kinda looking for a tractor... I think.

   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #1  

Huntinguy

Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
27
Location
Demokratik Republik of Washington
Tractor
Iseke TX1300
so, someone borrowed my tractor and pretty much everything else from my shop a few years back.
I had a grey market 13hp with tiller and loader. It was fine for what I was doing... tippy but okay.

Now I am trying to decide if a subcompact will work and just rent a hoe for ditching and the abnormal work... not sure what that will be though.

The new place will have a 1,000 foot gravel drive way, a 3/4 acre flat where the house and shop will be. The rest of the property will be up to a 24% grade.

I have heard the snow fall will be from 1-4 feet.

There will be a spring or two to develop - want to make game watering stations and install a couple cisterns.

Thinking about a subcompact new Holland or Kubota with a loader and backhoe (something around 20hp). I don't think they will have the weight or power to deal with that long of gravel drive way. At least based on my former tractor.

Anything larger than a subcompact gets too tall and tippy I think.

Not really wanting tracks but...

I have seen the videos for Ventrac. Not sure that is really a good plan because of the proprietary implements, though it would handle the slopes.

any thoughts?
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #2  
Sounds like a SCUT might work with a loader. I would put the money for the hoe into a front mounted snow blower and rent the hoe when you need it..
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #3  
Are you talking about a 24% grade, or a 24 degree slope?

I would not even worry about a 24% grade. That's only 13.5 degrees of slope. Just about any SCUT or CUT can manage that with no issue. Now a 24 degree slope, that's 44.5 % grade, and some precautions would need to be made.

I have a CUT with cab, weighs 7100 lbs with FEL and either box blade or rear brush hog. I "can" mow a 22 degree slope by side hilling it, but I prefer not to. For that slope, I just go straight up and straight down the slope (not across the side of the slope, which we call "side hilling" around here).

There are things you can usually do to help, like setting your wheel spacing farther out. Many models can do this just by repositioning how the wheels are bolted to the hubs, and some may need spacers added.
 
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   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #4  
The new place will have a 1,000 foot gravel drive way, a 3/4 acre flat where the house and shop will be. The rest (?) of the property will be up to a 24% grade.

Thinking about a subcompact new Holland or Kubota with a loader and backhoe (something around 20hp). I don't think they will have the weight or power to deal with that long of gravel drive way. At least based on my former tractor.

What is the total size of your property over which you expect a tractor to work?

You will probably want chains for winter snow work. The same chains used on dry ground will provide very fine traction. (Make sure there is room for chains between tires and fenders before you order.)

With only 9" of ground clearance few find subcompact tractors tippy, however balance is highly individual. Maintaining an implement or Backhoe on the Three Point Hitch as counterbalance improves stability.

A subcompact will probably suit your needs. Buy a 26-horsepower subcompact. With a Loader + Backhoe you will need the power to move up even minor slopes. The low range on a two (2) range HST transmission is not all that low.

VIDEOS: Comparing Kubota's 26hp Compact Tractors - YouTube

Is the Kubota BX188 enough tractor for you? - YouTube

*NEW* Kubota BX 8 series (BX238, BX188, BX268, BX23s) - YouTube
 
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   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #5  
You mentioned New Holland. Their small CUTs and SCUTs are made by LS tractor. You would get the same tractor from LS for a whole lot less $$. You could probably get a small CUT (MT225e) for close to the price of the Kubota SCUT. I think both would serve your purpose.
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #6  
You might want to take a look at what some call Small Compact, those are bigger than SCUT but smaller that your typical CUT.
Here is a brief list of brands/models you might want to check:

Kubota B2601
Kubota B2650
Mahindra Max 26XLT
LS XJ2025
Branson 2510h

One the most important things to do when considering the purchase of a tractor is to try the machine and see for yourself.

Enjoy
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #7  
The amount of work to maintain a gravel driveway will vary due to its construction and what conditions it endures. The main driveway (paved now) is around 300' with an L-shaped parking / turnaround. There's a shorter unpaved gravel driveway to the sheds. Maintenance was minimal on both except on a hill if the main driveway where it would wash occasionally before it was paved. I could do any work needed with a homemade landplane. The one that hasn't been paved hasn't needed anything done to it for over 20 years. It is on level ground and at certain times of the year it pretty much blends into the yard.

Wifey thought a loader would be a nice accessory when we were shopping for our third tractor. Bless her. It would be really difficult to be without a loader. Never had anything I needed a backhoe for, and if something does crop up I'll hire someone or rent one.

Here in the southern part of PA our snows can be dustings or the occasional blizzard. The last 3 tractors have had loaded R4's (cut grooves in the last two) and they have been good all-around tires for me. When we get plowable snows I drive to our church and do the parking lots. I've used the FEL, front blades, rear blades and a rear blower for snow. Current favorite is a front power angling 8' blade. The last time I used chains was on my first tractor. It was a 2WD with turfs.

Best advice may be to get plenty of tractor. It is frustrating to run out of weight or horsepower. There will always be some limitations imposed by the equipment, but there's a difference between running short of grunt once in a blue moon and having to get into a lower gear to creep up hills every time you mow.
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #8  
I would probably go with something that I call a 2 series tractor, kind of the second level of tractors that are offered. JD 2025, Kubota 2650 etc. You can stay away from emissions at 25 hp and less. IM with you back hoes and so forth unless its something you need all the time, its probably more efficient on time and cost to rent an ex when you need one.
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think.
  • Thread Starter
#9  
What is the total size of your property over which you expect a tractor to work?

The total size is 15 acres - most all of it will need some tractor time. planting trees spraying for weeds and a few paths to walk down. At some point soon it will have to be fenced. Tractors move fencing better than a fat old man...

You will probably want chains for winter snow work. The same chains used on dry ground will provide very fine traction. (Make sure there is room for chains between tires and fenders before you order.)

With only 9" of ground clearance few find subcompact tractors tippy, however balance is highly individual. Maintaining an implement or Backhoe on the Three Point Hitch as counterbalance improves stability. My old tractor was a Iseki 1300. I learned very fast not to take the tiller off. I did stand it on its nose/bucket one time moving gravel for my current driveway and almost rolled it when a front wheel went into soft dirt while I was filling in for a stump I had just removed. So, I am tip shy.

I believe it is 24 degrees, I know it is not 24 feet per hundred... it is way steeper than that. The guy that did the perc test used a track hoe and didn't have any problems.
 
   / kinda looking for a tractor... I think. #10  
What is the total size of your property over which you expect a tractor to work?

The total size is 15 acres - most of it will need some tractor time. planting trees spraying for weeds and a few paths to walk down. At some point soon it will have to be fenced. Tractors move fencing better than a fat old man...

Few here would recommend ANY subcompact tractor for more than three acres. There is just too much work on fifteen acres and a subcompact is limited in every capacity.

I suggest you commence a fresh thread with the title: Suggestions wanted: Tractor for fifteen acres with hills.

To optimize a traditional tractor for hills, spreading the rear wheels is the single most effective change.
Loading the rear tires 50% to 75% with liquid is the second most effective change.
(( I assume you will order a tractor with 4-WD.))


Multiple reasons owner/operators trade up from Subcompact Tractors:
More tractor weight.
More FEL lift capacity.
More ground clearance.
Three-range (3) HST (Lower LOW, Higher, HIGH) ~~ rather than two-range (2) HST.

Larger wheels and tires have a larger tire/tread "patch" in contact with the soil. Larger wheels and tires bridge small holes, ruts and tree debris maintaining traction, conditions which stall subcompact tractors. As a result, larger wheels/tires yield more tractive power pulling ground contact implements and logs, pushing a loader bucket into dirt and pushing snow. Larger wheels and tires decrease operator perturbation operating over rough ground.
 
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