Need Tractor But....

[jsduke]

Greetings All,

I've got apprx. 9+ acres(mostly wooded and brushy) with some steep terrain. There is a lot of laying tree tops and blowdown as well. My backyard is sloped has a stable sinkhole(needs fill) and I'm losing soil(settling and erosion). I also have a 500+ ft. gravel drive. Lost some serious $$$ on a completely non-productive money pit crawler. Gonna be a tough sell with my better half. I've been reading all the posts (and many of the links) but need as much advice as you fine
folks can lend!

Great site!

duke.

p.s. went to Kubota dlr. / got brochures. Must be the land
of Kubota. 3 dlrs. local.

 

[prosperity]

hey - where are you located?

 

[Soundguy]

If you have 9 ac... you need a tractor.. So what do you have now? Some kind of skidsteer?

Soundguy

 

[jsduke]

Live south of Altoona. The crawler is gone. I have an ATV and
a couple of walk behind mowers.

duke.

 

[prosperity]

I'm north of Dubois.

From the description of your property, sounds like a 4wd with a loader. Something big enough to run a bush hog, but small enough negotiate.
I'm only familiar with JD. Take a look at the 4000 series. If you want a little smaller, the 2000 series.

JD compact diesels

 

[DK35vince]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm north of DuBois )</font>

Hello,
I was just in DuBios a few days ago. I am from Clarion.

 

[frank_f15]

WELCOME TO THE FORUM; think u might want to look in the 24 to 30 hp range, fwd and loader, my advice is to look into hydo, i love it, but u may prefer gear! also be sure u get the type tires that will best fit u uses! for me R4"s are great. will not recomend brand that is for u to decide! go with the one that fits u best.

 

[JeepOne]

Welcome Duke. I live a few miles south of Breezewood and got a great deal at McCoy's Equipment in New Paris off of I-99 (Rt56). Let me know if I can be of assistance. Again welcome aboard. This is a great resource!!

Ken

 

[jsduke]

???

With the slopes wouldn't a larger kubota (3130) be a better choice than say a 2910/7800 for stability and capability (not to mention loader/ box blade performance)? But then there is the question of maneuverability and storage. With my fairly dense wooded area (75%+ overall) will the larger machine be nimble/small enough? I don't have a garage or outbuilding (not in budget either). It's either under an overhang of the house (requires moving deck support) or strictly tarp city (?!?).

Thanks for the input, keep it coming.

duke.

P.S. Ken, I've been to McCoy's. Are they good people? How about their pricing and service. I have no more tolerance for hassles or scams. Thanks, I need all the help I
can get.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: ???

I had an L2900 which is just a little smaller than the L3130. I live on 10 acres and have about an 1 of mowing. I needed a little smaller tractor for mowing. The B2910 is perfect. It has all the power that the L2900 had but just a little more compact. I would narrow it down first to a brand. Than pick to sizes that you want. Compare prices and features. The information is here but you have to decide what you want.

 

[chrisjbell]

Good advice on the sizing. Also...

<font color="blue"> my advice is to look into hydo, i love it </font>

I'm also a fan of HST. I was tractoring quite a bit over the weekend /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif and was thinking again how much I like hydro over clutch. Unless you're doing serious row cropping, plowing, etc., I think that is the way to go.

Welcome to TBN!

 

[JeepOne]

Re: ???

Duke, I did'nt price the 2910/7800/3130. I was interested in the B7500 and I got a good deal. McCoy's has two locations. I went to the New Paris location. I talked with Troy (owner son) initially and signed the deal with Don McCoy (Owner). The son was the one to quote me the price of $12,250 for the B7500 with 302 FEL, bucket hooks, and loaded wide R4 tires. That was the best price around and his father stood by it. Looked at his maintenance operation and I liked what I saw. Also, they said their shop rates are the cheapest around. I don't think you'll get a runaround from them. Just tell them you want the best deal upfront /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Good luck.

Ken

 

[grandad]

You're close to describing my property... 10.75 acres with some hilly wooded and some level open, lots of blowdown and leaning junk trees in the woods.

I'll agree with what others have said, but add as follows. If you are going to clear the deadfall timber yourself (which is extremely dangerous work), get something that has some pulling power and stability. You will find some situations (example: leaners and blowdowns hung in other trees) where you will want to pull the tree (using a looong chain!) because felling it with a chain saw is just too risky.

So there is a tradeoff between size and maneuverability. Depending on how much of this you need to do, consider a logging winch attachment. Also, a backhoe is great for stump removal. Just remember... it's only money!

Also, some people have recommended starting out with a bigger, used tractor for some of this heavy work, if you don't mind turning a wrench once in a while to keep it running. Some of the used ag equipment can be less expensive. Then, trade out to a new compact when the ugly work is done and you can afford new.

Good luck!