Buying Advice Need advice on which CUT

[Ivo in Alberta]

Hi All,
While I am not new to tractors, I am new to this area of equipment. I recently sold a Case 590 SM III and used to own a Bobcat Toolcat 5600 so I am familiar with operating this type of equipment.

I am in need of a CUT for my farm. I have just under 100 acres of which 90 acres I lease to my neighbor. What I need is a machine to till about 4 acres(mostly for new lawn and some for a garden), mow some lawn, grade driveway, do some long overdue landscaping and winter snow removal. So basically I need the Swiss Army Knife of CUTs. As far as implements/features goes, FEL, tiller, mower, snow blower and maybe a blade would be nice for leveling/grading.

Locally we have JD, Kubota, Case and MF that I know of(maybe New Holland too). I would prefer used as money is a bit tight right now but I don't want to sacrifice ANYTHING when it comes to this purchase, if I have to I will finance to get the right machine as this machine will be with us for a long time.

So where I am stuck right now is which brand to go with and what size(hp) machine do I need?

Thank you all in advance for any advice or experience you can share!

Ivo

 

[Gary Fowler]

A nice B series Kubota would work fine for what you are asking. It may be hard to find a used one and most times the prices are really close to new. With financing incentives from manufacturers, a new tractor is most times more affordable than used due to 0% financing rates if you have good credit.

Just about all brands will do what you are asking and everyone makes good tractors, but stay away from Chinese brands as their quality is still hit or miss. JD, Kubota, New Holland, LS, Kioti and Mahindra are all considered very good quality machines. Kioti and LS seem to be the bargain tractor around here for the most bang for the buck.

A 30 HP tractor would be plenty of power and size for your operation. Best is to go set your butt in some of the models in the size you need and see how it fits. See how the controls feel to you. Everyone is different and some brands fit better than others.

Sometimes a model larger will only be a thousand or so more in price but come with a lot more usable features ie, rear remotes, telescoping 3 point hitch arms, larger tires, a bit more HP etc and you need to look for those breaks as many of these options are more than the price difference if you wanted to install them such as rear remotes (about $1000 to install, telescoping arm, $500+). Every tractor series has 2 or more models that are the same frame size but more HP which is gained by just tweaking the engine a bit. These may not be worth the extra money especially if you don't need 5 more HP. The extra power is useless unless you need it for PTO work as the tractors will pull the same as they are the same weight etc.

 

[ironpen]

Any brand will do.....just make SURE you don't get agricultural tires. They will ruin your lawn. Industrial tires are ok, and I have them on my tc33d NH, but they are a little rough on the yard as well, but not too bad. I would recommend turf tires. They won't have as much traction, sure, but they will have more than enough if you get a 4wd machine. Trust me. Get the turf tires and you won't be sorry. Plenty of traction in 4wd for tilling, etc. If you can afford it, by all means get a hydrostatic transmission. For sure you will never be sorry about that tranny...makes everything so much smoother and easier to do. Just my 2 cents.....

 

[GManBart]

Any brand will do.....just make SURE you don't get agricultural tires. They will ruin your lawn. Industrial tires are ok, and I have them on my tc33d NH, but they are a little rough on the yard as well, but not too bad. I would recommend turf tires. They won't have as much traction, sure, but they will have more than enough if you get a 4wd machine. Trust me. Get the turf tires and you won't be sorry. Plenty of traction in 4wd for tilling, etc. If you can afford it, by all means get a hydrostatic transmission. For sure you will never be sorry about that tranny...makes everything so much smoother and easier to do. Just my 2 cents.....

I mow some of my lawn with a 4,300lb machine that has R1 tires....doesn't hurt anything as long as you put a but of thought into what you're doing, and it's not soggy wet.