New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite wife?

TresCrows · Jan 5, 2004

A couple of years ago a well know family here lost their mother/wife. The tractor she was driving rolled over on essentially flat ground when the front wheel went into a very shallow ditch. The tractor did not have a ROP or a seat belt and she was crushed and killed. She was an experienced operator having grown up on farms. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
You need a Kubota B2410-2910 or B7800 for your 10 to 20 acres with HST. The B series Kubotas are their light duty tractors. The B7800/2910 has 30 horsepower but has a smaller lighter frame and less engine displacement than their Grande L series 30 horse unit. There is a small horse farm down the road from me and I noticed a few months ago they have what appears to be a new NH TC24. If it ain't new it is hardly used /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif. I don't know them but they ride their horses down all the dirt roads here so I wave at them when I pass.
Another neighbor had a Ford 8N. It was a nice unit but he like me was not an experienced tractor user. The 8N is a very stable tractor but he got it in his ditch and it partially rolled on him and he fell (jumped--more likely) off. Afterwards he came over and drove my Kubota. He now owns a Kubota. The Kubota will roll probably easier than the old Ford (maybe--maybe not) but he now has a seat belt and ROP if it does. He came very close to being caught under the rear wheel. I vote for getting your wife a new or hardly used newer type machine. J

BigBob · Jan 5, 2004

Well, time to add my two cents worth. My wife and I were both raised on farms and both drove all sizes of tractors. Since we've been married, we have owned two Kubotas and now have a Case/IH. My wife likes the newer compacts because they are easier for her to drive and she can reach the pedals better.(She is on the short side). Our Case is a hydrostat,33hp. Once in a while I even get to drive it, when she's not home. I like the newer ones because so far I have had no repairs. All of mine have had power steering, they can get into tighter places easier, and all the controls have been at a handier place to use. As far as clutches go, the clutch on the shuttles have taken the same amount of pressure to use as the ones on standard models. I still love older tractors, but the newer compacts suit our needs better. Just remember, alot of the fun in the decision process is the shopping.

Dave___in___CT · Jan 5, 2004

Hi...

All good points... ideas...

"Or, are we going to have to go with a new(er) tractor with a HST and powersteering? Could we get a shuttle shift; does that have an easier clutch?"

Power steering helps A LOT with a front loader... just about a must...

My new Kubota L3130 has the manual 8-speed transmission with shuttle shift... the cluch is real easy to push in... and the seat is adjustable...
One finger turning is possibe with the power steering...
Turning raddius is tight...

Should be able to get a new L3130 one (31 gross HP) with 4-wheel-drive and a heavy duty LA723 quick attach loader for under $18,000... less with the standard loader...

Dave...

mundamanu · Jan 5, 2004

Re: New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite w

Thank you all for your comments. They've been tremendously helpful.

Given general safety concerns and ease of use issues (for my wife and I [there's a lot of loader work with those beasts]) I am beginning to see that a new (or nearly new) tractor with powersteering and HST is probably the way to go.

Anybody out there want to save us some money and make the case for an older tractor and a petite driver? I guess I could use some of the money I would save by buying an older gear tractor and buy my wife some time with a personal trainer and bulk her up, put her on a weight lifting program...a thousand squats a day kind of thing. "Honey, you're just not BIG enough for our budget." /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

mundamanu · Jan 5, 2004

Re: New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite w

( You need to take a short drive to beautiful, Lancaster County! )

EquipmentJunkie, thank you very much for the dealer references.

My wife and I will have to get out there and do some test drives.

KubotaSteve · Jan 5, 2004

Re: New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite w

I have a B-7800 HST with R-4 tires, mid mount mower, and front end loader for about $16,900 in November. My wife is about 5'3" and 110 pounds soaking wet and she drove it without a problem. When using the loader when trying it out, I forgot to tell her to push it to the float position to put it down and it scared her when the front end raised off the ground!!!!
She likes driving it and has no problems reach the pedals and loves the hydro stat. In comparison, my dad has a Massey Fergusson 135 and she tried driving it once and could barely turn the wheel a little bit, had to stand on the clutch to push it in, but then couldn't hold the brake on the other side 'cause her weight was on the clutch. Safety is far more important than a few $$$ especially if you aren't around to spend it. Besides if you go new, you shouldn't have too much upkeep for the machine.

JDgreen227 · Jan 5, 2004

Mike,

Concur with your ideas on the safety features and easier operation of a newer machine. When it comes down to choosing between an older model tractor with no hydro or p/s and a newer one with all the safety features and convenience of operation with the power assists, the new one wins hands down. My spouse gave me the okay to buy a new tractor but it had to be something she could operate. No way could she use the clutch and heavy steering on my NAA and I doubt if I could even steer that if it were loader equipped.

One of our nephews visited us during the summer, he asked to try out my 4210 and do mowing for us. After a few minutes of instruction he was out zipping around our trees and I didn't even worry--a $20 grand tractor entrusted to a 16 year old fellow. Sure, he had used his dad's older 770 with manual steering and gears so he knew how to drive a tractor, but I had to practically PRY him off mine, he liked it that much.

I feel that one of the best things you can do to ensure safety with any tractor is make them comfortable to operate.

Dave___in___CT · Jan 5, 2004

Re: New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite w

Hi...

I understand some of the Deere Hydros' foot pedals can be tiresome to hold down for long... even for guys... not the new current 4x10 series... i thinks the series before these...

Dave...

RalphVa · Jan 5, 2004

Re: New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite w

My cabinet maker recently traded in his old 2wd JD 18 hp diesel for a new Kubota BX2200 with MMM. He never has mowed his grass. His wife won't let him. She likes the tractor too much. His place is very hilly.

Ralph

Casimir · Jan 5, 2004

Re: New(er) vs Old(er) tractor for me and petite w

( Anybody out there want to save us some money and make the case for an older tractor and a petite driver? )

I don't know what you would consider an "older" tractor, but I was able to find (actually, my dealer took it in on a trade) a 1995 Ford 1520 with HST, Power Steering, a 4 in 1 bucket on the FEL and bucket forks for about $9500 a year ago. I am only 5'8" and I don't think a 5'4" woman would have trouble handling it. My wife is also about 5'8", but she does really well on it. The 1520 is about right for our use - mostly around horses. It is also about the same frame size as the newer NH TC30 and Kubota B7800, but with slightly less horsepower.

Try out several and let the dealers know if you are interested in buying a used one. They often take trade-ins, and if they know someone looking for a particular size machine, they know they can probably re-sell the trade-in quickly. My dealer did a complete change of fluids and service, as well as fixing any safety issues before I took delivery -- one advantage of buying even a used tractor from a good dealer /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif.

Good luck on your search. Looking and test driving is part of the fun /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.