Please Recommend a Tractor

[ColoradoDan]

Hello Everyone. I purchased my property in May and I have a home on 33 acres. 18 of those acres consist of a hay pasture. I did the irrigating this summer but I let my friend handle the cutting, bailing, and stacking of the hay since I did not have any equipment.

On the rest of the acreage I have a pond and natural vegetation including trees and long grass. My private gravel driveway is about 500 yards and that is accessed from another gravel road. The driveway has a decent grade to it going up to the house.

My wife knows that I will need a tractor before the snow starts flying in order to plow the driveway so I can get to work every day. I live at about 6000 feet in Colorado near the mountains so snow will definitely be an issue in the winter. If I include my driveway with the other gravel road, I probably have about 1000 yards of road that will need to be plowed and maintained.

The major uses of my tractor will obviously be road and driveway maintenance, including plowing snow. I also plan on handling the hay myself. I need my tractor to be able to handle the 18 acres of hay work. The other major use of the tractor will be for brush hogging the rest of my property along with other miscellaneous jobs.

I have been told that I should get a tractor with at least 60 hp because of the hay implements. My town has four tractor dealers. They are John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, and Kubota. I would prefer to stick with one of these brands because of the ease of maintenance. I would also prefer to buy new because I would prefer to finance the purchase rather than pay cash.

This will be my first tractor, although I have been around plenty.
Please give me some honest opinions on a good fit for a tractor considering my needs. I will obviously test drive many of them before deciding.

Thank you in advance for your help. This site is a wealth of information!

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I have no experience with them (WAY too big for my uses), but the John Deere 50XXM series looks nice.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Too many tractors that can do the job for me to suggest one tractor or one manufacturer but I would not give up on buying used because you can make payments on a used tractor also either from a private owner of a dealer.

Don't get me wrong I love new anything, but I also see a ton of great equipment out there lately at fire sale prices.

Here's where I buy a lot of stuff from. There is an auction coming up soon so you need to sign up to bid but the prices will stun you.

IronPlanet - Used Heavy Construction Equipment - Auction - Backhoes Dozers Excavators Farm Tractors - Caterpillar John Deere Case Komatsu for sale

 

[ecoslik]

This summer, I bought our first tractor ... USED. I found it on: Used Tractors For Sale at TractorHouse.com: John Deere Tractors, used farm tractors and farm equipment, tractors for sale, Case IH, New Holland, Agco, Kubota

I was decidely picky, cautious, and spent several months researching and test driving, and then I spent 2-3 months waiting for a great deal, great seller with impeccable references for his equipment history (dealer vouched for him and his equipment), and exactly the tractor configuration and implements that we wanted.

I could make suggestions, but you have come to the right website to hear from the real pros for me to be muddying the topic with my beginner opinions. Needless to say, I had wanted a Kubota for 20+ years.

Big picture, I bought as a package everything in my signature, below, except the Construction Attachments grapple. I paid about 1/2 of what I would have spent if new.

 

[TripleR]

That would be a hard choice and all those mentioned make a tractor that fits your needs. While a 60 HP should do you, I would be looking at something in the 70 HP range with Hydraulic Shuttle Shift and a minimum of 12F/12R with a limited slip differential on the front and of course a cab. Your local dealer will advise you on the proper configuration for your area and tasks.

Look at and test drive all of them and you will know which is right for you. Among the brands mentioned you can't buy a bad tractor. Good luck.

 

[celtsrevenge]

Dan, what part of Colorado are you in? I live outside of Larkspur and have a new to me Yanmar YM2210D. I plan on moving a lot of snow with it.

 

[ColoradoDan]

Thanks for the replies so far. This really helps me during my research.

Triple R - can you expand on the specs you listed as far as your reasoning for having those as minimums? I am trying to learn as much as possible before test driving. That way I can know what I am driving.

Celtsrevenge - I live between Montrose and Ridgway, CO.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Whats your price range? Deere wise, check out the 4520 and up. Kubota, M5040, M7040, etc. the problem with the bota's are that kubota doesnt make any hay equippment so if you wanted everything the same brand, i'd check out The Deeres, NewHollands, and Masseys. :thumbsup:

 

[ColoradoDan]

This is going to sound stupid, but I don't really have a price range. I want to first figure out how much tractor I need for the jobs that I will have. Then, I can compare prices and test drive. I am comfortable with the price range of the tractors and specs that have been suggested so far.
I was wondering about the kubotas and the hay equipment. Its definitely something to think about.
Thanks again. I really appreciate all of the input.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I know that both Deere and Kubota have an online price calculator for their machinery.