What to buy & how big?

ELBRIDGE · Oct 14, 2004

Hello everyone, brand new to the forum and enjoying all of the great information.

I am in the market for a Tractor, I have time on my side not going to happen until Oct. 05 or so. Need to pay off Motorcycle first. So in the meantime I am reading as much as possible and looking at all of my options.

So here goes, I have looked at most of the brands out their, New Holland, JD, Mahindra, Landtrac, Kubota, Kioti. All in the 25-30 HP range. I really like the Mahindra 2615 HST, and the Kioti CK25 HST. I have the luxury of the Kioti dealer just a few miles down the road from me and I really like the way they do business. New place, clean, well staffed, and they seem to have a great deal of knowledge. Of couse to a newbie I was easily impressed. I have never owned a Tractor, but have some experience with a JD 1050 and 855.

I have a little over 2 acres of land (very hilly), part lawn, rest former farm field (over grown). The duties of the Tractor will include Loader work, Brush Hogging, Box Blade, and York Rack work. Finish mowing will need to be an option in the future, but for now the Toro ProLine 52" walk behind is working fine. Would also like to BH my neighbors field for him as well.

Here is the catch, my farming neighbor has given me use of his implements for trade of FEL work (he does not have on either of his Tractors), I just need to be sure I have enough HP to run them, mainly the 5' BH, small Disk and small Plow,(may want to extent the lawn at some point). I am fairly certain the CK25 or 2615 will handle the task, but could I save some cash and go with either the CK20 or 2015? I have been told that I will never overwork a bigger Tractor, and I tend to agree with that train of thought. But what I want to avoid is once I have completed my Landscape work, I don't want to end up with basiclly a very heavy Lawnmower and Snow removal tool.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Also if I left anything out I will answer, to help you help me.

Thanks,

David

To20Chris · Oct 14, 2004

Welcome to TBN! You'll probably soon be told that the CK25HST doesn't have enough power to do anything, but I would wait until someone who has one can answer before accepting that. I see that both of the tractors you list are HST, and I don't know how big an issue that is for you. You could probably just about trade off the CK20HST for a CK30 synchro shuttle, price wise. The size of the tractors is the same. KiotiJohn can give you advice on the CK20 with a 5' hog, but I'm guessing that might be a bit too much. Otherwise, the CK20 might be just the ticket once your landscape work is done. Maybe consider renting something really big to get things under control, and then a CK20HST would fit in better.

Gatorboy · Oct 14, 2004

if I left anything out 

Welcome to TBN.

You may not be aware of this, but you can fill out a profile on yourself where you can put some information that might help others give you advice without having to type it each time -- for example, your location.

With 2 acres, your 52" Toro should do the trick on the whole thing -- you can then save some money by not having to buy a rotary cutter. Once you get the overgrown pasture under control, just keep mowing it, and it will start to look great!

ELBRIDGE · Oct 14, 2004

Thanks for the info. The HST was for the ease of F to R while doing FEL work. Educated me, can I find just as easy to get used to with a syncro or shuttle trans?

David

To20Chris · Oct 14, 2004

Well, a shuttle has a gear lever like a traditional gearbox, but there is no reverse in the pattern. Reverse is handled with an additional lever, usually to the left of the seat, that has forward, neutral, and reverse in a line, front to back. You must clutch each time. A mechanical shuttle is not syncrhonized, so you must come to a complete stop before shiftng from forward to reverse. With a synchro shuttle, you can go forward to reverse while still moving (not too fast though). Usually the main gearbox is synchronized even if the shuttle is not. I have a mech shuttle, and find it to be just fine for FEL work - I moved a lot of dirt this year, no problem. I would think a synchro shuttle would be great, and save a tiny bit of time on each shift (and the occasional grind! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif). Lots of people think HST is much better, it's a matter of preference. I would recommend trying each if you can - the CK25/30 are each available as HST or synchro shuttle. One of the other advantages of the shuttle is that the peddle placement aloows the split brakes to actually be used. To me this has been very useful when turning in very tight quarters, but to others it has never been needed. It all depends on what you do with it!

ELBRIDGE · Oct 15, 2004

Thanks again, I will try the shuttle tran. for a comparison. I also had wondered about the independent brakes with a HST, does not seem like it would work at all. So maybe I will stop letting the sales people tell me just how great the HST is for FEL work, which I am sure it is, and go with a gear tran.

My main concern being that I buy once and buy right the first time.

MSamson · Oct 15, 2004

One brand that you might want to check-out is Cub Cadet. They target directly the kind of situation (land wise) you're in. You would be surprised at how their price compares to some of the companies you listed. Here is their web site to compact tractors: http://www.cubcadet.com/servlet/BrandSubcategory?ID=39

Also here is an interesting article concerning the Cub Cadet 5000 series. It's from the review board magazine. I've saved you the trouble of going to their site by cuting and pasting the article.

Article: http://www.reviewboard.com/articles/96/

Cub Cadet is a line of outdoor power equipment that has been around for over forty years. They pride themselves on high performance and long lasting equipment. They use what they call ELC, or extended life construction. Details in the engineering of the tractors such as heavy-duty transmissions, welded steel frames, cast-iron front axels, automotive-style lug nuts, and Timken tapered roller bearings make for durable and long lasting tractors.

The Cub Cadet Model 5252 is definitely the best value in its class. With an average street price of about $7800.00 USD you can pick up a compact tractor that has some of the most impressive specs we have ever seen in that price range. The series 5000 tractors have optional parts that attach to the tractor such as a backhoe and a loader.

We have had the opportunity to take a look at a number of different tractors over the last 3 months. In fact, we have selected only the best of the best to write about and sent the rest of them home packing to the manufacturers.

We have had dealings with Ingersoll, Cub Cadet, John Deere, Kubota, Ariens, and many more. Some are still under evaluation, the tractors that made the cut are in our lawn & garden section.

Let's take a look at the specs for the Cub Cadet Model 5252 Compact Tractor:

25 HP 2-Cylinder Gasoline Engine/2WD

• 25 HP Kohler, Air Cooled Gasoline Engine
• 16.3 PTO HP
• 2WD
• Standard 60" Cutting Deck
• Hydrostatic Drive with 2 Speed Ranges
• Differential Lock
• Roll Over Protection System Standard
• Power Steering
• 4.6 gal. Fuel Capacity
• Category I, 3-Pt. Hitch w/Float Position
• 1025 lb. 3-Pt. Lift Capacity @ Lift Point
• 680 lb. 3-Pt. Lift Capacity @ 24" Behind Link Ends
• Optional 54" Cutting Deck

The Cub Cadet 5252 has 25 HP with an air-cooled gasoline engine. It has 4.6-gallon fuel capacity. It has 16.3 PTO HP. It features a Kohler engine and heavy-duty transmission. It is 2WD with differential lock. The Cub Cadet 5252 has power steering with two speed ranges and a roll over protection feature. It has a three-point hitch with float position so that the tractor will “float” over hilly terrain rather than gouging into it. The Cub Cadet has a 1025 lb. lift capacity at lift point and a 680 lb. lift capacity at 24” behind link ends. It also has an optional 54”/60” cutting deck.

The Cub Cadet 5252 has an abundance of accessories. The accessories include a 60” front dozer blade, 60” rear blade, 48” box blade, 48” post hole digger, 60” landscape rake, front-end loader, snowthrower, and much more. The tractor itself comes with a two-year limited or 1,500-hour non-commercial and a one-year limited or 1,500-hour commercial warranty. The accessories have a one year limited or 1,500-hour non-commercial or commercial warranty.

Compared to a similar model from the Massey Ferguson line of tractors, the Cub Cadet 5252 holds its own. The Cub Cadet has 25 HP at 3600 RPM while the Massey Ferguson has 2.5 less HP with 22.5 HP at 2600 RPM. The Cub Cadet is air cooled while Massey Ferguson is liquid cooled. The Cub Cadet features the float component while the Massey Ferguson does not. The Cub Cadet can lift 80 more pounds than the Massey Ferguson at 550 pounds compared to 470 pounds. The biggest difference between these two brands of tractors is the price. The Cub Cadet 5252 goes for $8399 while the Massey Ferguson GC2300 goes for $11765. That’s a $3366 price difference.

Imagine what else you could buy with an extra three grand in your pocket! (accessories for your new Cub Cadet 5252 perhaps?) One happy customer comments on the strength of the Cub Cadet 5252. He comments, “I have put about 80 hours on it already doing a lot of grass cutting, earth moving, gravel moving, excavated a 22X38 ft inground pool down to about 3.5ft. Is that tough enough or what?”

A parts manager at a Cub dealership comments, “…we sell quite a few of the Cub Cadet compacts and have very low maintenance problems with them.”

Cub Cadet offers easy financing on their tractors. They have low monthly payments, flexible payment terms, instant credit for immediate purchases and easy add-on purchases. They also now offer secure online financing through GE Capital Consumer Card Co.

We have to give the MTD Products Cub Cadet 5252 Compact Tractor the 2004 Reviewboard Editor's Choice Award for the best Compact Tractor in its class and of course award it with 3 out of 3 stars! Great job Cub Cadet!

End of article.

I'm sure you'll enjoy this coming year in shoping around for your perfect tractor. Hope I was useful in comenting your posting.

ELBRIDGE · Oct 15, 2004

I truly appreciate your response with the Cub Cadet information. I did forget to mention that I looked at what I could at the dealer nearest to me. They only had one model I believe it was a 7554 or someting in that size range. Larger than I needed.

The dealer was able to give me some pricing, but I did not get a good feeling from the dealership at all. I felt as if I was bothering them. I realize that this does not reflect the quality of the tractor, but I need very much to have a comportable relationship with my dealer for future needs. I feel that in a lot of cases the relationship with the dealer can solve some problems that surprise even the owners. I do believe I have read a few such cases on this site.

Also I found that the Cub that fit that class of what I was looking at was a bit more than the others.

KiotiJohn · Oct 15, 2004

( You could probably just about trade off the CK20HST for a CK30 synchro shuttle, price wise. )
I'm sure Chris meant the CK25HST / CK30, as the CK20 is much less.
I do 2,4, and 5 acre properties regularly with my CK20. While I "could" use a 5' brush mower, I chose to use a 4' due to close trees. Mowing is one of the most taxing chores on a tractor, and heavy brush can really tax a 5 footer on a CK20. However, if you were using the neighbor's 5' mower, and it drug the engine down any, you could just take less of a bite each time and that would work fine.
I do a lot of loader work, backhoe, brush cutting and boxblading among other things with my CK20HST, and I find it does a great job for most eveything I need to do. I pull small trees out by the roots, and skid some pretty good sized tree trunks after chain sawing them down. It's been an amazing little beast so far (about 250 hours).
I doubt you would actually need to go larger for your tasks, and if you did come across something major, you could rent the apporpriate tool to handle it. The CK20 is a good all-around tractor where you don't have acres and acres of mowing to do. It would be much too slow going if you were mowing, say, 10 acres. It would do it, but would take way too long. It will pull a small disk, and a one-bottom plow, properly installed and adjusted will slice and turn some nice dirt as well. A two bottom plow begins to be a little much, but can be done. Sometimes a few passes would be necessary with a two-bottom. Hope this information helps. John

dbelisle · Oct 16, 2004

Hello There.

I have a Mahindra 2810HST and a DK-40 Kioti . The Mahindra is Hydro and the Kioti is shuttle shift. Both are great tractors. I do like HST to do FEL work with better than the shuttle.

I have my right hand on the FEL control, my left hand on the steering wheel and my right foot on the forward or reverse peddle. With HST if you are in low or middle range you don't need the brakes . When you take your foot off the hydro peddle the tractor stops. Something to think about if your land is hilly like mine.

To load with the FEL on the DK-40 I also have to use the shuttle shift on the left . The clutch on the left and the brakes on the right. It is not hard , it just requires you to use more controls and requires more moves.

As I said before they are both great tractors. The Kioti will pick up twice the weight of the Mahindra.

I prefer Hydro with FEL work over Shuttle.
On most other work I do with the tractors it is a moot point.

Good luck on your tractor search. I spent many months looking and found I liked then all and wanted to buy one of each /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gifBut I didn't want to live in the dog house either.... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dave in NH

Mahindra 2810HST, Kioti DK-40