jeepcoma
Bronze Member
Hello TBNers, I bought a 21 acre property and am starting to search for a tractor. Part of the trouble is, there are so many choices out there, and I don't have a strong idea of what I do/don't need, and what size is best for my needs. One thing I have learned, is to buy the best I can afford! I don't have a real budget set yet, but seeing as I bought an 1820s house I am going to be spending time and money lots of other places! That said, I supposed I'd consider $20k my upper limit now which would need to cover my basic needs for this season, which for now would probably be just mowing. I don't mind spending money on implements later down the road (and in fact am looking forward to it), and I'm willing to pay for quality that will last, but there's no sense throwing money away on a tractor that's too big or really more overkill than I need. But, if the consensus is I really need a budget of $30k, then I will just have to save up. I do want to be careful that I'm not spending money on something bigger just for the sake of spending money though (although it would be nice...), I really am just looking to get the most bang for my buck based on my needs (rather than a fixed initial starting price).
Ok, so here are some details for you. Currently, the property has a barn, a garage, and about 6-7 acres of pasture that are cleared but not maintained. For stuff around the house, tricky areas, the septic and leech field, etc I have a Ariens walk behind mower, so I am set for the more delicate work. And, I have a big 30" Ariens blower to handle what little driveway I have, so snow removal is not really something I'll need to tackle either. I also an JD LX178, which has been giving me a lot of reliability trouble (I got it for free because it doesn't run right; I've gotten it through a few seasons and it really tackled the leaves superbly), but I'm not sure it's up to the job even if it is running in tip-top shape. If I consider that I just want to keep the pasture from getting out of control this season, does it even make sense to try and put the LX178 on that duty or would I be better off selling it before I move? With the 38" deck, assuming I could run at top speed (5 mph?), how long would it take to mow 5 acres? Guess I'll break out the calculator after I finish this post and find out!
Beyond maintenance, I have some improvements I'd like to tackle. The horse fences are all falling down so I will need to replace those. My rough calculation showed about 1900 feet of existing fence. So, if I do 8 feet between each post, that's about 240 holes to dig. A post hole digger would be great to have. And a way to carry all that wood around. The pasture was previously being used for hay before it went neglected, so I would like to turn the soil and be able to lay down seeds and use it for hay. This would probably be done for about 5 of the cleared acres. Next, the property has a stream running through it. Most of the land up to the stream is cleared, and the rest is wooded. I need to build a bridge to access the rest of my property, the previous bridge was destroyed in a flood. So, it would be nice to be able to do some heavier duty construction, as to be able to build a bridge that can carry at the minimum the weight of horses (which I could do by hand pretty easily), but it would be nice if I could also get the tractor to the other side to help clear trees. The stream tends to flood in the spring, and a lot of the pasture is in the flood zone, so I may want to consider adding some drainage in the future depending on how frequently and for how long the pastures stay wet after a heavy rain.
Other things to consider are of course dealer access. I searched around for a few of the more common brands, but to be honest I'm not even sure who all the players are. I'm about 25-30 miles from a Deere, Massey Ferguson, Case IH, Mahindra, and I think one other (Kubota?). So I have access to a pretty good selection and will be able to go visit the dealers, get a feel for them, and get some seat time (which seems to be more critical than the spec sheet in many cases). I just need some ideas as to what I should be looking for in terms of size and power. At first, I was looking at the JD 1025R, maybe even the combo that comes with the FEL and backhoe attached (though based on my needs, those are not nearly as urgent as cutting). But, I am thinking I would probably be better served by stepping up to the 2000 series for not much more. And then, well, the 3000 series isn't that much more money either, and yeah, wow, the 3520 look pretty good... well, you can see where this is going. I don't know where to start looking, and I don't know where to stop (though the 4000 series seems to be a bit too large). One thing is for sure, I would rather by a little bit too much tractor than too little, so I don't feel I have to upgrade down the road and also for longevity. I generally buy used equipment, but since I plan on making a long term investment here, I am considering buying new, especially if I can limp along with my LX178 for a season and wait until the best time of year to buy (I would assume the end of autumn would have the best deals?). I've been pretty impressed by the JD LX178 when it's been working, but I don't bleed green either. Searching used is hard because it seems model lines and number designations change every few years just to make used tractor shopping more difficult.
Well, that's a start at least. Thanks for reading!
Ok, so here are some details for you. Currently, the property has a barn, a garage, and about 6-7 acres of pasture that are cleared but not maintained. For stuff around the house, tricky areas, the septic and leech field, etc I have a Ariens walk behind mower, so I am set for the more delicate work. And, I have a big 30" Ariens blower to handle what little driveway I have, so snow removal is not really something I'll need to tackle either. I also an JD LX178, which has been giving me a lot of reliability trouble (I got it for free because it doesn't run right; I've gotten it through a few seasons and it really tackled the leaves superbly), but I'm not sure it's up to the job even if it is running in tip-top shape. If I consider that I just want to keep the pasture from getting out of control this season, does it even make sense to try and put the LX178 on that duty or would I be better off selling it before I move? With the 38" deck, assuming I could run at top speed (5 mph?), how long would it take to mow 5 acres? Guess I'll break out the calculator after I finish this post and find out!
Beyond maintenance, I have some improvements I'd like to tackle. The horse fences are all falling down so I will need to replace those. My rough calculation showed about 1900 feet of existing fence. So, if I do 8 feet between each post, that's about 240 holes to dig. A post hole digger would be great to have. And a way to carry all that wood around. The pasture was previously being used for hay before it went neglected, so I would like to turn the soil and be able to lay down seeds and use it for hay. This would probably be done for about 5 of the cleared acres. Next, the property has a stream running through it. Most of the land up to the stream is cleared, and the rest is wooded. I need to build a bridge to access the rest of my property, the previous bridge was destroyed in a flood. So, it would be nice to be able to do some heavier duty construction, as to be able to build a bridge that can carry at the minimum the weight of horses (which I could do by hand pretty easily), but it would be nice if I could also get the tractor to the other side to help clear trees. The stream tends to flood in the spring, and a lot of the pasture is in the flood zone, so I may want to consider adding some drainage in the future depending on how frequently and for how long the pastures stay wet after a heavy rain.
Other things to consider are of course dealer access. I searched around for a few of the more common brands, but to be honest I'm not even sure who all the players are. I'm about 25-30 miles from a Deere, Massey Ferguson, Case IH, Mahindra, and I think one other (Kubota?). So I have access to a pretty good selection and will be able to go visit the dealers, get a feel for them, and get some seat time (which seems to be more critical than the spec sheet in many cases). I just need some ideas as to what I should be looking for in terms of size and power. At first, I was looking at the JD 1025R, maybe even the combo that comes with the FEL and backhoe attached (though based on my needs, those are not nearly as urgent as cutting). But, I am thinking I would probably be better served by stepping up to the 2000 series for not much more. And then, well, the 3000 series isn't that much more money either, and yeah, wow, the 3520 look pretty good... well, you can see where this is going. I don't know where to start looking, and I don't know where to stop (though the 4000 series seems to be a bit too large). One thing is for sure, I would rather by a little bit too much tractor than too little, so I don't feel I have to upgrade down the road and also for longevity. I generally buy used equipment, but since I plan on making a long term investment here, I am considering buying new, especially if I can limp along with my LX178 for a season and wait until the best time of year to buy (I would assume the end of autumn would have the best deals?). I've been pretty impressed by the JD LX178 when it's been working, but I don't bleed green either. Searching used is hard because it seems model lines and number designations change every few years just to make used tractor shopping more difficult.
Well, that's a start at least. Thanks for reading!