Recommendation for 6 acre hobby farm

[2manyrocks]

I have 3 tractors: gear, powershift and HST. HST by far is the easiest to control in tight settings and for picking things up with a grapple. So easy to go between forward and reverse and to instantly adjust ground speed to ground conditions.

4 wheel drive is also terrific to have.

Whatever you buy, you need to assess it for vulnerability to damage from limbs in the woods and may need to add some guards to protect your grill and whatever could be damaged on the underside of the tractor.

 

[WinterDeere]

JD should be shunned due to their stance on right to repair, how they treat dealers and the use of plastic panels.

They have gone into cheap junk territory with a hostile corporate leadership

I agree with your first sentiment, the right to repair issue is BS.

But you couldn't be more wrong on composite panels, they're way more durable than steel, for most usage patterns. The old 855 in my photo was 33 years old when I sold it, and still wearing the original composite hood, while most of the steel was badly rusting, dented, or bent.

Drop a tree on the tractor, and you might break plastic, whereas you can re-bend steel. But for almost anything short of that, considering small farm or homestead usage, the composite panels hold up better over time.

No comment on how they treat dealers, I've never been one, nor would I care much about the treatment of mine.

 

[dougtrr2]

Hello everyone,

On top of all this, I have a bad back so the tractor will see a lot of use with very light projects, things you may normally just muscle around or use a wheel barrow for.

Thanks in advance - Tucker

If you have significant back issues I would take a hard look look at two areas.

You want to have a comfortable seat. My little BX can punish my back on some days. An air-ride suspension seat maybe? Your going to spend a lot of time in it, make sure it is the one for you.

Look at implement change over. Wrestling a 200lb+ mower deck on and off can be a struggle. Not sure that drive over decks really solve that issue, although I have no experience with them. Might want to see if the dealer would actually let you change over the loader etc. Guys on the you tube videos make things look easy, real life may be different.

Also don't forget some of those implements will be moved around after they are off the tractor.

Good luck,

Doug in SW IA

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

I agree with your first sentiment, the right to repair issue is BS.

But you couldn't be more wrong on composite panels, they're way more durable than steel, for most usage patterns. The old 855 in my photo was 33 years old when I sold it, and still wearing the original composite hood, while most of the steel was badly rusting, dented, or bent.

Drop a tree on the tractor, and you might break plastic, whereas you can re-bend steel. But for almost anything short of that, considering small farm or homestead usage, the composite panels hold up better over time.

No comment on how they treat dealers, I've never been one, nor would I care much about the treatment of mine.

Deere & Co. faces mounting legal troubles in antitrust lawsuits

Class action lawsuits have been filed against John Deere, accusing the company of violations of antitrust laws in the way they restrict repair.

www.wisfarmer.com

Louis rossman on YouTube has covered it quite well as well as other companies.

I swore off apple, ford and John Deere due to their stance. I am looking to get away from samsung as well due to some changes where they were forcing users to install tik tok to setup a new device

Most people blindly buy stuff, so it's an uphill battle

 

[Eagle1]

Most people blindly buy stuff, so it's an uphill battle

Most people do not want to know how to fix their stuff.+

Edited to say what I meant to say not what I typed....

 

[JeffinNE]

I'm thinking JD 2032R would suit you just fine. These small units can get a lot of jobs done just fine. I've been overly happy with my JD 2320 for 11 years and glad I didn't go bigger.

 

[airbiscuit]

Of course, because there's only one choice. Orange power.

Just joking...mostly.

Yup,

Kubota and Kioti

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Most people to want to know how to fix their stuff.

Most people on here. Most the US population can barely name 3 hand tools. Yet alone fix something

I've worked in maintenance for over a decade so far, multiple industries (aviation, heavy industry) and have an engineering degree. I see the stupidity every day

I just repaired my led TV for the second time in 4 years. Most people would of thrown it out the first time

 

[KingBubba]

Gearing can compensate for lower HP, but lack of solid weight cannot be compensated for. My 16 horse Mahindra does what I need, but the lack of weight shows its ugly head quite often. If I had it to do over, I would have gone with a 25 or 30 hp tractor instead of a 16 hp. I've had it for 11+ years and it really is a great machine. The diesel is a Mitsubishi and the quality of the tractor itself is good, no complaints. Since my wife got her little Mazda Miata, I have lost the garage to her. Red is a bad choice for an outdoor tractor in Florida. I keep it under the big sycamore nest to the house, but the paint is still fading. The hood is starting to rust, which is a pisser, but there is little I can do about it. My neighbor's Ford is 20+ years older than my Mahindra and its paint still looks good.

I would like to suggest to you, no matter what unit you buy, to get a set of forks that can be attached to the FEL. I bought a pair with a bracket that holds them in place for just over $100 on eBay right after I bought the tractor. They can be mounted and removed easily. These have enabled me to do any # of jobs with them. I would never be without them. Their spacings are set so they allow the garbage can to fit right between them; so twice a week I can drop off the can at the street with no hassle. This saves me from having to roll it 450' to the curb every week. It has paid for itself the first week I owned it. Get a pair. You will be glad you did.

 

[WinterDeere]

I swore off apple, ford and John Deere due to their stance. I am looking to get away from samsung as well due to some changes where they were forcing users to install tik tok to setup a new device

Most people blindly buy stuff, so it's an uphill battle

Off the topic of the thread, but I think you're wrong about people "blindly" buying stuff. Most people look at all factors considered, and make a compromise. I disagree with JD's stance on right to repair, it hurts major agricultural users. But not being a major agricultural users, I was content to compromise and buy them based on other factors.

I've also never voted for a candidate I truly liked, presidential or otherwise, with the PA senate race being a royal cluster-eff this year. I guess I could chose not to vote, but instead I compromise.

You can hate Apple, I have no love for them, but they make a hell of a phone. No need to subject myself to inferior product, based on how I feel about the company producing it. The same goes for tractors.