Buying Advice What size tractor is right for me?

tremor · Apr 4, 2015

I'm having difficulty identifying what size tractor I should get. I've had a few JD riding mowers, and had very few problems with them. As partial as I am to JDs, I am open to another brand. Here's my requirements;
1. I want a backhoe and an FEL. The FEL would have to have a skid steer style attachment system.
2. For winter duties, I'm open to several options. Front mounted V or straight blade or snowblower, or a rear mounted snowblower.
3. In my neck of the woods, the winters are brutally cold, and the summers can leave you soaking with sweat, so an heat/AC cab is again, a requirement.
4. The main use of the machine would be general landscaping duties, brush clearing and trench and hole digging. In the winter, I'd need it to clear my 200 foot driveway that falls off on one side and drifts like nuts on the other. (Meaning a snowblower would almost have to be used.) I'd also like to turn this machine into a business, and do the same things for other people, and maybe even take on some contracts.
5. I don't want no slouch. All the tasks I ask of any machine I take on, it has to be able to do them, and do them well.
6. And finally, parts of my property are well-planted, meaning lots of obstacles to weave in and out of. The smaller, the better, but I can live with either getting rid of a few things or even making new routes to get where I need to go if I have to.

And a quick note about local dealerships is...well, I have none. My select JD dealer is a solid hour and half drive one way, so I'm open to a bit of a drive, but still, it doesn't leave a whole lot of options. I've only found JD, Kubota and Kioti to be the nearest dealers. I'd love to deal with my JD dealer, but I've seen and heard good things about Kubota. As for Kioti....let's just say I'd rather not. I've heard some questionable things about the nearest Kioti dealer.

Hopefully that isn't too much of a read, and has all the info that the more educated can make a suggestion.

mddorange · Apr 4, 2015

:welcome:
To TBN from Alabama. Boy, are you ever asking for trouble with a question like that.

dragoneggs · Apr 4, 2015

Good luck... green, orange, whatever... you will find the perfect tractor easily. How big is your property? Do you need/want a back hoe? Do you want to mow with it? Answer these and it will help folks chime in with decent advice.

grm61 · Apr 4, 2015

And a quick note about local dealerships is...well, I have none. My select JD dealer is a solid hour and half drive one way, so I'm open to a bit of a drive, but still, it doesn't leave a whole lot of options. I've only found JD, kubota and Kioti to be the nearest dealers. I'd love to deal with my JD dealer, but I've seen and heard good things about Kubota. As for Kioti....let's just say I'd rather not. I've heard some questionable things about the nearest Kioti dealer.

Kioti builds a good tractor, every bit as good, or better than the offerings of green, and the other orange.

The dealer I bought from no longer sells Kioti, It was however 10k cheaper than the other orange and green ones that where still down on specs compared to the Kioti...weight and lift capacity.

Its been a great tractor.

I bought a 2013 mfg date DK series...tier three.
I dont't know what to tell you about any of the tier4 machines...2014 mnfg date...and later....of any brand.:thumbdown:

I do know that I would not want one

Looking4new · Apr 4, 2015

Are you a big/little person? (If you are over 6'4" (193cm) and 300 lbs (136kgs) then you don't want a Kioti CK 27). How many acres are you looking at maintaining? You need to get 'touchy feely' with a bunch of tractors, check out your selections and then put each one to work and make a decision cased on comfort, capacities of the tractor and price.

KubotaToy · Apr 4, 2015

Looking4new said:
You need to get 'touchy feely' with a bunch of tractors, check out your selections and then put each one to work and make a decision cased on comfort, capacities of the tractor and price.

The above is the best advice you can get on what tractor you need, everybody on this forum believes their tractor is better than all the rest. Driving them at the dealer can get in the ballpark for what you like but I found renting used tractors from dealers and using them for a day or two really showed strengths and weakness. At one time, I had 4 rented tractors sitting in my woods, my wife was worried I was not going to return them.

For me, I found a TLB worked better than a pure tractor, so, set my sights on a medium sized TLB which became a horse race between a JD 110 or Kubota L45. I am pretty "color" blind (owned several JDs, MFs and NHs in the past and I liked all of them) and you usually get what you pay for, so, my deciding factor became dealer location and availability.

KYDan · Apr 4, 2015

The dealer is a big deal and the closer the better. I am a big Kubota fan as I have had great service with them, but there are other good brands available. A good dealer is better than a good deal.

vtsnowedin · Apr 4, 2015

Lots of good choices to be had at both your preferred dealers. It would come down to how much work for the backhoe you could expect as a business. You will quickly run out of trenches to dig etc. on your own property (How big is your property by the way?) and it will sit unless you are successful at attracting customers.
JD's Build your own site lets you look at different tractor, loader. backhoe combinations that are available and would save you a lot of driving around and will give you MSRP on the tractor and major attachments but leaves it to a dealer to quote the small stuff. There way of drawing you into talking with a real salesman.

dragoneggs · Apr 4, 2015

vtsnowedin said:
Lots of good choices to be had at both your preferred dealers. It would come down to how much work for the backhoe you could expect as a business. You will quickly run out of trenches to dig etc. on your own property (How big is your property by the way?) and it will sit unless you are successful at attracting customers. JD's Build your own site lets you look at different tractor, loader. backhoe combinations that are available and would save you a lot of driving around and will give you MSRP on the tractor and major attachments but leaves it to a dealer to quote the small stuff. There way of drawing you into talking with a real salesman.

Agreed backhoes aren't for everyone but they do more than trenches. If you will be landscaping they are awesome for digging holes for plants and trees. Pulling stumps, dragging things or building a pond. And more. If you are done landscaping then maybe a harder to justify. I love mine!

nybirdman · Apr 4, 2015

You need to decide if you want a SCUT(sub compact) or a Compact tractor.Anything less than 26HP will not have Tier 4 emissions(good).SCUT size would be the BX Kubota,1000series JD and something like the Mahindra Max.
Next step up are the compacts,heavier and more capable.I know in Canada anything 60HP and above get a tax break but I think that is bigger than you were considering.
By the way;Welcome from St.Lawrence Co.NY.