Omegaman:
Yes for the small acreage owner (less than 6 acres),and those who may do the occasional extra paying job. I do recomend the slighyly heavier 30 hp range. Kubota
L3000/3010, the
B2710/2901's are several hundred #s lighter and have a narrower stance for less stability. The New Holland Class II's seem ideal in size, weight and power. As is the John Deere 4310/4410's. And I'm sure there are other mid size 30 hp models out there that make for a good combo of the above specs.
Lets start with size. Most of the tractors in this group are still small enough to maneauver in and around a small acreage dotted with landscaping, out buildings, corrals, etc. you can drive most thru a 5' gate or between two buidings with 6' spacing. And yet still have a fairly tight turning radius. This is a real plus, especially when mowing and maneauvering on a small acreage. Even with most implements attached and a loader you can still store these within a 20'x6' area. speaking of loaders, most have the capability to handle a loader with an @ 1200# max weight lift capability. And can lift high enough to reach over the side of a small dump truck or flatbed. With a 60" or even a 66" HD loader bucket your talking about some decent productivity out of a compact utility tractor. These are also the smallest size of loaders that I would consider for 4n1 bucket operation. They will handle 7' rear blades or landscape rakes and still be just outside the width of the rear wheels while angled. And have enough PTO power and 3pt lift capacity to handle a 6' rear finish mower or 5' brush hog and tiller easily. Then their is the backhoe factor. My New holland TC29 weighs @ 2500#s, add @ 1000 for the loader and @ 6 to 700#s for filled rear tires, this is @ 4200#s. anything much lighter than that and my 7.5' backhoe would bounce the tractor around more than I could be productive. Oh yes thats if you factor in the @ 1000#s for the backhoe itself. And then there is the traction issue. Take a 1800 to 2000# tractor and try and push into a pile of dirt, sand or other dense material with your loader. Your going to see alot of wheel spin versus half full loader bucket. Now try the same thing adding another 1000#s. Its also the same thing when dragging a full 5' boxblade or even 600#s of mower or hog up a hill. Big difference.
On the other hand You can go to the bigger 35 hp + size tractors. Yes you can pull and power bigger implements. But unless you have lots of room do you need to, and do you want to pay more for those bigger implements and that bigger tractor. There are also the size of area it takes to store one. As well as the size and weight to think about if you want to trailer one very often.
I for one just downsized from a larger 36.5 hp L345DT Kubota, to my New Holland TC29 basicly do to its ability to maneauver in tight places and still handle decent size implements. And we are talking about a tractor that is currently getting @25 hours per week of commercial time on it.
