Buying Advice Buying my first tractor....

Hobart15 · May 9, 2015

Have about 150 acres. Looking for a tractor for general land management and about 12-15 acres of food plots. Thinking of getting a yammer 3810d with a loader from fredricks....or finding a used Kubuta 40- 50 hp with a loader.
Land is pretty flat with some rolling hills. I'd have a small creek.
Am I on the right path? Any suggestions?

Thanks
Bill

Poopdeck Pappy · May 10, 2015

I'm not familiar with the Yanmar 3810d, but for 150 acres I'd sure want something bigger than a 40 - 50 hp tractor unless most of the acreage will be left alone. I'd be looking at the 70 - 80 hp range depending on the intended uses of it.

I wish I could be more helpful, but "general land management" doesn't tell us much. Give us some specifics if you can.

Thomas · May 10, 2015

I would look for 40hp plus,have you consider rear attachments...rake,mower,blade.

Hobart15 · May 10, 2015

Ok, let me be a little more clear. This is for a hunting camp. No $ crops other than about 45 acres of planting pines. There is a pretty good road system that needs mowing. Plan on having about 12-15 acres of food plots that will need to be planted and maintained; one 4-5 acre plot and Will also use it for maintaining Fire breaks.

Most people are telling me 40-50 hp pulling 5' attachments.

nybirdman · May 10, 2015

You are close;40-50HP ,four wheel drive with six ft.implements.

Poopdeck Pappy · May 10, 2015

Hobart15 said:
Ok, let me be a little more clear. This is for a hunting camp. No $ crops other than about 45 acres of planting pines. There is a pretty good road system that needs mowing. Plan on having about 12-15 acres of food plots that will need to be planted and maintained; one 4-5 acre plot and Will also use it for maintaining Fire breaks.

Most people are telling me 40-50 hp pulling 5' attachments.

Ok, thanks for the additional info. Yes, what nybirdman said. 40 - 50 hp, 4wd with 6 foot implements.

The general rule of thumb for PTO driven implements like rotary mowers is that you need 5 PTO horsepower for every foot of width. So you would need a minimum of 30 PTO hp to run a 6 foot wide cutter. But it's best to have a a little extra hp as a margin of error, which could mean the difference in bogging down or powering through some tall, thick stuff when mowing. My Kioti is 50hp (gross) and 37.5hp (PTO) and runs my Rhino 172 medium duty mower just fine with no stress or strain on the tractor.

Steppenwolfe · May 10, 2015

Look at a Kubota MX 5100 or 5200. Turbo charged and all work horse...

brianb88 · May 10, 2015

I have just recently purchased my first tractor and bought a Branson 5520R turbo. It is a well built heavy tractor for a CUT. I have just recently been able to put it to the test pulling a 7 tine chisel plow to break up a garden spot that hasn't been plowed in over 25 years. I had to work in 4 wheel drive and fill the fel with dirt to keep the wheels from spinning and it was all it wanted but it pulled it. I was pleasantly surprised.

I mention Branson because I noticed you are from Georgia and Branson's main hub is located in Rome, GA. A contributing factor in me choosing Branson was that I have a dealer very close to me. Dealer support is important. Just my 2 cents worth.

IslandTractor · May 10, 2015

Steppenwolfe said:
Look at a Kubota MX 5100 or 5200. Turbo charged and all work horse...

X2. That or a 40ish hp Mahindra or Kioti would suit. All very reliable machines.

Agree with six foot implements too.

vtsnowedin · May 10, 2015

I take it that the Yanmar is used as they stopped making that model number in 1981 as per tractor data.com. It sounds a bit light at only 2921 pounds and narrow at 58 inches wide not adjustable. There are plenty of good options both new and used in that horse power range so I would take my time and sit on and test drive a few to find one you like.