Hi from Down Under

wolftree · Aug 4, 2013

fivegallon,

When maintaining the firebreaks, do you just slash(rotary mow) or till the earth to exposed dirt?

If your budget allows it, you truly want a front loader on your tractor. You will use it more than you ever thought you would.

On your implement side, I see 1) a front loader. 2) A rotary cutter/slasher. 3) an implement for tillage(mold board plow/harrow/rotary tiller)

If they are available there, consider an "all purpose plow" made by Bush Hog and other companies here in U.S.A. It will be cheaper than a rotary tiller by far and probably cheaper than a plow and harrow.

Your jobs/tasks define the tractor size and how it is equipped.

Wagtail · Aug 4, 2013

G'day Cobber & welcome to TBN from Tassie.

I second the advice (so far) from wolftree, creekbend & RoMad. sounds like you are at least in the market for a Compact Utility Tractor (CUT).

Talk to your neighbours around you and at the pub. Not only on what they use (or wish they used) but on Dealer reputation. Don't let the 'colour' of a tractor be the major influence, especially when you're new to the game. The Dealer rep isn't "who'll give me the best deal" but "who supports their product the best".

Also, have fun. We're here for you, Mate.

KubotaOwner · Aug 4, 2013

Welcome!

I have 5 acres in the state of Washington and have a Kubota L3700SU with a loader, backhoe, box blade, auger and a chipper shredder. If you have any questions about any of those items, I would be happy to answer them.

BTW, I have made 4 month-long trips to your beautiful country, and went to Perth on 2 of them. Perth is a beautiful city, and I love Western Australia. It's possible I have seen more of Australia than you have!

fivegallon · Aug 5, 2013

Firstly, for the mods; if you need to break this thread away from the "introduction thread" please feel free.
wolftree: from what i have seen so far the firebreaks havent been much more than slashed, however, i would prefer to be in a position to "till the earth to exposed dirt".
Wagtail:cheers for the welcome. i'm not biased to "colour" and will be looking to get the machine most suited for what i intend to use it for.
KubotaOwner: Im currently looking at a Kubota L1-235D. It looks very similar to your L3700SU from what i can see in the pic. The 235 is a 26HP unit.
A chipper is also in my sights if there is a chance of some sideline work

You may well have seen more of Oz than me, i have spent 9 of the last 11 years working overseas installing temporary power stations

The "dealer" i went to has both the chinese/japanese attachments, as well as his own brand of locally made attachments.
The locally made stuff looks miles stronger than the import stuff and you only need to look at it to see how strong it is. .
The slasher and 12-disc plough look very solid.
His tractors are purchased second-hand direct from Japan and repaired/cleaned/serviced locally. Most seem to have around 300-500hrs.

Wagtail · Aug 5, 2013

There is almost a mantra about getting your first tractor... Figure out what you want to do with your rig + implements, figure what HP/PTO grunt you need to do it and then buy the next bigger one. :laughing:

Honestly, from what you've mentioned so far, 26HP is going to be under powered for what you are thinking of doing. Especially regarding sideline work.