Comparison What Tractor is best for me?

[Gary Fowler]

Unless you are forbidden to burn, I wouldn't worry about a wood chipper, just rip it out, pile it and burn it when weather is favorable. I am not in the rent a back hoe when you need one house. If you have enough work to justify renting one for a week, just buy it outright. I cant believe the amount of work that I have used mine for. My biggest mistake was not buying it first rather than last. It is my go to tractor for most of my needs. I know lots of things would never have been done if I had to rent. I too have lots of rocks and they continue to grow out of the ground especially after a hard winter. When ever I find one that I cant easily remove by hand, out comes the B26 and I dig it up and smooth out the hole. If I had to rent to get it out, it would likely be hitting the mower every time I mowed OR it would be pick and shovel time which I don't relish at all.
For 40 acres, you should look at 40 PTO HP minimum. This will give you plenty of power and weight to use a backhoe, 6 foot mower, 6 foot tiller etc. As for stump grinder, NOT NEEDED. Use the backhoe to dig it out and be rid of it. I like to use my TLB to uproot any trees that need removing and dig out the roots so they don't come back. I also love the hydraulic thumb for the back hoe as I can pick up objects as small as a softball without getting off the tractor. I use mine to pick up rocks and put them in my Kubota RTV to haul away. Some small ones I load by hand but if it is 40+ pounds, it is just as easy to lift it with the backhoe.

 

[Gary Fowler]

There is also something to be said for a multiple tractor operation. I never remove my backhoe so it is always ready for digging or lifting. I use my larger tractor for all my 3 PH work. I know some times money is a bit tight, but it may make better sense to get slightly used if you can find a good deal and buy 2 tractors rather than 1 new one. I got my 2009 B26 in 2011 with 60 gently used hours on it, much of it mowing, and got a $10K price reduction over new price. Tractors that have been gently used and properly maintained will last 3000 hours or more easily without any major repairs so one with less than 1000 hours that has been stored inside might be a good bargain so keep a lookout for one like that