What class of tractor for maintaining two miles of road at higher elevation?

[In.the.Piñons]

I have a 200+ acre ranch (6,800ft above sea level) with a few miles of single lane gravel road that needs to be maintained. Under the gravel, the soil is silty clay, and the topography involves some mild grades along with some short steep hills. The main road is mostly well built with culverts to prevent any major washouts. Last year we didn't need to plow any snow (1-2" storms) but previous years we've been dumped on with back to back 10" storms. I guess a normal year would be plowing 6-7 storms that were over 6".
Aside from maintaining the roads, the tractor would be used for moving water/hay around the ranch, re-doing some of the older dirt roads on the property (they are in OK condition, but the brush keeps growing up between the tire tracks which scrapes the bottom of my truck). We burn about 8-10 cords of wood a year, so moving wood around would be another use. I'd also like to use the tractor to build/maintain a few jumps on the property. Not a full motocross track, just a few jumps in the 15-30ft range. We're not farming anything on this land, just grazing some cattle.

I remember going deep down the rabbit hole, of which tractor/implements to buy, when we first purchased the ranch a few years back. Now I want to revisit the topic since I've had some time to get a feel for the place and what our use case would be.

IIRC, I thought a utility, or compact utility tractor with a TURBO diesel engine (due to our 6,800ft elevation) would be a good idea? Is that what you guys would recommend or am I way off base here? Something in the 40-60hp range with some decent weight (7,000lbs or more)?

Budget would be about $30-35K for a lightly used tractor with a loader and land plane etc. Might bump that up another $5-10K to get a cab (everything in my three sided barn gets coated in silt in the spring!).

 

[airbiscuit]

Your starting point sounds pretty solid. Start looking at Tractorhouse, Craigslist, and online auctions. It takes a lot of looking.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

A 70-75 HP tractor, similar to a Kubota M7060. This size machine allows you to get work done in a decent amount of time.
All the main manufacturers have something in the frame size.

To start with, I would check on what dealers are within what you consider a reasonable drive.
Based on those dealers, start looking at Tractor House to get an idea of the costs that you should be considering. Just some examples.

KUBOTA M7060HDC For Sale in Flint, Texas

KUBOTA M7060HDC For Sale in Flint, Texas at TractorHouse.com. KUBOTA M7060.CAB/AIR/HEAT/RADIO. 70 HORSEPOWER DIESEL. HYDRAULIC SHUTTLE-8 SPEED TRANSMISSION. 4X4. POWER STEERING. QUICK ATTACH KUBOTA LA1154 LOADER/JOYSTICK CONTROL/SKID STEER STYLE QUICK ATTACH BUCKET/THIRD FUNCTION. 3 POINT AND...

www.tractorhouse.com

2019 JOHN DEERE 5075E For Sale in St Joseph, Missouri

2019 JOHN DEERE 5075E For Sale in St Joseph, Missouri at TractorHouse.com. 2019 John Deere 5075E tractor, 4wd, only 361 hours, 75 horsepower, 12 speed transmission w/ LH power reverser, 3 point hitch, 1 rear hydraulic remote, 540 & 540E pto, cab, air, heat, stereo, diff lock, tool box, grill...

www.tractorhouse.com

2014 KIOTI RX7320 For Sale in Glenwood, Arkansas

2014 KIOTI RX7320 For Sale in Glenwood, Arkansas at TractorHouse.com. 2014 KIOTI RX7320. 2,168 hours. Cab. Loader and Bucket.

www.tractorhouse.com

2019 NEW HOLLAND POWERSTAR 75 For Sale in Winesburg, Ohio

2019 NEW HOLLAND POWERSTAR 75 For Sale in Winesburg, Ohio at TractorHouse.com. Nice tractor that we traded in from a hay farm in WV. The tractor has primarily been used to make hay and to handle bales. It has been well cared for and is in good shape mechanically and cosmetically. Has the deluxe...

www.tractorhouse.com

I think that you might need to raise the budgit some.

 

[airbiscuit]

What state do you live in? It's counterintuitive, but sometimes bigger Utility Tractors are cheaper that a 60hp Compact Utility Tractor. A Kubota M9540 for example ...

 

[paulsharvey]

It's kinda limiting, because they almost always come without a PTO, but what you describe is what the industrial grade tractors are Made more; JD-210LE, Case I think also has one, as well was the old yellow masseys, and the yellow ford's. Tons of weight, tailor made for grading, and a really good lift capacity on loader.

I don't know if the 210LE came be equipped with a PTO or not, but I think some of the Case CK series could? Fantastic hydralics, hugs the ground well too; but they are grading machines and not farm tractors.

Edit: seems New Holland and Case both still make them; and you are looking at 4500-6000# loader lift capacity, they 12,000 lbs, on upto maybe 14,500 lbs depending on the factory weights. Power shift transmissions, virtually all come with a 7 ft Heavy Duty box blade, and often hydralic raise and lower rippers, as well ad hydralic top and tilt.

 

[Sportsman762]

How familiar are you with operating a tractor? If your new to the tractor world I would advise getting the largest tractor with a hydrostatic transmission that you can.
Otherwise I would look at a utility tractor that is 70-95 hp. A utility tractor will have more ability to move hay bales through deeper snow than a compact. They also have stronger loaders and in general can get more done quicker due to their larger size. Some models are
Kubota M95, M96, M105, M108, M6S-111, M6800, M8200, M9000 these all have locking front differentials which is nice in snow and tough terrain.
Ford / New Holland TN series, TL series.
John Deere 5xxx series

I would definitely get a loader. Cabs are sure nice too.

Industrial tractors would be another option. I would get one with a PTO. They are lower slung so not so good in snow or mud.
Case 480 series, 580 series
Ford 445 series, 545 series
Massey 50H

 

[redman135]

I agree with you on turbo.
Tractor size: are you sure that 60 - 80 hp is right? As your skills increase so does mission creep. At 200 acres you can justify a larger tractor. This puts you into the volume market (around here 90- 120 hp is the volume market) with much more choice at your budget.
NOTE have the dealer put the rear tyres to maximum width for stability before delivery. (Ag rims are 2 piece for adjustability)
Re the track maintenance, a back blade the same width or slightly wider is best. If you have a blade that is narrower then I suggest a bar bolted to the blade is a cheap way to get the width to blade a track. When blading your gravel road a tail wheel is mandatory to avoid putting corrigations into your road. Also SMALL corrections! Big corrections = stuffup.

 

[paulsharvey]

It's not often talked about, but the 210LE, atleast some came with a like 25 degree swivel on the seat to prevent "box blade neck" and had 3 point down pressure. I've seen them starting around $25k, for pretty high hour machines, but these are very easy to operate, and extremely heavy duty machines.

 

[airbiscuit]

It's kinda limiting, because they almost always come without a PTO, but what you describe is what the industrial grade tractors are Made more; JD-210LE, Case I think also has one, as well was the old yellow masseys, and the yellow ford's. Tons of weight, tailor made for grading, and a really good lift capacity on loader.

I don't know if the 210LE came be equipped with a PTO or not, but I think some of the Case CK series could? Fantastic hydralics, hugs the ground well too; but they are grading machines and not farm tractors.

Edit: seems New Holland and Case both still make them; and you are looking at 4500-6000# loader lift capacity, they 12,000 lbs, on upto maybe 14,500 lbs depending on the factory weights. Power shift transmissions, virtually all come with a 7 ft Heavy Duty box blade, and often hydralic raise and lower rippers, as well ad hydralic top and tilt.

View attachment 898477

Wow, that John Deere 210le is a lot of tractor for the money $25k-$30k.

 

[CalG]

You are in a ripe position to get a lot of tractor (100hp) for small money.

The big ag ops are going BIG and a 100hp is too much for chores.

Implements on the other hand might set you back or require a long trailer haul,