Buying Advice Total Newbies have no clue what size tractor to get?

Juanito58 · Feb 21, 2015

Hi Everyone, My wife and I purchased 5 acres of flat pasture land about a year ago trying to move away from the city. We are planing to build on this land and maybe have small animals. I have a lot of plans for the property such as putting a shop on it and some other out buildings. There is no way I can cut the pasture grass with our current mower it wouldn't last a day. I would like to be able to do the following with the tractor. Dig Fence posts, Dig out and grade a couple of drive ways one being at least 300 ft long and the back fill with gravel. the other one at least 100 ft long. Dig out the foundation for the shop 40x40, And possibly a large patio behind the house thinking 20 x40. and lastly for right now anyway a large enough garden for us to grow all the vegetables we will need for ourselves. I don't want to overbuy a machine for the size of this property or its intended uses. but at the same time I don't want to have to trade up right away because I didn't get enough of a machine to begin with. I just need to get an idea of where to start. What should be the features I should be looking for. Price is important but not the main thing. I just want to make sure I end up with a good solid machine that will last a long time and do what I need it to do even if I'm not sure of all that ,that is yet. So any pointers , suggestions and even thoughts I may have not even considered yet, your input would be most welcome. Thank You

nybirdman · Feb 21, 2015

If going new;anything less than 26 HP will not have Tier 4 emissions(a good thing).So you should be looking at 25 HP,4 wheel drive( a must on the small tractors) FEL (front end loader) and a BH(bush hog) for rough cutting.
A box blade/FEL should do all your digging;I assume you are talking pads for foundations.
I am more familiar with Kubota,so a "B" series,lots of good tractors in this size range from a number of manufacturers.

k0ua · Feb 21, 2015

How about one of these?
CK2510 HST Compact Tractor | Kioti Tractors

Or one of these?
J2030H ｫ LS Tractor USA

Or one of these?
Compact Tractors | B50 Series | Kubota Tractor Corporation

you can see what I have. A somewhat larger more powerful tractor than any that I posted. I have about 7 acres. of which maybe half is navigable. Rough country here in Branson Mo.

deerseeker001 · Feb 21, 2015

Welcome from Wisconsin

k0ua · Feb 21, 2015

Talk to us about this "digging" you need to do.. are we talking backhoe here? is this just for a couple of things, and if so how about renting that so you don't wind up with a $6000 to $8000 implement you don't have any use for later. Or would you? Think that through carefully. I can guarantee you will want a FEL (that is Front End Loader), Because a tractor without a FEL is like a day without sunshine.

But it sounds like your primary job is mowing. A hydrostatic transmission is a wonderful thing. I will never be without one again. I have owned 5 tractors. You are probably wanting a box blade for the gravel driveways right? Also or instead of that, consider a land plane.. Easier learning curve, and does a great job on maintenance, but will not dig at all. Look at this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIed2lzfQ-g

Think about the jobs you want to do, and ask more questions.

mddorange · Feb 21, 2015

:welcome:
To TBN Juanito. You can really never have to much tractor unless you have size limitations. There will be times when you will wish you had a bigger one, but most of the time a SCUT will be plenty.

GManBart · Feb 21, 2015

Pretty much anything in the SCUT (Sub-Compact Utility Tractor) should handle those jobs pretty easily. Which one depends on what dealers are nearby, and how much you're willing to spend on your machine.

Right now, new machines are often available at very low, or zero % interest, and used tractors don't save you much at all. The fact that a new machine has a warranty is helpful for anybody who is new to tractors...you can learn how to do the maintenance easily enough, but it's just one more thing to learn as you get started. The best values in SCUTs from some of the more popular brands come from LS, Kioti, TYM, Yanmar and Mahindra. Deere, Kubota, Case, New Holland, and Massey Ferguson all have very nice machines, but they come at a price premium and some (Case, NH, and MF) don't make their own machines in this size, so you're buying something built by another company.

It's a good idea to have a dealer reasonably close if you're new to tractors, so I'd pick a distance that's reasonable (maybe 25-50mi?) and see which brands are in the area. After that, you'll want to visit, and get some seat time. Things that I don't even think about might be annoying to you, so you really have to try the machines and get a feel for them. Tractors aren't overly complex, so in many ways, what you see is what you get.

I've been working on a SCUT/CUT tractor buyer's guide for newbies....PM me if you'd like me to e-mail you a copy. I've had maybe 10 or so folks review it (half very experienced folks here and half newbies) and they all said it was helpful...walks you through terminology, options, etc.

xtruckerbob · Feb 21, 2015

I have the mind set a person should buy 10 HP more than you think you need. With just 5 acres I think a "BX 2670" with MMM and FEL would do a great job especially if you are go to mow your yard with it also . These little tractors will surprise you. You can get any attachment you need sized for these machines. But what ever you get, get 4WD.

varmint · Feb 21, 2015

If your soil is sandy, then you'll be good to go with 25hp and a FEL. A 3 point post hole auger, with maybe a 9" auger, will drill your post holes lickety split- you spend more time positioning than drilling. I put in a lot up here in MD in rocky soil with a 19hp tractor, so anything you buy should be fine. Have fun!

grm61 · Feb 21, 2015

If you don't know for sure "what you might run into later "...buy the next size bgger than you think you could get by with,
Keep in mind scuts don't lift very much or very high.
You might want pallet forks later....
Might need to load over the side of a small dump truck etc.

I'd go at least the 30/35 horse frame size, just for general purpose...

40 horse frame size lifts a lot more and higher than 30/35 horse tractors...

Figure out what you want, and buy a big enough tractor the first time around, it will be a lot cheaper in the long run. My :2cents:

If you want to know what I think is the handiest sized, very capable tractor to have around for most tasks, without going to big or to small, look at what I bought.