Take a good look at attachments before buying a tractor. Decide on a width, overall size, and price that you can live with, and see what is most common on the used lists like Craig's list. Ask your local dealers what the most common size of attachments is requested in your area, and what he gets in used as folks upsize, and yes often downsize too. Will you be doing any logging yourself, or will you contract that out. How wide, and rough are your trails. A 50hp tractor is nice for much real work, but you will need roads, and not "trails" to get around. Around here, 5' implements are the most common, and that is what most rental places have too. That means a 30hp tractor to me, and maybe a bit more. My
B2620 Kubota is a small tractor for sure, but my woods are very rough, and my needs are mostly hobby in nature, and I enjoy making, and fixing up trails in my woods. For storage, handling alone, price, and working in some very tight places I chose 4' attachments. Not seeing your land I would be a little more inclined to buy at least a
B3030, and 5' implements. That is the largest you can go for around the house work comfortably (in my mind) and still be able to run a 5' cutter. I also thought i was going to mow around the house with my
B2620, and being a bit older, and not so healthy, I liked the idea of a drive over mid mounted mower deck (lots of obstacles to mow around) Now I'm not so sure I will, and might have gone to the larger B series if I had known that 3 years ago. I think to maintain .5 miles of driveway, and some snow ( and not always when you feel like doing it) I would stick to something with a mid pto drive ( in Kubota that means
B3030,
B3200, or Grand L size) I have a rear mounted blower on my Kubota, and that can get old fast sometimes. It is nice to have the loader on sometimes though. I guess Ford doesn't recommend plowing snow with the F-150) I do think you will want a front mounted snowblower, or plow in any case. As far as hauling, I can't give much advice, and some F-150's have very healthy towing capacities, but you would have to check that out carefully for anything Grand L in size, or larger. My neighbor bought a Massey 1529 which is a much heavier framed tractor than mine, and perhaps is at least 1000 lbs heavier, but he often uses my tractor for his rototilling, and brush chipping around the yard. He has helped me so much that letting him use my tractor is the least I can do. i think for one thing, his tractor cost enough more than mine did that he couldn't afford to buy attachments. ( I bought my B, a 4' brush hog (rotary cutter) and a pto
chipper for the same price as his tractor, and I could buy a front mounted snow blower, and a mid mounted mower, or front blade for what a front mounted snowblower would cost for his) In the Kubota that all changes when you go beyond the
B3030 in size. I would also think about getting loader mounted forks in your case too, and those are available for the B series, and up. The neighbor has a skid steer Quick Attach system on his loader, and I like it better than my Kubota system, but it is too heavy for my little B.
Anyway, lots to think about, and lots of fun to shop for. Hmm, maybe I'll make a larger loop on my errand run today.
