New Purchase

[davejstl]

Two things I will never have for a tractor again, mid mount mower and rear finish mower. Such slow/painful/not that great of a cut mowing.

100% agree. I had a mid mount mower on a small Kubota year ago. Never again. You never want to bother taking it on or off, then it gets in the way of actual tractor work.

I have a 7' finish mower with my current tractor, but I rarely use it. We got a zero-turn which is faster than the finish mower and I can mow without worrying about ruts if the ground is still a bit damp. I would've sold the finish mower, but we bumped ourselves up to 55 acres from 7, so I don't mind keeping it in the attachment collection now.

 

[JWR]

I've recently purchased a six acre horse property. Previously we were at boarding facilities but now with our own land I'm going to need equipment in order to take care of the numerous other property maintenance tasks. Definitely not something I want to try and handle with a push mower, wheelbarrow and a shovel, heh. The property is on a hillside with about a 200' elevation change from bottom to top, so there is some slope to work with though it's nothing too serious. Rough guess and an online calculator says 17 Degrees but I'm not sure it's actually quite that bad, that's likely worst case. I'm a first time tractor buyer and it looks like the only close tractor dealer is Kubota. I've done some preliminary research online as well as talking to the contractor who put in our perimeter fence about what kind of equipment to buy but I'd like to get opinions from you folks. Deciding between a BX, B, LX or L series tractor isn't an easy choice. I've tried to lay out everything in terms of capabilities:

NEEDS
1. Mowing all the non-pasture areas, maybe 2 Acres worth. Possibly also some pasture mowing if they sit too long unused.
2. Moving gravel. We have decent drainage since we're on a hill but it's Western Oregon and we get a lot of rain. Add in big horses and you get mud.
3. Maintaining the steep gravel driveway. Need to smooth out ruts and keep it drivable.
4. Some ability to deal with snow so we can get in and out of here in the winter. We don't get a ton of it, but it's enough I need at least some capability.

WANTS
5. Ability to level areas and maintain walkways for the horses.
6. Some digging capability would be nice for drainage work, planting trees, etc.
7. Ability to deal with stumps or large rocks

OPTIONAL
8. Ability to drag the Outdoor Arena
9. Likely need to be able to drag a horse shelter to a new spot, though we could rent / pay someone as that is an infrequent task.
10. No woodlot but we do have fruit trees so there are maintenance tasks in terms of planting, pruning, etc.
11. Digging post holes for fencing. Our current setup is good and I could hire this out, but it would be handy.
12. A wood chipper to deal with tree limbs and other wood waste.

Hopefully that's enough info to get the conversation started.

I'm not going to read thru 91 posts to see what you already said or others have told you.
1) If you have ANY intent to operate on steeper ground (e.g. in excess of 45% or around 24 degrees) top priority is getting rear wheels spaced far apart. Most Kubotas were designed by Japanese who have yet to figure out we have hills. The Kubotas are great machines but will need rear wheel spacers to get about 6" more per side spacing. That will interfere with a belly mower on many of them. It can be done (I had MMM deck modified to clear mine on one Kubota) but you are better off finding a brand/model where the rear wheels can be separated IF YOU ARE GOING to operate on steep ground.
2) 4WD is a must from what you describe. A 2WD tractor is a stuck tractor anyway.
3) Moving gravel is not the light chore some think it is. If you move much you need a big bucket and big bucket of gravel is NOT well handled by a small tractor. You really gotta go try some out to understand this.
4) You optional stuff will be OK with almost anything you buy
5) In order to do much with big rocks or stumps or digging ditches you pretty much need a back hoe. On that small a property I seriously doubt you need one. Hire that done or just live with what you can do with the FEL bucket which is not a lot.
6) Smoothing out ruts and upkeep of the driveway is most economically done with a rear 3pt hitch mounted grader blade -- cheap and effective. Snow is whole different thing. You can probably get by with the blade if you have AG tires but may need chains for backup. 4WD is the obvious necessity.
7) Mowing? Too many variables -- use a brush hog 5ft rotary cutter if doing pasture and rougher areas. 3pt finish mower if there is much "lawn" to cut smoothly and a belly mower is best for quality of mowing if you have a lot of "lawn" but they can be a pain to get on and off and can interfere with rear tires, etc.

Good luck.

 

[v908]

I didn't read through all the replies, so I might have missed this, but... Once consideration is the width of any openings you need to get into (e.g., stables, corrals, turn-out areas, etc.). If you want to use the FEL to remove manure and such you need to make sure the tractor will fit through whatever openings you have. I've known a couple people who got larger tractors (thinking more capable) only to move back down to a smaller (narrower) unit to actually use it for what they needed most.

 

[davejstl]

Fascinating. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that tractor owners have different opinions just like any other group. Buying one machine to do it all was my original plan. I don't have any experience with ZTs either, so not much opinion yet one way or another.

When we bought 7 acres for horses, that was our plan also. We've since bought adjoining land and are up to 55 acres. Our 37hp TYM has worked well, so there's no way we could've gotten by with less.

Since then, we added a zero turn for mowing (mostly flat). It saves sooooo much time, and my wife, daughters, and dad actually *like* mowing with it, which spreads out the work.

We also use a side-by-side a LOT. We got it to drag the 200x90 arena, but it has near infinite uses. Like you, time is limited so I'm open to buying things that help me be more productive.

Late last year I bought a skid steer also for moving manure, gravel, grading, etc. I don't use it constantly, but it's so much faster and more maneuverable than the tractor for loader work and tight spaces. Tractor loader is ok of course, you just have to be patient, make more trips, watch the tight spaces, etc.

 

[Xfaxman]

Or buy a specialized tractor type machine like the Bobcat Tool Cat - which has a FEL and 3pt hitch. Tool Cats are more stable than a tractor on slopes. Much stronger, too.

Good suggestion

Rear steering offset to put the brush hog out over the pond:

See this thread for what else it can do:Toolcat 5610 F and 5610 G Series Pictures

 

[Pleease]

Ok, tried to address all of the above comments. I appreciate the feedback.

Location is Saint Helens Oregon. Elevation is around 350' but we get some wind coming up the valley from the coast so snow is more than normal for Western Oregon. Still, even with that, It'll likely be less than a foot at any one time. I need a small capability just to clear the steep gravel driveway enough so our 4WD vehicles can make up and down safely. Not sure if that means a snow blower or just a blade.

Money is flexible. I can afford whatever I decide on, but it's only six acres, no need to go crazy. I'd prefer to finance rather than pay cash for such a large purchase. My day job is incredibly busy so I'm planning to buy all new. I don't have a lot of time to spend wrenching on something used, at least not right away.

So far I think I need for sure an FEL, a mid-mount mower and a grader. I think a backhoe would be very useful, but not mandatory. PHD can probably wait. Given the amount of work I plan for what is essentially a hobby farm I think I can do without the cab and just get a canopy, rain being the most common weather issue. Not sure if I need a front blade, back blade or both.

I'm sure I could sign up for one or more horse associations in order to get the discount, not sure if that's the right approach or not given that it seems to impact the financing and warranty. Still, online reports seem to suggest a possible savings of 5%-10% over standard dealer incentive.

If I had a bigger place I'd probably get an L series, but I do need mower capability and it seems silly to go with a rotary cutter just for my 2 acres worth that aren't horse pature. I'm not sure I really need something that large. Frankly, if I didn't need to move a ton of gravel and grade the road I might try and get by with just a riding lawn mower, even though all the other tractor features will be handy for sure.

The local Kubota dealer is in town, so just down the road 10min or so. There are other dealers 45min-1hour away but it doesn't seem like it's worth that drive unless it turns out I don't like the dealer.

No need to work with roll hay, honestly I wasn't even aware they had any horse grade hay that came in rolls, the only roll hay I've seen is for cattle. We work exclusively with bales, preferably the 60lb granny bales so my Wife can move them around. We get about 350 bales a year for our two warmbloods, but will get more than that this year as we're going to be doing boarding for one other horse. Still, that's usually delivered and sitting in the barn, not a huge need to move it around much. That said, with the driveway we may not be able to get delivery as easily as both and may need to transport it here on a flatbed ourselves. I don't think I'll be buying anything big enough to move fully stacked pallets.

Local dealer apparently has some B2601s and an LX2610 in stock so I'm going to be looking at those likely this weekend to see if either would meet my needs. I suspect the bx23s is probably too small given the hilly terrain and the L series is likely more tractor than I need though I'll look at it while I'm there if he has any. Originally I was thinking an LX3310 might be a good choice but I'm sure if I need that or not.

I'm no horse farmer, and just have a Kubota BX1880 with loader and 54" mid-mount mower deck that I use to maintain lake-cabin property in Kentucky. Maybe an acre or so to mow, 2/3 of it a steep hill.

So consider the source, but honestly I could mow 2 acres easily with my tractor, which is literally the smallest Kubota available. I'd think you'd do pretty well with a B series, or even a BX2380, 2680 or one of the backhoe-equipped models. The BXs are all on the same frame (BH models have a subframe), but all but the 1880 can come with a 60" mowing deck, and they all have 4wd. I was at first thinking much bigger, figuring on those giant hay rolls I see - I think some are 1/2 ton!

I don't have a box blade, but will likely get one for our gravel drive. However, I paid a guy $200 last Fall to shape it up, and he did a pretty nice job for that relatively small amount.

For the BX models Kubota seems to always have no-interest financing; I assume that's available for B and L models too. I was going to pay cash, but the dealer insisted there was no discount for not taking the free financing, so I have another year of listening to my wife make fun of my "tractor payments" .

In any case, best of luck with your farm - it sounds terrific. I think you're going to enjoy using the tractor.

 

[jb7919]

I've recently purchased a six acre horse property. Previously we were at boarding facilities but now with our own land I'm going to need equipment in order to take care of the numerous other property maintenance tasks. Definitely not something I want to try and handle with a push mower, wheelbarrow and a shovel, heh. The property is on a hillside with about a 200' elevation change from bottom to top, so there is some slope to work with though it's nothing too serious. Rough guess and an online calculator says 17 Degrees but I'm not sure it's actually quite that bad, that's likely worst case. I'm a first time tractor buyer and it looks like the only close tractor dealer is Kubota. I've done some preliminary research online as well as talking to the contractor who put in our perimeter fence about what kind of equipment to buy but I'd like to get opinions from you folks. Deciding between a BX, B, LX or L series tractor isn't an easy choice. I've tried to lay out everything in terms of capabilities:

NEEDS
1. Mowing all the non-pasture areas, maybe 2 Acres worth. Possibly also some pasture mowing if they sit too long unused.
2. Moving gravel. We have decent drainage since we're on a hill but it's Western Oregon and we get a lot of rain. Add in big horses and you get mud.
3. Maintaining the steep gravel driveway. Need to smooth out ruts and keep it drivable.
4. Some ability to deal with snow so we can get in and out of here in the winter. We don't get a ton of it, but it's enough I need at least some capability.

WANTS
5. Ability to level areas and maintain walkways for the horses.
6. Some digging capability would be nice for drainage work, planting trees, etc.
7. Ability to deal with stumps or large rocks

OPTIONAL
8. Ability to drag the Outdoor Arena
9. Likely need to be able to drag a horse shelter to a new spot, though we could rent / pay someone as that is an infrequent task.
10. No woodlot but we do have fruit trees so there are maintenance tasks in terms of planting, pruning, etc.
11. Digging post holes for fencing. Our current setup is good and I could hire this out, but it would be handy.
12. A wood chipper to deal with tree limbs and other wood waste.

Hopefully that's enough info to get the conversation started.

Congratulations on owning property and horses! Reading your post I question the 200' rise on elevation as being a typo. Regardless, I have 7.5 acres with horses in north central Illinois. I have a 20 year old Jinma 284 tractor I like, a good workhorse. Implements I use with this are a finishing mower for mowing 2 acres around the house, rough cut mower for fields and cutting down small tress (1" diameter) and weed in a dry creek bed, a blade for smoothing stone and gravel as well as snow removal, and a bucket for hauling the horse apples from the barn and other stuff. I might suggest as other options post hole digger, hay equipment if you intend to grow your own, and an excavator for the time your animals head to that big pasture in the sky. One suggestion is making sure you have an inline engine heater for those winter days. I installed one and it makes starting my a breeze when it is cold outside.

Unfortunately, there is no one who works on Jinmas in this area. I have purchased parts from Keno Tractor in Keno, Oregon. Not sure where you live in relation to Keno, but you may want to check them out. I have always been pleased with their customer service, pricing, and assistance they have given me when it comes to working on my Jinma. They also have other types of tractors like Manhidra and Branson.

Good luck and happy horse acreage ownership.

 

[Pleease]

The L3901 seems like an awful lot of tractor for my use case. Buying both that and a Zero turn mower is going be a large chunk of change. Other than "bigger is better" I'm not sure I understand the justification for that.

So far, gravel washing to the bottom hasn't really been an issue for the driveway, it's more about ripples, potholes and other forms of unevenness that occur over time as people use it.

Good question on the "in stock" comment. I'm not totally sure, I'll find out later this week when I go in to chat with them.

I do expect to move some manure around, though mostly just managing the compost area. Our horses spend most of their time outdoors in the pasture.

I didn't get a zero turn because I understand they can be very dangerous on a steep hill, especially if it's a bit damp. Those front wheels are just big casters, i.e. no steering capability. However, the zero-turn models with a steering wheel do actually have front wheels that steer, so likely safer on a hill.

And there's a general point that I'm not sure someone has made yet (didn't read all the pages), which is that - especially in today's market - you can sell one of these tractors in about a minute, and without losing a lot of $ in the process. So if you get a B and then decide you want an L (etc.), you're not going to pay dearly for not making the optimal decision initially; you can trade or sell the original and move on.

 

[priberc]

I've recently purchased a six acre horse property. Previously we were at boarding facilities but now with our own land I'm going to need equipment in order to take care of the numerous other property maintenance tasks. Definitely not something I want to try and handle with a push mower, wheelbarrow and a shovel, heh. The property is on a hillside with about a 200' elevation change from bottom to top, so there is some slope to work with though it's nothing too serious. Rough guess and an online calculator says 17 Degrees but I'm not sure it's actually quite that bad, that's likely worst case. I'm a first time tractor buyer and it looks like the only close tractor dealer is Kubota. I've done some preliminary research online as well as talking to the contractor who put in our perimeter fence about what kind of equipment to buy but I'd like to get opinions from you folks. Deciding between a BX, B, LX or L series tractor isn't an easy choice. I've tried to lay out everything in terms of capabilities:

NEEDS
1. Mowing all the non-pasture areas, maybe 2 Acres worth. Possibly also some pasture mowing if they sit too long unused.
2. Moving gravel. We have decent drainage since we're on a hill but it's Western Oregon and we get a lot of rain. Add in big horses and you get mud.
3. Maintaining the steep gravel driveway. Need to smooth out ruts and keep it drivable.
4. Some ability to deal with snow so we can get in and out of here in the winter. We don't get a ton of it, but it's enough I need at least some capability.

WANTS
5. Ability to level areas and maintain walkways for the horses.
6. Some digging capability would be nice for drainage work, planting trees, etc.
7. Ability to deal with stumps or large rocks

OPTIONAL
8. Ability to drag the Outdoor Arena
9. Likely need to be able to drag a horse shelter to a new spot, though we could rent / pay someone as that is an infrequent task.
10. No woodlot but we do have fruit trees so there are maintenance tasks in terms of planting, pruning, etc.
11. Digging post holes for fencing. Our current setup is good and I could hire this out, but it would be handy.
12. A wood chipper to deal with tree limbs and other wood waste.

Hopefully that's enough info to get the conversation started.

6 ac.....200' of elevation.....slope is "nothing too serious"

 

[EdinLa]

Wow! This thread has gone all over the place!

My first impression was a need for PTO Hp for mowing, but this is no south Texas blackland farm. ......You need a tractor to handle the road maintenance and snow removal, but you already have too many fences and small enclosures in place to go the 'one size fits all' tractor route. .....Buy what you need for the road, but my experience is that you will be mowing with something that looks more like a lawnmower when you get used to your equipment and maintenance needs.

I would also like to address one idea this thread appears to accept. ....Good used tractors can be every bit as reliable as new tractors. ...Having a dealer who will take your new tractor to their shop and spend a week or so sorting out the bugs that so much of the new equipment market has, does not put a tractor on the ground while you need to get work done. ....It really comes down to your risk tolerance and bank account!