How small is too small?

[eosinophil]

Hi all, I'm new here and just trying to figure out where to start looking for a little tractor.

My background- live on 20 acres in Iowa. Half of that is hay that someone else cuts - and I have no intention of changing that. The rest is divided into horse pasture, yard, woods and a pond.

I have no tractor now but I treat my lawn mower (a John Deere LT160, for what that matters) as a tractor and try to cut brush, fence lines, bits of the woods and mow the slope down into the pond with spectacular results (ie I break all kinds of stuff on it and end up at least part way in the pond about once a month). I also need to hack the weeds down in the horse pasture but that takes forever with the 42inch deck.

I assume I need 4wd since i get stuck regularly. I'd love a loader to fill up the manure spreader. That's ground driven, so i pull it with my truck. I guess some sort of scraper would be nice - does that work to scrape up the poop in the field?

I'm thinking small so I can get around the fence lines, the ditch and maneuver by the pond and the woods. But I know many of you say to go bigger since bigger = well, bigger :thumbsup:

Budget? Well, this is a hobby so less is more, but I want something to keep long term, not fuss with a lot and be super reliable and recognize I'll need to pay for that. However, if there is a used tractor that would fit my needs at a budget price, I'd love to know. I'm drawn to John Deere (hey, I live in Iowa!) and Kubotas but am open to whatever if it is good, safe and reliable.

Sorry, i'm long winded!
Thanks for any advice or places to start!

 

[bp fick]

Go look at them, if you haven't already.

The John Deere 20 series or the Kubota 20 series are very capable. They will only "seem" large, perhaps, at first. When you get a tractor this size working in open spaces, or doing heavier work, it might even seem too small and you might wished you'd gone bigger. One gets used to tractors, the same way one gets used to a larger 1600 square foot house, which seemed huge when you first come out of an apartment.

The next level (JD 3000 series, Kubota Deluxe B or L series) up will likely be recommended for more lifting power capability and so forth. But until you spend a little time on one, it is very hard to know with precision just what your needs/wants/desires are.

Frankly, if you have tasks to do, some mowing to do, why not rent a tractor, over a long weekend? Like a test drive, of sorts. Might be well worth it.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

You're mowing a large area, and getting stuck a lot.

I go with the lightest weight 4WD tractor you can find, that has enough horsepower to run a 60 to 72 inch flail mower, and make sure it comes with agricultural tires.

I like the flails because they're less likely to create lethal projectiles than a brushhog.

 

[Soundguy]

10ac to 'deal' with some brush cutting.. some laoder work.. some hard to navigate areas.

it's go for the small end of the CUT's.. ie 24-28hp... a SCUT would likely do it.. but those can get small to lawnmower sized.. the 24-28 hp unit will get you into 5' implements if you take it easy.. higher laoder lift, and more capacity..e tc..

 

[eosinophil]

thanks for the quick responses!

I've rented at my local guy - he has a JD 4200 that is nice but I think is too big for what I need. My local dealers don't have a huge stock, so I don't know how likely it is i'd be able to drive the different models before I commit. I've sat on a number of the new JD and Kubotas over the years and didn't care one way or another.

I was thinking at first the JD 20s as you mentioned and first the Kubota L, but then i thought the Kubota B. Then I thought well, maybe the JD 1 series or the Kubota BX might be better. Then I looked at all the different ones and couldn't figure out if smaller is also more stable for slopes or if bigger would be better.

Then I give up until I go out and drive my lawn mower in the pond again! :ashamed:

 

[PossumHound]

thanks for the quick responses!

I've rented at my local guy - he has a JD 4200 that is nice but I think is too big for what I need. My local dealers don't have a huge stock, so I don't know how likely it is i'd be able to drive the different models before I commit. I've sat on a number of the new JD and Kubotas over the years and didn't care one way or another.

I was thinking at first the JD 20s as you mentioned and first the Kubota L, but then i thought the Kubota B. Then I thought well, maybe the JD 1 series or the Kubota BX might be better. Then I looked at all the different ones and couldn't figure out if smaller is also more stable for slopes or if bigger would be better.

Then I give up until I go out and drive my lawn mower in the pond again! :ashamed:

I just have to ask: what made you choose the gaudiest of the granulocytes for your handle?

PH

 

[eosinophil]

I just have to ask: what made you choose the gaudiest of the granulocytes for your handle?

PH

GAUDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GAUDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hummph!!!!

Just wait til you have a parasitic infection. See who you are calling GAUDY then!!!!


And really, isn't the gaudiness just a side effect of the stains? It's not like they really have pink polka dots. Although if they did, i would love them more.

 

[bp fick]

The 4000 series that you drove is a larger tractor, larger than you'd likely need and appear to be feel comfortable with.

You have to start somewhere in the myriad of machines. I'd still encourage you to focus on the 20 series in either JD or Kubota. Just remember that Kubota makes two lines tractor in this size. Kubota's 20 series are basic, no frill tractors, 23-29 hp, while the Deluxe B have all/most the bells and whistles.26-34 hp. Deere pretty much loads up their 20 series with all the features. 23-25-27 hp.

Moving up or down from there muddies the water a bit, but yes, they both got bigger ones and smaller ones.

 

[k0ua]

Kioti CK20 also is in the running if you have a Kioti Dealer nearby..

I have a DK35se on my 7 acres mostly wooded, and I don't think it is big at all.. It is all in what you get used to. When you start using your tractor, it just gets smaller and smaller and smaller. It seems you always want to lift something heavier or push over something bigger.. But it sounds like you mostly do mowing, and a smaller machine probably would fit you well. The CK20 is worth a look, along with the others mentioned.

James K0UA

 

[jonyyuma]

By all means go climb up on them and decide, just how big you want to manouver around your place....Most people enjoy shopping for a tractor...THEN, do you want deluxe, with bells and whistles, Hydro, or are you a gear--man?? Colors ???..