Girl needs sub compact tractor purchasing advice

[greggh]

There have been a lot of opinions expressed here and some very good ones. I would suggest that you visit some dealers tell them what you are planning and listen to their opinions and offers. Sit on the tractors, see how they feel to you when you drive them around. See how all of the seats, levers, pedals, etc. fit you. Once you have decided on a brand and model, come back and see what opinions TBN'ers have on your choices. So far from what I have observed, I would not go the subcompact route. A compact would probably have more versatility for your needs. But again it is ultimately your decision. Good luck on your search and keep us informed. We love spending other peoples money.

 

[8934]

As I understand it, which may not be correct, the purchase of any equipment (subject to maximums) in 2008 that will used in a business is included. I beleive that means any business....

But again I am not 100% certain I understand it, talk to your CPA.

 

[outfox]

Wow, you guys have been so extremely helpful, thank you all.

Now considering Compact size vs sub-compact, but hubby says the big knobby tires will tear up our ground which as someone else pointed out can get a little soggy in the summer. (Technically we live in the Green Swamp, which shelters the head waters of 5 Florida rivers)

Anyone want to comment on that?

 

[Reg]

Wow, you guys have been so extremely helpful, thank you all.

Now considering Compact size vs sub-compact, but hubby says the big knobby tires will tear up our ground which as someone else pointed out can get a little soggy in the summer. (Technically we live in the Green Swamp, which shelters the head waters of 5 Florida rivers)

Anyone want to comment on that?

Well, there are big knobby tires that can/might tear up the soil a bit - IF you spin the wheels and/or turn tight in 4WD.
Then there are the other kind, that might not churn up anything, you just sit there and watch 'em turn - goin' nowhere fast.
There are folk on this board who MIGHT have a little buyer's remorse about turf tires or R4s.

I don't have specs to compare, but would GUESS that the wider tires on the bigger tractor just might put down a lower ground pressure.
Add to that their greater diameter and I think you'll find they are LESS likely to rut up the ground - within "proper use".

 

[kozak]

Well, there are big knobby tires that can/might tear up the soil a bit - IF you spin the wheels and/or turn tight in 4WD.
Then there are the other kind, that might not churn up anything, you just sit there and watch 'em turn - goin' nowhere fast.
There are folk on this board who MIGHT have a little buyer's remorse about turf tires or R4s.

I don't have specs to compare, but would GUESS that the wider tires on the bigger tractor just might put down a lower ground pressure.
Add to that their greater diameter and I think you'll find they are LESS likely to rut up the ground - within "proper use".

Nicely stated......I agree...go with turf tires. For the same wheel diameter, they are the widest. Some go with R4's as a compromise between Turfs & Ag (R1 AKA Knobby) tires. However, if your property is fairly flat & as wet as you are inferring, I would still recommend turfs. Unfortunately, I think we just opened up the flood gates on this specific topic.

Vic

 

[plowking]

If I lived in Florida,I'd get the highest tractor possible,I don't like alligators or water moccassins. Can you get tires that are gator proof? plowking

 

[8934]

Tire type.... Depends....

Each tire type has advantages and disadvantages.....

No intention of startining anouther tire war, but I live nearby and would have the following questions.

What kind of tires are on the tractor that you can get a screaming deal on?
How wet is your property?
Do you have anouther vehicle (and person) around to pull you out? - Turfs generally more likely to get stuck but easier to get out when stuck, R4's little less likely to get stuck but little harder to get out when stuck, R1's least likely to get stuck, but hardest to get out.
What type of soil, sand or muck is on your place? - Could be either in your area.
What will tractors primary use be? - Mowing, towing a trailer or ground engaging.
What do your neighbors have? - They have experience my guess is R1.
How likely are you to get a flat? - Turfs generaly get more, R1's a few less, R4's the least, at least in the tires shipped from MFG, BUT there are some exceptions in aftermarket tires.
How important is a pristeen lawn to you?
Do you intend to put weights on your tractor?

I live nearby and think that R4's are the best tire type for me. They dont tear up my lawn at all, and are least likely to get a flat.

 

[Reg]

Actual tread type aside (for the moment) I'm guessing that the greater width and larger diameter of bigger tires on bigger tractors is less likely to lead to rutting in wet soil than the smaller tires of smaller tractors, even though those smaller tractors are lighter.

Back to tread type, for tractors around 40~50 HP there isn't much difference in width between a turf and an R4, say 17.5L vs 18.00x44 ? and the R4 is a bit higher.
The R1 is what ? maybe 12.5 or 13.5x28, quite a bit narrower than either.

There are more than enough other threads on this forum extolling the virtues of high, narrow and aggressive tires to GRIP with vs "flotation" tires to reduce ground pressure vs "compromise" tires that might provide the best and/or worst of both.
I currently have two of the three types, good enough for what I do.

 

[Stimw]

Here is a pic of my tractor with R-4's. I would not have any other tire! They are easy on my grass and with 4WD hard to get stuck.

 

[Reg]

I'll second the suggestion to visit the (almost)nearby Branson dealer.
You should be able to find a "right sized tractor" there for a lot less than the usual Big 3 (or 4).
Once you figure out what that right size is... with which transmission... and what wheels/tires you want on it...
Just don't fall down the "finance" trap; nothing is for nothing.
Unless you can get zero percent AND zero payments until THREE 0 0 NINE.

 

[flusher]

Wow, you guys have been so extremely helpful, thank you all.

Now considering Compact size vs sub-compact, but hubby says the big knobby tires will tear up our ground which as someone else pointed out can get a little soggy in the summer. (Technically we live in the Green Swamp, which shelters the head waters of 5 Florida rivers)

Anyone want to comment on that?

By "ground" I assume you refer to your lawn areas.
So, get turf tires for your tractor.
Or better, get a riding mower for lawn maintenance and ag tires on your new tractor. My three tractors (Mahindra 5525, Massey Ferguson 135 and Farmall Super A) are used in the field. I have a 2005 $1000 Huskee riding mower (42 in) from Tractor Supply to take care of the lawn and a 1974 $600 Bolens G14 riding mower (42 in) with rototiller for the veg garden.

 

[pitt_md]

One thing to keep in mind (as a horse owner) is the type of hay you will be feeding. Small square bales can be moved around by hand but are a lot of work. Large squares are about 800 lbs. and need a machine to move them around. Round bales come in different sizes but still need a machine to move them.

I got tired of loading and stacking hay for my horse's and went to large square bales so I would have some time for riding.

 

[capi75rs]

You sound like the same boat I was in a few weeks ago, minus the trees. When I checked prices with Kobota, Yanmar, JD and Case the Kobota was the least expensive and seemed to be the best bang for your buck. However when I was talking with some friends of mine I found a Mahandra 2810 for sale. An older fellow bought it a few years ago and could no longer get on the tractor. He sold me the tractor with FEL, 16' flatbed trailer and 5' brushog for $6600.00. The tractor has 270 hours. The older gentleman was my local banker. I put @ $200.00 into the tractor for all new fluids and it seems to run great. I'm not sure if I got a good deal but I felt the price was much better than the 18,500 for the Kobota. I did have to give up 5hp though. Keep looking and best of luck.

 

[BungeeII]

You sound like the same boat I was in a few weeks ago, minus the trees. When I checked prices with Kobota, Yanmar, JD and Case the Kobota was the least expensive and seemed to be the best bang for your buck. However when I was talking with some friends of mine I found a Mahandra 2810 for sale. An older fellow bought it a few years ago and could no longer get on the tractor. He sold me the tractor with FEL, 16' flatbed trailer and 5' brushog for $6600.00. The tractor has 270 hours. The older gentleman was my local banker. I put @ $200.00 into the tractor for all new fluids and it seems to run great. I'm not sure if I got a good deal but I felt the price was much better than the 18,500 for the Kobota. I did have to give up 5hp though. Keep looking and best of luck.

Dude, I'm probably the biggest tight-wad on the board and I would have gotten off my wallet for that deal.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

You sound like the same boat I was in a few weeks ago, minus the trees. When I checked prices with Kobota, Yanmar, JD and Case the Kobota was the least expensive and seemed to be the best bang for your buck. However when I was talking with some friends of mine I found a Mahandra 2810 for sale. An older fellow bought it a few years ago and could no longer get on the tractor. He sold me the tractor with FEL, 16' flatbed trailer and 5' brushog for $6600.00. The tractor has 270 hours. The older gentleman was my local banker. I put @ $200.00 into the tractor for all new fluids and it seems to run great. I'm not sure if I got a good deal but I felt the price was much better than the 18,500 for the Kobota. I did have to give up 5hp though. Keep looking and best of luck.

I'm jealous - that's exactly the type of deal I need to find. You wanna sell it yet?

 

[Sportsman762]

I worked on a tree farm where we grew trees for lumber. We used a Kubota B7500 23hp engine? and 17 pto hp. You should look at going hydrostatic because of the ease of use also I would look at some of the new holland products because of their super steer option. Supersteer would be nice for maneuvering in the rows. I would also get a loader for the tractor they can do everything. Forks for the loader would allow for you to maneuver pallets around in the field. You should only need around a 18-25 pto hp machine. I would also look into investing in a old forklift to load the containers and handle heavy lifting. Do not plan on taking the forklift off road they sink like a rock even on dry ground. I would probably not get a backhoe if you are trying to keep costs down. I have planted 1000s of saplings with a post hole digger. The cost of a post hole digget is around a tenth of the cost of a backhoe. For tires I would get R4s because they provide less compaction than R-1s (ag tires) and more traction than turfs. Resale is excellent on tractors however with the economy the way it is I would consider getting a used machine with less than 500 hours on it. Sorry if i rambled.

 

[artfull dodger]

Having worked at a Kubota dealership for a few months, I got to play with many different Kubotas as well as a few other brands that came in for repair. The Kubota's hold thier value second to only John Deere. You can get a mid mount mower, or a rear 3pt mounted mower, which seem to be the prefered set up, either finish or bush hog. You can back into the corners with the 3pt mowers and get most of it. They are usualy low enough to go under rail type fences. Even a mid mounted mower isnt going to get completely up next to a fence. Go with wide turf tires for there flotation over wet and swampy ground, most of the Kubota compacts are 4wd, even if you dont use it much, its there if you start to get stuck. I would stay in the B series as well, the BX are nice, but very complex and difficult to repair once out of warrenty. The B series are a bit easier to work on. My personal preferance is for Kubota, followed by John Deere or New Holland. Where we used to live in Erie PA, the whole area is a grape growing region, and all you see is loads of Kubota tractors. 4 dealers in one county! A second choice if price becomes an issue is a grey market Yanmar thru one of the better dealers like LMTC. These are full blown yanmars and not the SCUT's that cub cadet is selling. Parts for those are avaible thru LMTC or Hoye Tractor parts. Hope you find your new tractor soon. Mike and Michele T

 

[VistanTN]

OK, I lived in Cocoa (not the beach, the landside) and had 5+ acres. Flat, 26' above sea level, drained slowly, but mostly sandy soil (water table was only about 18" down). Neighbor had 15+ acres with lots of drainage canals. His two tractoprs both had turf tires and were frequently stuck. My little Allis had ags, and never got stuck. Yes, I had to be careful working on wet ground to not tear things up, but that "slow down" was far less than the interruption of getting a stuck tractor out. If your bermuda is well established in the pasture, ags (with some care) won't mess it up. If you want golf course pristine lawn somewhere, get a small riding mower for it and stay off with the ags. If you are sandy (not muck) R4's may work almost as well with less risk of damage (and less, not no, but less care in operation). However, if you are mostly much, I think ags are the only choise.

 

[capi75rs]

I'm jealous - that's exactly the type of deal I need to find. You wanna sell it yet?

Not as of yet, but we'll see what summer brings. I haven't had a chance to really work the tractor. I've moved some snow but nothing to really work it. From what I've read I may have gotten a real good deal, but only time will tell.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

sounds you got it all for about 40% of what similar items sell for.