Buying Advice Need lots of tractor buying advice

[alligatorob]

My brother has an old International Harvester 2WD tractor here in north Idaho and hasn't had any problems working his forested land moving logs, clearing snow, and grading. He keeps chains on the rear tires all year though probably because he hates putting the chains on. LOL ... I would get the 4WD if possible but I don't think it's an absolute necessity in most cases.

It is possible, but it will be a smaller tractor than if I go with 2 wd.

 

[ForestGrump]

Open

$30k to $40k, all implements included

None, the only dealer in town is Case, but he mostly sells bigger machines and has nothing in my size range to look at or test drive. Says he would be happy to order one for me. He's been selling Cases for 70 years and is a solid dealer, but most of his customers are larger farms. Looks like a good place to get maintenance done. Next closest dealers are John Deere and New Holland, only the Deere guy has much selection on the lot. I'd like to stick with one of these nearby dealers for ease of maintenance.

A neighbor uses a box blade to plow his snow and he has used it a couple of times on our driveway, it seems to work fine but when the snow gets deep he has to drive off the driveway and drop the snow a lot.

I am still pondering 2 wd vs 4 wd. I know a lot of guys here favor the 4 wd, but for the same $ I can get a lot more tractor in 2 wd. Back in college I worked summers for the Forest Service and the joke then was that we had a lot more guys get stuck driving 4 wd pickups, usually within sight of where the 2 wd guys parked and started walking. I know there is truth to that, I drive a 4 wd pickup and sometimes appreciate the extra traction, but I know it doesn't get me a whole lot further than 2 wd in most situations. My neighbor has several tractors, all 2 wd, but they are big older machines, he seems to get everything done he needs to. His advice is to buy an old used larger 2 wd, but his mechanical abilities are much better than mine, no comparison.

Thanks for the help.

Obviously you tend to drive where 4wd isn't needed. Come visit me in your 4wd and we can do a few Forest Service RDS., you won't make it through the portals. Even with a built up 4x4 on our black diamonds you can expect some damage.

 

[RidgeHiker]

I have lived in the mountains for years and driven through and moved snow in all conditions. You can get by with 2 but often not as safe or as easy. Could make the difference between having to put chains on. Chaining a car is a hassle. Putting large, heavy chains on the back tires of a tractor is a whole other level of weight and size to deal with. If it is very icy you still may need chains or at least studded tires but lots of other times the 4wd can make the difference. Would be a good idea to talk to locals with tractors and get their advice relative to the particular conditions that are common in your area. Snow and ice come in many different flavors that can vary dramatically in different places.

 

[mapper]

Your place is not very big acreage wise and with a good deal of it being orchard you need to consider what size of tractor will fit between the trees easily. Large tractors can do a lot of work rather quickly, a smaller tractor will do much of the same work but will take longer.
4wd on a small tractor can be a bit more effective than 2wd on the same size tractor, I notice that it seems to be the most help in steering, the front wheels do not seem to plow sideways as much when pulling stuff around corners. That being said my tractor is equipped with r4s and they don't have the same kind of bite as continuous rib ag tires found on a lot of 2wd tractors.