Bull88
New member
- Joined
- May 11, 2007
- Messages
- 19
Hello Everyone,
I recently was directed to this website from an automotive forum that I frequent, where I had posted a question about tractors.
I'm a teacher here in western Mass., and just recently purchased my grandparents' old farm and homestead. The house and property need a lot of work, but I enjoy being the steward of a part of my family's past. I've got a bit of myself in the land too, especially since creating a nice spot on a hill in the back where my wife and I got married last year.
At any rate, I have been wanting to get a tractor for some time now, but each year put it off because of the expense and the blinding array of choices.
I have about fourteen acres here, small compared to many estates, but it feels large to me. I have all sorts of projects and plans that I'd like to do over the years. Some of them include installing a fence, digging footings or augering holes for sonotube for tool and equipment sheds, creating a koi pond, digging up and removing the old cement foundations from a few dilipdated sheds that are coming down, creating flower and vegetable gardens etc. There are also the frequently recuring chores of moving various piles of dirt, digging holes for trees and shrubs, and mowing. Some of the land is hayfield, which I would periodically like to trim. I also finish-mow a large area, and would like to mow more, but all I currently have at my disposal for the mowing chore is a 42" Craftsman lawn tractor with a 17 HP Kohler engine. It takes me one full day to mow and trim, and that is if the grass is dry and relatively light!
I'm hoping that people with more experience and knowledge than I have can help guide me on my search for the right machine. I have so far looked at and been tempted by larger machines, like a John Deere 1020 with loader attachment, by smaller used Kubotas and Fords with mower decks, backhoes, and buckets, and even older PowerKing and similarly sized Case tractors, which seem to be sized and priced between a regular lawn or garden tractor and the larger, more powerful farm and utility tractors.
What kind, brand, age of machine would I be wise to investigate? How do I balance my need for a machine that can do heavier work with my need also for a machine that can mow the lawn regularly without leaving giant ruts in my sometimes soft, clay soil? Is it wise to buy a machine from the '40s, or will one from the 60s or 70s be more useful and reliable?
I also do need to be mindful of price. As a teacher, my profession rewards me in substantial ways, but money is not one of them. I simply cannot afford to go out and spend a ton of money on a machine. The JD 1020 I was looking at has a bucket and costs just under $5k, and that to me is sort of a good figure for my budget. I could then save up and purchase one of the expensive backhoe attachments at a later time.
If I appear a babe in the woods, then that is probably because that is what I am when it comes to tractors. I love mechanical things, and have been into cars for years, but when it comes to tractors I feel lost.
I look forward to getting to know some of you on here and learning from your experience.
Dave
Amherst, MA
I recently was directed to this website from an automotive forum that I frequent, where I had posted a question about tractors.
I'm a teacher here in western Mass., and just recently purchased my grandparents' old farm and homestead. The house and property need a lot of work, but I enjoy being the steward of a part of my family's past. I've got a bit of myself in the land too, especially since creating a nice spot on a hill in the back where my wife and I got married last year.
At any rate, I have been wanting to get a tractor for some time now, but each year put it off because of the expense and the blinding array of choices.
I have about fourteen acres here, small compared to many estates, but it feels large to me. I have all sorts of projects and plans that I'd like to do over the years. Some of them include installing a fence, digging footings or augering holes for sonotube for tool and equipment sheds, creating a koi pond, digging up and removing the old cement foundations from a few dilipdated sheds that are coming down, creating flower and vegetable gardens etc. There are also the frequently recuring chores of moving various piles of dirt, digging holes for trees and shrubs, and mowing. Some of the land is hayfield, which I would periodically like to trim. I also finish-mow a large area, and would like to mow more, but all I currently have at my disposal for the mowing chore is a 42" Craftsman lawn tractor with a 17 HP Kohler engine. It takes me one full day to mow and trim, and that is if the grass is dry and relatively light!
I'm hoping that people with more experience and knowledge than I have can help guide me on my search for the right machine. I have so far looked at and been tempted by larger machines, like a John Deere 1020 with loader attachment, by smaller used Kubotas and Fords with mower decks, backhoes, and buckets, and even older PowerKing and similarly sized Case tractors, which seem to be sized and priced between a regular lawn or garden tractor and the larger, more powerful farm and utility tractors.
What kind, brand, age of machine would I be wise to investigate? How do I balance my need for a machine that can do heavier work with my need also for a machine that can mow the lawn regularly without leaving giant ruts in my sometimes soft, clay soil? Is it wise to buy a machine from the '40s, or will one from the 60s or 70s be more useful and reliable?
I also do need to be mindful of price. As a teacher, my profession rewards me in substantial ways, but money is not one of them. I simply cannot afford to go out and spend a ton of money on a machine. The JD 1020 I was looking at has a bucket and costs just under $5k, and that to me is sort of a good figure for my budget. I could then save up and purchase one of the expensive backhoe attachments at a later time.
If I appear a babe in the woods, then that is probably because that is what I am when it comes to tractors. I love mechanical things, and have been into cars for years, but when it comes to tractors I feel lost.
I look forward to getting to know some of you on here and learning from your experience.
Dave
Amherst, MA
! We are almost neighbors as I live in Cummington 
