Tractor Sizing Recommendations on size of tractor

[welyell]

Hi All - Looking for recommendations on the size (not brand) of tractor with FEL and BH I need. I have a 2 acre parcel in a rural area that has some semi-steep slopes (barely manage the mowing with a 26HP Kubota riding mower). The tractor will be used for:

- Initial project is 600 feet of drainage trenching, some of which will go down 5-6 feet
- Installation of a 70'x40' sloped bank pond, up to 6' deep
- Mowing (do not want a mid-mount mower)
- Shrub/Bush transplanting
- Light grading work, leveling out areas with new topsoil vice digging/dragging out high spots
- Might do some terracing on the sloped areas
- Waterline maintenance (500 feet of underground line)

I live on an island in Puget Sound Washington, so snow is not a "normal" consideration for tractor work. Being on an island, equipment rental prices and fuel prices are extremely high, so no, I don't want to rent an excavator for the dirt work. Soil conditions are about 2-3 feet of topsoil over alternating layers of hard-pan and rock/sand (glacial till).

 

[majorwager]

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OP

You will receive differing opinions but small tractor backhoes are woefully inefficient at the depths you have indicated. The larger backhoe designed for the 50+ hp compacts deliver better results. The tractors with integral BH's will deliver better performance but not certain if any manufactures other than Kubota offer them? Excavating for a pond, even a sloped bank design is very ambitious for small machines. Many folks would become discouraged by the dedicated time allotment necessary to embark upon that project. The bank must contain substantial amount of clay to be impervious to seepage.

Do you have significant experience operating a BH? Would consider that a true asset. I have a 10 ft BH that mounts on a 50 hp utility and I would perform the drainage ditching but moving the material necessary to construct the pond would be a bridge too far. I have substantial # of BH operating hours on my current machine and a deere 310 TLB. Tractor BH's are NOT agile on slopes.

 

[jeff9366]

If you have plenty of "free" time to sit in the tractor seat and operate a subcompact tractor is ample for two acres.

While you are not looking for brand recommendations Kubota makes the only subcompact tractor with an INTEGRATED Backhoe, the BX23S.

Six feet is the max reach for a subcompact Backhoe, but doable.

VIDEOS: The ONLY BX that gets a backhoe - WHY IS IT ONLY 23 HORSEPOWER? - TMT - YouTube

How to Operate a Kubota BT6�2 Backhoe & Product Overview | Messick's - YouTube

*NEW* Kubota BX23s BT6�3 Backhoe removal - YouTube




The next heavier INTEGRATED TLB is the B26.

VIDEO: Comparing Kubota TLB series tractors(B26, L47, M62) - YouTube


If you are on Whidbey Island there is an itinerant tractor repair man who travels Whidbey servicing almost all tractor brands. He has a good reputation.

 

[welyell]

If you have plenty of "free" time to sit in the tractor seat and operate a subcompact tractor is ample for two acres.

I've looked at the sub-compact tractors and felt they would be adequate for "most" of my tasks, but I didn't think the weight of the tractor would be enough for me to punch the backhoe through the layers of hard-pan I need to dig through. Also, I was worried about them bogging down when it came to mowing up the slopes... I'm located on Vashon.

 

[majorwager]

OP
This link to Rock Crawler's slope mowing video is informative, he also posted an extensive TBN thread. His you tube channel discusses the BH experience w/ his machine as well.

Kubota B265 with Land Pride FDR2572 in steep slope. - YouTube


Jeffy,

DO YOU personally have any seat time experience operating any of the BH's for which you offer advice? No response?, take that as a no!

 

[jeff9366]

The B26 is quite a bit heavier, tougher and more capable than the BX26S at a higher price. With 4-post ROPS/FOPS may not enter a garage with 84" height.

8'+ Backhoe reach.

LINK: https://www.kubotausa.com/docs/default-source/brochure-sheets/b26tlb.pdf?sfvrsn=25d83402_4

 

[welyell]

The B26 is quite a bit heavier, tougher and more capable than the BX26S at a higher price.

The B2650 was one of the ones I've been reading up on. I really liked the B3350 specs, but then read about the DPF regen issues specific to this model and it seems the issue still exists on the current product. I really like the specs on the Kubota L4701, but I think it would be a nightmare trying to maneuver something like that for mowing on 2 acres... Since I'm retired, the "speed" of completing my projects isn't a concern

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

...Kubota makes the only subcompact tractor with an INTEGRATED Backhoe, the BX23S.

No. It is the only Kubota model with an integrated backhoe. Other brands also have the backhoe support integral to the framing.

OP said he didn't want brand recommendations.

 

[majorwager]

I mow my lawn and field headlands w/ an MX, and it is very maneuverable , however it isn't really designed as a slope mower. Is all of your property sloped?

Geotech,
OP is island bound, possibly few contracting option? However do agree that the backhoe option is expensive, and spends most of its' time sitting idle.

The other issue, noted above, is when projects become too ambitious for the owner, these projects are abandoned or contracted out after exhaustive attempts by inexperienced folks tackling difficult tasks.

 

[Geotech]

I can't imagine needing anything more than a subcompact tractor on a 2 acre tract. I'd hire out the dirt work and save on the backhoe. How often do you think you will need to re-excavate your water line?