New tractor advice - 11 acres long driveway, Kubota/LS/Mahindra

[blackdogfarms]

I have been on the tractor hunt for quite a while for our 11 acres in eastern NC, 3 acres of mowing broken up on three separate 1 acre lots, the rest is heavily forested with tractor navigable hardwoods. My father has both a MF 35 and 25 hp cub cadet 4 in 1 front end loader tractor, that I have been operating for 20 years. I am familiar with these machines and their capabilities.

We anticipate building our forever home on the property within 5 years. My tractor needs are loader work (EA Grapple) for debris and hurricane clean up, keeping our 900ft driveway plus 1200 ft rock community right of way graded (several neighbors have tractors). Mowing, both bush and finish the aforementioned 3 acres, moving fire wood and doing other livestock (pigs, goats, chickens) farm chores.

I am looking for a 25-35 hp 4wd HST tractor FEL with the following attachments:

• EA Wicked Grapple
• 5 ft box blade
• 5 ft bush hog
• 5-6 foot finish mower - free from my dad
• pallet forks
• Third Function for grapple

I have emailed several dealers locally to get quotes. 3 - Kubota dealers within 1 hr, LS dealer 1.5 hrs and a Mahindra dealer 40 minutes. I ma not interested in MF, NH or JD equipment. I intend on financing the purchase.


So far I have heard back from 1 Kubota dealer and the LS dealer with quotes.

My choices are Kubota L2501, L3301 OR L3901 (only difference is hp, loader capacity the same), LS MT235he and whatever equivalent Mahindra. LS and Mahindra have a higher rated front end load lifting capacity which i like. I am still waiting on more quotes through next week.

The kubota and LS are the same cost in the 35 hp range running at about $25k each The LS quote threw in a backhoe attachment but isn't 0% interest, more like 4.5%.

LS


kubota


I have never operated an LS or Mahindra but my neighbor has the Kubota 3301. I feel the draw towards the Kubota due to reliability, closer dealer and better financing options. But I am not sure what size i need to get of the three choices listed above.

Does anyone have any suggests on which Kubota tractor size, or brand suggestions, any thing I am leaving out? I wil have to get insurance since financing that is an additional $50 a month unless i get a ryder on my insurance policy.

I have a rental equipment place 5 miles from the house to rent an mini-ex as needed, so i have ruled out needing a back hoe

 

[oosik]

Welcome to TBN & the forum. Prepare yourself for the onslaught of opinions. I started small - Ford 1700 4WD - and after 27 years upgraded to - Kubota M6040 4WD. This has worked out well for me. I have 80 acres - mile long gravel driveway - snow - and my land is very open with only Buck brush, Bunch grass and Ponderosa pine.

 

[blackdogfarms]

Thank you oosik fir the welcome. I have been lurking for years and am familiar with the vast opinions. My dad always said go bigger in HP as many on here have said. The biggest issue with his 25hp cub cadet/mitsubishi engine was it would over heat running a 72" finish mower. He has 10 acres of grass to mow, I dont. 80 acres is awesome.

Mine main tasks will be mowing and grapple/loaderwork with trees.

 

[bullbreaker]

Welcome Blackdogfarms to TBN !

Have you considered throwing Kioti into the choises ? You mention you have in plans alot of loader work so you should imo get a hydro . BTW I'am a stubborn gear head old school proponent .
Whats your favorite "shade " of orange ? One last idea just my :2cents: if you can afford it buy a tractor larger than the one you think you will need . Not stereotyping the superior sex but if you have a wife or girlfriends(s) the hydro imo will be easier for them to operate and help you and bond out in the field together !

BTW when I have recieved a blood transfusion its on my medical chart to give me Kubota "orange" !

Once again welcome to the forum !!! ..............

 

[K5lwq]

Welcome to TBN!

Kubota is an excellent tractor! Any CUT is going to have issues with the radiator collecting stuff and possibly overheating. The key is keeping the radiator clear. Check it often.

If you like a simple designed tractor without a ECM, look at Branson. Very nice machines. Draw back is depending on where you are located there is a lack of dealers.

 

[skipperbrown]

For your chores, I'd be looking for something more along the lines of your dad's MF35, something heavier and wider, but with HST. I'd also be looking at the 40-50 HP range and perhaps the grand series in the Kubota line (much heavier). If you go Kubota, which is never a bad choice, I think they will require you get their insurance with financing. It's more expensive, but it covers a lot more stuff than a home owner's policy. You will probably have this machine for the rest of your life. A little more expense up front can save you a lot of aggravation later on.

I find it odd that dealers aren't jumping to get your business and quote you a price. I ran into the same problem when I was shopping for my b2650 and ended up buying from Barlow some 500 miles away.

 

[jeff9366]

I am looking for a 25-35 hp 4wd HST tractor FEL with the following attachments:

• EA Wicked Grapple
• 5 ft box blade
• 5 ft bush hog
• 5-6 foot finish mower - free from my dad
• pallet forks
• Third Function for grapple

My Kubota choices are L2501, L3301 OR L3901.

The 2,700 pound bare weight platform should be ample unless your largest property has hills, in which case tractor may not be sufficiently stable.

You can mow dry, moderate length grass, no brush with a 5' Rotary Cutter weighing 450 pounds with 25-horsepower.

You can mow dry grass to 30" and moderate brush to 1" with a 5' medium duty Rotary Cutter weighing 650 pounds with 33-horsepower.

You can mow tall grass and heavy brush to 2" diameter on FLAT ground with a 5' heavy duty Rotary Cutter weighing 1,000 pounds with 39 horsepower. FEL advised for front weight.

 

[jeff9366]

I am looking for a 25-35 hp 4wd HST tractor FEL with the following attachments:

• EA Wicked Grapple
• 5 ft box blade
• 5 ft bush hog
• 5-6 foot finish mower - free from my dad
• pallet forks
• Third Function for grapple

You will need a heavy Box Blade mounted on the TPH to serve as counterbalance to grapple loads.

Are you intending to load rear tires with liquid? Or inflate rear tires with air?

 

[BRMyers]

Welcome to the forum. Here are some pictures with a Kubota L3560 with EA 55" Wicked Grapple and a 72" Bush Hog Box Blade.

 

[ruffdog]

Different tractors feel different to the people operating them. YOU must go drive them and make your decision on how they feel to you. I'm a stickler on keeping the radiators clean so the ability to get behind them to blow out debris is important. You will have to decide what is important for you.