Buying Advice Overwhelmed by All the Options!

[jeff9366]

What I want to do is clean up the thorny brush and vines that are everywhere, cut up and remove all the dead/down trees.

So, with all that in mind, what would you buy if that were your ~4 acre property? Do you think that the B3350 from Kubota or the JD 2032R with front-mounted snowblowers would be up to the work I have in mind?

The vines are wild grapes, Vitus rotundfolia, and Virgina Creeper. The thorny brush/vines looks mostly like Smilax, which is hard to eradicate, plus some wild climbing rose. Go to your local Tractor Supply Co. (TSC), Rural King or Southern Co-op and buy 2-1/2 gallons of an herbicide concentrate labeled for "briars". You will have several choices. Herbicide for vine eradication must be applied while vines are actively in growth, so spray before the weather turns cool.

Chop up what you can first with the Flail Mower or Bush Hog, then spray residual verdure around tree trunks.

You have a big job. Be sure to wear long pants, long sleeves, gloves, a hat and safety glasses and bathe when you are done spraying; do not wait until the end of the day to bathe.



Both the B3350 and 2032R are entirely adequate for four acres plus snow.

Bigger/heavier equals faster, not better. An L model, best of all a 'Grand L' model, will weigh more, be more stable and provide more traction.

In January 2013 I paid $27,500 for my 'Grand L' 3560 tractor-loader with following options: LA805 loader, SSQA L2296 HD RB bucket, two 5/16" chain grab hooks welded on bucket, R4 tires and Draft Control. (Draft Control = I plow) No sales tax in Florida. SOME TRACTOR!

Like Pappy, I spreadsheet important purchases in process of consideration. I calculate cost per pound in addition to entering factory specs.

 

[varmint]

Having a "close" and "quality" (well, maybe not the right word, but you all know what I mean) dealer for whatever you buy is an interesting topic in itself. Our "local" Kubota dealer is someone best avoided, IMHO, and the dealer I would like to have is located maybe an hour away, or more. That said, I have never, in 15 years of owning a Kubota, never been inconvenienced. I am not a farmer, and if the tractor is down for few days, no problem (unless I am dealing with a blizzard, but that's another matter) so getting parts, if I needed them, by UPS is okay. And, I have never been faced with a service issue I couldn't deal with myself. I prefer to change my own fluids and filters, probably like most TbN guys. So, a close dealer may, or may not, be important to everyone. As for cost-per-pound, I do that for cars... a Ferrari always looses to a Toyota that way. Or maybe it's just my finances?

 

[Parkanzky]

Having a "close" and "quality" (well, maybe not the right word, but you all know what I mean) dealer for whatever you buy is an interesting topic in itself. Our "local" Kubota dealer is someone best avoided, IMHO, and the dealer I would like to have is located maybe an hour away, or more. That said, I have never, in 15 years of owning a Kubota, never been inconvenienced. I am not a farmer, and if the tractor is down for few days, no problem (unless I am dealing with a blizzard, but that's another matter) so getting parts, if I needed them, by UPS is okay. And, I have never been faced with a service issue I couldn't deal with myself. I prefer to change my own fluids and filters, probably like most TbN guys. So, a close dealer may, or may not, be important to everyone. As for cost-per-pound, I do that for cars... a Ferrari always looses to a Toyota that way. Or maybe it's just my finances?

There are two Kubota dealers equidistant from me. A friend (who has a Kubota) and I went to the first to look at tractors and had a _horrible_ experience. I went to the other dealership a couple days later and was very impressed. We also have a couple of JD dealers near here. I really like the people I've worked with at the first one I visited. I talked to the other dealership on the phone and they gave me a lower quote for what I want, but I don't really have a feel for them otherwise.

 

[Parkanzky]

As for cost-per-pound, I do that for cars... a Ferrari always looses to a Toyota that way. Or maybe it's just my finances?

Also, I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around "heavier is better." I'm a car guy, and if you look closely at my second driveway picture you can see my Lotus Elise hiding in the garage. My mindset shopping for that was quite different!

 

[arrow]

Also, I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around "heavier is better." I'm a car guy, and if you look closely at my second driveway picture you can see my Lotus Elise hiding in the garage. My mindset shopping for that was quite different!

Ah, the old HP to weight ratio. In a head to head and the same gearing, which vehicle would finish the 1/4 mile first : A 5000 lb 500 hp one, or a 2000 lb 200 hp car? . Which vehicle would you use to tow a 7000 lb trailer load. Tractors are like the latter only with not that much HP.

 

[TSO]

Also, I've been having a hard time wrapping my head around "heavier is better." I'm a car guy, and if you look closely at my second driveway picture you can see my Lotus Elise hiding in the garage. My mindset shopping for that was quite different!

Tractors aren't like that. They're not built for speed, they're built to work. Gearing is low, and it's meant for pulling. The more weight you have on your tractor, the more traction you'll have to push/pull, and the more stability you'll have while carrying a load. You'll find most folks here will tell you that "you'll run out of traction long before you'll run out of HP." My tractor weighs around 6000+ lbs, and even when I have my nearly 1000lb back blade on, and a 2000lb load on the loader ... The tractor can still spin the tires.

That doesn't necessarily apply with regards to PTO power, but then again, the heavier the tractor, the better it will handle a 3pt implement (not getting thrown around by the weight of the implement).

 

[Parkanzky]

Tractors aren't like that. They're not built for speed, they're built to work. Gearing is low, and it's meant for pulling. The more weight you have on your tractor, the more traction you'll have to push/pull, and the more stability you'll have while carrying a load. You'll find most folks here will tell you that "you'll run out of traction long before you'll run out of HP." My tractor weighs around 6000+ lbs, and even when I have my nearly 1000lb back blade on, and a 2000lb load on the loader ... The tractor can still spin the tires.

That doesn't necessarily apply with regards to PTO power, but then again, the heavier the tractor, the better it will handle a 3pt implement (not getting thrown around by the weight of the implement).

I don't know what my father-in-law's Case weighs, but he and I removed the CaCl2 filled rear wheels/tires (to change spacing of some kind, IIRC) and I remember that they were much taller than I am and how much careful work it was to jack that tractor up, remove the wheels and make the changes, and then get everything installed. I think that if we'd have dropped one of the wheels onto its side we would have had a very hard time getting it back up again with the loader on his small tractor.

Of course, he could pick up whatever new tractor I choose with his loader and he carries big beech trees out of the woods on the 3PH, so all that weight is definitely getting him something.

I have a very distinct memory of the time I was on three wheels in that tractor. I could smoothly control the angle of the tractor by raising and lowering the loader. It's a surreal feeling to have that much weight balanced like that! But you're right, you would dig trenches in clay with all four tires before you could ever bog that engine.

 

[Parkanzky]

A quick update. I test drove the JD 2032R with loader this morning. My Deere dealer has 40 acres and they've been doing a bunch of construction, so there are dozens of dirt piles behind the shop. In high-range, I couldn't get the bucket to make a dent in a dirt pile. It didn't come close to running out of traction, it just bogged down immediately. In low-range, however, I found that I didn't have too much trouble getting a bucket-full just by running into the side of the pile with a level bucket. Once I was really into the pile, the tires would start to spin.

I really liked how the tractor operated. The controls were all very intuitive and the steering and hydrostatic are super-smooth. I do sense the limited power, but I think that's just the reality of the class of tractor I'm looking at.

I also got a very clear illustration of the need for ballast. This tractor had just had the loader installed but does not have filled tires or anything hanging off the back. With a full load of dirt in the bucket, I found that the joystick first controlled the height of the loader and then transitioned into controlling the height of the rear tires. Not a great feeling! I'll definitely be making sure there's ballast on whatever tractor I end up buying.

The Kubota dealer said they'd have the loader on their B3350 on Monday. My week is very busy, but I will try to get away for a test drive on that as soon as possible and then comes a decision and final negotiations.

 

[jeff9366]

Installing a Piranha Tooth Bar on any subcompact tractor bucket will make penetrating piles much easier.

Counterbalance on the 3-Pt Hitch will also help. I am surprised the dealer did not mount an implement as counterbalance on the 3-Pt. before turning you free on the demo, to improve your impression of the 2032R.

Does the 2032R have rigid, pin-adjustable stabilizers, and extending Low Links standard or available as an option?

Extendable lower lift arms - a VERY nice feature when attaching any implement, particularly a heavy one. And most implements are not moved around easily sitting on the ground. My previous tractor didn't have the feature, my current one does. I have NEVER been able to hit the "sweet spot" - perfect alignment between tractor & implement - on the first try. Extendable lift arms will, most times, compensate for misalignment.

 

[Parkanzky]

I had to imagine the stability I'd get with some more weight, but overall I was really pleased with the capabilities of this tractor for moving dirt around. I hope that I'm not let down by the PTO HP, but I think it's the right size machine for what I want to do.