Absolute tractor newbie, help/opinions needed

[J.Alan]

So when we are talking newbie, I don't think there are any that qualify for the title more than I do. We're talking Green Acres here.

I'm originally from Philadelphia, and didn't plan on a home that needed anything more than a simple push lawnmower. However, sometimes plans change, and change for me came in the form of the Susquehanna river deciding it wanted to eat my house. Thankfully, a couple was trying to sell their house, and needed to sell it fast (within 24 hours), seeing as how my current home was a bit soggy, and I'd spent the last month living in hotels, I took a leap at this home (first one I'd seen that wasn't a fixer-upper) So, I've been here about 2 years now, and although I hated to admit it, I needed some heavier equipment for what this property needed.

Log cabin on 40 acres. 1.5 flat acres near the road, a 500' switchback driveway, 10 acres of field at a 15-20% grade, and then about 30 acres of mountain and woods. The field is usually soggy, with hard clay just under the topsoil.

My plan is to use the tractor to rough cut the majority of the field and lower frontage, and use it to do some semi-serious excavation and dirt-moving (I don't have to do it fast, but I have a lot to do). For around the house, I'm probably just going to get a small used riding mower to do the finish cut.

So I got a quote on a JD 790 from a local dealer.
12.6k for the tractor
3.2k for the 300 loader
7.2k for a 7 backhoe
1.3k for a frontier rotary cutter

Through the magic of the dealer package pricing he brought it back down to 22.7k for the whole package (sans tax).


I picked the 790 because it had the 4wd for my hills, enough power to handle a wider cutter, and I actually preferred the manual transmission to the hydrostatic on the 2320 (I felt that I was 'revving' the engine as I bounced around).

A friend of mine is renovating an old JD, and has offered his assistance, but my knowledge of tractors is limited at the moment, and I figured that at least with a solid JD that I took care of, I could always sell this one later and buy a fixxer of my own later.


My questions are basically as follows:

Does the price seem reasonable for new equipment?

And based on my circumstances/land is the 790 a good choice?

 

[12VOLTMAN]

J.Alan

Welcome to tbn. You will find some extremely knowledgeable people here with great advice.
I am not as knowledgeable as some, but I also have close to 40 acres with a log home. My land, however, is mostly flat. I am currently awaiting delivery of a 4120 eHydro and 400X.
My advice to you would be to buy as much horsepower as you can afford with that size property. The 790 is a very reliable and tough tractor, but in my opinion, if you have a lot of loader work to do that collar shift tranny is going to be cumbersome.
If you have any room in your budget, take a look at the 3X20 series. You can get a power reverser transmission that you will absolutely love. I came dangerously close to buying one myself!
Good Luck

 

[RoyJackson]

I love my 790, but I think it's a bit small for the tasks you have planned. I think the 990 would be a better fit, or as 12VOLTMAN wrote, look at a 3320 with the power-reverser.
10 acres of brush cutting is going to take some time, especially if it's on the slope you wrote (15-20 degrees). You won't been going too fast, so the biggest cutter your tractor can handle is the one you want.
Transmission..that power-reverser is pretty nice. I tried one out at the dealer a few years ago (when the 3320's first came out), but that collar shift does fine too, since you're not in a hurry.
All in all...if you got the $$$, I'd lean toward the 990 or 3320.

Now, do you really need a backhoe?

So, where's your place? Still in PA? And, you got a log house....those carpenter bees hitting your loghouse yet?

 

[J.Alan]

All in all...if you got the $$$, I'd lean toward the 990 or 3320.

Now, do you really need a backhoe?

So, where's your place? Still in PA? And, you got a log house....those carpenter bees hitting your loghouse yet?

RoyJackson and 12VOLTMAN, thanks for the replies.

I've been using the online tool to price out some of the larger tractors. I think for my price range, if I go above the 790 I'm going to be dumping some implements (backhoe first).

$20k is my upper end at the moment. And you are correct, that my primary use will likely be mowing/tilling. I've kept an eye on a backhoe for a long time since I was planning on moving a lot of dirt to try and work out some of the water issues that my property has (maybe excavate a few of the springs and channel them into a bonefide stream)

I'm on the edge when it comes down to it. While I'd like the option to do the work myself, I do see the benefit in simply hiring a professional to do it or simply renting a true backhoe 2-3 times this summer.

The power reverser I'm a bit curious about, does it simply help you shift from forward to reverse a bit easier, or am I completely missing the purpose of it?



As to my location, I'm no longer in PA, but only a few miles over the border in NY. However, I prefer PA's taxes, rights, and weather a bit more. Though I don't miss the state store. I graduated from Penn State, and my family is from Chester County, so I travel 476 regularly. My wife is from Pittsburgh, and the drive from Philly to there was the number one reason why I'm thankful for satellite radio. (Though for a bit, the CB radio in my old car helped keep me sane)

My home is 100% cedar, and so far, thankfully no insect problems other than wasps, their nests are easier to deal with, but my wife is allergic . I'm going to be rechinking and cleaning/staining it this year, so that is yet another project. Unfortunately, not sure that a new tractor could help me with that

 

[AKfish]

J. Alan --- welcome to TBN. Lot's of folk's here with free advice and a helping hand to spend your money (myself included...).

I agree with 12VOLT and Roy. You would be better served to look at a bigger machine for your acreage and the chores you have in mind.

First blush at the dealer quotes look pretty high. Especially the loader and the backhoe --- IMO.

Market is pretty tough right now. There are some good deals on good used equipment and the dealers are a little more inclined to "sharpen their pencils" when you get serious about buyin' a new machine, too.

Take your time... Best of luck with your decision.

AKfish

 

[jcmseven]

Based on your needs, it seems you will outgrow (if not have outgrown) a 790. Although they are excellent, reliable tractors, the loader aspect alone would make me suggest looking at a PRT tractor, at the least. I would suggest pricing a 3120 or 3320 (the 3320 with a PRT to keep you close to budget) and a 3203. The 3203 is a solid, basic tractor with hydro and plenty of loader capacity. It lacks some features of the 3020's but still has the "basic work-oriented stuff" and still would be easier to operate for your needs than the 790. It also is a little heavier. I do not know if one can mount a backhoe--so check on that before looking too hard. You may--as Roy stated--wish to rethink your position on the backhoe also. These tractors, at least in my area, have not moved as well as expected and thus are generally in stock at most dealers and may have aggressive pricing. If a backhoe is not available I might suggest a 3120 for your needs. It would put you right at, or slightly above, your budget but would offer you a machine you would not likely outgrow.

John M

 

[J.Alan]

Though I'm a bit disappointed that the 790 isn't the perfect fit for me, I am glad that there seems to be some unity on what I should look at.

Now, I'm used to manual labor, and I think I may be able to get away with it for at least another year, but I want to make sure I'm not making some crazy assumptions here:

Lets say I dump the hoe, and just go for a good loader. There wouldn't be any issues if I were to simply breakup the hillsides by hand with a mattock and use to loader to pull out the loosened soil, right? (basically a large shovel/wheelbarrow replacement)

 

[Raptor53]

I recommend looking at the Deere 3000 series tractors. They are extremely nice tractors.

 

[Runner]

"Lets say I dump the hoe, and just go for a good loader. There wouldn't be any issues if I were to simply breakup the hillsides by hand with a mattock and use to loader to pull out the loosened soil, right? (basically a large shovel/wheelbarrow replacement)"

The trouble with that is, once you get a taste for how easy a tractor makes your life, you WILL NOT want to do stuff manually that you know the tractor can do for you.

On this particular issue, you can use a box blade with the rippers down to break up soil so you can pick it up with the loader and a box blade is much cheaper than a backhoe.

 

[ChuckinNH]

A very good John Deere dealer in my area has a good selection of clean used Deere's the size you are thinking about. Here is a link to their selection to give you an idea about what is available used, clean, and backed by dealers.

John Deere Dealer - R N JOHNSON INC. WALPOLE, NH

 

[12VOLTMAN]

I agree with Roy on this one. A backhoe is way too many $$$ on your budget.
You would be much better served with a bigger tractor and bigger loader for your purposes.

I use to own a Ford backhoe and found that it was much better to hire out larger work than to have that much money invested in a piece of equipment you don't use everyday. Besides, a good operator can do the work in a third of the time it would take someone inexperienced to do it.

In regards to your power reverser question, go drive one, you will see the advantage of that style tranny. And don't forget about a tooth bar on your loader bucket. It will help you break up compacted soil.

In my area there are some really good deals on used equipment right now,
so keep your eyes open.

Hey Roy,
Search the internet for "Tempo WP". It is a powder insecticide that you can mix with water and spray on your house to control carpenter bees. I also use it for those pesky Asian lady beetles that I get swarmed with every fall. It helps quite a bit.

 

[mstewart44]

I have been following your post for a few days and I would recommend looking at the 5000 series. There a lot of people on this board who talk a lot about the smaller tractors, 90 series, 2000, and 3000 series. I have never understood the fascination toward these smaller tractors and even placed a post recently titled "what's the deal?" The replies I got made a lot of sense: most people own less than 10 acres and people are buying a tractor to fit their particular needs. I own 160 acres and last fall bought a 2wd model 5103 and have been very happy with it. The 5000 series tractor is more of a base model with no frills. It has a sync shuttle transmission, not a hydrostatic, which, again, is more of a basic feature. But, according to the Deere website, the base price of a 3120 tractor is $17,499. Now, I will conceede that you get 4wd w/ hydrostatic transmission. But, you only get 29.5 engine hp and 22 PTO hp. A 5103 has a 45 hp engine with 38 hp at the PTO. If you configure a 5103 w/ 4wd the base price is $18,696. But, you get a much bigger machine that can do bigger jobs. Where I am in GA, there are dealerships that advertise a 2wd 5103 for $12,999 (list price $14,366). Naturally, I have a bias to my machine. I'm sure a smaller tractor would do most any job you would want to do, but you wouldn't buy a Ford Ranger when you really want the full size F-150!

I agree that the backhoe should be deleted from your order. You can always rent a backhoe for the weekend and for $7,200 you can probably rent that backhoe for six months or longer!!

If you have 10 acres of a field to mow, you can easily pull a 6 or 7 foot rotary mower with a 5103. The biggest rotary mower you can pull with a 3120 is a medium duty 5 foot mower (MX5). A visit to the dealer to discuss your particular needs might let him match your needs and budget to the right machine. Good luck.

 

[DPic105]

Just my 2 cents- I, like you started with a 790. I quickly realized that it was too small for the jobs that I had in mind, so, I went and purchased a 990. That was a great machine, that I vowed to never sell. Well, I just sold my 990 and purchased a 5203. I NEED the hp that the 5203 has because I now am into haying and my operation continues to grow.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is buy the biggest tractor that you can afford (maybe even bigger than you can afford) because sooner than later you'll wish that you had bought it in the first place!

 

[RWolf]

I would also suggest the 5000 series. For you I'd go for the MFWD because of your soft soil conditions. I got the 5103 2WD (I mostly have the opposite, dry,dry,dry). I would suggest that you also go with the wider tires for better traction. I went with the 14.9 over the 13.6. You might looke at the 16.9. So far I've been very happy with mine.

 

[mstewart44]

I would second RWolf's comments about the wider tires. I am actually talking with the dealer right now about new wider tires. The skinny tires tend to slip and spin a little easier.