New Tractor Buyer - Where to Start?

[jeff9366]

Not really considering a cab at this time due to added cost. Tractor will be garage stored therefore needs to fit under a standard 84" height garage door.

Kubota compact tractor models which pass under an 84" garage door header include the 'B' series, the standard "L' series and the MX series.

Kubota 'Grand L' tractors are all too tall to pass under an 84" garage header, even with the ROPS folded.

VIDEOS (2): Kubota Standard L-Series. L25�1 L33�1 L39�1 L47�1 features and operation. - YouTube

Kubota MX series walk around and features by Messicks. | MX48 MX52 MX58 - YouTube

 

[jeff9366]

Hi, new member here. We will be moving soon to a new house with more space where owning a tractor would make sense.

What, are you going to use a tractor for house cleaning?

 

[jeff9366]

Home - 26 acres, nearly all wooded, central Wisconsin. Sandy soil, very flat. Mix of pines and small oak. Would be looking to use the tractor to do snow clearing, driveway maintenance (gravel, not very long), trails in woods, small food plot work, wood cutting, garden work (tilling, moving dirt, etc), some light brush clearing.

Family Land - 80 acres, nearly all wooded. Sandy/Muck, very flat. Larger trees than home. Main use here would be to level out/maintain ATV trails in the woods, some small food plot work, brush clearing.

Part of me wants to recommend a 2,700 pound bare weight tractor such as the Kubota L2501/L3301/L3901 (55" wide with R1/ag tires). Your flat topography influences this thought. If you receive a lot of snow, you will need an L3901 (39 net engine horsepower) to power a wide snow blower. An L3901 will power a 72" bush hog/rotary cutter through moderate brush.

I see a lot of people recommending "enough tractor" and I'm hoping to avoid the mistake of trading up from my first tractor because it couldn't accomplish what I was hoping to do.

However, 26 acres + 106 acres is a lot of trails and makes me want to recommend a 3,300 pound bare weight Kubota L4701 (62" wide with R1/Ag tires) or a 3,700 pound bare weight Kubota MX series (70" wide with R1/ag tires). Tractors of 3,300 pounds or heavier can pull a Disc Harrow with pans 20" in diameter which will be functional maintaining your trails, creating and maintaining food plots and creating a garden.

I have sandy soil in Florida. My two main tractor implements for pedestrian trail maintenance on 200 acres are a Disc Harrow followed by a framed "lift" Chain Harrow.

BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR​

 

[Bavarian]

Buy the smallest hp tractor WITH cab and A/C that you can find from one of the main brands and a close ny dealer. If you use it for snow clearing, after two or three winters you're gonna hate the open station in -10 weather. It's not only the temperatures that causes issues, it's the wind while using a blower. You're gonna be snow covered all over and even with a snow mobile suit and a helmet, you'll feel the cold.

 

[nards444]

Buy the smallest hp tractor WITH cab and A/C that you can find from one of the main brands and a close ny dealer. If you use it for snow clearing, after two or three winters you're gonna hate the open station in -10 weather. It's not only the temperatures that causes issues, it's the wind while using a blower. You're gonna be snow covered all over and even with a snow mobile suit and a helmet, you'll feel the cold.

Yeah living in upstate NY, last thing I would want is an open station while blowing snow. With that said would ensure the tractor has AC for the summer (only 25hp and below that does is the Kubota B2650) if it doesnt ensure the doors come off easy.

 

[paulfun9]

Yeah living in upstate NY, last thing I would want is an open station while blowing snow. With that said would ensure the tractor has AC for the summer (only 25hp and below that does is the Kubota B2650) if it doesnt ensure the doors come off easy.

My understanding is that Kioti is now or will be very soon offering the CK2610HST SE that will have a cab and air might also want to look for it.

 

[airbiscuit]

Yes a cab would be nice, but we don't know his budget. I do snow removal/snow blowing, and I really don't mind the open station.

 

[nards444]

My understanding is that Kioti is now or will be very soon offering the CK2610HST SE that will have a cab and air might also want to look for it.

yeah I was looking at the CK2510 and while they offered a factoryish cab(factory cab installed by dealer) there was no AC, that was one reason I went with the B2650

 

[paulfun9]

yeah I was looking at the CK2510 and while they offered a factoryish cab(factory cab installed by dealer) there was no AC, that was one reason I went with the B2650

This is a cab with air/heat on the 2610se, for me unless the land was flat, chores easy I’m not sure I would want the air on any tractor with only 25 hp. I would really need to test run one to see just how much power is left for work. Probably need a demo unit for a couple weeks before a I could make an honest buying decision on one from any manufacture.

 

[nards444]

This is a cab with air/heat on the 2610se, for me unless the land was flat, chores easy I’m not sure I would want the air on any tractor with only 25 hp. I would really need to test run one to see just how much power is left for work. Probably need a demo unit for a couple weeks before a I could make an honest buying decision on one from any manufacture.

yeah either need AC or the doors better come off easy.

I have the B2650 on 4 acres which same HP. This tractor probably TBH would do all the work that about 80-90% or so of the average home owners would ever need to do. Mowing 100 acres, hauling 5ft thick trees, and so forth no.

 

[christiansok]

What, are you going to use a tractor for house cleaning?

I should give a little more detail. About 5 years back we moved from a home on a half acre with a 30x35 shop to a home on a half acre with no shop, just a 3 stall garage. That garage has been overflowing with stuff ever since. Now we are moving out to the new house on the 26 acres with a large 30x32 attached garage along with a 28x32 detached garage. So long story short besides the new land opening up more uses for a tractor we have also gained some more parking space for toys.

 

[christiansok]

Buy the smallest hp tractor WITH cab and A/C that you can find from one of the main brands and a close ny dealer. If you use it for snow clearing, after two or three winters you're gonna hate the open station in -10 weather. It's not only the temperatures that causes issues, it's the wind while using a blower. You're gonna be snow covered all over and even with a snow mobile suit and a helmet, you'll feel the cold.

I guess I'm not too worried about the cab option at this time. More cost and more height is what I see. I've never really had an issue with snowblowing living in this area my whole life. The size of this driveway with my snowblower now (just a simple walk behind, 26") it probably will only take about an hour. If it's real windy I just put on some snowboarding goggles. It's pretty rare to get really dumped on (more than 8-12") in a single snow storm here. Snow clearing with a bucket actually appeals to me more. I have some fond memories growing up of the small sledding hills my grandpa would make with the tractor/loader and I'm hoping to do the same.

 

[airbiscuit]

1. What is your approximate budget?
2. Where is the nearest dealer to you?
3. You will fill up that new shop quicker than you think.
4. At only 45 minutes, I would make two trips rather than having a very long trailer.

 

[christiansok]

1. You will fill up that new shop quicker than you think.
   

I'm expecting it should be pretty much full day one since I still have all the stuff I used to have a spot for (welder, drill press, chop saw, etc) back when I had my old shop and has been packed away tight for the past 5 years....just hoping for that one extra spot to park something.

 

[jeff9366]

Snow clearing with a bucket appeals to me.

VIDEO: SNOW EDGE TRACTOR - YouTube

 

[airbiscuit]

When you say Central WI are we talking closer to LaCrosse, Black River Falls, Stevens Point, Wausau or ???

 

[christiansok]

When you say Central WI are we talking closer to LaCrosse, Black River Falls, Stevens Point, Wausau or ???

Stevens Point would be the closest of those.

 

[tradosaurus]

Think about the clearance between the bottom of the tractor and potential obstructions. I have 45 acres of woods and I've banged my hydraulic filter quite a bit, bent the accelerator pedal steel rods underneath.

 

[finn1]

No way would I consider a tractor without a cab in Stevens Point unless it was an old beater that cost only a couple thousand dollars. I would recommend a Kioti ck 3510se, or 4010se, with a cab and hydrostatic transmission.

Don’t be afraid of a DPF, either. Most of the posters that are negative don’t have any experience and never owned one.

Sort of like my grandfather who would never own a car with an automatic transmission or air conditioning.

 

[paulfun9]

Can’t say I blame your grandfather! I still haven’t had an automatic transmission I like and rarely use the air at all so why pay for it.

If you have seen the problems and cost of emissions on my trucks you would understand the reluctance to want it on my tractor. By the way talk to those who don’t want it in a few years, remember it’s all new right now but the question is what is going to happen down the line that is in question.