List prices??

EdK · Nov 8, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm looking in the 30 HP range. I am buying a 67ac farm, with about 4 cleared , which I'd like to do some planting in (discing or tilling?), the rest is heavily wooded, no finish mowing, bush hogging 1 ac apple orchard, logging (skidding really), and 6 months of snow moving (200+ in/yr).

I've been looking at shades of orange)</font>

About 2 years and 220 hours ago I purchased a shade of orange. Compare our situation:
<ul type="square">
[*]48 acre farm
[*]5 acres field
[*]balance heavily wooded
[*]plow 2250' drive Dec-Mar
[/list]

The class tractor I purchased: 68 hp utility. Could I have been served by a smaller tractor? Perhaps. Could I have been served by smaller than a utility class tractor? I don't think so.

Good luck, EdK

dsgsr · Nov 8, 2004

Always buy a little larger than you think you'll need. I think you should be looking in the 40+ hp tractors. On 67 acres you probably won't be saying to yourself "I wish I had less hp" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

David

Kipper · Nov 9, 2004

I don't know if I can afford a 40+ hp tractor. Haven't shopped in that range so I don't know prices.

Let me say that time is on my side. I am retired, so spending an extra hour or 2 mowing/discing a field isn't an issue. Spending more money of a fixed income is!

Will the CK30/L3130 move snow well? Drive is about 150ft + parking area. Time wise, I think this will be the most hours on the tractor (Nov-Mar). In a year or 2 I want to upgrade to a blower and cab.

Had I said I was on 8ac with the same needs would you still recomend 40+ hp?

Lastly, like I said I haven't shopped this range and don't know how big a 40+ hp tractor is? Will it manuver well in thick woods?

Thanks again for input and replies.

Ledgemere Farm · Nov 9, 2004

I have a little over 5 acres and a 26 HP tractor. I have never said, "I wish I had bought a smaller tractor!" The trees on 5 acres grow just as big as the trees on 65 acres. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

EdK · Nov 9, 2004

Kipper

I apologize for scaring you on needing a monster of a tractor.

Do you need a large tractor just because of your lot size? Not necessarily. My cousin has 40 acres in northern NH and gets by with a 4wd ATV. How does he do it? He is not overly ambitious or unrealistic about staying within the limits of the machine.

It is the combination of your farm size and proposed uses that led me to post initially about rethinking the small tractor.
<ul type="square">
[*]You mentioned plowing. If it is only 150' then a snowblower on a smaller tractor could be up to that (not likely a plow blade with a 200" annual snowfall)
[*]You mentioned skidding. If it is only modest-sized bucked logs or perhaps larger aided with an arch - no problem. If you were considering tree-length skidding in any volume - no.
[*]You mentioned discing a field. That takes a lot of power. Of course, you could get a small disc and with the extra hours you would get where you need to be.
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Will a large tractor maneuver as well in thick woods? No. However even a small tractor will not maneuver well enough for most people. That's why winches sell so well.

So keep on shopping and make the most of TBN to get yourself an education. One thing I found is that the cost:size ratio is not linear. Think about it: you've got to anti-up nearly $15K for any tractor. After that point, hp and weight rise quite sharply for an additional $5-10K.

Lastly, even with my healthy utility tractor I still find a need to visit the local equipment rental company.

Kipper · Nov 9, 2004

Back on the subject...

Any Kioti guys out there know list prices?

GregMVT · Nov 11, 2004

Kipper,

I paid $15,400, after the $400 rebate from Kioti, in Oct for my CK 30, manual shift, FEL, filled R-4's, and block heater. When I first looked at Kioti's a couple of months ago I looked at a CK 25, manual with FEL and R-4's. I think the dealer said the price was $14,800 or so. You might be able to do a little better where you are, prices seem to be a little high here, but at least I was able to get out of paying the 6% sales tax since the majority of my use will be for my maple sugaring operation and possibly expanded my raspberry batch in a couple of years when I get some more land cleaned up better. Since I have a wood fired evaporator I have used the tractor to skid out logs that I've cut to thin out the sugarbush. It works real well for this, don't even notice them on the back. I've attached a photo of what I've brought down.