Which Tractor for 5 Acres?

andyrc130 · Jul 13, 2005

Hey everybody. I am just starting the process of building a house on 5.5 acres in eastern WV. The first 4 acres are rough brush (mostly thorn bushes). It's mostly flat with a slope down to a wet weather stream in front and the last acre or so in the back is wooded and slopes down to a year round stream. I have never owned a tractor before, so I am not sure of all the many uses I will discover to use the tractor for, but I am having fun trying. I would think I should bush hog the rough brush for the first year or so and then maybe I could mow with a MMM or RFM? I would also like to maintain a 100 yard driveway, remove snow in the winter, and spend as much time as possible doing chores on the tractor. I will also be fencing in about 3 acres for horses and building a barn. With all that said, I have looked hard at the Kubota 7510/7610 and the Kioti CK20/25. I know the CK 25 is a class up from the other tractors, but thought I would mention it since I am a little unsure of everything I will be doing with the tractor. I like the feel of the HST better on the Kubotas, but the Kiotis seem to have more features for the price. I am not opposed to other brands/tractors, just have done the most research on orange. Finally, I would like to stay under 15K if at all possible with a FEL, and either a MMM or RFM (my buddy has a Bush Hog I can borrow), and any other attachments you think I might need. Obviously the less I have to spend the better! I am close to buying, just need some reassurance I am on the right track. Thanks!

Dargo · Jul 13, 2005

It sounds to me like you are on the right track with the right size. I'd be lousy to recommend the correct hp. I have too much of "Tim the Toolman" in me. I think 50 hp would be great. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Just kidding; sort of. Unless weight is a problem, I'd buy the biggest quality tractor from the best dealer close to you that will fit your budget. Don't be afraid to tell a dealer that you have a better price on a competitive brand somewhere else. Sometimes the price changes a bit. Compare JD, New Holland, Massey and Mahindra prices in your hp range as well. I believe they all have hydro drive tractors that are competitive.

I suppose other than general advice, I'd just make sure that you get 4X4. When you mention slopes and wet, and FEL, I'm thinking 4X4 for sure. My only other suggestion is to actually drive them. If a salesman trys to tell you that they all drive the same, I'd say bye. They all have their unique feel and you need to find the one that fits you right. Good luck!

Bob_Skurka · Jul 13, 2005

At 5.5 acres, you are on the large side of property for a Sub-CUT but just about perfect for any of the small frame CUTS you mention.

The MMM is, in my mind, better for yard mowing, and if that is EVENTUALLY what you are going to end up with for most of your property then I would go with that. I think they are easier. Others disagree. We all get used to what we have. I've used both, I prefer MMM. But the downside to a MMM is the price, they cost about double the cost of a decent quality RFM. The RFM is reported to be easy on and easy off, but in my personal experience both the MMM and the RFM can be removed or remounted in a few minutes.

As you are new, I would suggest a HST transmission upgrade. They are usually easier to learn and become proficient on.

One thing you might want to borrow, rent or purchase is a landscape rake. After you use your buddy's brush hog to knock down the thorns and underbrush, a landscape rake is a great way to gather it all up and get it out of your way without tearing up the ground too badly.

For snow on the 300' of driveway I would take a look at a back blade. Not a box blade. Just a grader blade, I prefer the type that offset, swivel and tilt. Midwest makes great blades at a mid-price point so they are a very good value.

The biggest suggestion I have is to buy from a quality dealership. All brands have good ones and all brands have bad ones. Being new, you really want to avoid the bad ones. Find a dealer you are comfortable with, I think the dealer is more important than the brand because if you need help you will be turning to the dealership for help a bad dealer experience compounds problems that may occur with a tractor, and a bad dealer can be easily avoided. Ask neighbors about the dealer's reputation, see what is in other people's yards and ask them if you can, when you talk to the dealer ask to tour the place and see if they have factory trained or certified repair staff, or if they have a high school kid out back turning a wrench with Goober Pyle as his supervisor. Use your best judgement.

BigAl · Jul 13, 2005

Welcome to the group ,
Well both tractors brands are good units in my opinion ,as I have owned both . One question : Will you be doing your own service or will it go to the dealer at service time . How far is that dealer ? Do you need to trailer it to him or will he pick it up at service time ? The HST is a good way to go ,if you are new to tractors . I perfer the other as I have one leg that don't always work well and I can't keep constant pressure on it . Drive both and compare both , try to make an honest assumption of the different task you will preform with it . One thing I have notice is some of the boy's here feel many of us over buy what we really need . I feel it is better to have a little more tractor than you need as we have all ,at one time or another , pushed our tractors to the limit of the safe use .
Allen

andyrc130 · Jul 13, 2005

The Kioti dealer is 15 minutes away. The Kubota dealer who has given me the best price so far is 90 minutes away. I would prefer to do my own service, but don't know if I'll have the time. I haven't asked if either dealer would pick it up for service, but I will next time I talk with them. I am definitely getting HST. My point in the original post was that the HST on the Kubotas just felt better to me than the HST on the Kiotis. I think it was easier picking out my wife than this tractor! I keep jumping back and forth. Thanks for your inputs!

Bob_Skurka · Jul 13, 2005

I think it was easier picking out my wife than this tractor! 

Which one does she think you look SEXY while riding . . . that is the one to buy! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

kcook · Jul 13, 2005

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif My wife will play large part in buying of our tractor

( I think it was easier picking out my wife than this tractor! 

Which one does she think you look SEXY while riding . . . that is the one to buy! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

)

Bob_Skurka · Jul 13, 2005

On a serious note, I bought a Cub Cadet garden tractor because, as my wife said at the time . . . "the colors match my summer outfits" . . . as she mows the lawn in my family, I figured it was good to buy the tractor with the colors that match her outfits! At the time I also had a big antique tractor that she wouldn't even get onto, but that was not used for mowing. More than a decade later, I still own that Cub, but moved it to my office where it mows the 6+ acre property I have around my building.

Now she has a Ventrac articulated tractor for mowing duties at the house, it doesn't match her outfits, but it cut almost 90 minutes a week off the mowing time because it is so much more manuverable that we eliminated 80% of our (HER) string trimming and 100% of our (HER!) push mowing.

Taking the feelings of your wife into account can make for a happy wife.

And just to be nice, I bought her a new lightweight Echo i200 string trimmer last year with their "easy pull" starter, but now we are putting in a couple hundred more feet of fence line so this year I picked up a Swisher Postmaster trimmer that she can pull behind her tractor so she can trim & mow at the same time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I take such good care of her!

I don't know why, but she hasn't hit me in the head with a frying pan . . . yet /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

gippolit · Jul 13, 2005

YOur not comparing apples to apples with these tractors. They are in different classes. Kioti will give you more bang for you buck, but those light wieght Kubotas will do a better job on your lawn.

andyrc130 · Jul 13, 2005

I guess that is my big dilema. Do I buy a lighter weight Kubota that could be an all in one machine (tractor and lawn mower), or do I buy a heavier more feaure ridden Kioti and a seperate mower? I think it would be easier if I had some tractor experience, but I just have no clue as to what jobs will pop up around the property to accomplish with the tractor. I think I am leaning towards the Kubota 7510/7610, but I hear so much good stuff about the Kioti's I always flip flop.