DO NOT BUY A TRACTOR THAT HAS R4 TIRES if you plan on driving on even just one blade of grass. They are horrible. I will say that if you're grading a rock road that it's nice to have a tractor that handles implements that are as wide as the road. Same goes for tillers, snownplow, box blade, etc. 50+ hp with a turbo and GLOW PLUGS. I had a 49 hp non turbo with a block heater and thought I bought a 600 hp dozer when I bought my Kubota M6040 that's 62 hp with turbo. It pulls my round baler and other stuff as good as I need it to. I also use a 7' box scraper on over a mile of gravel road and love it.
I have a 30 HP Kubota and would not want one much smaller. My topsoil can be very soft and muddy so, unlike your situation, I sometimes run into some hard going.
Great news Mike! Almost indispensable for working around the property.... I have a JD2720 which is 4 wheel drive, hydrostatic FEL and 31.5 HP. Bought it used and love it.. I don't think I would go smaller if I had to do it again. Bigger is better, but it is enough tractor for my needs. Can't go wrong with a 3000 series tractor if needed also. Don't hesitate to buy used, lots of newer low hour stuff out there.
Here you go Gasifier has one for ya For Sale - Kubota L35 Tractor Loader Backhoe - Work Horse! | Firewood Hoarders Club
. That's just about perfect and a great price. Sill a little outside of my budget. Thanks for looking out for me.
Having gone through this myself, twice now, here's some thoughts. I had exactly the same needs as you, except that I use mine for snow removal. 1. Even if you find a good used machine, think twice about it if you do not have a good local dealer to support it. I am still kicking myself and probably will be for a long time, as the used machine I purchased does not have good support. The dealer is an hour away and is sketchy with parts availability, and service is a nightmare. He basically doesn't want to work on it. 2. Most of the brands out there are pretty good, keep in mind you will be paying for paint. What I mean is, the big name brands such as Deere, Kubota, Massey-Ferguson, will cost you thousands of dollars more than a machine from what I would call "second-tier" brands - TYM, Mahindra, Branson, LS, etc. On the other hand, if there is a good reliable dealer nearby, you will get a lot more bang for the buck with the lesser-known brands. 3. A lot of the tractors out there share components. I can go into the Mahindra dealer and get nearly any part for my TYM engine because it is an off-the-shelf Mitsubishi 4-cylinder engine. Even Deere uses Yanmar diesels. 4. If you are serious about skidding - you want to be at the high end of your HP range. My machine is a 35-hp tractors and I doubt I'd want to do a lot of skidding with it. Look at the 40-50 hp range. A cab for any machine is going to add a huge cost. 5. To reiterate - dealer support is everything! 6. Go sit on every tractor you can find. Hopefully you can get the dealer to let you drive it around and maybe even move a little dirt. I am amazed at how different they all are and some tractors fit me well and some were flat-out uncomfortable to drive. I wound up with a TYM because it was instinctive to me. All the controls were right where I expected them. The Kubota, on the other hand, was like learning a foreign language. It was horrible. Did not think there would be that much of a difference. 7. Final recommendations? If I could do it all over again (and I probably will), I'd get one size larger machine, new from a dealer. Mahindras are nice machines. So are Kiotis. You'll pay a big premium for a Deere or a Kubota. Branson machines are tanks, but finding a reputable dealer might be tough. I always worry if the manufacturer will be around in five years or ten. Remember Challenger, Long, Bobcat, Belarus, Zetor? Tractor brands you could purchase in the USA within the past 20 years. All gone.
Kinda like when the wife decided we needed a zero turn, she knew what I was considering buying. She made the decision and I came home to find the zero turn in the courtyard. She said it was a Fathers day present from Hailey, the dog.
There is no reason why you wouldn't look for something used. You don't have to buy used, but you can sure look to see what's out there. Friend of mine swore on his kids lives that he would not buy used until he ran across an almost new JD that a township was selling. He bought it and loves it. Parts avaialability and location of service, etc would be a big factor for me.
Probably because you didn't buy it from him?? Auto dealerships can be like that around here. "Yeah, we have an opening....7 months from now"
I believe you're correct. Although it usually comes in the form of, "why don't you drop it off and we'll see where we can fit it in". Um, no, I actually use this thing year-round. Even if you can't get to it for six weeks, at least write my name on the calendar for six weeks out and give me a date and time. I will be there, guaranteed. The former owner actually bought the machine from that dealer, and it's only a 2014 model with 300 hours. Still under warranty, too.
I like the Kubota L33 sized tractor. Whatever make/model you choose, compare it with the next model up/down. Sometimes the difference is a lot of hydro pump capacity, an entirely different chassis, etc and can be a big difference in capability. With the Kubota L33 vs L39, the difference is exactly 4.5HP. Everything else is the same, and that 4.5 HP is not going to make ANY difference in anything you do.
I bought a new tractor 3 years ago, it's a New Holland T1520-35 horse. I would suggest: Hydrostatic Quick attach bucket Heavy duty quick attach forks- great for wood! 4 wheel drive Any major brand is good but do online research for the model number you are interested in
I think you are on the right track-30-40 hp, 4wd, SSQA bucket. I am partial to Kubota, but wouldn't bad mouth other brands. If you the time and inclination, used might be the way to go. I know that when I have bought my tractors, I couldn't find any quality used units for much less than new. Most of the manufacturers are offering 0 or low rate financing on new tractors, which makes them attractive.
Yeah get at least a 40 he for skidding logs my 50 HP Kubota pulled 4 foot diameter 12 foot long sugar maples to my processing are from quarter 1/2 mile away.. in you want good new lot of the companies up here take in trades... my boss also had good luck with Craigs list ad I'll take over your payments and give you xxxxx dollars.. for some it's easier than a sale...
FWIW, I have 16 acres of land. About 1 acre has my house, barn, garage, garden and about a total of 1/2 acre of lawn. I have a JD X304 w/ 42" mower deck which is actually over kill. It is not bad to mow the lawn with the cheapy MTD push mower. The rest my land (~15 acres) is dense, mature, hardwood (Oaks, Tulip, Beech, Black Birch, Red Maple, Black Gum, Cherry in order of abundance) forest on rocky, hillside terrain. We also have to maintain about 250 yds of gravel right-of-way. The wife loves landscaping (a.k.a. "moving boulders around"). I love processing trees. With just natural attrition, we can easily harvest 10 cord of fire wood, plus 1-2 MBF of high-grade lumber each year. Here's some examples.
