In the market for a compact tractor, looking for recommendations

[Jgage916]

Hello everyone. This is my first post here. I recently started shopping around for a small tractor and I don't know much about some of the brand's out there. Both my wife and I are very familiar with equipment. Growing up my dad was a mechanic and we had a small cattle herd and baled hay. My wife grew up on a horse farm and baled hay. But neither of us inherited land or equipment so we are starting from scratch. We have just under 5 acres at our house, half of which is wooded so I will be clearing and fencing it. I help my mother in law maintain her 12 acres that is about a half mile from us(which is where we keep our horses). And we are looking to find some pasture to rent/lease in the next year or so. We have goats, pigs, sheep, and our 2 horses. I've been looking at 25-35 hp models. I need a front end loader and 4wd, we live in the mountains and I'll need to be able to put round bales out without getting it stuck. When I started looking around at the local dealers unrealized there are too many brands of compact tractors that I have no experience with. Growing up we had one Case, a Deere and a bunch of Ford and New Holland...John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Zetor, Kioti, Kubota, Mahindra, Branson, LS, New Holland...are the, for lack of a better term, off brand...models comparable quality to Deere, Massey, New Holland, etc? Is any of the "other" brands better or worse than the others? I don't care what the hood says I just don't want to regret my purchase. Any experience with these brands or a model like what I'm looking for would be much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[/pine]

Go see Willard at Willard's tractors...he's on highway 11 outside of Walhalla...

 

[jeff9366]

PARAGRAPH YOUR POSTS. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THE "EDIT" BUTTON.​

Jgage916; This is my first post.

We live in the South Carolina mountains. We have five acres around our house, half of which is wooded. I will be clearing the woods and fencing for goats, pigs and sheep. We intend to rent/lease additional pasture in the next year. I help my mother-in-law maintain twelve acres a half mile from us where we board our two horses.

You need a tractor to maintain around seventeen acres. (It is unlikely you can raise hay on additional rented pasture cheaper than you can buy hay.) With mother-in-law close, you should be able to run tractor between two properties over public roads, eliminating the need for a trailer. For over-the-road tractor travel you will want R4/industrial tires on your tractor.

I started shopping around for a tractor but I don't know much about tractor brands. I've been looking at 25-35 hp, 4-WD tractor-loaders. I need to put out round bales without getting stuck.

Round bales vary in weight, dry vs wet, and regionally around the country. In some places round bales are 800 pounds, in others 1,400 pounds. It takes a tractor weighing 4,000 pounds, bare, to lift 1,200 pound round bales with the FEL. Lighter tractors can lift round bales via the Three Point Hitch, but only just high enough to move.
(A tractor weighing 4,000 pounds bare will have fifty horsepower. [+/-] )

Getting stuck or not getting stuck with a 4-WD tractor is a factor of prudence and skill of the tractor operator.

Visiting local tractor dealers I realized there many brands of compact tractors I have no experience with....Massey Ferguson, Zetor, Kioti, Kubota, Mahindra, Branson, LS, New Holland...are the, for lack of a better term, off brands? I don't care what the hood says I just don't want to regret my purchase.

Which of above brands have dealers within thirty miles of your property? Consider purchasing from proximate dealers before distant dealers. Forget Zetor in the mountains of South Carolina.

In the tractor sizes you are considering Kubota has around 46% market share, Deere 19%. The balance, around 35%, is shared among all other brands. Korean tractors are the fastest growing segment, off a small base. Kioti and LS are the leading Korean brands.

Growing up we had one Case, a Deere and a bunch of Ford and New Holland tractors. My wife and I are familiar with equipment.

Front End Loaders and 4-WD are ubiquitous today. Diesel is the sole engine/fuel choice. The Three Point Hitch has NOT changed at all. You are shopping with more experience than most who post here.

What is your budget for a new tractor? You are looking at a minimum of $20,000, more likely $25,000 for a new 25-horsepower tractor, which are too light for moving round bales. Implements additional. Your implement needs, so far, are a post hole auger and a bale spear.

In Florida, farm and forestry equipment is sales tax exempt. Check on possible sale tax exemption in South Carolina. Dealers sometimes do not 'front' sales tax exemption information. I do not know South Carolina.

What about road/driveway maintenance? Any snow which needs to be dealt with?

 

[newbury]

This is my first post.

We live in the mountains. We have five acres around our house, half of which is wooded. I will be clearing the woods and fencing for horses. We intend to rent/lease additional pasture in the next year. I help my mother-in-law maintain twelve acres a half mile from us. We have goats, pigs, sheep, and two horses.





I recently started shopping around for a tractor but I don't know much about tractor brands. I've been looking at 25-35 hp models. I need a front end loader and 4wd. I'll need to be able to put round bales out without getting stuck.



Growing up we had one Case, a Deere and a bunch of Ford and New Holland Both my wife and I are familiar with equipment.

Visiting local tractor dealers I realized there many brands of compact tractors that I have no experience with. ...John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Zetor, Kioti, Kubota, Mahindra, Branson, LS, New Holland...are the, for lack of a better term, off brand...models comparable quality to Deere, Massey, New Holland, etc? I don't care what the hood says I just don't want to regret my purchase.

Thanks jeff for making it readable.

OP -
Virtually all the brands make good tractors in the size range you are looking at.

Round bales can go from 450 lbs to 2,000 lbs
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/haying/424627d1431465822-lifting-bales-sf1209-pdf
so figure out which end you want to lift with and size your lift capacity off against your wallet. To lift 2,000 lbs on the FEL your looking at 40HP + tractors, to lift 450 lbs on the 3pt probably any 25HP tractor will do.

 

[/pine]

At first look these two caught my eye...they probably won't last long...

kubota tracter - farm & garden - by owner - sale

24 Kioti LB194 4wd tractor with loader - farm & garden - by owner - sale

 

[Jgage916]

Thank you for the responses. Doing this from my phone I didn't realize just how long my paragraph had gotten.

/pine- I am familiar with Willards. I'll probably stop by one day next week on my way home from work and look around. I appreciate the craigslist links. Im going to have to finance so I'm looking at buying new. If I'm going to make a payment it might as well have a new car smell, right? Lol.

Jeff9366- Sorry about the paragraph. It was longer than Ii intended. I don't plan on cutting hay. I am familiar with the weight of round bales, and I did inherit a homemade3 point hay spear from my father in law. And a 3 point homemade pole boom. They just aren't real helpful at the moment, lol. The 4wd being in its because both peices of land are mostly flat but being in the mountains it's not flat getting in and out of the pastures.

No snow, at least least not often or deep enough to worry about. I do have a gravel driveway so I'll probably buy a box blade.

You said not Zetor...there is a local dealer but not only do I not have any experience with Zetor I don't even know anybody that does to ask. Do they not have a good reputation?

I'm figuring on spending $20-25k. Honestly the price isn't really what matters, keeping the monthly payment where my wife won't complain is key.

newbury- Thank you. I got The impression all the brand's were comparable.

The only brand I don't have within 30 miles is Branson. The only thing I know about them is they used to sell them in the Northern Tool Catalog.

I did drool all over a 2017 Kubota L3301DT the other day. The same dealer had a Kioti of a similar size but I don't remember the model. The Kubota was a bit more money, is it worth the extra cost over the Kioti?

What about Mahindra? A New dealer opened up a year or so ago. I haven't been in there yet but I plan on it this week.

 

[jeff9366]

There are 92 tractors for sale near Zip Code 29664 on eBay.

LINK: -lawn -garden in Industrial Tractors | eBay

 

[rScotty]

In nearly the exact same situation many years ago we bought an older 35 hp gas-powered John Deere Ag tractor with loader. I think I gave $2500 for it. See the signature below for more info. We still have that machine, and it has cost nearly nothing in maintenance while doing a ton of work. From Craigs list we found a 5 foot mower, wide front and narrow front, aux power out, a water pump, a grading blade, and a post hole drill. If you are comfortable doing basic maintenance, those old American-built utility tractors with their category II implements are a steal right now. There simply isn't any used market for all that stuff, and they were built to work forever. Today the JD, Massey, Case, and such older utility tractors from the 1950s through the 1970s just sit out behind the barn hoping for work. You can get one of those for what amounts to spare change relative to a newer machine. Then you can get the work done while waiting for the right little cute 4wd diesel HST to drop into your lap.
Good Luck,
rScotty

 

[jeff9366]

I did drool over a 2017 Kubota L3301DT the other day. The same dealer had a Kioti of a similar size but I don't remember the model. The Kubota was a bit more money, is it worth the extra cost over the Kioti?

Kubota L2501 and L3301 are the same tractor except for engine horsepower and emission controls. The L2501, having <25-horsepower, does not require complex, expensive Tier IV emission controls required on tractors >25-horsepower. Therefore L2501 is cheaper than L3301. Neither model, at 2,700 pounds bare tractor, is heavy enough to move round bales.

You should collect a brochure from dealer detailing every tractor model you inspect. Every tractor producer has a web site.

In the tractor sizes you are considering Kubota has around 46% market share, Deere 19%. The balance, around 35%, is shared among all other brands. Korean tractors are the fastest growing segment, off a small base.

 

[/pine]

@Jgage916...You are lucky to have several dealers over that way...I'm on the other side of Clayton and I often have to run over to Westminster for certain parts...

But...if you decide on either a Deere or a K_ubota make your best deal and then call Nelson's over in Blairsville and see if they can beat it (even with transport)...they are a great dealer over this way...

Good Luck...

 

[rScotty]

"Round bales" and "new" @ $25,000 is unrealistic.

But "Round Bales" and half that price is reasonable for an older Ag tractor with some implements, loader, and in good condition. It just won't be a sexy new 4wd.....just a solid worker.
rScotty

 

[SCWOOD]

You need to see Dickson tractor in Westminster S.C. They loaded the rear tires, put flat preventive in front tires ,put AGM battery in tractor.Had a couple of warranty issues that they handled very quickly.The dealer is as important as the tractor! They have been in business for 40yrs and have been selling Kioti for 20yrs.

 

[rScotty]

You need to see Dickson tractor in Westminster S.C. They loaded the rear tires, put flat preventive in front tires ,put AGM battery in tractor.Had a couple of warranty issues that they handled very quickly.The dealer is as important as the tractor! They have been in business for 40yrs and have been selling Kioti for 20yrs.

I don't think that the dealer is all that important to lots of owners. For example, the OP here says he and his wife both grew up on a farm. Once the initial warranty problems are sorted out, where is the advantage? At that point the importance of a dealer depends on whether an owner prefers to to do his own maintenance work or would rather pay to have it done.

 

[Jgage916]

But "Round Bales" and half that price is reasonable for an older Ag tractor with some implements, loader, and in good condition. It just won't be a sexy new 4wd.....just a solid worker.
rScotty

Saving money on an older unit sounds great. The problem being I don't have 10 grand laying around. Since I will be financing it I think I will end up with a better monthly payment buying new. And I think I already mentioned it but I'll be using a 3 point hitch hay spear, well within the capability of what I'm looking at.

You need to see Dickson tractor in Westminster S.C. They loaded the rear tires, put flat preventive in front tires ,put AGM battery in tractor.Had a couple of warranty issues that they handled very quickly.The dealer is as important as the tractor! They have been in business for 40yrs and have been selling Kioti for 20yrs.

I went by there a few months ago, but we were in the middle of buying our house so I wasn't really looking yet. It will be a few months, honestly it will probably be after Christmas before I buy anything. I'm in research mode. I'll probably change my mind a dozen times between now and then. But I will probably go by again one day this week. In work In Westminster so it makes that easy

 

[nybirdman]

Good luck in your search;one thing I read all the time;Grand-Pa always had Deere,New Holland,Ford,International or what-ever on the farm;today's compact versions of these brands(and others) are only in name a version of the old line tractors.

 

[BMan2005]

If you're ok with the standard old 8x2 transmission maybe look into a Mahindra 4540 or 4550. Alot of tractor for the money and right where you're looking to spend.

You can also get a Massey 2700e series in that price range.

Since you have horses and will be handling hay buy as much tractor as you can the first time. If you can swing the money for the bigger tractor it's great being able to move and stack round bales with a FEL. The 3pt way works done it for years, but having a tractor capable of using the fel comes in handy often with moving hay around.

If needing a small tractor for yard work sorry if I missed that.

 

[Jgage916]

Thank you everyone for the opinons and info. I'm a few months away from a purchase, probably after Christmas so I will be shopping around and researching for a while. This gives me some pointers and things to consider. I might go used, might go new. Depends on financing. Whatever I get I will post pictures when it happens. &#55357;&#56397;