What should I be looking for?

[petrey10]

Well guys I am a new homeowner of 3 acres... has a long gravel lane (1/4mile)... its pretty flat bc it is Central IL and what isn't flat in Central IL?

I also am in the process of buying 45 acres of CRP for deer and pheasant hunting.

SOOOOO I am going to be needing a small tractor to take care of the properties.

Things I will need to do:
Snow removal
Mow.... switchgrass and other tall weeds but maybe short lawn grass
Plant food plots for deer hunting.... the plots won't consist of more than 3 acres
Haul firewood (loader)


I don't quite know how much HP I should be looking for but I would like a loader, 4wd, and PTO.

What brands and models would you recommend me look for? Which ones should I stay away from?


Budget= around 10,000 LESS IF POSSIBLE!!!!!!

I currently have a 2007 Toyota Tundra and will acquire a trailer to tow the tractor from place to place.

 

[Gittyup]

Towing is certainly something to consider. About 40 HP would probably be your upper limit for towing. But ,not sure you really need all that. And $10K for a loader tractor will limit your options too. A lot of good brands. Some like heavy. Some like light where you add weight as you need it. Finishing mow point one more toward light. Loader and digging would say heavier.

You could get by with one of the smaller CUTS if you don't need to do a lot of big-acreage work on the 45 (like mowing). These would be in the 22-30 HP range.

However, with the towing, I'd be looking for something compact with HP, like a JD3000 series, Kubota B series, or Kioti CK35 or bobcat CT235, Also MF 1500 series, or similar size Mahindra, Branson, or Cub Cadet. All are good tractors. These will be easy enough to tow yet have some HP to do mowing and other chores.

 

[dodge man]

Where are you located? I live in West Central Illinois near Macomb. Unlike most people think, all of Illinois isn't flat. I have a few little hills.

I'd be looking at something in the 30 hp range also. Considered a compact tractor. With your budget, you will be limited to something well used, but should be able to find something decent for that kind of money. Kubota and John Deere are very popular in this area.

 

[petrey10]

I am East Central Il... about 30 miles north of Champaign...

I was looking at some of the Yanmar tractors like the F22D...

I am well aware its going to be well used and thats fine with me. I can't and won't be dropping more than 10,000 on this

 

[petrey10]

also I am curious if HP is HP... does the 20 HP tractor from JD have equal power as the 20hp tractor from Yanmar? All things being equal such as weight 4wd, etc. etc.

 

[dodge man]

also I am curious if HP is HP... does the 20 HP tractor from JD have equal power as the 20hp tractor from Yanmar? All things being equal such as weight 4wd, etc. etc.

Sort of yes, but not always. An example would be I own a Kubota BX2350 which is 23 horsepower. Kubota makes a B2320, which is also 23 hp. The engine in the B is a larger engine but makes the same hp. The smaller engine makes the same hp by turning higher revs. The truth is the larger engine in the B size tractor is going to make more torque, but the same hp. In the real world of diesels, torque is the true measure, but they hardly ever list the torque numbers.

If you are used to looking at gas engines, you also have to rethink the horsepower numbers when looking at diesels. The power in my BX with a 23 hp diesel is probably more like 30 hp in a gas engine, but you can't really compare them directly, kind of like comparing apples and oranges.

Yanmar makes pretty decent tractors. They made the powertrains for the smaller John Deeres for years. A few years ago, they started selling tractors under the Cub Cadet name. I personally never got a warm and fuzzy feeling from that arangement. I think they are going to start selling tractors under the Yanmar name again.

 

[rox5488]

Agree with all the above posts. Probably in the general 25 HP range.

Lots of choices but again with a limit of 10K you might be better looking in the Slightly Used Category to fit within the budget.

You probably aren't going to get any of the major brands for under 10K at 25HP.

Possibly a Mahindra/ Kioti etc though new.

Shop around!

 

[Gittyup]

There's a CK30 for sale in IL for under 10K:

2005 KIOTI CK30 Tractors - Less than 40 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

 

[Soundguy]

with that budget and needs, either a newish CUT already set up the way you like or an older classic set nearly hte same.. either way you will need a trailer. classic willsave you some money, might need it for tools though

soundguy

 

[flusher]

Hmm-$10K budget and need a tractor with an FEL. What to do, what to do?

You can find small used sub-compacts (SCUTs) in the 20 hp (engine) range with FEL. My 2005 Kubota B7510 HST with the LA302 FEL would fit in your budget and would handle your 3-acre mowing and planting jobs with ease. Something like this would be pretty easy to find on eBay, craigslist or on a dealer's lot.

Of course, if you need to handle larger jobs (10-20 acres) and time is an important factor, you'll need to step up in tractor size and horsepower. With that FEL requirement, you'll have a hard time finding a suitable recent model used tractor in the 30-40 hp pto range for $10K. That throws you into the older used tractor market where it'll be more difficult to find a larger tractor with FEL.

Good luck.