Looking for my first tractor.. help

[joester]

Hi, this is my first post and I need help deciding on a new tractor. First I have zero exp with tractors. I bought a house and 8.5 acres last year. I will use the tractor to cut a 4 acree field, mow one fairly steep hill with a pond at the bottom right in the center, and clear some brush around the place. I have decided I definitely want a loader with the tractor, just seems too handy to not have and I could find many uses for it. I have looked at a lot of tractors on the internet new and used. Tomorrow I am going to browse a couple of local farm machinery places. From researching on the internet I like the Mahindras if I were to go with a new tractor but there are not any close dealers in case of problems. Closest is like 50-60 miles away. What hp would you recommend and would a 4wd be necessary for the hill? I will have to do a lot of crossways mowing on it because of the pond. I mow it now with my Poulan 22hp 54 inch cut garden tractor/lawn mower and it is about half dangerous in spots. Sorry this is so long and thanks for any suggestions.

 

[mjncad]

Welcome Joester:

A loader is a must have as most people will tell you. I'd also get 4WD as you won't regret it, especially with a loader. Most of my use involves the loader, so I also recommend a hydrostatic transmission. They are easy for newbies to use and makes precise loader work easier. As much as I like my manual transmissions in my car and truck, I am glad I went hydro with the tractor.

As for HP, I'm guessing low to mid 30's; but I'm sure more experienced users can give you more useful HP advice than I can.

Also if you are going new, try and add hydraulic remotes (SCV's and/or Power Beyond) up front. Don't believe the salesman who says these can be added later. They can provided the kits are still available because buying the parts individually can run the cost up 2x to 2.5x the kit price. I'm dealing with that issue now of getting hydraulic kits for my 4200, and I was in your boat back in 2001 and I wish I knew about TBN back then. The manufacturers have taken a cue from the electronics industry and introduce new models on a frequent basis, which makes upgrade kits availability a few years down the road problematic.

I got the industrial R4 tires, and now I kind of wish I went with the cheaper ag R1's, which have more traction.

In my case, I wish a cab was available for my rig as I would have gotten one. A cab was a factory option in Europe at the time.

 

[billbill1]

On the 4WD part, I just got back from a week long trip and the yard really needed mowed. It had rained several times while I was gone and the ground was soft. In 2WD, the rear tires would slip, ever so slightly and leave marks on the lawn. Put the tractor in 4WD and no slippage and no marks. The same applies on pushing snow or dirt, much more control in 4WD.

 

[IslandTractor]

Hi, this is my first post and I need help deciding on a new tractor. .

You came to the right place though you'll probably get more disparate advice than you know what to do with. So, my first bit of advice is to read the responses here as part of your general tractor education, not as specific advice no matter how firmly they are stated.

There are a couple of things you should clarify: how steep is that hill you refer to? Tractors are generally not as stable as cars or trucks on slopes. If the slope is less than 10 degrees or so you shouldn't have any issue but if it is more than that or there are hidden holes or rocks then look to see if you can mow going only up or down and not sideways. If the hill is steep and you must mow across because of the pond, then you should look for a tractor that is specifically set up for slope mowing such as a PowerTrac. The PowerTrac 420 or 425 might suit. The PowerTrac 1400 or 1800 series would be great but much more expensive. There are other similar mowers such as Ventrac and Steiner but those are more expensive.

4 acres of mowing can be done by a 20hp tractor but would be more efficiently done with a 30hp machine simply because it can use a larger mower. Are you finish cutting (lawn) or rough cutting (pasture, field)? A 20hp tractor usually will match with a 4ft rough cutter (bush hog) or a 5ft finish mower. Add a foot to each for a 30 hp tractor. You can do the math but basically you'll save about 20-25% time by using the bigger tractor mowing.

You mention brush clearing when describing your reasons for a loader. Loaders by themselves are not very efficient for that purpose but with a grapple added to the bucket or a separate full grapple they are very efficient. A toothbar adds some ability in this area to a plain bucket too. Mostly though, I'd be thinking bush hog as the first implement for dealing with brush. Why cart if off if you can mulch it in place?

Because of your unique hill/pond/mowing requirements, I'd suggest you go read up in the PowerTrac section and ask a similar question there. There are unfortunately no dealers for PowerTrac so you buy direct from the factory in WV but there is a loyal following here on TBN and they do a great job helping each other with service advice. The PowerTracs are also very simple machines compared to CUTs so they are not that difficult to work on.

Good luck and welcome to TBN.

 

[joester]

Thanks for the advice guys! Another question and yeah I might wear you all out for a few days! It is about the hill I was talking about mowing, I mow it with my lawn tractor right now. Would a tractor, since it would have the larger wheel base make a big difference in stability where I have to mow across the hill? I wish I could mow up and down, but the pond was cut into the hill and there is just no way to do it. Again, thanks for any advise.

 

[jbrumberg]

joester:

Welcome to TBN ! You have definitely received some good information so far (4WMFWD, R-1 tires, HST, etc.) . I would weight my tires. Any slope/tilt over 15 degrees can cause you trouble real quick if you dip into a rut and/or run over an obstruction Whatever size type of tractor or PowerTrack you ultimately get mow up and down and turn on as level ground as you can. Be very careful of your FEL height on an slope especially when carrying a load. SCUT's and CUT's are "tippy" due to their relatively narrow "foot print" and high center of gravity. As to HP requirements I have maintained my 12.5 A's with both a Ford 1100 (13/11 HP) and now my ""29". I can approcah my tasks differently and do most things more efficiently and quickly. I do miss my 1100's manueverability in my woods . Keep the posts and questions coming. Send pictures- we like pictures. Jay

 

[Soundguy]

My rec is 25-30hp, 4wd, and HST trans due to the hill, and water, and your no-experience.

soundguy

 

[EdC]

Welcome to TBN!!!

I don't mow with my machine (have a riding lawnmower for that) but it is amazing what any of these small diesel tractors can do. One thing they don't do well though is going sideways on a hill. Approach with caution. . I have to go up a hill on my place to get rocks I use for landscaping. If you cannot go straight up then try going on a diagonal; it will help.

As far as tractor selection, test drive them at the dealer. One will have the ergonomics that will just "fit" better than the others. If you can get a test out at your property so much the better. Remember that the dealer is important as well so try different dealers that sell the same brand.

Horsepower: any name brand tractor will do the job. More horsepower just means it will get done easier and quicker. I'd go with Soundguy's advice though as being the best balance of cost vs. hp. Definitely go with the MFWD, HST, and a loader with a toothbar; you'll find new uses for your tractor every time you use it.

Just my two cents from one newbie to another.

 

[jbrumberg]

Definitely get a toothbar for your FEL. Jay

 

[Runner]

joester,

If the hill is scary on a riding mower, it will be REAL scary on a CUT. I would go out there and actually measure the angle on that dam. If it's over 15 degrees and is rough, I probably would not want to mow it sidehill. I have hills on my land that are 20 degrees and I mow them sidehill with a 2520, but they are very smooth and I approach them VERY slowly.

Then again, I have some hills that I can't mow sidehill, and also can't turnaround at the top, so I wind up mowing them by just backing the mower up the hill (I need 4WD for this). This is also where having a wide mower is nice (my finish mower is 72 inches). I don't have to spend as much time backing up the hill.

IMO, 4WD is essential on CUT's, not so much because you'll get stuck without it, but just to be able to effectively get the power to the ground.

Finally, what dealers are close to you? I would check them out and then, try to find someone who has dealt with each of them to talk to. Ask their opinion of their customer service. I think I speak for most here in saying that having a good dealer makes a BIG difference. You can't always go by someone else's experience, but I would have given anything to find out a few things about my dealer before I bought there.

For the record, I have a JD2520 and finish mow 2 acres with a 72 inch finish mower and the other 4 with a 60 inch brush hog. It works fine for that, although the 72 inch mower is a little heavy to lug around on the hills, I need 4WD most of the time.

Best of luck on your search.

 

[Mech]

Hi, this is my first post and I need help deciding on a new tractor. First I have zero exp with tractors. I bought a house and 8.5 acres last year. I will use the tractor to cut a 4 acree field, mow one fairly steep hill with a pond at the bottom right in the center, and clear some brush around the place. I have decided I definitely want a loader with the tractor, just seems too handy to not have and I could find many uses for it. I have looked at a lot of tractors on the internet new and used. Tomorrow I am going to browse a couple of local farm machinery places. From researching on the internet I like the Mahindras if I were to go with a new tractor but there are not any close dealers in case of problems. Closest is like 50-60 miles away. What hp would you recommend and would a 4wd be necessary for the hill? I will have to do a lot of crossways mowing on it because of the pond. I mow it now with my Poulan 22hp 54 inch cut garden tractor/lawn mower and it is about half dangerous in spots. Sorry this is so long and thanks for any suggestions.

I grew up on a farm, drove tractors since I was 5, have bought 4 tractors, 3 used and one of them was a big problem. The advice I would give you is to find a good dealer, one that you think you can trust, tell them what you are going to do with it, and buy something that they recommend and that they will warrantee.

 

[machmeter62]

JOESTER: If it is possible, I would build a small barrier around the danger areas of the pond, with a curb or small retaining wall for safety, when operating in that area. If it destroys the view from your homesite, or some other reason; maybe a suitable fence would work? This may give you more options on the tractor selection?

Because of the fear of the hillside, what ever tractor you decide, I would get R-1 tires for safety, unless it is a low profile mowing type? They allow multiple adjustments for rear wheel width to prevent sliding, or the fear of a roll-over! As others may have mentioned, the horsepower range of 20-30, decides on how fast you want to complete the jobs? There is a lot of talent on this site, and if you read all the issues, your final decision will give you peace of mind. Good luck.