Buying Advice Is a Bobcat a good fit?

[CampyVA]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on the forum. I've been lurking around for years but am ready to finally purchase my first compact tractor. My wife and I own ~20 acres, that is around 10 ac. of pasture, 7 ac. of woods and 3 ac. of lawn. The pasture is currently free-leased out to a small time cattle farmer. The property is moderately hilly with the steepest parts being wooded. Because this is my first tractor, I want something relatively modern and safe (ROPS, hydro trans, safety switches, etc.) with low hours. Because of our hills, I want 4wd. I will primarily use the tractor for grading our private gravel road, brush hogging the pastures, clearing fallen trees, and snow removal, so I think 25-35 HP will be a good range to shoot for.

As far as dealership proximity to me there is a JD dealer 20 min away, and basically everything else is within an hour or two.

Thoughts on buying a Bobcat?
Thanks!

 

[blacklion66]

I have a bobcat CT 230 which so far has been a good tractor, Bobcat parts are now available from Kiot.

One consideration should be how far from a good dealer.

folks new to tractors can get in all kinds of trouble regardless of all the safety features. I started driving my 1st tractor at the age of 12 (1947) I found out if you hooked up to a car frozen in mud ruts the tractor could turn over backwards, had the front wheels pretty high off the ground before I got the clutch pushed in

Tractor manuals are loaded with safety advice but most don't go into detail about what can happen if the advice is not followed. If you remember to never to drive sideways on hills and when carrying a load in the bucket keep the bucket
as low to the ground as possible.

Good luck with finding the right tractor ☺

 

[winston1]

I have a CT235 I bought used in 2015 with about 1300 hours, now has about 1950 hours. I have found the Kioti/Bobcat to be a well built machine. I have resealed a couple of loader cylinders, replaced the oil pan and several fluid changes. A few minor problems but nothing you couldn't expect with any brand. I personally would put it right up there with the Kubota and John Deere.