Best 8 acre tractor for Big Island Hawaii

[k2man]

Aloha, I am purchasing 8 acres here on the Big Island of Hawaii and definitely need a tractor and some equipment. The land is mostly in various grasses - including our African guinea grass (gets over 12' tall if left alone), lots of small guava trees I'll need to mow or cut. Not sure what we're going to grow there yet (maybe vanilla orchids), but I'm not going to have cattle (been there done that).

I can't afford new, so going to try to find a good, reliable used tractor, brush hog or estate mower and a box blade. I've been looking on Craigslist here, but tractors seem few. Going to check with all the dealers, haven't gotten to that yet. Hoping to spend $12k, not more than $15k if possible.

Parts availability is a concern. I can work on one myself, but don't want something like my old Ford 8N that I had to break out the tools every 10 hours of run time.

If I can't find something here, shipping may be an option.

What brand, model and years would anyone recommend?

 

[big bubba]

welcome to this forum, you should get a lot of feedback on your situation. My 1st question would be the nature of your existing market availability & dealership in the islands. you mentioned shipping as an option. curious how expensive that would be from stateside.

other than that try to foresee all your tasks...sounds like you are considering agriculture as well. & don't overlook your future needs for the place.

off the top, i would be looking at a 40-50 hp stout utility tractor. I'm partial to Kubota utility tractors, owned an MX 5000 before upgrading to my existing machine. wise to do your homework, this forum is a good start. my experience tells me to take time before making the plunge on a new rig.

if shipping is within the budget, look at either MX series or used M series. though bit of a gamble on used sight unseen. Surely there K dealers within the islands as a start.... best regards

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Welcome from Texas. Hope you can find a good tractor.
Post an ad on Craigslist that you're looking to buy maybe.

 

[Diggin It]

One thing you might have to deal with is elevation. There have been a few threads about power loss in diesels above certain elevations.

 

[k2man]

My elevation is only 1100' at the top of the property, 950' at the bottom. So I do have a hill to contend with, but won't have to worry about power loss.

40-50 hp - not sure if I can find a Kubota that big within my budget.

What is the point where maintenance becomes a big deal - hours or years? Realize the use has a lot to do with it - 1000 hours cutting a lawn is certainly easier on a tractor than 500 hours plowing fields.

 

[jeff9366]

What is the point where maintenance becomes a big deal - hours or years? Realize the use has a lot to do with it - 1000 hours cutting a lawn is certainly easier on a tractor than 500 hours plowing fields.

Reliability is mostly a factor of prudence of operators. Prudence in not attempting crazy things with the tractor, either out of bravado or ignorance. Prudence in performing preventative maintenance on time.

With a one owner tractor you may be able to gauge operator prudence. Second and succeeding owners your purchase is a crap shoot.


The Kubota MX series tractors weight about 3,800 pounds, bare. ((Post #2))

For eight acres consider a Kubota L2501, which is 2,600 pounds bare but still has 12" of ground clearance. About $19,000 new, plus sales tax.

The Kubota L2501 is one of Kubota's highest volume tractors. It has been in the market about five years. There should be plenty used. L2501 will easily fit in a typical garage.

LINK: https://www.kubotausa.com/docs/default-source/brochure-sheets/l2501.pdf?sfvrsn=34e9b1d_8

VIDEO: Kubota Standard L-Series. L251 L331 L391 L471 features and operation. - YouTube

Rear wheels can probably be spread if ordered with R1/ag tires. Most are ordered with R4/industrial tires. I you want to spread R4 wheels/tires you will need to install wheel spacers. Spreading rear wheels will increase tractor stability on slopes more than any other single variable.

 

[big bubba]

good advice above, but if OP is considering small agri operation, i'd consider a more robust tractor even going used, if reliable imho

 

[rScotty]

Aloha, I am purchasing 8 acres here on the Big Island of Hawaii and definitely need a tractor and some equipment. The land is mostly in various grasses - including our African guinea grass (gets over 12' tall if left alone), lots of small guava trees I'll need to mow or cut. Not sure what we're going to grow there yet (maybe vanilla orchids), but I'm not going to have cattle (been there done that).

I can't afford new, so going to try to find a good, reliable used tractor, brush hog or estate mower and a box blade. I've been looking on Craigslist here, but tractors seem few. Going to check with all the dealers, haven't gotten to that yet. Hoping to spend $12k, not more than $15k if possible.

Parts availability is a concern. I can work on one myself, but don't want something like my old Ford 8N that I had to break out the tools every 10 hours of run time.

If I can't find something here, shipping may be an option.

What brand, model and years would anyone recommend?

Sounds like you've got a good plan. I don't know about Hawaii prices, but if they are anything like the mainland you should be able to get an excellent used tractor in that price range. Glad to hear that you are thinking of a used machine. I've bought good used machines of all kinds most of my life and had excellent luck with them.

Used tractors are particularly fun to look at because they are simple machines and generally built to last for decades or longer. Old tractors don't wear out so much as they suffer from fools and lack of maintenace. So if a tractor runs good under a moderate load for an hour without leaks, weirdness, or overheating.... you can figure it's likely to run about that same way for years.

I've found that there are two tricks to getting something really good on the used market. One is to be willing pay a premium used price in order to buy someone's well-cared for premium condition used machine. You;ll save yourself anguish by looking at the good ones at the top end of the market. Yes, they cost more....but by buying used, you are already saving enough money.

And the second thing is to either be buying from someone you trust or be able to evaluate mechanical condition yourself. You probably already know how your own abilities stack up at doing both of those things. Or bring a friend along ... that's never a bad idea.

As for brand, model, and years... I'm not going to influence you ...yet.... I'd start with brands you either recognize or have a dealer nearby, and 35 to 55 hp is a nice range. You will want 4wd and power steering, a nice 3pt hitch and with a used machine might even get lucky on implements....BTW, used implements are as good as new ones, but don't hold their value well - so don't let the implements decide the deal. You can always buy used implements. Different tractors have different types of transmissions and all have their good points. Be open minded about transmission type.

I'd say at this point you should find a couple of "possibles", post some details, and then listen to us talk about them here on TBN .... and keep that open to whatever else comes up. The best tractors age slowly; there are some very good older machines out there too.
Good luck,
rScotty

 

[Jim Nelson]

Go to the Rural Living forum on this site and contact a fellow who's user name is Sodamo, he is on the big island and seems to be a real nice guy. I would bet that he would be a good source of local info.

 

[daugen]

Go to the Rural Living forum on this site and contact a fellow who's user name is Sodamo, he is on the big island and seems to be a real nice guy. I would bet that he would be a good source of local info.

David has been notified, hopefully he'll pop up here soon.
K2Man, welcome to the forum. Can you spend a little more time talking about what you want to use your tractor for please.
Other than mowing, what else? Box blade to scrape your driveway, do you need a FEL? If you do nice mulched landscaped gardens having the FEL to haul things around is wonderfully helpful.

If you have never driven a tractor before, my suggestion is you focus on those with a hydrostatic transmission. Yes it costs a little more, just like on a car in the old days, but makes running a small tractor much easier. You will likely be operating on hilly steep land, so always put that seatbelt on.

sorry, just read you had an 8N. You'll love hydrostatic.