Want a Tractor!

All,

I am looking at buying a tractor to do some work around my 4 acres. List of work that needs doing:

-12-15 stumps from 2 inch to 8 inch diameter need to be removed, as it prevents me from mowing about an acre of my land. Some of these are on an incline which my LT180 lawn tractor cant make it up easily when it is wet anyway, so I am thinking that 4wd is a must. I read some tricks about using the bucket to put some pressure on the stumps after cutting some roots....repeating this process till I can push the stump over. I heard too many horror stories about a tractor flipping over from trying to yank a stump out.

-Old garden needs to be turned back into lawn....This garden was built near the leach field of the septic system, and it is also WAY to big for me (25' x 20' or so). It is overgrown and uglyyy. We built a small garden higher up on our property. I would also like to be able to rent or borrow a tiller to turn this garden once a year or so.

-Smaller raised bed (maybe was a garden) needs to be knocked down and turned back into lawn. It is approximately 2 ft wide by 10 ft long.

-Hill on property has turned into a field because my lawn tractor couldn't mow it. I would like to brush hog or similar a few times a year as having this a field doesnt bother me, but I don't want it to get overgrown.

-I have a HUGE bramble of blackberry bushes, and other NASTY prickers that I would like to pull out. At least 10' diameter. Thinking about wrapping a chain around a few at a time and using the bucket to lift them up and out of the ground to get rid of the roots. This would also be the perfect spot to have a nice burn pit in the future, and maybe a horseshoe pit as well.

-I have some drainage work that needs doing on my property. Main problem is that the french drain (which works very well) dumps out into the back yard, so it is always wet at that section. I would like to extend this back near the woods and build a critter and crush proof exit. I was also going to add fill and possibly a few dry wells to the front yard as there are some low spots that stay soupy when we get a week or so of heavy rain. These weren't a concern this year, but they were BAD last year and we couldn't mow the front yard.

-Finally, I would like to be able to lift a pallet of coal (2k lbs) at a reasonable height. The two places that deliver pallets around here either have a flat bed lumber yard truck (about 4 foot high) and a low deck equipment trailer.

I'm sure there is more that I will think of as well, but this is my list as of now.

For the tractor I'm thinking:

30-40hp....Probably bigger than I need but lifting the coal and pushing the stumps would be easier and safer with a larger tractor. Also I am selling my "toy" to get this so I want something big to "play" with.
Hydrostatic
4wd
Needs a Front End Loader
ROPS
Maybe a backhoe attachment in the future??

I will have 10-12k, maybe a bit more, to put down on a tractor by the time I decide to buy. The financing options on new tractors is amazing...There is a Yanmar/Cub dealer here that has 0% for 60 months. I'm sure that Deere/Kubota/New Holland has some great financing packages too. That being said, I am definitely not opposed to a used tractor.

Dealers in the area include: John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Yanmar/Cub, LS, TYM, Zetor, Case, Massey, Kioti, and probably more....just about every manufacturer I have heard of.

Any opinions and things I should look out for are welcome, as this will be my first tractor purpose and the only tractor I have used was a gear shift yanmar that was around 40 horse.

Thanks,
Joe

JRDepew wrote:All,

I am looking at buying a tractor to do some work around my 4 acres. List of work that needs doing:

-12-15 stumps from 2 inch to 8 inch diameter need to be removed, as it prevents me from mowing about an acre of my land. Some of these are on an incline which my LT180 lawn tractor cant make it up easily when it is wet anyway, so I am thinking that 4wd is a must. I read some tricks about using the bucket to put some pressure on the stumps after cutting some roots....repeating this process till I can push the stump over. I heard too many horror stories about a tractor flipping over from trying to yank a stump out.

-Old garden needs to be turned back into lawn....This garden was built near the leach field of the septic system, and it is also WAY to big for me (25' x 20' or so). It is overgrown and uglyyy. We built a small garden higher up on our property. I would also like to be able to rent or borrow a tiller to turn this garden once a year or so.

-Smaller raised bed (maybe was a garden) needs to be knocked down and turned back into lawn. It is approximately 2 ft wide by 10 ft long.

-Hill on property has turned into a field because my lawn tractor couldn't mow it. I would like to brush hog or similar a few times a year as having this a field doesnt bother me, but I don't want it to get overgrown.

-I have a HUGE bramble of blackberry bushes, and other NASTY prickers that I would like to pull out. At least 10' diameter. Thinking about wrapping a chain around a few at a time and using the bucket to lift them up and out of the ground to get rid of the roots. This would also be the perfect spot to have a nice burn pit in the future, and maybe a horseshoe pit as well.

-I have some drainage work that needs doing on my property. Main problem is that the french drain (which works very well) dumps out into the back yard, so it is always wet at that section. I would like to extend this back near the woods and build a critter and crush proof exit. I was also going to add fill and possibly a few dry wells to the front yard as there are some low spots that stay soupy when we get a week or so of heavy rain. These weren't a concern this year, but they were BAD last year and we couldn't mow the front yard.

-Finally, I would like to be able to lift a pallet of coal (2k lbs) at a reasonable height. The two places that deliver pallets around here either have a flat bed lumber yard truck (about 4 foot high) and a low deck equipment trailer.

I'm sure there is more that I will think of as well, but this is my list as of now.

For the tractor I'm thinking:

30-40hp....Probably bigger than I need but lifting the coal and pushing the stumps would be easier and safer with a larger tractor. Also I am selling my "toy" to get this so I want something big to "play" with.
Hydrostatic
4wd
Needs a Front End Loader
ROPS
Maybe a backhoe attachment in the future??

I will have 10-12k, maybe a bit more, to put down on a tractor by the time I decide to buy. The financing options on new tractors is amazing...There is a Yanmar/Cub dealer here that has 0% for 60 months. I'm sure that Deere/Kubota/New Holland has some great financing packages too. That being said, I am definitely not opposed to a used tractor.

Dealers in the area include: John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Yanmar/Cub, LS, TYM, Zetor, Case, Massey, Kioti, and probably more....just about every manufacturer I have heard of.

Any opinions and things I should look out for are welcome, as this will be my first tractor purpose and the only tractor I have used was a gear shift yanmar that was around 40 horse.

Thanks,
Joe

The 30-40 horse power range will do all you need it to except lifting 2k from the backof a truck unless you rig up some kind of forklift attachement for the rearend. I have a 30 hp John deere that has met my expectations very well...but it will not lift 2k

I've been down this road. My $0.02.

If you are shopping for a new unit, something large enough to do the things you've listed is going to be quite pricey. Call a local dealer and ask for a price on a model with a front end loader that can lift a ton...make sure you are sitting down. Aside from the Brush-hog work you mentioned, a used front-end loader or an excavator with a bucket and a set of forks would be my choice to 'get things in shape'.

I also have about 4 acres, and it needed a lot of work when we bought it. Overgrown landscaping, shrubs that needed to be pulled out, weed trees, holes, big rocks to move, etc. I had a 25 hp compact tractor with a bucket, and it was worthless for those jobs. About the only thing it could do was finish work with topsoil or crushed stone. I had my dad bring the farm's 621B Case loader over and got everything done in two days.

Only thing I can suggest is ... I hope you started saving your pennies along time ago! They sure don't give these things away nowadays.

Neighbor just picked up a 32 year old, rotted, worn out, and tired Ford tractor that needs extensive work .... and it STILL cost him $2k.

Rob R. wrote:I've been down this road. My $0.02.

If you are shopping for a new unit, something large enough to do the things you've listed is going to be quite pricey. Call a local dealer and ask for a price on a model with a front end loader that can lift a ton...make sure you are sitting down. Aside from the Brush-hog work you mentioned, a used front-end loader or an excavator with a bucket and a set of forks would be my choice to 'get things in shape'.

I also have about 4 acres, and it needed a lot of work when we bought it. Overgrown landscaping, shrubs that needed to be pulled out, weed trees, holes, big rocks to move, etc. I had a 25 hp compact tractor with a bucket, and it was worthless for those jobs. About the only thing it could do was finish work with topsoil or crushed stone. I had my dad bring the farm's 621B Case loader over and got everything done in two days.

Ahh, this is not good news! Tractors are priced insanely high, especially if they are green. The problem with used units is that they are priced higher than hell to and the financing isn't nearly as good. The problem with the older units that are for sale used is that most of them are 2wd, and most are stick shift. I could live with the stick I suppose, but not 2wd. Hydrostatic just seems much nicer and easier to be precise with, especially for an occasional operator like me. I'm sure pro's can use a stick very well.

If all I could do with the tractor was move dirt and stone, it wouldn't be worth it to me. My girlfriend's step father has a 4000 series deere that he brought up once to lay crushed stone on the driveway, till the garden, and lift the EFM350 out of the bed of my truck. My neighbor has the Yanmar that I mentioned and said I could borrow it anytime I like, but there is always the chance that it breaks...I try to avoid borrowing things that I couldn't easily replace.

Thanks for the post Rob that gives me a lot to think about.

i've been watching used listings for about a year for something in the 30-40hp range that is 4wd. my older neighbor has a deere 955 that he encourages me to borrow so it doesnt sit and get balky, but he is in his mid 80's and his kids will have that gone within 10 minutes of his passing so i want to be ready.

the ones that look interesting to me are in the $8500 - $12000 range depending on hours and included attachments. that would be kubota b series, deere 955 model or new holland - i forget which series from them. these won't be able to lift 2k lbs or dig out large stumps, however.

The deal breaker for many of the tractors you will find is the lift capacity.

It might make more sense to rent a large piece of equipment for a week and get the "heavy lifting" around the property done. After that, you can be much more flexible when you go tractor shopping.

How does this sound:

Rent a big loader or an excavator (or hire someone with the right equipment) and get the stumps out, the holes filled, rocks moved, etc.

Buy a used tractor and a brush-hog.

Use the money you have leftover to buy a TT load of bulk coal...then you don't need to worry about lifting a 2000 lb pallet.

Rob R. wrote:The deal breaker for many of the tractors you will find is the lift capacity.

It might make more sense to rent a large piece of equipment for a week and get the "heavy lifting" around the property done. After that, you can be much more flexible when you go tractor shopping.

How does this sound:

Rent a big loader or an excavator (or hire someone with the right equipment) and get the stumps out, the holes filled, rocks moved, etc.

Buy a used tractor and a brush-hog.

Use the money you have leftover to buy a TT load of bulk coal...then you don't need to worry about lifting a 2000 lb pallet.

It does look like the lifting capacity is the killer. I do need to start buying bulk anyway to save money and get dryer coal so I will probably build a big bin and forget that "requirement".

A lot to think about here that's for sure.

I'm with Rob. Separate the "one-n-done" jobs from those you'll do repeatedly. Rent a piece of equipment to do the one-n-done jobs.
The requirement for lifting a 2000# load is a killer. Maybe you can split the load and handle 1000# at a time. That's doable for a lot of tractors.
I've got a Kubota with a quick mount front end loader. On and off in a couple of minutes. I love it. The quick mount feature was important to me because the tractor is much easier to use with a 3 point attachment when the loader is off.
One last point: shopping for a tractor is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

you can rent a stump grinder and finish all those in a day, 8" stumps are nothing I have done some that were 3ft across.

As for mowing a steep bank, I mow an extremely steep bank, with my old cub cadet garden tractor, I have beet juice in the tires, and you can leave your tire chains on year round probably won't slip.


Just a thought, rent don't buy


Eric

Thanks for all the input guys. You are right....I probably won't find myself clearing stumps more than 2-3 times. Once to get the current stumps out, and once for the 2 huge silver maples in the front yard someday. Maybe I would be better off looking for an older piece of iron that I can pay cash for? Something that I can get a mower for, spread stone and dirt, snow removal, till, etc.

Got some time to think on it.

Joe

While your thinkin Cost me $600.00

IF this auction were to start--that would not be a very good beginning

Some local tractors just posted on Craigslist to give you some prices,
Several used Kubota, John Deere and Ford New Holland compact tractors for sale.

Kubota

B2410, 24 hp, 4x4, hydro, loader and mid mount mower just in and runs and operates good. $8400
B21, Commercial duty tractor loader backhoe, 21 hp, 4x4, hydro, 4 to choose from. 300 to 1500 hours $13,900 to $16,900
L35 Commercial duty tractor loader, 35 hp, 4x4, GST trans Great loader tractor $10,900
L35 Commercial duty tractor loader backhoe, 35 hp, 4x4, GST trans, 2 to choose from For home projects or business $14,900 to $16,900
L3010, 32 hp, 4x4, hydro, 1000 hours with loader $12,500 With Woods Backhoe $14,900 Very nice condition

John Deere

2305, 23 hp, 4x4, hydro, 300 hours, loader and 54" mid mount mower Nice low hour tractor loader mower $10,900
2305, 23 hp, 4x4, hydro, 200 hours, loader and 60" mid mount mower Very nice condition $11,900
750, 20 hp, 2 wd, gear trans, curtis soft cab, front mount snow plow and mid mower 3000 hours, $4900 Runs and operates very good, Needs nothing but snow!!
750, 20 hp, 4x4, gear trans, ag tires with jd loader 3000 hours $7200 Runs and operates good
850, 24 hp, 4x4, gear trans, ag tires, 1200 hours, JD loader & JD backhoe $11,900 Nice low hour tractor loader backhoe
4400, 35 hp, 4x4, hydro, turf tires, 1400 hours, JD loader $11,900 Good condition
4400, 35 hp, 4x4, hydro, 296 hours, turf tires, mid mount mower & loader, super clean and in great condition $14,500
4710, 48 hp, 4x4, hydro, 3500 hours, ind tires, JD 460 loader. Looks and runs like a 1000 hours tractor $14,900
3520, 36 hp. 4x4, factory cab, hydro, ind tires, 450 hours with D loader Nice winter time unit. Great condition $24,900

Ford New Holland

1715, 25 hp, 4x4, gear trans, 800 hours, ag tires, loader, very nice condition $8900
1720, 27 hp, 4x4, shuttle trans, turf tires, loader 1200 hours Runs good, needs loader bucket welded up. $6900 Cheepest Ford 1720 I have ever had
1720, 27 hp, 4x4, shuttle trans, turf tires, loader 1400 hours Nice running tractor and a great deal at $7900
TC29D, 29 hp, 4x4, hydro, turf tires 800 hours ?, with loader Starts and runs good, nice 4x4 with hydro trans and loader $9900
1900, 26 hp, 4x4, gear trans, ag tires, loader and woods backhoe, 2000 hours, Nice helper around your property $9900
TC55DA, 55 hp, 4x4, shuttle trans, 450 hours, und tires and NH loader, Real power, great compact with low hours. $19,900

Cub Cadet 7193, 19 hp, 4x4, gear trans, 600 hours, mid mount mower and loader, Very nice tractor loader and mid mower $8900