then it's a MAJOR concern.

I'd personally say that anything under 500 hours for a used compact tractor is low hours. My biased opinion, a Kubota L5030 HSTC is exactly what you need.

I'd spend your money, for lots of unstated reasons but based on personal experience, as follows:

50 hp tractor
cab/AC/
Quick attach FEL
QA bucket with toothbar, chain hooks on bucket
rear hydraulic remote.. at least one
4wd and hydrostatic transmission
3ph carryall
weighted tires with liquid, extra rear weights for carryall as needed
box blade vs rear blade is an eternal discussion, each has its place, maybe both
shreadder
a grapple if you're going to be doing lots of brush work, alternatively QA forks can be useful for lifting/carrying stuff.

Problem is that a tractor is just an engine.. it's the attachments that make it useful... be sure to budget for both.

I fear that what you need will be difficult to find in good used equipment for your price.

I'm sure there will be other experienced TBN folks who will offer their thoughts.

 

[TexasOaks]

-What does expand personal information mean?

-Right now we don't have a trailer.

-Looks like it is just a John Deere Dealer.

-Maintenance may or may not be done by us.

-We do most of our car work but we have never done tractor work before.

I will remember to budget for attachments but should only need:

-Front end loader
-Box Blade
-Mower-
-Disk (have one but don't know if it will fix a tractor)

Thanks for the post.

Tractors are expensive... ouch

 

[mjarrels]

It might burst your budge by $2000 but if I were in the market for a mid size tractor right now... I would look at a JD 5103. With a loader, probably looking at $17000 and it will be brand NEW... not used. Draw back is it is only 2WD. Sounds like a workhorse from what I've read.

mark

 

[rox]

Welcome to TBN!

I am sure by reading the threads you will gain a wealth of information here.
It is really rather neighborly to fill in a bit of your profile. We enjoy seeing where are TBN neighbors are from. Texas is a big state

 

[texasjohn]

Yes, tractors cost... but they beat human muscle....trust me... and others on TBN that if you really are going to do much on your place that you should seek to get all the equipment and a fully properly sized tractor for your needs.

I sent a PM to you...

On TBN there is a personal profile... go to MY HOME and you'll see where you can expand it... add topics you are interested in, amount of acreage, what equipment you have, etc. For example, click on my name in this thread (or is it right click?) and select my personal information to see how it looks when filled in.

If you know how to change oil and filters and grease a car, you can do a tractor... and its higher off the ground!

If your disk is a pull type, it will certainly fit any tractor you got if you were able to pull it with a truck.

The box blade will need extra weight on it, IMHO.

Suggestion... learn how to use the search function on TBN... it will take you to MANY threads where your topics of interest have already been thrashed about... then, you can make a fresh post with the FAQ's already answered for you.

Ask them if they WILL work on anything but JD equipment... not warranty work, just repair and maintence.

Consider a Quick Attach... makes changing implements SO much easier!

 

[TexasOaks]

Thanks guys, will update profile

 

[RoyJackson]

Wow, 200 acres! That's a lot of land...but reading your post indicates you're working a very small portion of this land.
That's a good thing too...otherwise you'd be looking for a lot bigger tractor ($$$!!!)

The following are questions copied from your post. My responses are bolded
Needs:
-Can do some digging
Loaders aren't too good a digging. The loader bucket can only dig 5"-6" or so. Loaders are for material movement
-Do road work
By this, I reckon you mean maintenance on an existing road. A drag and a back blade are probably all you'd need. How long is this road?
-Haul rocks
That loader bucket isn't going to carry too many rocks too far with any efficiency. But the tractor would load rocks on a trailer if any distance (more then a couple hundred yards) is involved.
-Do food plot work (disk, plow, mowing) 2 acre or less flood plots
The Deere 990 would be great for this. So would the 790, but the 790 may be too small for your other tasks
-One that will do a variety of chores and fieldwork.
You need to clarify (to yourself...not us) what this entails. Any tractor can do chores and field work. How quickly does this work need to be done?

The 990 sounds like a good choice. It's pretty basic. The gear transmission is great for ground work (the food plots) but would be slower for the other work. The maintenance on a 990 is pretty easy too, so you can do the little that is required with a relatively small number of tools. However, when you add the loader, you've gone over your $15K budget.
You might want to consider the 990's predecessor, the 970, as well.
If money were no object, I'd suggest the Deere 3320 or 3520 with a Power-Reverser transmission.

You've got plenty of suggestions here.

However, I think you and your family need to really evaluate your needs. With $15K to work with, you'll probably have to go for a used tractor. You might consider a 2WD full sized Utility tractor from the 70's through the 80's. I'd also suggest you discuss your needs with the Deere dealer. The Dealer can be an important part of the purchase of a tractor. If he's not willing or able to work (or get parts for) on the machine you purchase, it could be very costly to get a broken tractor to a place that can work on it (figure $1.50 per loaded mile for transporting...and that would be cheap)
If you buy a tractor from a private owner, you could ask one of the Dealer's mechanics to give it a look-see (figure on paying him $50 to do this).

As far as hours... Both of my tractors were used. The first had 600 hours on it when I bought it. It had been well maintained and ran like a top. Obviously, you want as few hours as possible. I would feel comfortable buying a Deere CUT with 1000 hours if it was in good shape and the engine, hydraulics and all controls functioned well. I'd probably do OK with a Kubota, Ford/NH, Massey Ferguson or Case. I would not buy any tractor that doesn't have a solid dealership network behind it.

Good luck!