Buying Advice Never owned tractor, looking to buy older used unit.

[FloridaAl]

Land is 40 acres of sandy loam, poorly drained in South Georgia. (10 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp.) 33 acres just planted in pines, 5 acres in 20 yo timber, about 1 in lowlands and 1 in food plots. Probably 1/4 mile of "road." Very rough between the rows of pine seedlings. I'll be, I believe, pulling a small disc between the rows to semi level the ground, then possibly plant something on that area for turkeys. Mow where nothing is planted. Disc and re-plant the food plot. Rent a PTO chipper to reduce the debris left over from logging. Mostly small stuff, 90% of it is 2" and under.
My initial thought is to get a tractor and work the "road," disc the food plot and between some of the seedlings rows.
Budget is $7000. 4x4 is needed along with a FEL. Dealers in area include NH, Kubota, Mahindra, Massey and JD.
There are two used units I've seen and would like to hear any comments.
A Kubota L275, 28hp, 23 at PTO, FEL, 4x4, power assist steering, shuttle shift, 1950 hrs, 2600 lbs +. A Massey 1240, (made by Iseki) 30hp, 23 at PTO, FEL, 4x4, pwr steering, 8 forward, 7 reverse (I believe), hours unknown, 2800 lbs +.
Any advice, thoughts or cautions greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To TBN Al. We are glad that you joined.

Yes, you do need a tractor. Be sure to check out any used tractors for good maintenance habits and records if available. Be sure to drive them to get a feel for how they run..

 

[jeff9366]

FloridaAl

Land is 40 acres of sandy loam, poorly drained in South Georgia. (10 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp.) 1/4 mile of "road." Five acres in 20 year old timber, 1 in lowlands, 1 in a food plot and 33 acres just planted in Pines. Very rough between the rows of Pine seedlings. I plan pulling a small disc between the rows to semi level the ground, then possibly plant something on that area for turkeys. Disc and re-plant the food plot.

Rent a PTO chipper to reduce the debris left over from logging.
Don't bother with a PTO Chipper. Rent an engine powered chipper, if you must. Most of us would burn debris in preference to chipping. More convenient than renting, less hazardous and faster disposal. Chippers eat people and feeding chippers leads to many heart attacks or strokes.

The minimum Disc Harrow which will do you any good will have 20" diameter pans and be as wide as the tractor rear tires. This weight disc has about fifty pounds pressure bearing on each pan. Such a Disc Harrow will require a tractor with a minimum bare tractor weight of 3,500 pounds and 4-WD.

You will be better served with a PTO powered Roto-tiller. Disc Harrows and Roto-tillers are both soil mixing and soil leveling implements. Roto-tillers require much less tractor weight. Roto-tillers cannot handle a lot of tree roots over 1-1/2" diameter. Your Pines are just planted so roots should not be a problem. Both Kubota and Massey-Ferguson can operate a forward rotation Roto-tiller without difficulty.
{{ Tilling say ~~ ten acres~~ around the Pines will require some seat time!}}

You can always moldboard plow, if necessary.
LINK: Everything Attachments 12 Inch Single Bottom Plow

In order to dig with an FEL a bucket Tooth Bar is required. Piranha (brand) is well reviewed here.
VIDEO: piranha tooth bar - YouTube


Tractor budget is $7000. 4x4 is needed along with a FEL.


There are two used units I've seen:

A Kubota L275, 28hp, 23 at PTO, FEL, 4x4, power assist steering, shuttle shift, 1950 hrs, 2600 lbs +.
Kubota parts for 'legacy' models are almost always available, almost always expensive.
Moderate engine hours, if accurate.

A Massey 1240, (made by Iseki) 30hp, 23 at PTO, FEL, 4x4, pwr steering, 8 forward, 7 reverse (I believe), HOURS UNKNOWN, 2800 lbs +.

These tractors are light. I trust your land is flat.
I trust you intend to do your own repairs.

Kubota L275

1981 - 1985 L Series
Compact Utility tractor
Series next: Kubota L305
Series back: Kubota L24

Manufacturer: Kubota
Factory: Japan

Variants:
L275: 2WD
L275DT: 4WD

Kubota L275 Engine:
Kubota 1.3L 3-cyl diesel

Capacity:
Fuel: 7.4 gal [28.0 L]

3-Point Hitch:
Rear Type: I

Power Take-off (PTO):
Rear PTO: live
Rear RPM: 540

Dimensions & Tires:
Wheelbase: 66.5 inches [168 cm] (2WD)
64.6 inches [164 cm] (4WD)
Weight: 2,600 lbs [1179 kg]
Front tire: 5.00-15
Rear tire: 11.2-24

Kubota L275 Power:
Engine (gross): 27.5 hp [20.5 kW]
PTO (claimed): 23 hp [17.2 kW]
Drawbar (tested): 18.57 hp [13.8 kW]
PTO (tested): 23.42 hp [17.5 kW]

Bore/Stroke: 3.23x3.23 inches [82 x 82 mm]
Power (gross): 27.5 hp [20.5 kW]
Air cleaner: paper element
Compression: 21:1
Rated RPM: 2600
Starter volts: 12

Mechanical:
Chassis: 4x2 2WD
4x4 MFWD 4WD (L275DT)
Steering: manual
power assist optional
Brakes: differential mechanical wet disc

Hydraulics:
Type: open center
Pump flow: 6.2 gpm [23.5 lpm]


Battery:
Number: 1
Volts: 12

Page information:
Last update: September 25, 2015
Copyright: Copyright 2016 TractorData LLC
Contact: Peter@TractorData.com




Massey Ferguson 1240

1992 - 2002 1200 Compact Series
Compact Utility tractor
Series next: Massey Ferguson 1250
Series back: Massey Ferguson 1235

The Massey Ferguson 1240 is similar to the Iseki model TK527.

Production:
Distributor: Massey Ferguson
Manufacturer: Iseki
Original price (USD)
$15,000 (1999 )

Variants:
1240-2: 2WD

Massey Ferguson 1240 Engine:
Iseki 1.5L 3-cyl diesel
full engine details ...

Capacity:
Fuel: 7.9 gal [29.9 L]
Hydraulic system: 6.1 gal [23.1 L]

3-Point Hitch:
Rear Type: I
Control: position control
Rear lift (at ends): 2866 lbs [1300 kg]

Power Take-off (PTO):
Rear PTO: independent
Clutch: electro-hydraulic
Rear RPM: 540 (1.375)
Engine RPM: 540@2389
Mid PTO: independent (optional)
Clutch: electro-hydraulic
Mid RPM: 1885
Engine RPM: 1885@2500

Dimensions & Tires:
Wheelbase: 64.6 inches [164 cm]
Weight: 2535 to 2645 pounds
Front tire: 5.00-15
Rear tire: 11.2-24

Massey Ferguson 1240 attachments:
mowing deck
front-end loader
backhoe

Massey Ferguson 1240 Power:
Engine (gross): 30 hp [22.4 kW]
Engine (net): 28 hp [20.9 kW]
PTO (claimed): 23.1 hp [17.2 kW]

Mechanical:
Chassis: 4x2 2WD
4x4 MFWD 4WD (1240-4)
Steering: power assist
Brakes: wet disc
Cab: Two-post foldable ROPS.

Hydraulics:
Type: open center
Capacity: 6.1 gal [23.1 L]
Pump flow: 6.0 gpm [22.7 lpm]
Total flow: 9.2 gpm [34.8 lpm]
Steering flow: 3.2 gpm [12.1 lpm]

Battery:
Number: 1
Volts: 12

Page information:
Last update: May 2, 2014
Copyright: Copyright 2016 TractorData LLC
Contact: Peter@TractorData.com

 

[jeff9366]

Today there are nine used tractors for sale on eBay, near Jacksonville. Today, none with Loaders.
Tractors | eBay

 

[wagne223]

Land is 40 acres of sandy loam, poorly drained in South Georgia. (10 miles from the Okefenokee Swamp.) 33 acres just planted in pines, 5 acres in 20 yo timber, about 1 in lowlands and 1 in food plots. Probably 1/4 mile of "road." Very rough between the rows of pine seedlings. I'll be, I believe, pulling a small disc between the rows to semi level the ground, then possibly plant something on that area for turkeys. Mow where nothing is planted. Disc and re-plant the food plot. Rent a PTO chipper to reduce the debris left over from logging. Mostly small stuff, 90% of it is 2" and under.
My initial thought is to get a tractor and work the "road," disc the food plot and between some of the seedlings rows.
Budget is $7000. 4x4 is needed along with a FEL. Dealers in area include NH, Kubota, Mahindra, Massey and JD.
There are two used units I've seen and would like to hear any comments.
A Kubota L275, 28hp, 23 at PTO, FEL, 4x4, power assist steering, shuttle shift, 1950 hrs, 2600 lbs +. A Massey 1240, (made by Iseki) 30hp, 23 at PTO, FEL, 4x4, pwr steering, 8 forward, 7 reverse (I believe), hours unknown, 2800 lbs +.
Any advice, thoughts or cautions greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I manage a hunting property not far from Jax and it is timber land. Planted pine plantation. The following is my opinion and experience, meaning some may not agree.

The rule of the heavier the tractor, the better, only applies if you have good solid earth most of the time and dont trailer the tractor often. A heavy tractor likes to sink and get stuck in our pine plantations. The ground is never hard and is often torn up by logging skidders.
I like to find a balance between what is best and what is practical.

I tried a L39 TLB and that was simply too heavy for food plot and pine row work. The ground just could not support it. Plus trailering it was a chore.

The B series Kubotas were great as far as not getting stuck. I could take that anywhere my ATV would go. They are great for mowing, spreading seed and fertilizer and running a rototiller. They are great for trailering.
They are not good at any ground work. They are simply too light. Made one work for a few years but it takes a lot of time.

My favorite so far is the Standard L series, like the one you list as a potential. It trailers good but you definitely know it is there. It is 1k pounds heavier then the B so it is much better at ground engaging. It sinks in mud easier then the B but nothing like the TLB and I have always been able to use the bucket to get unstuck.

I no longer use a rototiller on the planted pine plantations. There are simply too many roots and stumps. I use a disc that is properly sized for the tractor. In my case, 18" pans with a weight of 37 lbs per pan. 90% of the time i can float it like your sopossed to. the other 10% I have to lift it some to keep from getting stuck.

If it were me, on your short road, I would just scrape it with a box blade and keep it up best you can with the BB and bucket.

As far as in between the new pinerows, your issue is going to be the stumps. When they bed the area for planting, they put a track on the old row of stumps and hill in between the rows of stumps. So what you are left with is a row of stumps right in the middle of the new mounds.
What I do is wait until 3 years after the final harvest and then go down the rows (that you want flat)with a box blade. The stumps will be rotten enough then. they will pull right out. After that you can disc it. Be careful you dont dig into the mounds, you might damage the new tree roots.

33 acres of pine tree tops is an awful lot to run through a chipper. I would use the bucket and BB (rake is better if you have one) to pile that up and burn if you can, or let it rot in the pile if you cant.

Of course there are some better options. But some are limited because of the stumps and seedlings. I'm just telling you how I do it with what I have and what you are looking to buy.

Enjoy your tractor when you get it!

 

[Tractorable]

$7K is a pretty tight budget to get 4WD and a loader. Recommend you research a John Deere 790. Available with 4WD, high quality made in Japan by Yanmar. Equivalent to a Kubota B series in terms of weight and power. Won't sink in your soft soil.

 

[TheMadOne]

Used tractors with 4x4 and FEL are hard to come by in your budget.

If you can break the bank a bit there's what looks to be a nice JD 4300 at Ag-Pro.

65

A bit heavier and a bit more oomph than the two you're looking at. 3000lbs, 32 engine and 27 PTO HP.

The tractors you're considering are decent, and I think they'd work for what you want to do, except for the chipper. a good chipper needs more power than either of those units have at the PTO to keep speed. Either rent an engine unit or just have a brush pile.

If you find out the hours on the Massey and they're anywhere in the ballpark of the Kubota then I'd take the Massey. The L275 is as old as me, and while tractors last forever there's something to be said for somewhat more modern ergonomics. I've seen videos of both, and either all the people driving the L275 are giants or it has a very cramped operator's platform.