New Member Wants a New (ok, used) Tractor

[TrctrGrl]

Hi, I'm tractor shopping along with my husband. I'm a total newbie. My husband has some experience from his teenage days on his Dad's farm, long since sold, and his current Farmall H (that doesn't have a 3 pt hitch and the FEL doesn't really work). So, I'm here to learn, any comments and suggestions welcome! I posted a few questions below(sorry to be so long winded.)

Land Stats:

• 30 ac. south central PA, 1000 gravel drive subject to drifting
• We put driveway 2 yrs ago, built the shop last summer and the house is slated for next summer (2011). The shop is my husband's main gig and I'm more interested in the farm side of things (and therefore really in need of some tractor learn'n).
• 15 ac in native warm season grasses (little bluestem)
• 10 ac in cool season grasses
• 5 ac rough old alpha field that needs work (aka mowing)

Tractor Use:

• Bushhog 5 ac pasture to maintain for grazing
• Occasional mowing of large pastures but mostly neighbor farmers harvest hay from them
• Move round bales I get from the neighbor's harvest effort
• Move building materials for house, and later for barn, run-in shed and fencing
• Turn compost pile, move garden materials, plant windbreak & orchard trees
• Maintain driveway (plow in winter, occasional scrape/level/add gravel)
• Other stuff?

Tractor Thoughts Thus Far:

• Used, ~$15k, Name brand (Kubota, JD, NH)
• FEL with purchase, and used 6 bushhog this year
• Used Plow/blower before next winter (2012), maybe this year if we get lucky
• Other implements later as time/money allows
• Cab for winter wind protection, after-market is OK

Some General Questions (before we get down to tractor details)

Ergonomics: I really have trouble using my husband's old tractor as I can not reach the controls and have to hang off of it to set the brake. At 5' 1" tall I don't feel safe on it, but he likes it just fine (at 6'2"). I'm wondering if any of you guys out there share your tractor with the little lady. Any suggestions? My husband said I need to try them out when we go shopping, but since I really don't know how to drive one well, I'm concerned about trying it in a lot packed with pricey equipment. Yikes!

Future Hay: I know I need the bushhog this summer. But to tell the truth, in the back of my mind I have an idea that (in the future) I would like to be able to cut a small amount of our pasture for my own hay (1 ac maybe) rather than relying on the neighbor (he lets it get really mature). I know a baler is out of our price range and more than I want to do but I was just thinking if I could cut a small amount and get a used tender, then maybe I could just hand-fork it onto the trailer we already have. But a bushog isn't the tool for that, right? So, is there equipment that I could use to both mow tall weeds (in the 5 ac pasture) and cut a small section of the good pasture for loose hay? Or am I just crazy?

Blower vs Plow: I was surprised to see on another post how many of you recommended a blower instead of a plow for a long drive with snowdrift problems. From what little I've seen, a blower means you have to attach it to the back and then drive backwards the whole time to clear the drive. Forgive me if I sound like a whiny girl, but that sounds hard to do. I stink at backing up (in cars anyway). Do you guys really look over your shoulder for 1000'+ feet of driveway?

Dealing with Dealers: We've been looking in the farming paper for used tractors but the dealers seem to have much better selection so I imagine that will wind up buying there. We don't mind paying a fair price, but don't want to overpay either. Are dealers open to negotiating used tractors? How the economic slow down impacted the price of used tractors?

 

[gpick]

One big consideration in shopping used tractors at dealers is they will be subject to sales tax. Check if ag equipment has to be registered in PA. If so, then they will probably whack you for use tax which is same as sales tax. States vary but even in California which taxes everything, tractors from a private party have no tax.

Buying used from owners will require more research and patience though.

 

[jtheise4]

Welcome to the forum! My wife and I were in a similar situation recently. We own property and needed a tractor to bush hog and clear brush. I grew up around tractors and have no issue driving a gear tractor. My wife on the other hand had never even sat on a riding mower, let alone driven a tractor. She was very apprehensive to test drive at the dealership. I think you'll find most dealers are very willing to explain the controls and give you enough room to comfortably drive the machine. I would highly recommend a hydrostatic transmission. You lose some power due to losses in the hydraulics, but for ease of operation, they simply can not be beat. Push one pedal, it goes forward. Push the other pedal, it goes backward. My wife now loves to drive the tractor.

As far as brand and size, I think any of the major manufacturers make an excellent quality machine. I would say you should look in the range of 30 to 40 horse.

Good luck.

 

[bigbull338]

a HST tractor will suit your needs just fine.an itll do everything you want it todo.now i know you dont want to hear this,but a new MX5100 kubota HST 4x4 is what you need.because it has a foot pedal to go farward an backward.a lever that lets you shift from hi low an med.it also has a cruise control so your not using the foot pedal all the time.

 

[bp fick]

Wow, you are quite articulate and have listed your situation well.

I would highly recommend that you take your considerable organization and research skills and apply them to TractorHouse.com. This will arm you with dealer list prices on 40 hp type tractors, with the age/hours that your prefer.

You can expect to save 15% off those prices, when buying from a private party, and, as has been said, the sales tax. Between those two items, we're talking a tidy sum of money. But, if you're not comfortable buying that way and wish to "trust" a dealer, you'll pay both the premium and the sales tax, and sometimes, it just has to be that way for people be comfortable. That will be your decision, of course.

Typically, what happens here is that the next 40 posters will tell you to buy this or buy that. The recommendations can get a little overwhelming.

All that is fine and well, but you'll still need to invest the time being a purchasing agent and study, study, study. So, what is a good price on the three year old, XXXX Kubota L series with the goods you want/need price out?

Does the XX John Deere or the XXX New Holland we have the features we want, at a price point we wish to pay? Yeah, it's work, but it is also enjoyable. May you enjoy your research and have faith. That tractor is out there!! Best regards,

 

[TripleR]

Welcome to the forum, I agree your post was well thought out and well written.

To be honest, I don't know how you will be able to get what you want/need for the price quoted. I would be looking at a 35/40 HP machine with HST at a minimum. I own mostly Kubotas, but have owned different brands and don't see any quality difference in the top brands.

The model numbers are just too many to go into, so just look at the size/weight/HP to do your jobs and go from there.

We have had really good luck buying used tractors in the past, but my brother is a mechanic and we can take a chance on something others might have to pass on. Some of those old tractors with seemingly a lot of hours can really provide a lot of value.

For someone with little to no experience, I usually recommend going out and renting a tractor for a minimum of one day in order to get a baseline. Our local rental place has a Kubota GL3240 on their lot and a day on that will give someone an idea of what they probably need. Armed with that information, you can proceed with your research.

Check with your neighbors and spend some time with them to find out some good dealers, talk to the dealer to find out what they have and let them know what you are in the market for and they might be able to help you out with a quick sale. We traded in a POS Case CX80 this summer and it didn't even make it to the dealer as they had a buyer "as is" because he was a mechanic with his own shop. In the end, he wound up with a good tractor and the dealer made a few bucks as he didn't have to do anything but pick it up and deliver it.

We bought two tractors this year, a 7 year old GL5030 HSTC and a new M8540 HSDC. I got the 5030 before it was even cleaned up and put out on the lot and saved a lot of money.

Just do your research, don't get in a hurry and shop around. Good luck.

 

[RPW]

Welcome, IMO I believe what you might want to look at is something a bit bigger. For the size of property you have and taking into account weather, personal comforts and tasks you want to tackle. For the size of property I would go with a 50 ~ 70 HP. Reason is that you indicated that you would be interested in producing your own hay. Most balers will require >50 (round) to work effectivally. Cab will be a nice feature for winter while working snow. MFWD is always nice. HST or gear? Personal choice. For field work I would prefer gear. If a lot of loader work then HST might be better. Using Tractorhouse to strart your search is a good way to go. I've seen some very good deals and I wish I would have looked there more before I purchased. I would also suggest looking into more of the utility / AG over a CUT. CUT's are great if you have a lot of manuvering to do but I think a larger Utility would be more stable in the fields. Of course there are exceptions and it varies with the ability of the user. Look, sit and drive. I also believe that dealer support is probably the most important aspect over brand.

Good luck.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Take your pick:

Tractors, Used Tractors, Tractors For Sale At TractorHouse.com - Page 1

 

[RobertBrown]

First off I would like to tell you that you have scripted and exemplary post for someone considering a tractor.
It seems to me that you need something in the 40 hp or up range and 4wd with an fel.
You seem to be on a buget yet your very willing to complain about driving backwards and ergonomics, somewhat condradictory...only important because a hydrostatic trans is going to have higher operating costs and a blower that mounts to the front is going to higher up front cost and operating costs, if you can find it (I don't know much about snow removal, I'm from Florida.)
You have mentioned nothing about storage limitations, so I'm recomending you buy a full size tractor. The manufacturer should be determined by the dealers in your area. If you have a great dealer then buy his tractor.
I would not worry so much about the price, rather the size and type must be correct or you'll have to start over. I suggest thet you get more trctor than you think you need and not worry so much that it fits someone 5'-1". It seems to me that your using your husbands museum piece as a comparison and newer tractors are far more ergonomic then the Farmall.

 

[TrctrGrl]

Thank you all for your time and practical advice, and also the encouragement it is much appreciated.

There are a lot of good ideas here so I'm going to take some time to digest them and as suggested, check out TractorHouse.com. This purchase will be a lot of money and we'll be living (working) with this tractor for a long time to come. I agree with your cautions to take the time needed to make a well considered decision.

So, you won't see me for a bit while we go off and research and then I'll likely be back with some additional questions. This is a very nice forum you've all got here, really packed with info and insights (and apparently very nice people.)

Regards,
TrctrGrl

PS Thanks for the thumbs-up on the initial post. I spent a fair bit of the past 22 yrs sitting in a cubicle doing research and technical writing, so I guess it is a habit by now. I hope I can spend a fair bit of the next 22 yrs sitting on my tractor doing all sorts of fun things!