1 tractor rest of forever -- what brand?

[jyoutz]

Absolutely, but that's not possible on my neighbors new deere, it idles at a 1,000 or more RPM's and the dealer says that's for emissions, can't lower it and can't feather it in.

My AGCO's idle at less than half of what his deere does, as does his older tractors.

SR

I do that on my Kubota, and 1000 RPMs is plenty low enough to engage the PTO without clanging. On an old pre-emissions JD (Yanmar engine) I used to own, running at RPMs less than 1000 would result in the low oil pressure light coming on.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I do that on my Kubota, and 1000 RPMs is plenty low enough to engage the PTO without clanging.

Tell that to my neighbor who has two Kuhn rakes, and they go bang when you hit the switch.

He's worried it will chip a tooth in one of the gear boxes, and I thought the same as you, until he started the tractor and showed me how it slammed in, pretty hard.

SR

 

[jyoutz]

Tell that to my neighbor who has two Kuhn rakes, and they go bang when you hit the switch.

He's worried it will chip a tooth in one of the gear boxes, and I thought the same as you, until he started the tractor and showed me how it slammed in, pretty hard.

SR

Must be a JD thing. Mine works fine with my rotary cutter.

 

[oosik]

We moved onto our property in 1982. I was 42 and this property is 80 acres.

This property was part of an original homestead.

It had basically nothing when we moved onto it. No driveway( we accessed thru neighbors land), no power, no water, no sewer. Over a period of six months we built a house( Pan Abode ) - new mile long driveway - water supply - sewage disposal. And the local Co-Op brought in power. Local contractor did the water, sewer, house foundation and driveway. He lives just four miles down the road.

Right off I knew I needed a tractor. Brand new Ford 1700 4WD. It did a magnificent job - for 27 years - on the smaller projects. Then in 2009 I upgraded to a brand new Kubota M6040 4WD. It has helped with my larger projects.

This will be the last tractor I ever buy. Anything bigger - I'd probably just be doing damage.

 

[Redlined0002]

I would guess that Kubota is the most popular compact tractor these days. Thinking that it and John Deere are 1 and 2? So, I have a Mahindra but I might sell it in order to get exactly what I need in a tractor. Primary needs are pasture clipping 7 acres and use in a 50-acre woodlot for managing trees and trails. Was thinking that JD or Kubota would provide...

- parts availability
- dependable
- design
- performance
- ease of maintenance
- resale ability down the way
- plenty of dealers

If you could find exactly what you want in a tractor, what brand would you buy? Being as dependable as possible, easiest to maintain, parts availability and ability to resell down the way are very important in this discussion. Easiest to maintain probably No.1 because I am age 70 and do maintenance and repairs that I can but I am not the type that relishes tinkering, lol, plus, I work alone mostly. Buying used would be great if one is found but not averse to buying new if have to. Should be my last tractor.

Doesn't have to be JD or Kubota but that's my thinking.

TIA!

What size tractor and cab or open station

 

[Redlined0002]

Good point. Some of these tractors are not meant for large people. Not sure how you stack up physically but I can tell that the Kubota tractor is built for a smaller framed/sized person than most resulting in some ergonomic compromise. Common to see keys bent over by the operators knee if he is 6 ft tall and gannon and gear/speed controls feel like they are in your side pockets.

Scooter you may need glasses. There are a lot of 6' + men here with Kubota's and have no problems or complaints

 

[scootr]

Scooter you may need glasses. There are a lot of 6' + men here with Kubota's and have no problems or complaints

I do wear glasses and my tractor experience is from a long line of Industrial construction tractors. Yesterday I had the displeasure of operating a JD 3038. My knees were in my chest with little room for my size 12 feet. Seat was small, etc.
If you like operating like that well - enjoy.
My MX tractor is better but near the room and comfort of a full size tractor whose seat turns and locks at 45º for gannon work.

 

[Rustyiron]

We have a JD with over 17000 hours and besides a few electrical issues there has been zero work done on it. Need I say more?

I wish any "color" from 1960-80 could be had now new!

 

[livemusic]

What size tractor and cab or open station

Open station. Size... hard to pin down at this time, still pondering needs. It's pasture clipping and improvement by removing saplings and trees but also 50-acre woodlot use. But 40-50 hp is a range that I envision would work. My Mahindra 5010 is 50hp and that's fine except it's a bit large for the woods. Might enlarge my trails, lol.

 

[NYlumberman]

We are at a similar point in our lives. At 74 I sold my 21 year old “Green Yanmar“ a JD 4200 and bought a new Red Yanmar YT235. The green one had more responsive hydraulics on the FEL. At two years in, I have been very pleased. Our application is about the same. Except I bought a used municipal commercial mower for that particular task. It never dawned on me to worry about the dealer. Our JD and Kubota dealers in area seem OK. In 21 years all I bought was one hose (turned out I actually only needed the O ring), a fuel solenoid (the problem ultimately was a corroded fuse), 2 front tires and a battery I killed by bumping the key switch as I elegantly dismounted So the hose and the spare solenoid went with it when I sold it. I did invest in a digital copy of the shop manuals, which turned out to be a security blanket with a low ROI. The new machine is tier 4 so no more prolonged idling or low RPM operation under load. Regen hasn’t been an issue. My mantra is keep on top of grease, oil, filters, and fuel quality. So far so good, your mileage may vary.