buying advice?

[big bubba]

OP: welcome to this forum, a wise move. sounds like you have good intentions for your new place, enjoy the honeymoon. as a footnote, since your plans sound serious & ambitious, keep in mind those future unseen tasks.
personally, given the range of anticipated tasks, a 50hp compact may be a bit small for future growth. personally, a utility agri sized model, 60hp or more would be more in order rather than a compact.

remembering that it's frame size & weight that is your friend esp w/ground engagement implements in addition to just HP. keep us informed, & best not to get in a purchaser's hurry. regards

 

[bmaverick]

I can't figure out how to put location on this forum. We're in the hills of North East TN. We will be plowing a mile long private road if we get snow, plowing land that had been neglected long enough that I'm going to have to harrow the hell out of it first. Doing some dirt farming, to include root vegies for both the pigs and us. We want to do regenerative farming, so that will mean plowing too, to plow in the manure. Some haying, for the animals, and maybe some for sale. Figure to do primarily pasture on the hogs, subsidizing with grown vegies, and cast offs from a couple local groceries, (No pig farmers in the area, so I get a break there)

I'm formerly from TN.

Knowing your hills in that area, an RK55 would be the ideal ticket, balancing power and frame for your needs.

There are several RK stores in your area too.
RK tractors are TYM/Kukje and Yanmar engines. A 60 year history together.
Tractors | RK55 Series Tractor | RK Tractors

Yanmar has made Deere compacts and larger engines for the past 48+ years.
The engines are found in Komatsu, CAT, and other earth moving equipment.
The engines are also in Marine for sail boats to tuggers to ocean cruise ships.

Yanmar engines are global, found in many brands and have wide parts support for decades to come.
When looking for a machine, you need to know about future parts support in the long run.

We've raised several hog breeds. Some are mean and will not hesitate to eat a human. After 5 different breeds, we settled on the Duroc.
Duroc pig - Wikipedia

If you plan on raising other livestock and prefer NOT to have you pastures turn into mud pits, then the grass grassing Red Wattle Hogs are the best. And their meat is closer to beef too.
Red Wattle hogs are known for their hardiness, foraging activity, and rapid growth rate – they may be fully mature at the age of three.

Red Wattle Hog - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I agree on a utility sized tractor sounds like it would fit better, and utilities aren't always more expensive than a Compact Utility Tractor (CUT)

Be careful about just jumping on the 0% financing band wagon ... Compare there "cash price" compared to the sales price of the "financed price" quite often you are paying all the interest rolled into the sales price ...

In my opinion I'd steer away from something like the Bad Boy brand, not because they are a poor quality tractor, I just don't know about that, but BECAUSE of they sales model ... Most are sold from a lawn and garden store, hardware store, U-haul place, or shed store ...they don't have a dedicated building staffed with people to repair or supply parts, nor much in the way of parts on hand, and a lot won't be there in five years ... For ME, that's no go ...

While John Deere and Kubota usually get the sticker shock accusations (quite often correct!) they also have the real estate, and trained professionals who routinely deal with tractors as a majority of there business, and can still easily get parts for 50 year old machines! A good reason there prices are generally higher, but sometimes you would be surprised, I'd at least give them a chance to give you a quote ...

I'd say Massey Ferguson and Kioti are a quarter or half a step behind them, except Kioti hasn't been around that long, but in Missouri they quite often are sold at New Holland tractor dealer also ...

Massey Ferguson's are generally much heavier than Kubota's weight wise, can be both a blessing and a curse depending on your needs, but sounds like heavier would be best for your situation from what you have written so far ...

The Massey Ferguson 4707 mentioned above is as simple (less complicated) modern tractor you can buy today, lots of people love them ...

Another brand you could look at is Yanmar, if you have a dealer nearby ...

 

[kenmac]

Just my opinion. I would stay away from any contract tractor. If they decide to stop making tractors, it could be difficult to obtain parts. Bobcat did this several years ago. But they got back into the game again. Have you looked at Kubota they offer some good financing .I went with Kubota due to the dealer network. There are several dealers within a few miles from me. I also have a McCormick but they don't have a good dealer network in my area so I have to wait on parts to be ordered..

I don't know what type hay baling equipment you intend to use but you'll need more than 50 HP to pull the equipment we use.
It's going to get old fast taking that backhoe attachment on and off. I would look for a small used mini ex if you nee to do any digging. I bought a small (235-2) Takeuchi for pretty cheap last yr

 

[tacticalturnip]

@kenmac McCormick compact utility tractors are made by TYM, they're legacy Branson models and have been for perhaps a decade. That said, they make the rest of their own lineup.

 

[airbiscuit]

Kubota, Kioti and Yanmar would be on my short list.

 

[big bubba]

It's going to get old fast taking that backhoe attachment on and off. I would look for a small used mini ex if you nee to do any digging. kenmac

or consider hiring out the initial BH work & get an adequate sized tractor w/good dealer support nearby, regards

 

[airbiscuit]

Or buy an older Industrial tractor/backhoe for the price of a backhoe attachment

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[rgr33]

I would say Kioti, LS, TYM, or a used, but good condition Kubota or Massey.

Advise against Bad Boy, RK, anything rebadged, because in general, nobody wants to take responsibility for them after they leave the sales lot

 

[airbiscuit]

Yanmar’s i-HMT transmission is best in class. Combines best features of a hydro and a gear transmission, plus can be taken out without splitting the tractor.

Key Features and Benefits of Yanmar i-HMT:

• Hybrid Technology: Blends hydraulic and mechanical power for superior fuel efficiency and better power to the ground compared to traditional hydrostatic transmissions.
• Operating Modes: Features three ranges (Low, Medium, High) with clutch-free, shuttle-shift style forward/reverse, allowing for precise, repeatable speed adjustments.
• A/B Speed Settings: Allows the operator to set and switch between two different, precise speeds within the lower two ranges, ideal for loader work or implements.
• Throttle Boost: An integrated feature that allows for an immediate increase in engine RPM without affecting the ground speed, ideal for hydraulic tasks.
• Operator Control: Uses a single drive pedal to control both speed and, with auto-throttle, engine RPM.
• Application: Primarily used in Yanmar YT3-series compact tractors (47-59 HP) to optimize performance for heavy-duty tasks like loader work and cultivation