Need lots of help? You have come to the right place!
First look closely at what chores you have to do. You said bush hog and level a gravel drive. Do you want a
chipper? How about a PTO generator? Auger? Backhoe? How easy is it to remove the FEL and the backhoe? Backhoes should mount to the frame and should not be 3PH connected.
How about an FEL? That will require more hydraulic valves. Do you want a 4n1 bucket. If you need to pick up stuff like timber a 4n1 is a Must Have. But you need another valve. Your tractor may or may not allow the number of valves you might need.
Back to you rotary cutter. Are you going to be cutting grass, 2 inch saplings, or larger saplings? Are you going to use a box blade or a blade to maintain the driveway? What kinda box blade are you going to need? Light, medium, or heavy. That will make a difference with the tractor. And for a box blade GET A HYDRAULIC TOPLINK. You don't want to have to get on and off the tractor to make adjustments. If you have a short driveway you might not need the hydraulic toplink but it was one of the best $300 I spent on the tractor. That and the 4n1 bucket. And the backhoe!
Once you can answer these questions you can start looking at the attachments which will give you an idea of how much horsepower you are going to need. For instance I needed to cut 2 inch saplings with a rotary cutter. 4 inches would have been better but the cost was just to high for that requirement so I settled on a mid tier rotary cutter. It still has some hefty HP requirements. If I could have used a light duty cutter I could lowered my HP requirements.
In my case I really want the option of using a PTO generator and wood
chipper in the future. A good rule is that the generator requires 2 PTO HP for every KW produced. A wood
chipper might need 8-10 PTO HP for every diameter inch of wood put into the machine.
Start looking at the the implements builder's websites and literature to see what they say about PTO requirements and capabilities. This will help you to size your tractor.
As always this is a price/perfomance ratio. I think you can get a good tractor in Green, Orange, or Blue. It really gets down to what you need and the price. Figuring out what you need is the hard part!
Most importantly is the dealer, the Dealer, and the DEALER! Buy from a good dealer!
Some of my criteria was how helpful was the sales guy? How about the parts department? How helpful are they and do they seem to have lots of stock? How is the business maintained? What does the shop look like? How are the employees dressed?
I went to a lot of dealers in my area. Some were imaculate. Others looked like they were last cleaned right after the place was built. I really don't want my equipment repaired in a junkyard. Some dealers just did not seem to have any stock. Both in parts and implements. Why do I have to wait two weeks to get an FEL? They want MY money NOW and in turn I want my tractor!
Seems fair to me!
I had problems with the setup on the FEL on my tractor. The mechanic messed up big time. To make a long story short, my sales guy worked his tail off to make things right. Their head mechanic came to my place on my schedule and gave it the once over. The tractor had to go back to the shop at THEIR expense. I did not have to make a fuss about anything. They just flat out did what was right and requided. This is as it should be but so often is not. I also know but talking to different people that the mechanic was told the error's of his ways by at least the head mechanic and my salesman.
There is a shortage of mechanics in my area. A couple of dealers mentioned it in passing. So this could have happened to anyone. HOW the dealer handled the situation is a whole new ball game. Mine handled it in a exemplarary fashion. I got a note from him this morning asking how things went this weeked. Nice followup. Its the details....
Hope this helps. Use this website and
www.jplan.com to find information to help you make your decisions. You'll find very good advice if you look for it.
Good Luck.
Dan McCarty
BTW, you really should buy a GREEN tractor since they are just prettier than these Orange look'n things! Come on over to the Green Side Luke......
