Buying Advice First Tractor Purchase

[First Dig]

I am very knew to this. I just purchased over 155 ac of land and going to have a house built on it now and need advice on what tractor to purchase. Need for all types of use. Brush Hog, Cut Grass, Remove trees and Drag downed trees and remove stumps, chipping, and snow removal. Need to know right size and attachments. Was wondering is Kubota is way to go? As I said I am brand new to this.

 

[flyingcow]

General idea where you live would help. Also, lay of land. i.e. rocky?flat?mountains?prarie? Length of driveway? how many acres of fileds versus woodlands?

 

[First Dig]

upstate New York Catskill Mountains in Hudson Valley. Going to maintain about 25 acres of fields. The mowing of this area is pretty flat but have to be able to also get to rest of hilly area for making trails and such. Would like to use also to brush hog areas also. Driveway will be apox 400 feet long. some areas are rocky.

 

[Caseih728]

I am very knew to this. I just purchased over 155 ac of land and going to have a house built on it now and need advice on what tractor to purchase. Need for all types of use. Brush Hog, Cut Grass, Remove trees and Drag downed trees and remove stumps, chipping, and snow removal. Need to know right size and attachments. Was wondering is Kubota is way to go? As I said I am brand new to this.

I would reccomend about 55 or 60 horsepower tractor with 4wd cab and loader. Kubotas are great tractors i would highly reccomend them. Everytime i see someone buy a new tractor they always say i wish i wouldve gotten a little bit bigger tractor just something to keep in mind. You will really like the 4wd on the hills and youll love the cab in the winter. A loader is one of the handiest things you could have you can remove snow and all sorts of things. Hope this was helpful

 

[flusher]

upstate New York Catskill Mountains in Hudson Valley. Going to maintain about 25 acres of fields. The mowing of this area is pretty flat but have to be able to also get to rest of hilly area for making trails and such. Would like to use also to brush hog areas also. Driveway will be apox 400 feet long. some areas are rocky.

40-50 hp (engine), FEL, cab, 6-ft dia brush hog (rotary mower).
Think long and hard about mowing trails on your hilly area when you're looking at tractors. I'd zero in on tractors with wide stances if your hills are really hilly.

 

[jenkinsph]

I think the Deere 4520 and 4720 would be a good choice for what you have listed. An MX6 rotary cutter (brushhog), heavy duty 6' boxblade, 400CX front end loader (we refer to them as fel's for short) with a heavy duty 72" front bucket, pallet forks (these are very handy for moving all sorts of things)
a landscaoe rake is good for cleaning up too.

The 4520 cab is 60 hp and the 4720 same size is 66hp very easy to operate with ehydro transmission and upgraded cruise.

 

[TripleR]

My choice would be the Kubota L5740 HSTC or its equivalent in one of the other brands. I would recommend looking at and trying them all to find the one that "fits" as they are all really good machines. You will obviously want a FEL. Of course you then have to decide on grapple/bucket, third function etc.

Other attachments for me would be a good medium to heavy duty 6' mower, box blade and from there it depends on your finances.

 

[international]

I'm a CIH (Case International Harvester) guy myself. As for a Mid-sized utility tractor (50-90)hp, I would recommend the "JX"or as they call it now the "Farmall" series. I have a JX75 and I love it. Plenty of power, can get a loader for it "LX730" I believe and the transmission is great (12X12 with a shuttle). Most tractor for the money. We have the wheels set out just about as far as they can go. We mow around a small pond with a 15ft batwing on a steep slope. It ain't tipping anytime soon, (use your head, won't tip over). New Holland owns CIH, they're models are very similar and pricing is about the same. I'm not too familiar with their model #'s though.
Overall...very dependable machine..And keep in mind, if you get a (loaded) compact tractor, chances are you can get more hp and an overall bigger machine for the same price if not less.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Look at every dealer that is in your comfortable distance to travel. Look at every make and model that has at least a category 2 three point hitch. Usually starts around 50HP. I think that cat 1 stuff is going to end up being to small for what you may need. Sit in every seat that you can, try to get a feel for where all the controls are. All makes and models ARE NOT THE SAME, even within the same make. A lot of the different models are set up completely different. Get as many options as you can, especially hydraulic remotes, at least 2, or 3 if available for the rear and 1 additional one for the front end loader. You may very well need a grapple of some sort for your loader. Not always, but a lot of the time if you are going to purchase new implements you will get a better deal if purchased at the same time with the tractor.

One last thing, with all that property, you are going to only have a 400' driveway? :confused3: Seems like you will be building pretty close to your property line, but then I have no idea the lay of your land.

Keep us posted and keep asking questions, lots of first hand knowledge here on TBN.

 

[RobertN]

I would make a more complete list of your needs. And start figuring a budget.

I have had Kubota and New Holland. Before buying, I would look at them all. All of the major manufacturers make nice solid tractors. For the acreage you mention, you may want to demo some tractors.

As is mentioned often here, dealers can be a make/break too. Good product support is a plus.