Tractor Sizing What tractor to buy?

[joeyb]

I am new to country living and know nothing about tractors. I live on five acres about half woods and half grass...or should I say weeds. I need to buy something soon to cut the weeds until I can properly smooth out the cleared land and plant actual grass. I would love to get a 20K kubota with a loader and mower but can't afford it. I don't think I can afford anything with a loader so I will be moving downed trees and firewood by hand. I've been looking at the ford 8n, 9n, 2n but I think these may be too heavy for a proper lawn? Someone recommended a cub lo boy but I haven't seen too many for sale. Can anybody recommend what type of tractor I should be looking for to maintain my property. I need to mow, haul stuff, plow the occassional big snow....8-12 inches around here. I have tools and mechanical knowledge so maintenance and repair shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I am new to country living and know nothing about tractors. I live on five acres about half woods and half grass...or should I say weeds. I need to buy something soon to cut the weeds until I can properly smooth out the cleared land and plant actual grass. I would love to get a 20K kubota with a loader and mower but can't afford it. I don't think I can afford anything with a loader so I will be moving downed trees and firewood by hand. I've been looking at the ford 8n, 9n, 2n but I think these may be too heavy for a proper lawn? Someone recommended a cub lo boy but I haven't seen too many for sale. Can anybody recommend what type of tractor I should be looking for to maintain my property. I need to mow, haul stuff, plow the occassional big snow....8-12 inches around here. I have tools and mechanical knowledge so maintenance and repair shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Joey...I'd personally look into a nice, used SCUT in the 20-25 HP range with a loader and a belly mower...a lot of folks buy these tractors and find them too small for their application and soon trade them in...benefits; the original owner has already taken the hit on the depreciation and they typically have very low hours and a remaining warranty. I won't recommend one brand over the other, rather try them on and see what (if?) fits you best. Personally, I have a Massey Ferguson GC2310 TLB with a 60" belly mower and use it to mow 5 acres...it provides a better manicured cut than my wife's dedicated lawn tractor. It is very versatile...I have 25 acres (5 maintained as lawn, 13 in hay and the rest is wooded). Now, admittedly, I sell the hay. So I don't use it for that part of the acreage, but I do plow a 1,400 drive, maintain a mile and a half of riding trails and run over 2 miles of fencing with it. It has been reliable and has done everything I ask of it. You may or may not need the backhoe that comes packaged with the TLB...I seldom use mine but find it indespensible when the need does arise. All of the major manufacturers have models in this class. I believe that the Kubota's may have an issue with Cat 1 implements...I know the MF doesn't...have several Cat 1 implements that are used with it. Something to think about?

 

[joeyb]

Joey...I'd personally look into a nice, used SCUT in the 20-25 HP range with a loader and a belly mower...a lot of folks buy these tractors and find them too small for their application and soon trade them in...benefits; the original owner has already taken the hit on the depreciation and they typically have very low hours and a remaining warranty. I won't recommend one brand over the other, rather try them on and see what (if?) fits you best. Personally, I have a Massey Ferguson GC2310 TLB with a 60" belly mower and use it to mow 5 acres...it provides a better manicured cut than my wife's dedicated lawn tractor. It is very versatile...I have 25 acres (5 maintained as lawn, 13 in hay and the rest is wooded). Now, admittedly, I sell the hay. So I don't use it for that part of the acreage, but I do plow a 1,400 drive, maintain a mile and a half of riding trails and run over 2 miles of fencing with it. It has been reliable and has done everything I ask of it. You may or may not need the backhoe that comes packaged with the TLB...I seldom use mine but find it indespensible when the need does arise. All of the major manufacturers have models in this class. I believe that the Kubota's may have an issue with Cat 1 implements...I know the MF doesn't...have several Cat 1 implements that are used with it. Something to think about?

Thanks for the response. I was debating about whether to get the all in one or a separte tractor and mower.

 

[Gittyup]

Kubota BX series or 7000 series
JD 4100 series
JD x55 or x50 series
JD 2000 series
Kioti CK20 or 1914
TYM T233 or T273
Small fords
small NHs
small MFs
small Mahindras
CC SCUTs
newer Yanmars

Quite a lot to choose from. I used a low-boy for a couple months. Thing never ran too well until it got good and warm. But, it wasn't mine and I'm not sure what was wrong with it. I look for something a little newer than that. Really depends on your budget too. Try to get a loader. It is indespensible, really.

The small Fords might be the best bang for the buck.

 

[TripleR]

I agree with mustangsallysdad with the following qualifier. SCUTS have pretty poor ground clearance and while I don't have real problems with mine, I have to be careful where I go or get one of my other tractors out.

I like the old Fords, but you usually have to pay quite a bit for a 60 year old tractor without a live PTO that is pretty tough on yards.

If you look hard, you can find some newer design Kubotas, John Deeres, NH and so on with a lot of use left in them for a reasonable price. You can't always go by HP as some seemingly underpowered geared tractors do pretty well.

I am sure others will chime in with some good advice.

One thing, be really sure before you buy as my brother got stuck with an older model Cub Cadet that looks good, but is essentially useless.

 

[joeyb]

Kubota BX series or 7000 series
JD 4100 series
JD x55 or x50 series
JD 2000 series
Kioti CK20 or 1914
TYM T233 or T273
Small fords
small NHs
small MFs
small Mahindras
CC SCUTs
newer Yanmars

Quite a lot to choose from. I used a low-boy for a couple months. Thing never ran too well until it got good and warm. But, it wasn't mine and I'm not sure what was wrong with it. I look for something a little newer than that. Really depends on your budget too. Try to get a loader. It is indespensible, really.

The small Fords might be the best bang for the buck.

Do you think I could get buy with a box on the three point hitch to haul stuff around instead of a loader? I know the loader is ideal it just adds so much to the cost.

 

[flusher]

I am new to country living and know nothing about tractors. I live on five acres about half woods and half grass...or should I say weeds. I need to buy something soon to cut the weeds until I can properly smooth out the cleared land and plant actual grass. I would love to get a 20K kubota with a loader and mower but can't afford it. I don't think I can afford anything with a loader so I will be moving downed trees and firewood by hand. I've been looking at the ford 8n, 9n, 2n but I think these may be too heavy for a proper lawn? Someone recommended a cub lo boy but I haven't seen too many for sale. Can anybody recommend what type of tractor I should be looking for to maintain my property. I need to mow, haul stuff, plow the occassional big snow....8-12 inches around here. I have tools and mechanical knowledge so maintenance and repair shouldn't be too much of a problem.

So you want to end up with a 2.5 acre lawn and a wooded area cleared of downed trees?

You could level the lawn area with a small tractor with a rototiller. My first tractor was a new 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, 4WD, power steering, hydrostatic tranny) with the LA302 FEL (4-ft wide bucket, 800 lb lift capacity). Cost: $12,600 plus tax. You can find a similar vintage used tractor for $8-9K.

The rototiller was a used $300 Yanmar RS1200 (48" wide).



To maintain your lawn area, I'd get a nice ZTR mower.

 

[bp fick]

You can buy a late model SCUT, like a Kubota BX, without the loader for $7000 and even less, with smart shopping. Yes, you can pull an old boxed utility trailer to use for moving dirt and such, but it requires shoveling by hand, which is fine. If that what's got to be done, well, that's what got to be done. We use that old trailer for building materials, you name it!

Last summer, my wife and I hauled 10 yards of sand and 10 yards of gravel behind our BX. We also skipped the Front End Loader because after the initial repairs to our property, we don't have the tasks to justify one on an ongoing basis either. We needed those funds for many other projects.

I need the tractor for my gardening and for snow plowing in winter and perhaps you need it for mowing. Those are often the long term tasks.
I looked at older tractors for a year and I found it difficult to pull the trigger on a unit that might need lots of repairs, cost $2500 up front, was too heavy and lacked maneuverability for many applications, and didn't have power steering, etc. I tried to go that route, because I am a pretty darn good mechanic, but in the end, I am delighted beyond words with my BX.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

Do you think I could get buy with a box on the three point hitch to haul stuff around instead of a loader? I know the loader is ideal it just adds so much to the cost.

TripleR brought up a good point on ground clearance...keep that in mind...I had to fabricate a guard for my hydraulic filter after my first bush hogging excursion...I was a 1/2 mile from the house and have a bad leg...decided that wasn't going to happen again. I understand cost is an issue regarding the FEL...yes, you can get by with a carryall...If there is ANY way you can come up with the cash for the loader, you will never regret it. I've had mine for over 6 years and have never removed it...I find a new use for it almost daily...it saves so much work, you'd be amazed.

 

[Mike058]

I've got 5 acres that are a bit more woods than grass, and I haven't been able to move out there yet due to the economy-but enough about me. I've been thinking about this awhile myself. So far, I've got a DR mower to keep the weeds and grass at bay. My next step, eventually, I'm thinking Kioti CK20 or something else in the under 25hp size. No loader for now, I can add that later. You can add a landscape rake to groom land that's already flat enough. Use a box blade to smooth out rough patches (and a lot of other stuff-search the files for box blade). A boom pole isn't too expensive and will lift many things. You can probably do more, faster with a loader/grapple set-up, but, like you said, it really adds to the cost. If you plant a big yard, you can check out a mid mount mower for the tractor (they don't give those away either though) or they make a finish mower attachment for the DR, for instance. But if a yard is a long term plan, I'd suggest keeping it simple. New or used depends on your location. Sometimes the used tractors cost near as much as a new one because the little beasts keep going and going, even after they've been on the job for many years. But we could get lucky-the dealer may have a trade-in because it was too small for the original owner. There aren't any hard and fast rules. There are lots of choices right now. Kioti, Mahindra, Massey-Ferguson, Kubota, Deere, Yanmar and others I'm forgetting. Each has it's strengths and weaknesses. You just have to start checking out the forum here(the search function is really your friend), and the manufacturers web sites to get a starting point, then head out and see the little machines for yourself.

 

[polo1665]

Hi joeyb,
Just a suggestion, but maybe you could give us a ballpark figure of what your budget is. That may help these guys steer you in the right direction. Everyone loves to help a new guy spend his money

Mark

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I am new to country living and know nothing about tractors. I live on five acres about half woods and half grass...or should I say weeds. I need to buy something soon to cut the weeds until I can properly smooth out the cleared land and plant actual grass. I would love to get a 20K kubota with a loader and mower but can't afford it. I don't think I can afford anything with a loader so I will be moving downed trees and firewood by hand. I've been looking at the ford 8n, 9n, 2n but I think these may be too heavy for a proper lawn? Someone recommended a cub lo boy but I haven't seen too many for sale. Can anybody recommend what type of tractor I should be looking for to maintain my property. I need to mow, haul stuff, plow the occassional big snow....8-12 inches around here. I have tools and mechanical knowledge so maintenance and repair shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Another note Joey...if you start visiting dealers for comparisons, ask about trying out the model you are interested in...a lot of dealers (won't hurt to ask) will allow a "try out" on your property.

 

[galen1115]

I would go with something under 25 horse with cat 1 3 point so you can add attachments. You can go to sales and find a buy and start adding to your collection. (it's what women do with shoes) Guy's do it with attachments LOL But don't mow your lawn with tractor tires!

 

[joeyb]

Hi joeyb,
Just a suggestion, but maybe you could give us a ballpark figure of what your budget is. That may help these guys steer you in the right direction. Everyone loves to help a new guy spend his money

Mark

I was hoping to get something for around $4,000. The more I look at prices of used stuff on ebay....I'm getting discouraged. Seems most tractors only lose a third of their original cost while many sell for more than they were new.

I really appreciate everyone's responses. Thank you.

 

[flusher]

I was hoping to get something for around $4,000. The more I look at prices of used stuff on ebay....I'm getting discouraged. Seems most tractors only lose a third of their original cost while many sell for more than they were new.

I really appreciate everyone's responses. Thank you.

$4K puts you in the 30-40-year old used tractor market. Buying used tractors is like buying used trucks--experience counts a lot. There are a lot of those old 1950s era Ford 8Ns around, but the trick is to find one that hasn't been run to death. Two of my neighbors have 8Ns and they do a good job on their 10-acre spreads (one does hay, the other just mows his pasture). Both of those guys can do a good wrenching job when needed, and you'll definitely need to do that if you get into old iron. Engine work isn't too bad since these old suckers are pretty simple. It's clutch, tranny and hydraulic work that becomes a chore--you usually have to split the tractor to do that kind of repair.

Keep watching craigslist and the local classified supermarket rags and you'll soon find something useful. I have 3 tractors that I found on craigs list---1964 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel ($3600), 1951 Farmall Super A gasser ($1300) and a 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF gasser(also $1300). Something like the 135 (45 hp engine) might be oversize for your jobs. The Super A is small (14hp engine) but nimble. The BF is about 25 hp and would handle your chores with no problem. I'm not saying these are the only or the best alternatives for you--just giving you info that may be useful to you.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I was hoping to get something for around $4,000. The more I look at prices of used stuff on ebay....I'm getting discouraged. Seems most tractors only lose a third of their original cost while many sell for more than they were new.

I really appreciate everyone's responses. Thank you.

Joey...K7LN may have your number...$4K is really going to limit your choices, new or used. The "garden tractor" sized JD's can be had with hydraulics for snow plowing and such, and it wouldn't take that much longer to mow with. They can push a 54" plow plenty good, they're reliable and parts are easy to find for DIY repairs...always something to consider when on a budget.

 

[bp fick]

I tell you this. Late 80's and early 90's Kubotas, of the B and L series are right in your wheel house. Yes, they are older, many will have 400-1200 hours on them, but that wouldn't worry me one bit, if and this is important, if they were well cared for. I'd buy one in a heart beat. Those were much smaller tractors in that era, often 15 - 17 horse power, but will work well and pull with torque.

In comparison to tractors built in the 1940's, these would be "modern".

Here is one on ebay right now, for example. Seller is gonefishorgolf
We aren't supposed to post links. This is but one of many, many examples.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I tell you this. Late 80's and early 90's Kubotas, of the B and L series are right in your wheel house. Yes, they are older, many will have 400-1200 hours on them, but that wouldn't worry me one bit, if and this is important, if they were well cared for. I'd buy one in a heart beat. Those were much smaller tractors in that era, often 15 - 17 horse power, but will work well and pull with torque.

In comparison to tractors built in the 1940's, these would be "modern".

Here is one on ebay right now, for example. Seller is gonefishorgolf
We aren't supposed to post links. This is but one of many, many examples.

Joey...bp fick is right...this is good info...look into it. Take your time and go over any used machine or have a buddy who is knowledgeable about tractors go along with you...there are a lot of used tractors out there, but you don't want to end up with a "white elephant". I would rather have a well maintained machine with a couple of thousand hours than 200 hours with the crap beat out of it.

 

[joeyb]

Joey...bp fick is right...this is good info...look into it. Take your time and go over any used machine or have a buddy who is knowledgeable about tractors go along with you...there are a lot of used tractors out there, but you don't want to end up with a "white elephant". I would rather have a well maintained machine with a couple of thousand hours than 200 hours with the crap beat out of it.

Yeah, I care mostly about how the machine was treated over age and hours.

A knowledgable friend came with me to look at a Bolens, but said it was way overpriced. What do you think of this one?

"Bolens/Iseki G152 water cooled 3 cylinder 15 hp diesel. Transmission has 3 forward/1 reverse with high/low range. Locking differential , cat 1 3 point hitch , 3 speed pto , 4 hydraulic outlets on the front that can easily be rerouted to the back for attachments if needed. Hoses are all in good condition with no leaks. 54" hydraulic lift/angle blade and 50" belly mower both in very good condition and ready to use. Also has wheel weights and working headlights. Tires have good tread with no leaks. Tractor has plenty of power and loads of low rpm torque. Engine starts easily (even in cold temps) runs smooth and performs flawlessly. Overall in excellent condition and has always been reliable. Asking $3150"

 

[bp fick]

Just my opinion, but Kubota, John Deere, etc equals parts availability. Some of the others, like an older Bolens, are getting difficult to locate parts. Keep that in mind. You are going to find a ton of tractors for sale in that $3-4000 range. You have to actually go see them, drive them, talk to the owner and make a decision. No one can say from behind a computer screen if any particular machine is "good" or "bad" other than generalizations based on history, parts availability, or general reputation.