Need Advice have 5 acres (Looking for first tractor)

[Hootie]

VRF

I am 6'5", have a BX2200 and a Grand L5030. Both of these fit me fine. I built a new house and the BX (first purchase) saved me on many occasions. I have done literally tons of dirt work and other things with this little tractor that would have cost me lots of $$ to hire out. Purchased the Woods BH for it and am delighted with the performance. The MMM works great! I bought Kubota when I looked at the cost of the JD in comparison. I also own a zero turn Bota that has been very reliable.

Lots of my opinion has to do with my dealer, which has been very helpful and responsive when called.

Just my opinion.

 

[VRF201]

Thanks everybody for the great input!

Hopefully I'll get a chance to go looking this weekend?

VRF201(roy)

 

[NewToy]

I have 5.5 acres and a Farmtrac 27 hp tractor. Plenty of power, I mow with a 60" finish mower, till .5 acre garden, drag all kinds of stuff around and maintain a 500'+ gravel drive with a 6' rake. I went without a loader since my FIL is an excavating contractor, if I need a backhoe I just need to ask. I also fill up the fuel whenever I'm through. The loader would be in my way mowing which is one of my tractors core jobs. The tractor was $10,300 with 0% for 48 mos.

John

 

[jbrumberg]

VRF201:

Welcome to TBN ! I would have jumped in sooner, but I have been away. You have gotten a great deal of good advise already. I would sit on a lot of tractors and choose the tractor and dealership that fits you "best". Do not get hung up on HP. I maintained my 12.5A's with both a Ford 1100 (13/11+ HP) tractor for 20+ years and now a NH TC29DA (29/23+ HP tractor). The bigger tractor just does the same job more quickly (except in the woods where its larger size creates manuverability challenges). I recommend a tractor with 4WD/MFWD and a FEL. A lighter tractor if mowing is the primary task; a heavier tractor if dirt work is your primary task.

Jay

 

[Soundguy]

Ditto what JB said.. DO set on alot of tractors and get to know the dealer that will be doing your warranty service. The dealer attitude makes for a huge part of the bargain.

Soundguy

 

[rdam]

With 18K to play with, I'd look a little bigger than a "B" series. There are lots of posts on here about people wanting/needing a bigger tractor...Not so many going the other way.

Check the Kubota L3240. Smallest of the Grand L series, it is a heavy duty machine that you will have a hard time outgrowing. Lots of loader and 3PT capacity, yet small enough to maneuver in tight places. It should fall well within your price range with a fully syncronized transmission.

 

[patrick_g]

Hi and hello to all!

Newbie here!

I just purchased a house with 5 acres and a Kubota GS1800 54 cut.
I'm looking to upgrade to a newer bigger tractor to maintain the property.
My starting point is 30 hp. The land is mostly grass and flat with some brush removing needs.

Would like to stay under 18,000 if possible?

Thanks to all that reply!

VRF201 (Roy)

While I can't personally see the need for a permanent tractor for 5 acres (rent one, clear the brush, level the worst obstructions and mow with the 54 inch unit) tractors are fun and if it blows your skirt up and have the $ go for it.

A dealer in Ada, Oklahoma is selling 50 HP Kubota tractors with 6 ft brush hog, 6 ft box blade, front end loader, on an 18 ft tandem axle electric brake trailer as a package deal for $19K. A friend/neighbor shopped that deal with Dinsmore Kubota in Shawnee, Oklahoma and got the same inventory for $200 less. There is also a package deal for a smaller Kubota tractor with 5 ft box blade, 5 ft brush hog, FEL, and 16 ft trailer for $16K.

I spent the night Saturday night with the proud owner of a Montana (essentially a JD without the yellow stripe.) He insisted I try it out so I did briefly. What can I say, it is a tractor, a nice tractor. Fit and finish look good, Mitsubishi diesel is hard to fault, the cab is roomier than mine (you probably don't need the expense of a cab and A/C with 5 acres) and the spring loaded seat handles my weight better than my Kubota. Anyway, you can get a lot of tractor and equipment for $19K or less, hopefully less as, really, 5 acres is not all that much land once you get over the few feet by a few more feet tract lot mentality.

My place is medium small to average in this area and is 160 acres. There isn't much I can't do with my 40 HP Kubota(within reason.) When projects are too big for my tractor then they are usually too big for a 100 HP tractor and I hire a dozer.

Unless you are doing a lot of terra forming, with 5 acres a good stout little diesel tractor might be all you need. I suggest you consider a Kubota BX or B series tractor or alternate brand equivalent.

Of course it would be fun (and effective) to call in a massive air strike with napalm and fuel-air bombs to clear the ants at a picnic site but it might be considered overkill and might not be cost effective. You will find plenty of things besides an oversized tractor to spend money on more appropriately. Do you garden? There are plows, disks, rototillers, spray rigs for weed and feed (garden and yard), and on and on for the smaller tractors.

I may be a minority voice crying in the wilderness but I think unless you are doing a lot of HD terraforming you are wasting money to go over 25HP with 5 acres. Put $ in a hydrostat tranny, aux hydraulic outlets for accessories, hydraulic top and tilt, and such and you will be far happier in the long run, I suspect, than you will having an oversized tractor and fewer implements.

Pat

 

[gemini5362]

I agree with patrick. I have a friend that has 10 acres they have a 25 horse kubota with a front end loader. They have cleared land, dug posts, leveled driveways, Moved big rocks. all with the smaller kubota. It has worked just fine for them. I have a 15 horse kubota with a mower deck on it. It is amazing what you can do with it. I dont have a front end loader on it so I dont know how effective that is but I can pull quite a bit of weight with it and for mowing it works very well. You might consider getting something smaller for most of your work and then renting a bigger tractor over a weekend for larger projects

 

[machmeter62]

First, welcome to TBN. you gave us very little to go on for your needs, so here's some things to think about.
What dealers are close by and what level of service will you get from them.
What do you need to do with the tractor? Do you plan on a garden? any digging or materials movement?

personally, I recommend a fel on any new tractor purchase...once you own one you'll know why.

"IT'S A HI-TECH WHEELBARROW!!"

 

[machmeter62]

ROY: I think the most important issue is what will be required of the tractor in the future? Are you just going to maintain status quo; or eventually build a barn, workshop, add on to your home, dig a small pond, etc.? In my opinion a 30 hp tractor would meet the requirements, with the full size frame.
You may want to add a BH in the future, and weight is important to reduce tractor bouncing. I would ponder the future before the plunge! It's been my opinion over the years here; many more trade-up in size, than down?

Also do your homework on tire selection, and read the pro/cons here for usage in soil and terrain along with implement work,

I have several tractors from 25 to 35 hp. They can all accomplish the same work, but the smaller tractors take longer. I always lose traction before HP too!!