Tough decisions in the compact utility size

[greginfinity]

So I have decided that the SCUT sized tractors will be too small for my use, and are really pretty expensive for what you get. A few grand more gets you a lot more tractor. I have the following quotes for TLB (all hydro).

Kubota L2501: $32k
Deere 3025e: $29k
LS MT225e: $24k
Kioti CK2610: $27k
TYM T264: $22k

Kubota, TYM, and deere are local and could be delivered free. The LS includes shipping to my home. The kioti would need to be picked up. The annoying thing about the TYM, LS and Kioti is that the 0 percent financing requires another $2k fee or so. Right now I would rather hold on to my cash. Also, apparently dealers are moving product like crazy too so availability could get tough. Maybe I should wait for the economy to take a dump and all these tractors end up cheap on craigslist?

Anyone have any opinions or thoughts on these? Seems like I can't go wrong with any of them.

My use would be digging french drains, clearing logs and brush from my woods, some light brush hogging and general saving my back with various chores. I go back and forth between renting and buying but timing rentals seems tough compared to going out when I have free time to work in the woods.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[ovrszd]

Welcome to TBN.

If the economy didn't take a dump over the past six months it ain't going to.

I think availability may be an issue for awhile.

As to your listed choices, they are all reliable brands. Local dealer/parts support would be my concern.

Beyond that, I'd have to run each of them before I'd decide. Definitely wouldn't buy a TLB without running it. Digging dirt with the hoe. Not just driving around in a parking lot.

Good luck with your choice and follow up with your decision.

 

[jeff9366]

Anyone have any opinions or thoughts on these? Seems like I can't go wrong with any of them.

My use would be digging french drains, clearing logs and brush from my woods, some light brush hogging and general saving my back with various chores. I go back and forth between renting and buying but timing rentals seems tough compared to going out when I have free time to work in the woods.

What is the total acreage of your property?

How much of your total acreage is open to a tractor?

Is your land FLAT or will you operate over sloping ground regularly?

What about moving snow?

Most medium stance, compact tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten FLAT acres.


I would not buy a compact tractor without a three (3) range HST transmission. Several of the tractors you are considering have two (2) range HST transmissions. In these max weight for <25-1/2 horsepower, Tier IV exempt tractors the lower LOW and higher HIGH of a three range HST transmission is important, especially on hills. The Backhoe option adds ~~700 additional pounds to tractor burden .

If you carry through on the Backhoe do not fill the rear tires with liquid. Additional weight will be a negative.

 

[greginfinity]

I have 6.5 acres, mostly woods. I want to pick away at clearing up to 1 acre. I don't have a lot of grass to mow and can do it with a push mower for now. The land is mostly flat. I don't plan on moving snow unless I really need to, have a plow truck for that. Thanks!

 

[jeff9366]

I have 6.5 acres, mostly woods. I want to pick away at clearing up to 1 acre. I don't have a lot of grass to mow and can do it with a push mower for now. The land is mostly flat. I don't plan on moving snow unless I really need to, have a plow truck for that. Thanks!

All the tractors you are considering have ample weight and ample ground clearance for your applications. Horsepower will not be "ample" but likely 'enough'.

I would not buy a compact tractor without a three (3) range HST transmission. Several of the tractors you are considering have two (2) range HST transmissions. In these max weight for <25-1/2 horsepower, Tier IV exempt tractors the lower LOW and higher HIGH of a three range HST transmission is important, especially on hills. The Backhoe option adds ~~700 additional pounds to tractor burden .

If you carry through on the Backhoe do not fill the rear tires with liquid. Additional 500 pounds taxing <25-1/2 horsepower will be a negative.

 

[rademamj1]

All are very capable tractors for working 6.5 acres. Tractor factories are shut down right now, and so available inventory is decreasing at incredible rates. Local Kubota dealer had 75 tractors on his lot three months ago. He is now down to 16 tractors, and no subcompact or compact tractors at all are left on his lot.

The Economy is already passed the danger point, and it's all up hill from this point. Texas is booming right now in everything but restaurant business. So waiting for prices to drop, is just not going to be a successful tractor buying strategy.

I talked to my Kioti dealer, and he says nobody charges a $2000 financing fee for 0% down. Most likely that is State and Local taxes and also Banking Fees rolled together. Kubota will simply allow you to finance the taxes and fees into your monthly payment over 6 years, and also have no payments for first 90 days.

Do you have enough work for your backhoe, because many first time tractor owners, buy a backhoe and then it sits for years after they have used it for just installing one culvert. My neighbor did that.

 

[jeff9366]

Do you have enough work for a $7,000 backhoe? Many first time tractor owners buy a backhoe and then it sits for years after they use it for installing one culvert. My neighbor did that.

= YES =

 

[greginfinity]

This is a great point. I guess my only real tasks in mind for the backhoe are stump removal and french drains. But maybe it makes sense to queue up a lot of stumps and have some real machinery do the job. And maybe the same for the drains. Are there some bucket or hitch attachments that help with this? I see a spade for the loader but that is probably slow. Maybe some sort of plow for the hitch?

 

[KennyG]

I would not buy a compact tractor without a three (3) range HST transmission. Several of the tractors you are considering have two (2) range HST transmissions. In these max weight for <25-1/2 horsepower, Tier IV exempt tractors the lower LOW and higher HIGH of a three range HST transmission is important, especially on hills. The Backhoe option adds ~~700 additional pounds to tractor burden .

The 2 range/3 range question has been argued here before. It seems all the "2 range is not adequate" people have 3 range tractors. Those of us with 2 range tractors never seem to have a problem. On lower horsepower tractors, they just don't have enough power to effectively use the higher gearing in a 3 range transmission. I've never felt like low range wasn't low enough and there is a reasonable overlap between ranges. The drive trains are engineered to match the machine, not to save money.

 

[kthompson]

I have looked at many different brands of tractors over the last say 30 years. Yep some are history. You do not want your brand or tractor to become history with no parts. I also want to know the dealership where I probably will buy but at least one more in reasonable distance. Even the most solid dealerships will close for one reason or another. You many never need any dealership, you may and if you do having depending dealer shop in decent distance is worth a lot and having parts is worth more. I recently bought my third Kubtoa, it was not my first choice. the biggest reason I did not was the second nearest dealership was over 100 miles away. That my friend will eat up a day and it would not be one trip but two if it needed to be there. Really stopped the deal totally.

I have a brother in law who has a 3000 series JD with two range HST, have used it when vacationing there and to me with fel work and heavy box blade work the two range HST worked great. My two Kubota's with HST are three range trans and I was as pleased with the JD HST as I am with the Kubota's HST.