Buying Advice Tractor for homestead / land maintenance

[jeff9366]

I think it was either 66 or 72". It was a verbal estimate. I looked at Everything Attachments and their 66" XTreme Duty Box Blade, 490 lbs, looks like a good deal for $893.

For the work you intend your Box Blade should weigh at least eighty pounds per foot of width. 490/5.5 = 89 pounds per foot of width.

I recommend you not finalize Box Blade order until the tractor is home. You want Box Blade to be 12" (+/-) wider than your tire width (3" to 6" on each side) and you will not know tire width for sure until tractor is with you.

I have several ETA implements. Very sturdy and satisfactory, with the exception of paint. I think ETA is so busy they ship before paint cures. (ETA will paint your implements Kioti orange for a modest additional charge. ETA'a Land Shark implements are orange, so orange paint is relatively simple for ETA. )

I do not have a grapple form ETA but ETA grapples are reviewed well here by experienced tractor people.

Dual lid grapples hold material in bucket more securely than single lid grapples. Unquestionably.
However, I practice the KISS PRINCIPLE (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and if i were shopping grapples I would consider a single lid because of simplicity.

I use SSQA Pallet Forks rather than a grapple, partly on the KISS PRINCIPLE. Works for me.
My Pallet Forks are branded Construction Attachments, sold by ETA. Excellent build.

 

[Diggin It]

Don't get caught up in the koolaid crowd.

There are other colors than orange. Blue (New Holland, LS) is good. Red (Massey, TYM, Yanmar, Branson) is good.

There are other places to buy things than EA and at better prices from what I've seen.

 

[fried1765]

Beautiful property and welcome to the forum!

Most folks on here will recommend hiring and/or renting construction equipment to perform construction tasks and then buying a tractor to maintain the property once all the heavy work is done. Digging foundations and culverts, deforesting, etc is heavy work that compact tractors really aren稚 designed to do and getting the right heavy equipment in there will knock it out in short order.

That said, you値l definitely still need a tractor. For 40 acres I壇 recommend you shop for a tractor that weighs 3500lbs minimum (before weight of loader and ballast) and 35-55 horsepower. Decide what implements you need to perform the work first, and then choose a tractor capable of powering those implements. Weight is your friend.

Exactly ^^^^^ what he said!

 

[fried1765]

For the work you intend your Box Blade should weigh at least eighty pounds per foot of width. 490/5.5 = 89 pounds per foot of width.

I recommend you not finalize Box Blade order until the tractor is home. You want Box Blade to be 12" (+/-) wider than your tire width (4" to 6" on each side) and you will not know tire width for sure until tractor is with you.

I have several ETA implements. Very sturdy and satisfactory, with the exception of paint. I think they are so busy they sometimes ship before paint is entirely cured. I do not have a grapple form ETA but ETA grapples are reviewed well here.

Dual lid grapples hold material in bucket more securely than single lid grapples. Unquestionably.
However, I practice the KISS PRINCIPLE (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and if i were shopping grapples I would consider a single lid because of simplicity.

I use SSQA Pallet Forks rather than a grapple, partly on the KISS PRINCIPLE. Works for me.
My Pallet Forks are branded Construction Attachments, sold by ETA.

Ditto on the EA paint comment!
EA equipment design/fabrication seems to be consistently excellent.
EA equipment paint....not so much!

 

[fried1765]

Hi Everyone,

My husband and I would like to ask for some help in choosing a tractor. We are going to a Kioti and a Kubota dealer this weekend to look at open air tractors (hubby doesn't want a cab). We have almost 40 acres that was recently paid off and we would like to build our home and a barn on it. About 1/2 the land is 2-3" saplings with some trees about 5-6" wide.

Initially, we would like to use the tractor to clear about an acre of trees, add fill dirt to raise up the driveway, and add about a 15' culvert (maybe a 12" pipe would work). We were quoted $4k to clear (mulch) the 1.25 acres of trees and $7k to level the driveway and install the culvert. Maybe use it to excavate our foundation if it could do it (crawlspace). We would rather put that money towards a tractor and put in a few months of hard work to save this money.

Afterwards, the tractor would be used to bush hog a few trails around the house, maintain a 1/4 gravel mile driveway, and transform a 2 acre low area near a creak into a garden / orchard, and install some fencing. We plan on a few chickens, goats, small farm and other land maintenance.

Would we be able to do all of this with a tractor? What size tractor would you recommend? Are there any implements besides a bush hog, front end loader and maybe a backhoe? We'll probably need an auger later. We've seen forestry mulcher take down trees, but there's not much information about using it on a tractor.

Thank you!

Proceed slowly with selections.
There is a lot to learn, before making firm (expensive) decisions.

 

[jeff9366]

@3gunr,
1) I agree that the Kioti price is a little high. Especially when I compare it to the package deals at Larry Stovesand in Tennessee. We'll look at the Kubotas and see what he likes better. I think it will be the Kioti and we can hopefully negotiate that price down.

@PEJ5,
2) The dealer mentioned filling the tires with a liquid, not water, but I'm not sure how much weight that would add.


3) We have an F-150 and I just looked up the tow capacity and it's about 7,500, which is close. We would only be towing it about 10 miles, so it shouldn't be an issue...hopefully.

1) PACKAGE PRICE Beware. Another MessicK's VIDEO that is consistent with the experience of many disappointed PACKAGE buyers here.
You don't know what you don't know.

If you do not buy implements from the Kioti dealer do not squeeze him for every nickel on the tractor. The dealer has to make a living too. In my opinion, you are opening with HIGH VALUE in the Kioti brand which merits consideration.

VIDEO: Shady Internet Tractor Package "deals" - YouTube


2) TIRE BALLAST Approximately 600 to 700 pounds in two rear tires. R4/industrial tires, probably your choice, hold more liquid than R1/ag tires.

When buying a tractor: Tractor weight first. Tractor horsepower second. Rear ballast/counterbalance third. (Usually)

The 490 pound ETA Box Blade will make primo counterbalance, combined with "loaded" rear tires, to max FEL lifts.

LINK: Comparing Types of Liquid Tire Ballast | OrangeTractorTalks


3) TRAILER Pulling a tractor laden trailer without separate trailer brakes is extremely wearing on truck brakes.
May be cheaper in the short run and long run to have dealer transport your tractor as necessary with his HD truck, HD trailer, ample tie downs, experienced driver and liability insurance. I have my six mile distant Kubota dealer make my tractor moves for $2 per mile from dealer to my destination, plus a tie down fee. $2 per mile round trip.

Our Kioti dealer is only 8 miles away and was really friendly and informative. They can also service the tractor.

How nice.

I deliver a dozen doughnuts to my Kubota dealer on National Doughnut Day, the first Friday in June.

 

[jeff9366]

While I think of it: Be sure delivery of your tractor is included in final price.

Doc fees gambit make me suspicious dealer might want to charge for delivery after deal is finalized.

 

[ericm979]

EA equipment paint....not so much!

I can't speak to their other implements but the paint on my grapple is holding up much better than the paint on my Gearmore box blade even though I have used it more.

I got a dual lid on the theory that it would hold uneven items better than a single lid. But be aware that because of the way hydraulics work, often one lid will move and then the other. The cylinder that has less force opposing it moves first. The dual lid having two cylinders instead of one will open and close faster. I figured that'd be an advantage with a 3rd function which is only on or off. A diverter lets you 'feather' the valve to move the cylinders slowly. I have mine connected to a SCV (rear remote) and find that I never need to feather the valve... on and off is fine with me.

 

[woolyAcres]

I've have the EA Wicked Root grapple. In my opinion it has a serious flaw. The cylinder on the unit I have does not extend far enough to allow the lid to close down tight to the bottom tines. The way the 2 pieces are machined (lid and lower teeth), it sure looks like they are meant to contact one another/close all the way. It's just that the cylinder they shipped it with is about 1/2' too short, leaving a 5" gap between the jaws when closed all the way. It's not always a problem, like large logs or big loads of intertwined brush, but in some circumstances it's really a pain, like anytime I'm trying to grab a load of small items that are well organized or even a single small (<5" item). It won't pinch down and can't be grabbed by the grapple.

Paint on mine is fine but I'd trade a poor paint job for better design anytime.

I'd also consider looking at other brands/options.

Perhaps this has been fixed on newer models.

 

[jeff9366]

I have the EA Wicked Root grapple. The cylinder they shipped with it is 1/2' too short, leaving a 5" gap between the jaws when closed.

Paint on mine is fine. I'd trade a poor paint job for better design.

I'd also consider looking at other brands/options.

Here is e-mail contact for Travis Templeton at everytfhingattachments.com

I suggest communicating your criticism direct to Travis.

travis@everythingattachments.com