Which tractor? Opinions needed.

WiJC · Jan 21, 2004

i have a bit over 20 acres with about 2/3 wooded. with a new house and the landscape somewhat rolling, there will be a ton of landscaping to do. also the wife wants about 3-4 acres around the house mowed.

i have looked at the deere 2210 and kubota 2230. both with FEL and MMM. the prices i have gotten are pretty similar. i have messed around for a few minutes on each. i think they are both good machines and have no idea which one is the better buy. anyone with experience with both??

also, with the single center cylander on the kubota FEL, any thoughts on whether or not the bucket could get torqued when trying to lift etc with the edge of the bucket (one side or another)???

also, theories of getting a bigger tractor are not an option. new land, new house, etc etc etc...money is the reason i cant really go bigger.

any info would be appreciated.

thanks
John

DIYGuy · Jan 21, 2004

If you wanted to go bigger and could put up with poor fit and finish and a manual transmission, you could get a 30hp chinese tractor with FEL and RFM for less. Once the bugs are worked out of them (100 hrs or so) they are workhorses.

DIYGuy (MarkS)

44trxfun · Jan 21, 2004

( there will be a ton of landscaping to do )

I'm wondering whether you might want something with bachhoe capability. I have a MF GC2300, quite similar to JD 2210 and Kub BX2230. I don't think any have position control on the 3PH. Take a close look at this; it may be really frustrating NOT to have it for your landscaping work. The suggestion to consider a less-expensive "off brand" may have some merit. Again, a lot depends on your specific situation and tasks (soils, stump clearing, dirt moving, tilling, etc.) Also, find a dealer that will work with you before, during, and after the sale. Good luck!

thcri · Jan 21, 2004

I really don't think anyone can tell you which is the better buy. You have to make that desision. A Kubota owner will tell you Kubota, John Deere owner will tell you John Deere. I will tell you both are good. You have to get out there, test drive both of them, play with them some, put your pluses and minus's together, get to know the dealer and then look at the pricing. The dealer you select has to be willing to help you, spend time with you and give you a comfort level about buying his product. There isn't one of the products out there that is bad, we just have good and bad dealers in all products.

I am not fond of the single cylinder but Kubota uses it and I would not be afraid of it because Kubota does back up their product with the right dealer.

If I was you and I am not, but I would maybe look around some for a larger, but used tractor that you could get into for about the same price. I understand money especially when building. I just think you may be a bit unhappy with 20 acres and a sub-compact. That is just my opinion. Century/Branson makes good economical tractors that you could get pretty close in price. New Holland makes a no thrills TC30 that would give you more HP and even a larger frame for stability. I don't know if you have hills or not??

Whatever you do, just make sure you are comfortable with the dealer.

Just some ideas, I am one of the guys that bought too small and regretted it to the point I traded in after one year.

murph

Tractors4u · Jan 21, 2004

While the 2210 and 2230 are fine tractors they are small for the large order of work you discribe and with 20 acres. I don't think bumping up to a Deere 4110 or 4115 is a lot of money. DIYGuy mentioned going Chinese and getting the bugs worked out. I imagine with a new house and chores to do you don't have the time to work out bugs. Another option would be to look at Mahindra, Kioti, Branson and Century. You could get a little more tractor for your dollar.

KubotaSteve · Jan 21, 2004

I agree with murph on buying too small for 20 acres. Kubota has the B-7800 which is a 30 HP economy model with hydrostat. I picked mine up with loaded R-4 tires, the LA-402 loader, 60" box scraper and 60" midmount mower for around $16,900. If you go with a rear finish mower it would probably be less than that. I only have 6.5 acres and I think it is the perfect size. I only keep about 3 or 4 acres mowed. I know you said you couldn't go bigger, but I'm afraid it will cost more in the long run going smaller. Kubota has some pretty nice financing on new ones that may help. Dealer support is very important too!!!
Good luck

Hambone · Jan 21, 2004

theories of getting a bigger tractor are not an option. new land, new house, etc etc etc...money is the reason i cant really go bigger. 

I can understand that. There will be lots of stuff to buy! But will have to go with others, if you can swing it would probably move up!

wife wants about 3-4 acres around the house mowed. 

I think those are two good choices for 3-4 acres. If 2/3rds are woods that leaves approx 6.5 acres that are not. Are you planning on doing anything with the woods? If not that only leaves 3-4 acres not lawn and not woods. I have a three acre lot and find it works well. Don't forget to check out the Massey GC series, comparable in size and price.

zuiko · Jan 21, 2004

If you are on a budget, you could also look at getting something bigger like a JD 790 or 990. Not sure how the 2210 compares pricewise with the MMM and FEL but its probably getting close.

One way you could save a few bucks would be to get a used lawn tractor to do the lawn and skip the MMM. You could pick up an old one with a 48" or 50" deck for $500-$1000 that will do the job. 3 or so acres is still pretty doable with that size deck. It would just take longer. Depending on your obstacle layout you might not be able to get everywhere with the bigger deck anyway.

fishman · Jan 21, 2004

Are you going to be doing anything major with the wooded portion of your property? For the landscaping, do you plan on lifting loads exceeding 500 lbs? Are you very limited on time?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I would urge you to look at larger tractors. I have a 2910 on 10 acres, and it is about right for the larger jobs I am doing, but too large for mowing, etc. It's great for dirt moving and brush cutting/clearing.

Depending on your usage, a subcompact might be perfect for what you want to do.

DavesTractor · Jan 21, 2004

The Mahindra 2015 is built by Mitsubishi, so you can enjoy top notch Japanese quality, HST, choice of tires, etc, in a little bigger package than the others at a comparable price. Mid-PTO is standard. The CK20HST Kioti is impressive as well. The previously mentioned JD790 is a great value, but lacks some of the features of other tractors...even so, it should be considered.