Buying Advice Looking to buy tractor, have 80 acres, bushhogging, fel work, road maintenance, etc.

[bigjohn56]

I have 80 acres in SE Missouri. I'd like to buy a tractor to do bushhogging, road maintenance, and some fel work. My plans for the future include having a cabin, metal building, or pole barn built to house me and my toys when I'm there.

Some input from you guys on my choices would be great. Having spent a lot of time researching my options both online and by asking people for their thoughts but not having any real tractor experience, here are the tractors that I'm leaning towards:

1) A new 25 or 35 hp Chinese tractor. This is the lowest cost alternative with a 25hp model costing around $10,000 and 35hp for $12,250 plus shipping of a few hundred bucks. A heavy simple tractor but reliability seems to be an issue.

2) A 25 or 35hp Nortrac. Shuttle shift trans. Cost is higher, $13,000 or $15,500 shipped, but perhaps support in the future would be better.

3) A new LS G3033 costing around $15,500. Shuttle shift trans and probably higher quality but less weight and hp compared to a 35hp Jinma or Dong Feng and 20% more money.

4) A new TYM T353 costing around $18,000. Shuttle shift trans and probably better quality but again less weight and almost 50% more money.

I'm not really interested in shopping for a used tractor unless a great deal were to fall in my lap so suggestions to do so, however well intentioned, wouldn't be helpful at this point. A larger tractor is not needed as my neighbor has four or five larger (75-150hp) tractors and would provide them if needed. While cost is not the controlling factor, any money not spent on the tractor would be available to buy implements and later go toward a building.

My biggest concern about the Chinese tractors is reliability. It seems that some folks have had a lot of troubles and others have done great. Some say the quality has improved over the years and you can't look too far in the past to measure reliability. Everyone who sells them believes the brand they sell is superior to other brands. Kinda like Ford vs Chevy when I was a kid. My neighbor there is very mechanically able and would assist in maintenance and repairs.

SO: Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. These forums are great and the advice of experienced people is always a great help to a noob.

Thanks to all.

 

[JD5210]

How big of a rotary cutter are you thinking about? You may want to look at this link. I use the rule every 1 foot of rotary cutter requires 5 HP at the PTO.

TractorData.com - Mowing with tractors

 

[bigjohn56]

How big of a rotary cutter are you thinking about? You may want to look at this link. I use the rule every 1 foot of rotary cutter requires 5 HP at the PTO.

TractorData.com - Mowing with tractors

Rotary cutter size would be 5' if 25hp and 6' if 35hp.

 

[mfreund]

Look around and see what dealers are close to your property. I would buy a tractor that I could get parts for without driving too far on a Saturday afternoon. Everything breaks after 5 or on the weekend.

 

[bigbull338]

i doubt if a 25hp or 35hp tractor will do what you want done on 80s.id look at 50hp min used or new.

 

[boggen]

transmission... most likely some sort of hydro static transmission. if not make sure it is a fully synced transmission,
shuttle shift = may not be fully synced, and you maybe more looking for words like "power shuttle shift"

it is all in the constant forward/backwards, and changing gears while still moving. it may not seem important, but it can come up pretty quickly.

i would look into FEL and 3pt hitch lifting capacities. along with FEL (front end loader) lifting height. if you are building shed/cabin, having a higher lifting height and lifting capacity, to lift shingles, trusses, metal panel for shed, etc... up to roof or simply move it on/off trailer. can make life easier. pending on size, you still may need to higher out a crane or like to put trusses in or drop poles in holes for a pole barn.

===============
you never really state what the 80 acres is like? steep hills? pasture? woods? fields? lake? etc.... dirt lanes / trails? streams going through property?

80 acres and moving stuff back and forth, make it from dirt, to cutting down trees and moving brush / small twigs to a central burn spot. having a larger tractor can make things go quicker. 80 acres you could easily have 1/2 mile of trails / dirt lane and perhaps up to 1 to 1.5 miles to get in and around the property. all depends on how things are laid out. and what you want / do.

 

[Mattc8832]

I would go with the LS by far. I bought a John Deere 3032e with a Loader and pallet Forks for $18000 last fall. Me personally I chose John Deere for parts reliability but also resale value in the future if I was to sell it. I have owned Korean Tractors before and the resell value does bottom out. LS is a great quality product in my area we have 2 LS dealers within 1 hour drive of me and they are both great companies.

 

[newbury]

I agree with upping the size. Most 40 HP tractors will lift what you need.

I've a 23HP and tried to buy a 40HP but ended up with a 50HP for my second tractor, the M4700 w/1400 hrs.



bought from a Public Service auction for $11.5K. I think of it as a "retired tractor for my retirement life". I've several threads on it. /edit - equivalent new would have been about $28K.

There are some gems out there.

This 40HP 4WD Ford w/ FEL went for $8.4K.


Public Surplus: Auction #1078910

Your writing "while I'm there" indicates you won't be using it 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, 2,000 hrs a year. Even the "Chinese" tractors are built for use and the first 1,000 hours on a diesel engine is just "breaking it in".

 

[motownbrowne]

I'd stay away from the Chinese stuff. Also, regarding mower sizing. The 5hp/foot rule is power at the PTO, not power at the flywheel, so be sure you're looking at the right numbers.

Personally, I love my hst and wouldn't be without it for loader work. A hydraulic shuttle would work too, but not a standard shuttle which requires you to clutch to change directions.

When I was tractor shopping, I got quoted some pretty good prices on the ds line from kioti. A ds4110, which is a nice size rig with a stout loader was under 20k.

I would want at least 40hp for that much land. You really get a lot more tractor going from 35-40hp in many cases.

 

[Grandad4]

Welcome to TBN. Your use sounds pretty much similar to what many other people need their tractors for, so you're in pretty good company. I won't tell you what tractor to buy because there are many mainstream brands of tractors out there, and generally they all make good equipment and have happy owners, so it does become a matter of your personal preference when choosing. Just my opinion but the bargain-priced Chinese tractors (including Nortrac) seem to need more hands-on attention to keep them working and don't have the dealer and parts support of a mainstream brand. That may or may not be your cup of tea.

As with cars, you generally get what you pay for.

I do agree with the suggestion you look at larger equipment if you can possibly swing it. It is a big step up in capability when you get into the 40+ hp range, and your acreage and work would seem to justify doing so.

Good luck in your search.