What do I need now? What do I need later?

[Chris_T]

Hi all,

Been learning a lot from the boeard and it is time for my newbie "What do I need?" post.

Just built a house on 11 acres in Saskatchewan. Best description of the land would be an abandoned hayfield. We have several lines of 4-5 yr old trees, but little else to get in the way.

What I'm trying to decide is what I need right now and what I won't need for a few years. Our plans are to plant more trees (primarily in rows around the perimeter) and convert the area around the house to a lawn. In the short term (2-3 yrs) we won't be doing anything with the back 5 acres, but will either need to cut it or potentially bring someone in periodically to remove it as hay.

We have about 300-400 feet of gravel driveway that will need to be maintained and have the snow removed in the winter. I hope to have a shop constructed in the next 5 years, which would probably entail another 300 feet or so of gravel.

We want to put in a decent sized vegetable garden and since the construction has torn up the area around the house we'll be deciding on that landscaping in the next little while.

I realize that I'm not in the market for a finish mower right away, but I do want to be able to keep 3-5 acres around the house rough-cut this summer. Will also need to remove snow in the first year (possibly even summer!). I like the general utility of a FEL, especially for the landscaping in the first few years, but could rent/hire if I needed to.

Mostly what I'm trying to decide is do I buy a machine for now AND later and is it necessarily different? I have no seat time anything bigger than a riding mower, so I don't know if 4WD or HST is important to me or not. What I don't want to do is to get something that is going to be marginal for the first few years. My inclination is to go with something that will have a Cat 1 3 pt. hitch and think about a rear-mounted cutter, but I'm still not sure about size.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[Egon]

About 30 HP., rotatiller, FEL, rearblade/boxblade and rear mower. Go for a finishing mower right off as it will cut the field hay too.

My preference would be HST.

What part of Sask. ?

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[canoetrpr]

Welcome Chris!

Like you I started my research on this board a few months ago and finally made my purchase which was delivered a few days ago.

Some very general thoughts after having gone through the process myself:

- Don't go too small. With 11 acres there will ALWAYS be things that need doing. At the same time don't buy the tractor that would be necessary to build your house!. Go out and contract out any initial work that would best be done with big machinery.
- My gut feel says that a machine in a similar size to my own would suit you. I've got a Kubota L3400 - 34hp. I think that a 28 to 35 hp is a good size. There many options out there in all the colours in this range so you should benefit as the customer. I'm sure others might have a different opinion and something smaller would work out as well. I would err on this size for myself.
- Definately get a FEL. I did not plan on it - others here talked me into it and I'm glade they did. It is already making my tractor more than 5 x more usable than it would be with just a rotary cutter.
- A tractor this size can handle a 5 ft rotary cutter.
- Some excellent choices: The JD790 is a no frills machine 28hp. Really nice machine if you are fine with gears. The Kubota L2800 and L3400 are great machines also and come with HST as an option. The B series may be worth a look also but I prefer these base L machines. The new JD 3203 looks like a great option also and is priced similarly to the L3400 and comes with HST as an option.
- Get a toothbar. Great for digging etc. etc. not too expensive to add on IMHO.
- Keep an eye out on the autotrader for good used deals. They do come from time to time but go quick so you need to have decided on what you want ahead of time and act quickly.
- Most importantly - find the dealer that is reasonably close that has a good reputation and that you feel comfortable with.

Have fun shopping.

 

[billbill1]

I think a posthole digger, 4WD, FEL, RFM, and 28hp minimum, boxblade, grader blade, and carryall. This will get you started on the long journey of wanting more stuff that you can argue with the little woman about for the rest of your life. Good luck and pick the color of your choice. The fun is just beginning. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[canoetrpr]

Chris - something else to bear in mind.

A lot of people like me start of with a tractor, FEL and one or two implements that they can't live without - like a rotary cutter in my case (rear blade is another good all round buy).

As time goes on they add the other things they need - rototiller, box blade, snowblower etc. etc. I will add a snowblower next winter. Buying several implements upfront is the way to go if you can afford it but for me to do that it would have meant sacrificing on the size of tractor etc. etc.

So if you can throw your implements into your purchase - by all means do that. If not, go with a tractor that is big enough that will last you a good long time and add an implement every year or so. In the meanwhile you can borrow, rent etc. - particularly for something like a rototiller which can be expensive and will not be used nearly as often as a rotary cutter or a snowblower or FEL.

This strategy can even give you some time to see if you can come across a deal on some used implements at an auction.

I'd rather see you with a tractor/FEL combo that you will be very happy with for a long time. All the other things can be added over a lifetime

 

[SnoFalls]

I agree ... especially on the tiller, for your veggie garden, the tiller will be nice, but that sounds like a "need later" (and can rent). Same probably true for a PHD (depending on how much fencing you might put up/maintain).

Box blade I'd say "now" (driveway/landscaping chores). Sounds like you want a mower too. Get the FEL.

I think you'd also like a landscape rake (drive maintenance and lawn seed bed prep).

 

[jbrumberg]

Chris_T: If you are used to a riding mower I suggest you go with a HST especially if you have a FEL. You did not mention if your property is flat or hilly but 4WD with weighted AG tires will give you plenty of traction especially on hills, in winter, and pulling a BB (The Ag tires can chew up the "lawn".). I started out with a rotary cutter and tiller and have been adding attachments as "she who must be obeyed" allows. You got many good suggestions as to attachments. Develop relationships with local tractor dealerships if possible as they can be a good source of information. The two local dealerships that I will deal with both advised against a BB due to NE's abundance of rocks. I use a single bottom plow, tiller, and/or a landscape rake with grader as needed. There many good tractors on the market. Look at size, weight, power, ground clearance, lift capacities, and PTO HP. I am very happy with my NH/F TC29DA. Jay

 

[Chris_T]

Thanks for the advice everyone, keep it coming.

Egon: I'm just south of Saskatoon and commute.

Canoe: I'll probably self limit myself to the best tractor with the minimum of implements based on budget (which I haven't defined). I'd hate to get less of a tractor to get more 'toys' with it that I may not use for a year or two. Looks like a FEL, cutter and maybe a blade of some sort to start.

Jay: It's pretty darn flat, with the exception of pocket gopher mounds (think molehill), but that is another problem.

With respect to what I need and don't need - what is the tradeoff with implements like tillers that get used once or twice a season (rent vs. own). I know one can always find another reason to use it, but in the first few years I would think I would be better to rent a dedicated commercial tiller for the big jobs and then decide if I needed one of my own. Thoughts?

 

[btownacres]

Chris-
The guys above all have good feedback for you. But as you can see, I'm pretty new here too. Just got my MF1531 last friday and put 4 hrs in the seat on saturday. For me, it's the perfect size machine. Just keep in mind if you go HST (which I did) you will lose some HP at the PTO. I was told to try to stay with a 25 HP min PTO to run just about any implement I would ever need. So at 33 eng HP and 24.5 PTO HP my MF 1531 is quite the little workhorse. I did use my 6' rake saturday as well and highly recommend one for you if you plan on keeping a gravel drive. My advice is just get a good one that has some weight to it. There are cheaper ones available at places like Northern, but they won't have the heft or the beefy tines. Anyway, look at everything, talk to everyone you can and do your homework, there's quite a bit to choose from! Also, welcome aboard and good luck to ya!!

 

[canoetrpr]

Hi Chris:

With something like a tiller, for the average acerage owner who uses it a couple times a year, renting makes financial sense. The only down side I see is that renting is more of a hassle than hooking up your own tiller that is in the workshop.

There's just too much stuff on my list that would get a heck of more use than a tiller for now so if I need one I'm going to rent.

To be perfectly honest, in my case it might have made financial sense to keep renting or hiring people to get stuff done and to have skipped on buying a tractor at all - particularly a brand spanking new one. Thus it is not just about pure financial stuff to me. It made sense for me to have the freedom to take on this or that project and get it done, lift this here - move that there, or not run the risk of hiring a guy to clear the driveway of snow not showing up in the worst storm.

So a tractor often ends up being purely about convenience in many cases.

Others are probably MUCH handier than me and will get way more use out of their tractors just because they take on projects that I would even still contract out. I just like the flexibility of knowing that I can get the odd thing done without having to look around for someone to do it.

That said, something that is bound to get as little use as tiller in my own situation - it is worth the hassle to rent, or keep an eye open for a nice deal on something used at an auction.