Tractor recommendations for hobby farm

[RJohnson]

You might also want to rent an appropriately equipped tractor for a week and try it out on your place. A lot of dealers will apply the rent to the purchase of a new tractor if you decide to buy from them. Then again if your rental didn't fit your needs you have not tied up a great deal of money and can go on to another option.

Randy

 

[gerard]

Lot of good advice. I'd say first determine the size you need (30-40 would do what you need) then start shopping the big three and comparing apples to apples. As said I'd consider a loader a must, HST preferable (even though I have the gear!!) and then consider the mid mount vs the 3 pt finish mower. Now about the mowing - if you want to use a tractor that big on finish grass I hope you have wide open space and not a lot of trees to go around. If you do go with the mid mount - much more maneuverable. Downside is not easy to take on/off, can interfere with going "off road" due to clearances, expensive. Even a 3 pt finish mower is going to run you around $1500 for a 5 footer. You might want to consider compact for your big things and a separate lawn tractor for the finish grass - I went that way and paid less for a 42 inch hydro 18hp lawn tractor brand new than a 3 pt finish mower would have run me and I have better maneuverability. (I mow about 1.25 acres of finish grass)

 

[Anonymous Poster]

These pages are designed to assist first time tractor shoppers.
http://carverequipment.com/tips.htm
http://carverequipment.com/kubota.htm
http://carverequipment.com/used_cool_seasons.htm

Have fun.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I would agree with the majority that 50HP is too large for mowing a lawn. I purchased a JD 4500 two years ago with a rear mount finish mower that runs and works great. There clearly is some problem with compaction in the yard and turning if not careful, however overall I can mow my six acres of yard in less than two hours.

I also tried the separate mower for yard, tractor for other work, which was OK except that the time difference in mowing six acres was too much.

The issue of mid-mount versus rear mount mower was also considered. the mounting issue ended that. Secondly I decided to purchase a 8' heavy duty finish mower which could double as a pasture mower provided I raised the deck and mowed the pasture every 4-6 weeks which I do. The 4500 has plently of power to run the 8' mower and still mow at a acceptable speed.

I have nearly 300 hours on this rig, no problems, fun to use and the envy of my neighbors.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Add me to the list of folks suggesting a Kubota L3710 HST. I use it with a loader and run the midmount mower. Without the midmount mower, I run a trencher, a sickle bar mower, a logging winch, and a shredder. I also use it to bale hay pulling a NH 311 baler.

I was looking specifically for a hydrostatic tractor with no more than 30 pto hp to run the trencher. The trenchers I've seen restrict input to 30hp and require a hydrostatic trans to get the super slow ground speed you need. With the hydrostatic trans you can run the engine fast enough to maintain pto rpms and still crawl at a snail's pace.

I've got a quick disconnect on the loader so I can switch over to forks. I've picked stuff that Kubota wouldn't be happy with weight wise. I can't say enough about the machine. It's been superb. Last summer I used it to winch a 2 1/2 ton IH dump truck up a hill to remove earth for a cistern.

I've got a Ford 5600 (60hp) MFWD and I still prefer using the Kubota unless I'm towing really heavy loads. After looking at the other brands and reading the posts here, I knew the Kubota was going to be a problem free tractor.
I'm too far from a dealer to buy a tractor that's going to be a hassle.

Acreage wise, I cut hay on about thirty acres and mow about five acres. The only beef I can think of is that the midmount mower is not exactly easy to hookup or remove. That's working on grass. If you have a paved area it'd be simpler.

 

[berryhillfarms]

Gentleman- your comments have some age on them but have been very helpful me-- I'm a city. Girl who bought some acreage with flat ground & significant grades to climb- I got suckered into a 18 hp IH that wasn't as solid as I was lead to believe and it really CANT pull a 5 ft b hog and cut tall grass. If I want to brush hog with a front end loader and easily climb would a NH 4WD with 30 or 40 hp be enough? I am not bailing this but could later if I got bale equip. Will use to brush hog, move stuff w loader, plow? Or push snow w blade. I don't want new as I want 0 electronics on tractor but want diesel - the boomer looked appealing but looking for tried and true feedback. I live in SW Missouri and might ck out dealer in Arkansas - I need to find a home for this tired 18 hp IH....learning a lot! Thanks for any help you can offer, Sue

 

[Creamer]

I pull a 5' bush hog with my Ford 1710 4WD through grass as tall as the tractor at about 3 mph. The 1710 is 28 engine hp. I wouldn't want anything smaller than that and would recommend slightly larger so I would say the 30 hp is the minimum for you if you want a 5' bush hog. In general I find this tractor to be about the right size for many things I do with the bush hogging and loader work being the hardest things I do.

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN, Sue!
Thanks for resurrecting an old thread - some will criticize, but I'm always fascinated to see the roll call of names that have come & gone and those that have held the course and still contribute. The advice from "back in the day" is still good advice. Really, the big question that you need to address is do you expect to hay with this machine? If no, then look for at least 25 PTO HP at whatever engine HP it takes to deliver that 25 PTO HP. Many will insist on the HST, but you might try a synchro shuttle and see if that fits your style, too. Less PTO HP lost to transmission inefficiency being the offset to a little more operator work load. For the type of jobs you describe and the terrain you have, I'd listen to the advice about getting 4WD & an FEL. Good luck and let us know what you end up getting.

Oh - the gang loves tractor pictures (hint, hint). Especially good is old iron and pictures of tractors at work. Old iron at work is a bonus!

 

[Gafn]

I don't want new as I want 0 electronics on tractor but want diesel - the boomer looked appealing but looking for tried and true feedback. I live in SW Missouri and might ck out dealer in Arkansas - I need to find a home for this tired 18 hp IH....learning a lot! Thanks for any help you can offer, Sue

Wow - way to revive an old thread....

Zero electronics on a diesel tractor.... Yanmar fits that bill. Any particular reason why?
I mean tractor have had low oil pressure sensors for ages... Since about 2000 diesel injectors have been electronic, so you will need to specify that you want mechanical injectors. Tachometers have been electronic for many years as well...

Saying Zero electronics is a bit vague... what do you really mean to say? Are you wanting a diesel that has no emissions on it? Or do you truly want a 100% mechanical tractor?

 

[Ultradog MN]

If you want a tractor without electronics look around for an older one.
My Ford 3000 diesel doesn't even need a battery if you roll it down a hill to start it.
Put a mechanical oil pressure gauge on it and you're good to go.
Look for a clean, low houred Ford 3600 or 4600 diesel.
They are out there and about 1/3 the cost of of a new 40-50 hp machine.