Looking for first tractor

[WoodChuckDad]

My first hello.
I am closing on 55 acres of land in at the base of the blue ridge mountains in Albemarle County, VA in one month. Currently it is wooded. The plan is to clear about 30 acres total and plant an apple orchard on about 15-20 acres, and 5+ acres of hops. We will also be building our home there. I've had the timber evaluated by both a professional forester who I hired and a rep from a lumber company. I won't get rich from the timber sale but it should be enough to fund the purchase of a decent tractor. Something along the lines of a Kubota L3901.
I have read hundreds of pages on this site about comparisons, and recommendations.... I still haven't even started a tractor up yet so I don't know what I will like and what I won't.

 

[jeff9366]

Specs on the L3901 are good.

Specs on the L3560 are better and efficiency enhancing. Five inch greater width will make L3560 noticeably more stable on your piedmont ground. (They may share the same quiet engine.)

I would want the more powerful LA805 FEL for your tree and orchard work, and the L2296 Heavy Duty, Round Back bucket with SSQA (Skid Steer Quick Attach) attachment. You can mount a <$400 Bucket Spade on the L2296 bucket for planting trees. I have all three. With the SSQA attachment you will be partially set up for a grapple, which would be imperative for 15 -20 acres of orchard. (I believe LA525 FEL on L3901 is 60" wide, not 72" wide.)

The telescoping Lower Links standard on the L3560 make mounting implements much easier relative to fixed Lower Links on the L3901.

When you have the timber taken off include stump removal in the contract. Timber companies have large excavators for efficient stump removal. Stumps are usually burned on site.

For secondary root removal before planting, a grapple/root rake, or a Field Cultivator, are good.

LINK: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/339095-dirt-dog-all-purpose-plow.html?highlight=

I had a John Deere 750, I had a Kubota B3300SU; now I have a Kubota L3560 but I am on record that there are a lot of good tractor brands out there.

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

PS: Nice pictures & advice Jeff.

 

[The Deerslayer]

Welcome...much to be gained here. Definitely go to a dealership and try out a few and see what you like. The research of what is out there and talking to others is half the fun in buying a new tractor. I have the L3901 and am extremely pleased with it.

 

[jeff9366]

Here are LINKS to relevant threads in the T-B-N archive.

LINKS (2): https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Tractor+for+forty+acres+site:tractorbynet.com

https://www.google.com/search?clien...tractorbynet.com&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=ssl

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I appreciate the advice and links. It gives me more to read and think about. We are trying to get some offers on the timber to start this fall,weather permitting. So I probably won't be buying the tractor till spring. Getting stump removal included in the contract would be fantastic. I will have to make sure I discuss that with the Forester I hired. I didn't even know it was an option.

 

[TBN Support]

Hi and welcome to the forum. :welcome:

I'm going to move your thread over to the buying, pricing and comparisons section to see if we can get you some more insight into what tractors you should be considering.

 

[flusher]

My first hello.
I am closing on 55 acres of land in at the base of the blue ridge mountains in Albemarle County, VA in one month. Currently it is wooded. The plan is to clear about 30 acres total and plant an apple orchard on about 15-20 acres, and 5+ acres of hops. We will also be building our home there. I've had the timber evaluated by both a professional forester who I hired and a rep from a lumber company. I won't get rich from the timber sale but it should be enough to fund the purchase of a decent tractor. Something along the lines of a Kubota L3901.
I have read hundreds of pages on this site about comparisons, and recommendations.... I still haven't even started a tractor up yet so I don't know what I will like and what I won't.

My neighbor has a nice Kubota L4630 tractor with an FEL (6-ft wide bucket). He uses it for hay production on his 10 acre ranch. It would handle your jobs nicely. Cost is in the $25K range.

Check TractorData.com website for the specs on thousands of tractors.

Good luck

 

[WoodChuckDad]

I have a question on that bucket spade . I looked online and don't really see people using them for planting, more for digging things up. I don't imagine it could completely replace a post hole digger. I'm wondering which one wins for efficiency. I'm looking at 300-600 holes per acre.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

I have a question on that bucket spade . I looked online and don't really see people using them for planting, more for digging things up. I don't imagine it could completely replace a post hole digger. I'm wondering which one wins for efficiency. I'm looking at 300-600 holes per acre.

Post hole digger. But what size diameter holes do you need to dig? And what kind of soil will you be digging in? Jeff likes his bucket spade in his sandy soil, but I think it would be useless in the thick, gummy clay soil we have here.

 

[jeff9366]

I have a question on that bucket spade . I looked online and don't really see people using them for planting, more for digging things up. I don't imagine it could completely replace a post hole digger. I'm wondering which one wins for efficiency. I'm looking at 300-600 holes per acre.

For 6,000 holes I recommend a Post Hole Digger too.

The Bucket Spade works well for planting but 6,000 is beaucoup holes. For its price, <$400, Bucket Solution's Bucket Spade is one of the highest value attachments I have. Also requires minimal storage space in the garage.

BUCKET SPADE LINKS: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/328798-bucket-spade-today-fel-bucket.html?highlight=

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...da-planting-sand-pears-kubota.html?highlight=

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Virginia Red Clay. it's thick hard stuff gummy stuff. Since we are just going to be starting the process of marketing the timber Next month, and with the cost of rootstock, I am only planning to put in 1-3 acres of apples and about the same amount of hops next year. I may be too ambitions and end up having to wait another year before any of the land is ready for planting. I don't think it has ever been logged.s There are some huge trees but the place is actually overgrown...so much mountain laurel and blueberries and briars that it's hard to walk thru. The only evidence of human intervention is the 1.5 acre pond and a small knoll next to it that might have been cleared, perhaps for a cabin, but then was abandoned....that area, about 1 acre, has young pine growth.
The grade of the land is gentle and walkable rolling hill. There are a few spots where it gets steep but those will be left natural.....good hunting habitat.
I have been keeping my tractor considerations in about the range of the L3901 or L4701 based on getting the most power I can and having a wheel width small enough to fit thru the rows. Most of the trees will be dwarf or semi dwarf, with the dwarf being on trellis much like grapes.
I am looking at the other tractors that have been recommended to me as well. I have no brand loyalty since I have never run anything more than a lawn tractor. I don't have the time to do a lot of tinkering with engines, since my day job is what makes all this possible in the first place. I need a tractor that I can get on and go.
John Deere seems to be priced higher for almost everything....The massey Ferguson tractors look nice but there is only 1 dealer who carries them about 30-40 miles from the land...Kubota has dealerships 30-40 miles away in several directions.
I will change my own oil unless they have designed it in such a way that I can't get to everything. I will keep it covered probably in a shipping container at first.
I am not opposed to used equipment, but I don't know how to avoid buying junk because I don't know what I am looking at.

 

[jeff9366]

Here is some more reading, this time an overview of tractor implements:

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonl...45263BDD8/11557/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf



"John Deere seems to be priced higher for almost everything....The massey Ferguson tractors look nice but there is only 1 dealer who carries them about 30-40 miles from the land."

Sorting out the mass of tractors available can be difficult. Generally speaking Kubota and Deere are priced about the same for tractors of equal weight and equal equipment. Almost every tier has a price line and a deluxe equipped line; i.e.: Kubota 'L' series and Kubota 'Grand L' series. Kubota and Deere command prices higher than everyone else, offset by the fact that Kubota and Deere retain value at resale better.

Though I am on my third tractor, second Kubota, it is convenient having my Kubota dealer six miles from my property. You will have a lot of questions as a first time tractor owner/operator. It is probable you will bend some parts in the learning process.

It is expensive to have dealer trailer a tractor for service. Dealer has to make four trips (two round-trips) with HD truck, HD trailer and driver to fetch and return tractor at $1.25 to $1.50 per mile. (40 X 4 X $1.25 = $200 at dealer cost.)

 

[Mysfyt]

Bought my L3901 for the same thing you're doing. Added a grapple to handle the wood. You'll have to add weight to the back end though, just FYI. The engine had the least amount of vibration at full RPMs of all the tractors I tried. So far I love it!

 

[wngsprd]

WoodChuckDad - congrats on your property. Sounds beautiful...I hike and fish a good bit just west of White Hall in SNP, so I know you'll love it, Nice breweries nearby for your hops, too.

If you have the time, come up to Ashland and check out several tractors...4 dealerships within a few miles...Kubota, Kioti, Massey, and John Deere. I bought my tractor at Cavalier (now Hoober) and also do a lot of business at James River for my Deere mower and Stihl equipment.. Great folks to work with, although you'll probably want to buy closer to C-ville.

Good luck.

 

[k0ua]

Find a brand and a dealership you like, I have owned New Holland, and Kubota's as well as my current Kioti machine which you see as my avatar. I would recommend buying an upscale machine if you can swing it financially. The more deluxe machines don't just have "bells and whistles" meaning useless comfort features. Those things a lot of people call "bells and whistles" are actually very important features that make operation much easier and more efficient. Some examples are Hydrostatic transmissions, Skid Steer Quick Attach on the loader, and Telescoping lower links and sway bars. All of these "bells and whistles" are very worthwhile features.

 

[DK35vince]

Kubota and Deere command prices higher than everyone else, offset by the fact that Kubota and Deere retain value at resale better.

I'm still waiting for someone to prove that to me. Price new vs price used that they actually have better resale than everyone else.

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Wngsprd, it sounds like you might have hiked on my land. You described it perfectly.
As for the bells and whistles, I know from reading that I definitely want hydrostatic transmission ( I have seen the term shuttle thrown out as well but I don't know if that is the same). Right now I am recovering from ACL surgery..so that is holding me back from climbing on a tractor, and also motivating me to get one that requires less pedal manipulation later....My daily driver for work is a lifted jeep. Stick shift doesn't scare me but working smart beats the heck out of working hard any time.
I want to buy from a local dealer (local to my land) for two reasons. First is for service....to build a relationship with the company that will do any service on my machine. The second is that if I am spending my money, I would rather it go to support a local business....and thereby help to insure their continued existence to meet my later needs. Economics speaks to me, so if I found a killer deal somewhere else I would probably take advantage of it, but it would have to be more than a couple hundred dollars.
I really appreciate all the advice...I didn't even know about the telescoping 3 pt attachments...I'm still trying to figure out the remote thing...I keep seeing 1 remote, 2 remote, 3 remote.... There should be a tractor 101 class.

 

[jeff9366]

There are in excess of 4,000,000 threads in the T-B-N archive. Learn how to search and most of your questions will already have been answered in the archive.

 

[DK35vince]

There are in excess of 4,000,000 threads in the T-B-N archive. Learn how to search and most of your questions will already have been answered in the archive.

Not sure who that is directed at, my post or the OP's ?