I dunno what to do!!!!

[Zebra203]

Okay, here's the deal. 1st time property owner. Never even riden a tractor. I have 17 acres, about 13 of which are fairly rough pastures, seperated by wet weather creeks and hilly terrain. (East Texas) I have about a 750' gravel driveway, a large pond, and drainage erosion. I have some heavily wooded areas that I'd like to clear, and the rest is "yard area" that I'm mowing with a used 21hp, 48" Husqvarna riding lawn tractor that I've already torn up after about 8 hours.
I've been looking at the JD 990 and 3203, and the Kubota L4400 and L3130, each with FEL and a 5' brush hog. All are 4wd.
Here are my questions. I cant decide. I think I've decided on the Kubota 3130 because it's last years model and I can get it (along with the FEL (LA513) and brush hog (Rhino 5') for $18,923. The newer, 3240 is about $1,000.00 more. Is this a good price for the L3130? Should I be looking at the 990 and
L4400 instead? I really dont even know how to use a FEL, but I'm guessing it will come in useful and it will help with resale later. I think a box blade may be more useful with the driveway maintenance and drainage erosion, so maybe I dont even need a FEL? Is the L3130 really enough horses for trying to "reclaim" 13 acres and keep it looking nice? Also, could I get a 6' brush hog to use with the L3130 without straining it? I dont know if you can really compare the two, but like I said, I've already torn up my 21 hp riding mower
(I was mowing paths through my pastures and keeping a fishing area mowed by my pond) and I wonder if approximately 10 more horses would be enough without tearing it up. Aslo, which is easier on the maintenace? My riding mower keeps getting the airfilter clogged. I'm not all that great with a wrench and I feel the dealer support for the Kubota is pretty good. Please help. Also, my wife says I have to keep it at less than $20,000 to stay married. I've been reading this site for a month or so, and I'm guessing it's like Ford or Chevy, it just depends on who you ask. Therfore, please justify your opinions. Thank you!

 

[LoneCowboy]

35 to 45 HP should do it.
it takes about an hour an acre to bushhog with a 5' mower (approximately)
that's 2 days of work for 13 acres.

There are tons of used tractors in that range with only a few hundred hours on them that might be a better deal than brand new.

Get enough gears.

 

[john_bud]

Zebra,

You have a couple issues that make this a tough one. You have no tractor experience and are not an experienced wrencher. Also the $$ is on the low side - when I spend someone else's money, I like to spend more! LOL!!

Ok, I would say you should get a hydrostatic transmission. It will work like a lawn mower. Forward peddle for forward, backward peddle for backward. Don't press on a peddle and it stops. Super easy to learn and still very strong and reliable. More $$ is the down side.

I have a tractor equivalent to the 3130 or 3240. I is NOT enough for a 6' brush mower. 3830 or the 40 series equivalent would be the minimum.

Try looking at the Mahindra and Kioti's. I think they both have hydrostatic trans in their line ups now. That is the one thing you need to keep. It will make the tractor friendly to operate.

On tires, get the R1 - Ag tread - tires. Not the R4 Industrial. That will save some $.

For driveway maintenance, you need both the FEL and a box blade. A road grader "roadrunner" is one brand, is even better but more$.


Oh, on HP. Tractor hp and lawn mower hp are not the same! Tractor hp is useable, especially PTO hp. (Always compare PTO HP - they can't lie about that). Lawn mower hp is intermitent or "burst" hp and is measured on a bare engine. No muffler, no alternator, no air cleaner and fed with cold air. Often they don't actually measure it. They calculate it. It's really market driven. A ford 8n had about 18-20 hp, but could pull a plow from dawn to dark. No 18-20 hp lawn mower engine could do that!

Try looking on Construction Equipment at Machinery Trader: Caterpillar, Komatsu, Case, John Deere, Volvo for used stuff. Sadly (for a buyer) used Kubota's hold value very well.

jb

 

[jbrumberg]

Zebra203:

Welcome to TBN ! I agree with John Bud and you should really listen to wifey as to budget. Hopefully your rider is still running to keep the "lawn" cut around your house as the R-1's will tend to tear up the yard (especially when the lawn is wet and/or you are making sharp turns in 4WD). You definately want a FEL and 4WD/MFWD with HST and power steering for ease of operation IMHO. I believe you are looking at the correct HP range of tractors. Keep the entries coming . Jay

 

[Deerlope]

To run a bush hog you will need roughly 5 HP per foot of cutter. So a L3130 with the HST tranny would be borderline. An L 3830 or 40 would work nicely.

 

[KaiB]

One thing I might add. If you are on highly erodable land with rill and gully erosion, you may be so "cut up" that the smaller of your choices may be right for you.

You're going to have a tough time establishing pasture enough for 10 horses; you may want to design into that.

If you're a new operator, please be very careful with your new machine, as the small gullys and rills will flip a tractor just like that.

Its not all bad; congratulations, have fun, and get in contact with your local extension - they're there for you and can help out a lot.

 

[Renob]

Perhaps check out the Kubota L3400. HST and around 35HP. Not all the bells and whistles, will be more affordable, but still do all you need and do it well.

 

[Soundguy]

That's a slow cut. if you have open spaces you can get more.. I can cut 10ac in about 6hr with a 5' mower.. ( that drops to just at 3hr with a 10' mower.. and under 2 hr on a 15' mower by the way.. )

Soundguy

35 to 45 HP should do it.
it takes about an hour an acre to bushhog with a 5' mower (approximately)
that's 2 days of work for 13 acres.

There are tons of used tractors in that range with only a few hundred hours on them that might be a better deal than brand new.

Get enough gears.

 

[Zebra203]

Thanks for all the great replies. I'm really second guessing what I thought I had decided on though. I am believeing that I need a few more HP's, which really puts me back at ground zero. I just don't see spending this kind of money, only to find out in a month that I should've...??? Keep the info comin. Thanks to all of you veterans out there who are helping us novices! TBN has been great.

 

[sandman2234]

Consider having someone come over and bush hog some of your property for a minimal amount of time and money. Get an idea of what they accomplish and how long it takes. Also watch from a distance how they manuever the tractor. Ask questions about size and pto horsepower before the job starts and after it's done, finish with some more questions over a glass of ice tea.
Next, find a local rental store and rent a tractor for a weekend. Most places give a daily rate (8hrs) but give you all weekend to do it. After 8 hrs on a real tractor, you will be a professional tractor operator. Then go buy your tractor with the $19,500 you have left.
David from jax