What size tractor can we get by with?

[Stormy873]

Another question how big of a frame will work in your sheep barn. May be a real limiting factor. I kept my BX for those tight spaces the much bigger LS is not useful.

Am adding a lean too. 12x36 with gates on both ends. Hope to just push straight through. Smaller is better in terms of barn duties.

 

[rScotty]

Interesting…will have to research more. I just despise CVT transmission in cars and the hydrostatic drive was the first thing to go on my lawn tractor. The dealer told us that the geared drive we are already used is better for pushing snow…but admittedly he did say everyone buys the hydrostatic drive. I figured it was because farmers have been gentrified out of out of our area and the rich who’ve moved in barely dont know how to shift gears.

Some of that gentrification is probably true. I felt the same about geared transmissions for years - and then began to notice that although cheap HST in mowers and such didn't last, I rarely heard of a HST mechanical problem in tractors and commercial equipment. So I tried one. It's really nice - and after 15 years of construction work it works like new.... which seems to be the common experience.

But just because HST is better (way better) than I thought, doesn't mean that gears are not completely good and reasonable in a tractor. Gears are always going to be more efficient, and an educated clutch operator can make a geared tractor dance. Clutching or power shift/reversing quickly becomes second nature, and few people keep a tractor long enough to put significant wear on any type of transmission or clutch anyway.

That's my opinion, anyway
rScotty

 

[Stormy873]

^ This right here. I've got 10 acres with a lot of tight spaces, a very good bit of uneven ground and do a good bit of loader work with my bx. Over the last 10 years I've had many occasions where I've day dreamed about having a larger tractor.

Hoever, the reality is that I also have to work in a lot of tight spaces that would preclude something like a big B or small L. Also, the low center of gravity of the Bx in combination with filled tires and an appropriate ballast has been a godsend for the slope changes on my property.... even in the woods. I can slip through and navigate a lot areas of the wooded section of my land, where with a bigger tractor I would have to be cutting trails.

Were I in you situation I would:

- Try to figure out what size you can comfortable maneuver in the sheep barn
- Consider dealers within transport distance (with an eye for good maintenance support)
- And then start comparing the heaviest tractors and most capable brand/model tractors for your needs that fit within the above criteria.

* I a pretty big fan of Kubota... HOWEVER, there are at least a couple other brands (Branson & cousin brands, Kioti, etc) that put out comparatively heavier & potentially more capable tractors in the sub-compact/compact classes.

Also, as an FYI, while I don't run an offset blade I do own and heavily use an Everything Attachments offset rock rake that weighs ~ 450lbs with the concrete ballast I've added. It gets pressed in service pretty often for grading clay soils and also re-grading ~600' hundred feet of gravel driveway. It's not a perfect solution with my Bx, but the combination is surprisingly capable..... point being, don't get too hung up on size as a measure of power/capability. Weight to hp ratio is probably a better measure of capability in terms of ground engagement and/or manure+bedding scraping ability.

 

[Stormy873]

The factors you listed are all important to us. Hopeful that straight through end to end will alleviate the tight spacing considerations in my sheep barn.

We are limited in servicing dealers within reasonable transport distance and we don’t have the facilities, tools or capability in during mechanical work. We are in our mid 70s and muscling off seized bolts it’s no longer in our list if things we do with ease.

Our dealer choices are Kubota, John Deere and what I call a second tier dealer who services Brandon, Yanmar, New Holland and they are apparently awful as I have literally never seen so many one star reviews for any company.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I can barely recall an HST issue in a modern tractor. I mean, all commercial lawn equipment is hydro... And it is used hard. Every ZTR... I love my hydro tractor. I have hundreds of hours on a non synchro great shift loader tractor. The hydro is amazing. It also makes the tractor much more accessible for my wife who had no farm experience

 

[Stormy873]

I started off my buying quest thinking I preferred a gear drive L2501, but based on the recommendations of other members, I bought the HST which is insanely better for loader work.

By the time you price a L2502, you might be surprised that the TYM T474 48 hp 4x4 can be had in middle TN for $25,000 for the sync shuttle and $25,800 for the HST version. Another member was able to buy a similar Branson model with a cab in his area for $29,000.

so, you feel the HST better for moving snow.

 

[Stormy873]

Saying you are going to work one acre at a time doesn’t tell the whole picture.

How many total acres is your place?

This will tell what size implements you may need.

We only have five acres of high mountain meadow. We get a lot if snow….up to four feet at a time…wet and heavy. Ground is Very rocky. Has been rock picked. Of course, any disturbance and we will be picking rock for ten years. Next door neighbor is rehabbing and he is accomplishing a lot with a disc. Very shallow topsoil and the kind if place that can take a couple days with digging bars to get a post in the ground. We have been trying to move for **years** but have not been able to move up even with a huge amount if equity value. Drought has burned out all cool season grasses….then there’s the wildfire evacuations but that is another topic.

 

[Stormy873]

Even running a tiller, I’d now personally not like less than 40pto HP if you are talking about ACRES. We have clay loam, but it’s virgin… and let me tell you a 72” tiller will make the tractor work. What do you plan to use to work the soil? Ground engaging implements will require HP and weight to do the work. A tiller will require PTO hp. It just depends on how much time you want to spend working the ground. It took me two hours PER PASS to till one acre with our setup. Three passes total to get a good working depth. Now, it moves faster since getting it worked well.

We have way too much rock to till or plow anything. We want to break up the sod, disturb as little as possible and reseed.

 

[Stormy873]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned; compare PTO or drawbar PTO on the old vs new machines. I dont think you will notice the HP, till you say 20% higher. Without doing the search for you, that B probably has 16 pto hp. Lot of the 25hp HSTs only have 18-19 pto HP. If your going to upgrade, I would look at 24+ PTO Hp, which is likely the 30-35 engine HP range.

That’s what I was thinking based on my reading.

 

[Stormy873]

So, If it's similar to my L285; 100% Can and Will get water in hydralic around the shift lever if left out in rain. What this leads too; is you end up with an emulsion-slime build up in the transmission. Then, slowly (or not so slowly) as the trans warms up, it gets loose and stuck in the very fine mesh of the hydralic filter. You clean the filter, but it (very slimy), but there is a ton of emulsion-slime still in reservoir. Then you randomly have to clean again and again. Each time, avoiding getting air in the hydralic lines or letting air out, under pressure (not really that safe, and not much fun).

Edit: not trying to speak for our OP, but I Think their issue, is, they want/need a Reliable tractor, that works when they hit the key, they want their hobby/side hustle/profession to be working With the tractor not On the tractor. Very similar to when I finally upgraded in June. I got $2000 for my used L285, being honest with buyer, only attachment was a homemade middle buster plow; and I used that $2k to cover all the down payments on the brand new Ck2610 HST, which I only regret when I make a payment. (it's not even that bad, but I do feel a bit guilty making the payment, and only putting 10 hours/month on it)

You hit the nail on the head. We need a reliable tractor. Do I want to buy a 30k tractor…no. Oddly, although we are only at 2000 feet in the pacific NW we can and do get a lot and I mean a lot of heavy, wet snow. we have a 700 foot driveway and getting it cleared can literally mean life or death for us as we negotiate our elder years.

I read up on water in hydraulics and it seems like the dealer did not change any filters…. my bill was $137 for fluid and $437 labor, $65 dollars shop supplies plus $$ for transport but no mention of filters…should they be cleaned or replaced?

When they came to take the tractor back to the shop the transport guy noted the loader was working very slow and stuttering which I believe might be a symptom of air in the the lines.

Bottom line, the tractor did not have the care it should have. My father was a backyard tractor dealer and my mother bought this Kubota for herself. Neither of them were much on upkeep.

All hydraulic hoses were replaced and leaking loader cylinders rebuilt in the past two years. Tractor has since only minimal work load since those repairs were done. That local place that did the work went out of business when new owners got outbid for the Kubota dealership. This is my first experience with a Kubota dealer. They have a good reputation Based on input for locals.