Need help deciding on what to purchase

Polarisjunky · Aug 13, 2016

First time poster, but I have been reading thru the forums for the past 6 months reading about various tractors.

Great site with a ton of information.

I currently live in a concrete jungle near Detroit. I also have a vacation property near Mancelona, Michigan that in my eyes I currently live at and visit the house near Detroit due to the fact I still need to make a living (Lottery is not going along with my plans, so I still have the 9-5).

My place in Mancelona consist of approx 50 plus acres with a mix of 25-30 acres hardwood (Sugar Maple), 10-15 acres of Red pine and the rest is open and rolling. We see a lot of snow as I am in the snow belt.

I would be using the tractor to make atv/snowmobile trails,Snow removal, food plots(hunting-gardening), trail/driveway maintenance, moving firewood and possible brush hogging.

I would like a Front end loader, 3 Point and 540 PTO. Cab would be a bonus but is not needed.

I have looked at Deere and was give a price of approx 24k OTD for a 3038E Hydro with a FEL, 60 Brush Hog, 60 Box blade. r4 tires loaded from a local dealer.

I have also looked at kubota and was given a price of approx 22k for a L3301 Hydro with a FEL, 60 Brush Hog, 60 Box Blade, r4 tires loaded from a local dealer.

I priced the 3032E and it was only $200 less than the 3038E.

Both Deere and Kubota have great financing and warranty.

I have looked at LS, Mahindra, Kioti and Yanmar. All are great machine with a lot more for the money ( I am really leaning toward LS) but the dealer support really scares me. I have 2 kubota dealers near me within 30 minutes in each direction and the same goes for Deere.

I have read reviews and watched most of the videos on the net.

Do I really need the larger tractor or can I get by with the B2650. I would like a 30 hp tractor but the B3350 is too many problems and the 3033R is a little too expensive.

I would like to stay under 25k on this purchase. The tractor would never come to my house near Detroit.

Thanks for the help

PJ

Oh, BTW. I currently cut 2 acres around the house(Mancelona) with a riding lawnmower.

holeycow · Aug 13, 2016

The property sounds really nice. No idea on the tractor..

Buy the tractor. You are buying a manufacturer, not a dealer.

Are you going to be making syrup?

Polarisjunky · Aug 13, 2016

We have looked into making syrup but it is a lot of work.

Threepoint · Aug 13, 2016

Sounds like a very nice property! You'll never run out of projects.

Do you plan to live there full time in the next few years? Do you currently have a secure building to house the tractor while you're in town?

All of the brands you're considering are well regarded on this board. My advice is don't go too small. You have a lot of acreage, timber and seasonally deep snow. The B2650 is a capable tractor, but I think you would soon be wishing you'd gone with more power and weight. Since you're already bumping up against your budget, I'd be looking at getting more tractor for your $$ with the LS, Mahindra, Kioti or Yanmar.

AxleHub · Aug 13, 2016

Polarisjunky said:
First time poster, but I have been reading thru the forums for the past 6 months reading about various tractors.

Great site with a ton of information.

I currently live in a concrete jungle near Detroit. I also have a vacation property near Mancelona, Michigan that in my eyes I currently live at and visit the house near Detroit due to the fact I still need to make a living (Lottery is not going along with my plans, so I still have the 9-5).

My place in Mancelona consist of approx 50 plus acres with a mix of 25-30 acres hardwood (Sugar Maple), 10-15 acres of Red pine and the rest is open and rolling. We see a lot of snow as I am in the snow belt.

I would be using the tractor to make atv/snowmobile trails,Snow removal, food plots(hunting-gardening), trail/driveway maintenance, moving firewood and possible brush hogging.

I would like a Front end loader, 3 Point and 540 PTO. Cab would be a bonus but is not needed.

I have looked at Deere and was give a price of approx 24k OTD for a 3038E Hydro with a FEL, 60 Brush Hog, 60 Box blade. r4 tires loaded from a local dealer.

I have also looked at kubota and was given a price of approx 22k for a L3301 Hydro with a FEL, 60 Brush Hog, 60 Box Blade, r4 tires loaded from a local dealer.

I priced the 3032E and it was only $200 less than the 3038E.

Both Deere and Kubota have great financing and warranty.

I have looked at LS, Mahindra, Kioti and Yanmar. All are great machine with a lot more for the money ( I am really leaning toward LS) but the dealer support really scares me. I have 2 kubota dealers near me within 30 minutes in each direction and the same goes for Deere.

I have read reviews and watched most of the videos on the net.

Do I really need the larger tractor or can I get by with the B2650. I would like a 30 hp tractor but the B3350 is too many problems and the 3033R is a little too expensive.

I would like to stay under 25k on this purchase. The tractor would never come to my house near Detroit.

Thanks for the help

PJ

Oh, BTW. I currently cut 2 acres around the house(Mancelona) with a riding lawnmower.

Any Massey dealers in a 50 mile radius?

holeycow · Aug 14, 2016

you could always tap a few trees for personal use. If I had maples I wouldn't pass that opportunity up. Man-o-man. Except that I guess if you are in sugar maple country you have syrup available from many sources.

oh well, it would still be interesting and fun!

you need a real tractor.

egads! I just looked at that little Kubota on tractorhouse. Probably a great garden/lawn unit, but you need something that will push snow and lift things and drag things and stuff!! Start at at least 35hp and go up from there, IMO. A 35hp tractor is a wee, tiny little thing. Smaller than that is even more wee and tiny. Bite the bullet and spend more money or buy a good used one to save some. Tractor are not bulldozers. They are not really made to make trails in the bush, they are made to carefully travel bush trails. Lots of folks beat the crap out of their tractors making bush trails (see "my NX6010" thread in the Kioti section).

There are lots of good tractors out there. You are currently looking at the two most expensive brands. Not better, just more expensive. Check out some more brands. Don't overlook the used or demo units.

Get a block heater, load the tires. Don't even doubt either one of those things.

If I had sugar maples I would be tapping them. That kind of work is good for the soul.

jeff9366 · Aug 14, 2016

Polarisjunky said:
My place in Mancelona consist of approx 50 plus acres with a mix of 25-30 acres hardwood (Sugar Maple), 10-15 acres of Red pine and the rest is open and rolling. We see a lot of snow as I am in the snow belt.

I would be using the tractor to make atv/snowmobile trails,Snow removal, food plots(hunting-gardening), trail/driveway maintenance, moving firewood and possible brush hogging.

I would like a Front end loader, 3 Point and 540 PTO. Cab would be a bonus but is not needed.

I have looked at LS, Mahindra, Kioti and Yanmar. All are great machine with a lot more for the money ( I am really leaning toward LS) but the dealer support really scares me. I have 2 kubota dealers near me within 30 minutes in each direction and the same goes for Deere.

What are your plans for 40-45 acres of woods? Provide details on your access road / driveway. Do you visit the Lake regardless of weather, twelve months per year? How many inches of snow does your lake property get each winter?

Tractors are not very stable. Heavier tractor are more stable than light tractors. I think you should be considering a tractor with 50% more weight than now, especially as your land is sloped.

Cab tractors are easy to bang up in the woods, especially for inexperienced operators. I would go open station and only operate in reasonable weather.

Tractors are theft prone. Make sure you have a SECURE place to store your tractor. My tractors are inside the humidity controlled garage. The cars are in the driveway.

PTO is standard with every factory Three Point Hitch. Can't get one without the other until over 100-horsepower.

LS makes very fine tractors. In my very unscientific data collection I estimate LS has fewer threads posted about repairs than any other brand. LS is going to be around. Kioti is going to be around. Less certain about Branson and TYM from Korea.

Tractors require periodic service and repair. Having your repair point local should be a consideration. Do you have a truck and trailer for tractor transport, or will you ask the repair point to transport? If you are 20 miles from the Kubota dealer you will be paying for two round trips / 80 miles @ $1.50 per mile. (+/-)

varmint · Aug 14, 2016

Sounds like a good, years long project to undertake! We all like our respective brands, for real and imagined reasons, and I like Kubota because they have proved well made and dead reliable, with excellent resale value. Never bought a new one, never had a problem with my three used ones.
I would second the idea of going big, rather than small. Give serious consideration to buying used- more machine for whatever money you are spending. There are some fine tractors at good prices changing hands all the time. If everything works, no leaks, observable proper maintenance and doesn't seem beat or nasty, a used tractor is most likely okay, and will stay that way. A properly maintained tractor with 500-1000 hours will perform almost like new. A buddy just sold a larger Deere with 7500 hours, and it worked just fine, with no signs of being worn out. They are built to work, not for lightness and speed, and in my experience, are reliable. Open platform for the woods, although snow plowing will make you yearn for a cab! Certainly get a SSQA loader, loaded R-4's, and so forth.

DieselnHooters · Aug 14, 2016

You should be able to score a good used 50+ HP tractor for 25K, even Kubota or JD.

25 acres of sugar maple...now that is a terrific investment.

holeycow · Aug 14, 2016

jeff9366 said:
What are your plans for 40-45 acres of woods? Provide details on your access road / driveway. Do you visit the Lake regardless of weather, twelve months per year? How many inches of snow does your lake property get each winter?

Tractors are not very stable. Heavier tractor are more stable than light tractors. I think you should be considering a tractor with 50% more weight than now, especially as your land is sloped.

Cab tractors are easy to bang up in the woods, especially for inexperienced operators. I would go open station and only operate in reasonable weather.

Tractors are theft prone. Make sure you have a SECURE place to store your tractor. My tractors are inside the humidity controlled garage. The cars are in the driveway.

PTO is standard with every factory Three Point Hitch. Can't get one without the other until over 100-horsepower.

LS makes very fine tractors. In my very unscientific data collection I estimate LS has fewer threads posted about repairs than any other brand. LS is going to be around. Kioti is going to be around. Less certain about Branson and TYM from Korea.

Tractors require periodic service and repair. Having your repair point local should be a consideration. Do you have a truck and trailer for tractor transport, or will you ask the repair point to transport? If you are 20 miles from the Kubota dealer you will be paying for two round trips / 80 miles @ $1.50 per mile. (+/-)

I bet that the VAST majority of people do their own service and repair.

Your unscientific data re: reliability does not pair with my unscientific data...

Polarisjunky · Aug 14, 2016

jeff9366 said:
What are your plans for 40-45 acres of woods? Provide details on your access road / driveway. Do you visit the Lake regardless of weather, twelve months per year? How many inches of snow does your lake property get each winter?

Tractors are not very stable. Heavier tractor are more stable than light tractors. I think you should be considering a tractor with 50% more weight than now, especially as your land is sloped.

Cab tractors are easy to bang up in the woods, especially for inexperienced operators. I would go open station and only operate in reasonable weather.

Tractors are theft prone. Make sure you have a SECURE place to store your tractor. My tractors are inside the humidity controlled garage. The cars are in the driveway.

PTO is standard with every factory Three Point Hitch. Can't get one without the other until over 100-horsepower.

LS makes very fine tractors. In my very unscientific data collection I estimate LS has fewer threads posted about repairs than any other brand. LS is going to be around. Kioti is going to be around. Less certain about Branson and TYM from Korea.

Tractors require periodic service and repair. Having your repair point local should be a consideration. Do you have a truck and trailer for tractor transport, or will you ask the repair point to transport? If you are 20 miles from the Kubota dealer you will be paying for two round trips / 80 miles @ $1.50 per mile. (+/-)

Driveway is sandy and straight, approx 200 feet off the road. We are not on a lake, but we do visit 12 months out of the year. We average 151 inches of snow per year. It has been as high as 245 and as low as 88. The tractor would be stored inside the Pole Barn. I have trucks to move the equipment.

I also have an old jeep with a plow that I use for snow removal. The tractor would be a back-up in case it gets too deep like last year. I didn't get a chance to get up there for approx 3 weeks and the snow piled up. The snow was about 3 feet deep with 6 ft drifts in areas. Needless to say a nice gentleman on a giant construction loader assisted me.

I have also looked at older 40-50 hp 2wd tractors with FEL for the weight. I can spend 10-15 k on a 30 year old tractor with 50hp or 25k on a brand new 4wd 30-35 hp tractor with a warranty. I like the idea of knowing how the machine has been used. That is why I am leaning toward a new machine. I can go either way. I was looking at an older ford 445 with FEL and cab for a great price in good condition. My only issue is parts availability on a 30 year old machine in the future.

Thanks for all the info

Polarisjunky · Aug 14, 2016

Massey dealer is 60 miles away

sikmusicfreak8 · Aug 14, 2016

Polarisjunky said:
Massey dealer is 60 miles away

Grew up with Massey, that's what I first sought when buying my tractor, found out real quick they are just like Kubota and Deere, you're going to pay A LOT more money just for the name, and in some cases, an inferior tractor.

Look around and don't worry about picking up a clean used unit, people run hundreds and hundreds of trouble free hours on all brands, it's hard to go wrong.

I fully support everybody else's opinion on needing a larger tractor with the property and conditions you described. You will immediately regret buying a small tractor. I'm only 9 acres and was pricing out 30-35HP machines, ended finding a used 47HP, and I am sure glad I did. Saved money and have a much more capable machine.

Good luck, keep us posted.

holeycow · Aug 14, 2016

Holy crap man! The jeep will snowplow better than the peanut tractor! A loader tractor DOES NOT STEER without FWA (front wheel assist, which is what these tractors are. 4WD tractors are those huge ones you see in the prairies).

Think bigger.

Forget the old 2WD. They are marvelous and nice to drive in the summer out in the cultivated fields.

Find a good used FWA one or spend more money. Be careful with ancient FWA tractors. Many of those were problematic.

50hp... still a little tractor.

block heater, loaded rear tires. Beet Juice or Calcium.

Do you want to buy another one in a year when you find out that 30hp is not enough? Like so many people do?

25 grand is a good chunk of change and will buy you a good tractor in the size you need. Used. Tractors are like cars except they are more reliable. And have way less crap in the way of seeing them for what they really are.

DieselBound · Aug 14, 2016

I concur with other folks who say to go bigger. Of course, that's IF you can afford it.

I was told I could get by with 30hp on my 40 acres. Well, I've survived, and, surprisingly, so has my tractor, though it has been severely pushed to it's max. Keep in mind the adage that "time is money." While I've been able to do a LOT with my 30hp tractor it's taken a LONG time to do so: I, like you, have to spend many hours away from the property in order to maintain the revenue stream; this equates to less hours available to get stuff done on the property.

One factor to consider is what implements you're going to want to use, and their size. It was over a couple of years before I got a tooth bar for the loader bucket. For less than $400 I would have cussed a LOT less than I did! Also took me a couple or three years before I got a box blade; good ones are able to do a lot more than you'd think: mine's also got a blade for reversing- I've literally been scraping brush with the loader while I push debris and level going backwards with the box blade- this is an example of getting the most out of a small machine; but, you really have to be good, as well as determined.

A good dealer is nice, but not necessary. What you're wanting is a good parts supply. I haven't had to use my dealer all that much, but when I did need them it was nice that they were there: never a problem getting what I need. Tractors only break when you need them!

There's another recent thread from someone asking if 35hp was enough:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/359367-35hp-enough.html

I'd recommend going used (up till now I've never bought new, so I'm a bit biased!) as that'll allow you to go bigger: I bought my 30hp with 748 hrs on it; I've got over 1660 hrs on it (in 5 1/2 years); it's all I could afford at that time. 4wd. HST if you're going to be working in tight quarters.

jeff9366 · Aug 14, 2016

holeycow said:
The jeep will snowplow better than the peanut tractor!

Relative to a tractor, Jeep probably has lower ground clearance / more stable, equal traction if 4-WD, better traction with chains, nice and warm inside, lights and wipers.

Keep the Jeep for snow. Buy an open station tractor.

Buy high quality, aggressive chains for the Jeep if snow is deep.

Polarisjunky · Aug 22, 2016

Priced a Mahindra, wow is all I can say. The mahindra priced out 5k more than an equivalent John deere 2025r.

I am not looking at a kubota l3301 with loader,box blade, loaded r4 tires, block heater and hst for 20950 out the door with tax.

I am also looking at a John deere 225r with loader,box blade, loaded r4 tires, block heater and 54" front mount snow blower for 21600 out the door with tax.

And finally priced a John deere 3032e equipped the same as the kubota for 21600 out the door with tax.

I am leaning toward the 2025r for the snow blower and possible resale in the future.

Any thoughts on these selections?

BTW: the kubota b2650 with all the same features as the 2025r is 25k out the door with tax.

Thanks PJ

Omega Woods · Aug 22, 2016

I bought a 45 HP Branson for my 17 acre place and wouldn't want anything smaller for sure.

I would echo the comments from Jeff regarding the LS. It was down to LS and Branson when I bought mine. LS is a great machine at a great price for sure. I'd buy another Branson in a minute and an LS in a minute and five seconds.

AJ197816134 · Aug 22, 2016

Sounds like your within a worthwhile look at an LS Xr4145c or 4150? With FEL!
45 50 hp and a cab load the rear tires I bet you can keep it under 30 and have A LOT of machine!
Not until this forum did I hear of LS! Finally ordered one