Buying Advice What tractor to buy for general utility work - <50 Acres??

[gbarrett38363]

Hello all,

I have a small place of about 40 acres, about 1/2 woods and 1/2 terraced pasture.

I am looking for a tractor for general use. I will not be tilling for the most part. I will be bushhogging, finish mowing, dirt/rock moving, driveway work, landscaping, etc.

I would like a front end loader and a backhoe attachment, as well as a fork lift loader.

I'm not getting this for 40-50 hours a week use, rather 5-10 hours a week maybe, give or take...

I have looked at the Mahindra and Kubota models, and there seem to be several that would fit the bill. For my use, I cannot justify a John Deere...

I have gotten several recommendations for the Mahindras for warranty as well as lack of problems, etc...

I am leaning toward the 5010 Gear model.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Any comments on the Mahindra model or possibly a better model for my use?

I would appreciate any information!

Thanks Guys!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Mahindra 5035, 3550 or Kubota MX5100 or 5200 or L4760. Any of these will work for you. Set in the seat, drive them, get the one that is the most comfortable for you. Get 2-3 rear remotes and loader 3rd function hydraulics on whatever unit you choose. You will need them before you are done.

Good luck

 

[oosik]

Well - - I'll attempt to give you some insight. First you should know your current and future use of any tractor. Consider things such as - the driveway, long, twisted, short, straight - how will you maintain your woods and pasture - will the tractor be used to bush hog or finish mowing - why do you need the backhoe, its a quite expensive implement. Then after you have developed a list consider how much time you will or have to devote to each project. With that all in mind - bigger will generally - but by no means always - make the task go quicker. Another major consideration is dealer service - how long has the dealership been in business, do they service everything they sell - how close are they to your property - do you get a feeling of confidence when talking with them.

In my case one of my major projects is driveway maintenance. I had, for 25 years, a Ford 1700 4x4(25 hp) and it did everything on my 80 acres except summer driveway maintenance. My mile long driveway turned to concrete in the summer and even using my disk harrow with added weight would not loosen or penetrate the surface. Five years ago I traded for the Kubota M6040. Its a jump from 25 to 65 hp and now even the rear blade will break, loosen and grade the driveway. More power, larger & heavier implements and a wider variety of implements( I also use a land plane grading scraper on the driveway) have provided full seasonal maintenance now. I should also include that I wanted a larger tractor too and larger implements.

If possible - sit on the unit you are looking at, are the controls conveniently placed for you.

Drawbacks - the bigger Kubota will not wind its way thru some of my trees like the smaller Ford would. Otherwise, it does all the things I want to do much easier and with less strain. And it can do things I could not with the Ford - lift bigger trees & rocks.

There are many treads regarding size, type and attachment on this site - look into them for advice.

Good luck and welcome to TBN.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I'm curious why you are leaning towards a gear model. If you've thought it out and have decided that's the best setup for your intended uses, then so be it. But it you're just trying to save money by buying a gear tractor instead of HST, that's being penny-wise and pound-foolish.

A Gear transmission is better at some things than an HST transmission. But none of the uses you mentioned is among them.

As to the tractor, the Mahindra 5010 is a fine tractor. It made it into my top 3 when I was deciding. It didn't make it into the top 2 because (1) I didn't like the ergonomics as much as the 2 finalists, (2) it didn't have the extendable lower lift arms that the other 2 had, (3) it didn't have the rear 3 point hitch lever that the Kioti had, and (4) it was priced higher than the other 2 even though it had fewer features.

 

[bigbull338]

poopdeck some people just like gear tractors no matter what.personlly i like the hsts and hydro shuttles.and suggest the op drive all of the tractors in the 50 to 70hp range.

 

[TSO]

The Mahindra 5010 is actually a TYM T503 ... you can learn more about them in the TYM section. It seems that Mahindra buys, not makes, most of their tractors. Not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but just something to point out. Also, if you're looking at the 5010, I would suggest the 6010 instead. Same tractor, bigger tires, 10 more HP. Get all the HP you can afford because you can't really add it later.

Kubota makes fine tractors, you'll just pay more for the name ... like Deere & Massey.

If you don't want HST, then you'll have more options in the 50 HP range. You'll find entry level "utility" tractors available for around the same price as the "Compact Utility" tractors. (The Mahindra 5010 is considered the largest size of the Compact Utility tractors, called CUT's here).

Also check out Kioti's RX model, and LS's U (U5020 or 30) & XU (XU5055 or 65) models, they are near the top considering bang for buck entry utility models.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

The Mahindra 5010 is actually a TYM T503 ... you can learn more about them in the TYM section. It seems that Mahindra buys, not makes, most of their tractors. Not saying it's necessarily a bad thing, but just something to point out. Also, if you're looking at the 5010, I would suggest the 6010 instead. Same tractor, bigger tires, 10 more HP. Get all the HP you can afford because you can't really add it later.

Kubota makes fine tractors, you'll just pay more for the name ... like Deere & Massey.

If you don't want HST, then you'll have more options in the 50 HP range. You'll find entry level "utility" tractors available for around the same price as the "Compact Utility" tractors. (The Mahindra 5010 is considered the largest size of the Compact Utility tractors, called CUT's here).

Also check out Kioti's RX model, and LS's U (U5020 or 30) & XU (XU5055 or 65) models, they are near the top considering bang for buck entry utility models.

Going by the Mahindra website, 30 of the 53 models shown are manufactured by Mahindra. The others are manufactured by either TYM or Mitsubishi.

 

[TSO]

Going by the Mahindra website, 30 of the 53 models shown are manufactured by Mahindra. The others are manufactured by either TYM or Mitsubishi.

Ah, cool... I hadn't seen that, good info.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Ah, cool... I hadn't seen that, good info.

The website doe not actually give those numbers, I just know what machines they build and what ones they have built. I just counted Mahindra built and those built by others and came up with those numbers which are taken from each model shown on the website.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

poopdeck some people just like gear tractors no matter what. . . .

I understand. That's why I said:

I'm curious why you are leaning towards a gear model. If you've thought it out and have decided that's the best setup for your intended uses, then so be it.