Buying Advice Newbie asking for opinions

[water63]

Hi all, I am new to buying a tractor and I have not yet made a decision but I am hoping to get some opinions.

I have approx. 25 acres of pasture to mow/maintain, but I have somebody that cuts and bales most of it. It is mainly just weeds, the edges of the property, and the yard (basically just pasture) that I want to keep up. I also have some heavy lifting needs and would like to even out some rough spots with a small disc or tiller. I have a mower that I still use but the grass and weeds get out of hand everywhere but the yard.

My budget is approx. $18,000 but I would love to spend less if I can get away with it.

The main things that I am looking for are bang for my buck, quality, and ease of resale.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[bigbull338]

you could get by probly with a mx4700 w/la844 loader.an that would do your shredding an should do your lifting.2wd drive tractors will be cheaper.

 

[RoyJackson]

Boy...if you want opinions, you have definitely come to the right place!!!

So, you want to clean up weeds and such on 25 acres that is currently worked by someone else. I'll guess you're looking at cleaning up the periphery of the acreage. I'll guess that would be two laps around the acreage with a 72" rotary cutter...sound about right?
And you want to do some "heavy" lifting? How "heavy" is heavy? Less then 1000 lbs? Does this mean you want a loader, or are you going to carry the load on the 3PH?

For $18K (including the cutter?), you'll probably have to buy used. For the work you described, I'd suggest a Deere 4300 or equivalent (25-35 PTO HP). If you go with a CUT (such as the 4300) you'll probably want 4WD.
You could also go for a full sized tractor since you're buying used.

 

[siddle]

I gotta back Roy. He is right. A Deere 4300 would be the best one to mow 25 acres of pasture.

 

[RPW]

Is your cutting/baling arrangement permenant? You might either want or have to start doing the cutting/baling yourself. For $18k you should be able to pickup a decent 2wd in the 50 ~ 70 HP (used of course) and a decent shredder. Unless you find the ultimate deal you'll be looking at an open station. The deals are out there as i was at an auction recently (less than 6mo ago) and saw a JD 4010? (late 80s - mid 90s) series with cab go for about $10k. I wish I had the money at the time to have got it.

[edit] Where in Central Texas are you?

 

[TripleR]

For someone who has no experience with operating a tractor or sometimes someone who has been away from them for a while with only a little prior experience, it can be helpful to rent a tractor for a day or two to get a feel for what a particular unit will handle and give you a baseline.

There are almost an unlimited number and size of tractors that will work for you. I like 4WD, but 2WD can work really well depending on your terrain/conditions, we have some that work quite well and 4WD would be a waste of weight, money and complexity.

 

[jerrywane]

a good used 40-50 h.p. will do ya 2 w/d only if not in soggy or hilly,slopey terrain....a new new holland or cub cadet with a loader is about 20-22 g......try a few out if you have the oportunity to, and good luck-be carefull,use rops,and learn your limitations slowly....these things kill people all the time.Ive hade mine for 5 years now and will be learning new ways to get in trouble.....i will never own but a 4 wheel drive because of the slopes with a bucket spells single wheel left on the ground a couple of times.....and one more thing......4 wheel drive can mean 4 wheels spinning where i am from...good luck

 

[LittleBlueTractor]

Don't assume 18K means you have to go the "used" route. Look around at some of the other brand's forums below: Mahindra, Kioti, LS, TYM, etc.... You can easily find something around 30 hp w/FEL (and a 5 year warranty) with a new cutter to boot for that kind of money.

 

[Soundguy]

so it sounds like you want a tractor, cheap as you can get it.. good quality.. do some work with it, then sell it off.

My advice.. get a ford 4XXX or ford 5XXX and an 8' or 10' mower ( 8' / 4xxx ) etc.. and you can mow with it.. do heavy lifting.. etc. won't set you back more than about 7k$ and you can sell it for that after using it.

a 6' HD mower will save you 1k$ off that and stick with a 4XXX model to save another 1k$.. so for about 5k$ and just a lil more seat time you will have a machine that will eat anything it can drive over.

add a disc and box blade and you can cut and level.

3pt lift should be good for a couple thousand pounds at least.

soundguy

Hi all, I am new to buying a tractor and I have not yet made a decision but I am hoping to get some opinions.

I have approx. 25 acres of pasture to mow/maintain, but I have somebody that cuts and bales most of it. It is mainly just weeds, the edges of the property, and the yard (basically just pasture) that I want to keep up. I also have some heavy lifting needs and would like to even out some rough spots with a small disc or tiller. I have a mower that I still use but the grass and weeds get out of hand everywhere but the yard.

My budget is approx. $18,000 but I would love to spend less if I can get away with it.

The main things that I am looking for are bang for my buck, quality, and ease of resale.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[water63]

Boy...if you want opinions, you have definitely come to the right place!!!

So, you want to clean up weeds and such on 25 acres that is currently worked by someone else. I'll guess you're looking at cleaning up the periphery of the acreage. I'll guess that would be two laps around the acreage with a 72" rotary cutter...sound about right?
And you want to do some "heavy" lifting? How "heavy" is heavy? Less then 1000 lbs? Does this mean you want a loader, or are you going to carry the load on the 3PH?

For $18K (including the cutter?), you'll probably have to buy used. For the work you described, I'd suggest a Deere 4300 or equivalent (25-35 PTO HP). If you go with a CUT (such as the 4300) you'll probably want 4WD.
You could also go for a full sized tractor since you're buying used.

Sounds about right on this. Not sure the weight, but mainly old logs, fence posts, concrete globs, etc...

I definitely will want a FEL, shredder, disc or tiller, and possibly a finishing mower.

Is your cutting/baling arrangement permenant? You might either want or have to start doing the cutting/baling yourself. For $18k you should be able to pickup a decent 2wd in the 50 ~ 70 HP (used of course) and a decent shredder. Unless you find the ultimate deal you'll be looking at an open station. The deals are out there as i was at an auction recently (less than 6mo ago) and saw a JD 4010? (late 80s - mid 90s) series with cab go for about $10k. I wish I had the money at the time to have got it.

[edit] Where in Central Texas are you?

The cutting/baling arrangement is basically as long as my buddy wants to come and do it and get some free hay. I think he will continue as long as he has cattle. I am good with having an open station...for whatever reason I just don't really want a cab. I'm in Robertson County....about 30 miles or so North of Bryan/College Station.

For someone who has no experience with operating a tractor or sometimes someone who has been away from them for a while with only a little prior experience, it can be helpful to rent a tractor for a day or two to get a feel for what a particular unit will handle and give you a baseline.

There are almost an unlimited number and size of tractors that will work for you. I like 4WD, but 2WD can work really well depending on your terrain/conditions, we have some that work quite well and 4WD would be a waste of weight, money and complexity.

Thank you for that idea, I may give that a try, or I may test out a buddy's before I purchase. I typically take several weeks of looking around and reading before I buy something this big.


I took a look at the Kubota dealer here (online) and it looks like they have a L3400 4X4 with a FEL, 5' shredder, and 5' box blade for $16,700. I have not been able to price compare with any other dealers yet.

How would a price like this compare with a similar John Deere? Would this be "enough" tractor or possibly too much?

 

[RoyJackson]

...took a look at the Kubota dealer here (online) and it looks like they have a L3400 4X4 with a FEL, 5' shredder, and 5' box blade for $16,700. I have not been able to price compare with any other dealers yet.

How would a price like this compare with a similar John Deere? Would this be "enough" tractor or possibly too much?

That L3400 has 28.5 (HST) to 30 (Gear) PTO HP, which should be quite adequate for the tasks you're described.
As far as comparison to a Deere...I'm more into used tractors then new, but the PTO HP would put you in the 3320 or 3520. I haven't priced new Deeres in a few years, so one of our other TBN friends can better help you. As far as a used Deere, the PTO HP would put you on the seat of a 4300, 4310, 4400 or 4410. Prices of these machines (with 4WD and a loader) would be $2000-$4000 less then the L3400.

 

[flusher]

Hi all, I am new to buying a tractor and I have not yet made a decision but I am hoping to get some opinions.

I have approx. 25 acres of pasture to mow/maintain, but I have somebody that cuts and bales most of it. It is mainly just weeds, the edges of the property, and the yard (basically just pasture) that I want to keep up. I also have some heavy lifting needs and would like to even out some rough spots with a small disc or tiller. I have a mower that I still use but the grass and weeds get out of hand everywhere but the yard.

My budget is approx. $18,000 but I would love to spend less if I can get away with it.

The main things that I am looking for are bang for my buck, quality, and ease of resale.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

My 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft, skid steer quick attach) cost about $19K plus tax new. I use it for haying on my 10 acre spread. Something like this rig would handle all you present and future chores.



YOu need to think about features you want on your tractor--like rear (and possibly) front hydraulic remotes. My 5525 has triple remotes installed by the dealer when I bought the tractor ($750). Larger tractors generally have dual rear remotes.



Also, get chain hooks installed on the FEL bucket-- my dealer installed mine (I bought the hooks, he did the welding, including a 1/4" thick reinforcement plate along the top of the bucket. You can see these hooks in the 2nd photo above along with the skid steer quick attach rig on the ends of the FEL arms.

Of course, you can save $$$ by going with a smaller tractor, but with the size of your place, I wouldn't go below 40 hp (pto). Or you can go with a used tractor--but that puts you in another ballpark where you need experience in sizing up candidate tractors and where you need to be able to do a lot of the maintenance/repairs yourself.

Good luck.

 

[jenkinsph]

There are lots of tractors that will work for you new and used, I would get something about 40 to 60 hp. Depending on the deal I would be open to a good used 2wd or 4wd for use in your locale. What becomes available for the right price would be the deciding factor. If you have questions about a particular model post them here and you should get some opinions and advice.


FWIW, I think having someone cut and bale on your property is a bad idea. This depletes the soil and nutrients and you wind up with poor land at some point. On the otherhand, mowing the grasses and proper amendments will build up the land. Which way do you wan't to go?


Soundguy's suggestion of a used tractor and larger mower is good advice.

 

[TripleR]

There are lots of tractors that will work for you new and used, I would get something about 40 to 60 hp. Depending on the deal I would be open to a good used 2wd or 4wd for use in your locale. What becomes available for the right price would be the deciding factor. If you have questions about a particular model post them here and you should get some opinions and advice.


FWIW, I think having someone cut and bale on your property is a bad idea. This depletes the soil and nutrients and you wind up with poor land at some point. On the other hand, mowing the grasses and proper amendments will build up the land. Which way do you want to go?

Soundguy's suggestion of a used tractor and larger mower is good advice.

We found this out the hard way only with row crops many years ago. We took the land from him and rented it to someone we trusted, but it took years to build the land back up. You really have to monitor someone using your land.

 

[water63]

Thanks to everybody for chipping in and giving me your opinions!

I was able to make it over to the Kubota dealer in my area and I took a look at the L3400. Drove it around a little and I liked it. The size seemed just about right. Price is at $16,600 with a Howse 5' shredder and a 5' box blade (do not recall the brand), and a FEL. I have not yet gone to the JD or NH dealer to see how their pricing and finance options compare.

I am a little apprehensive about going the used tractor route, first, because of the finance options provided by Kubota....and I'm sure the other dealers are similar on these. Second, I don't know if I can deal with the repair aspect of owning a used one. I am definitely looking around, but it is not as easy for someone with little to no experience with tractors to pick out a 'good' one.

Now I have questions about the shredder. If I were to go with the L3400 package I will most likely have them keep the box blade and take it off of the price. I have many friends and family who have already offered theirs up to loan to me should I need it. So my question is, would I be better off telling them to keep both the shredder and box blade and opt to upgrade to a name brand more heavy duty shredder (Rhino is what they stock I believe)? If so, should I get a slip clutch or a shear pin design? Will the L3400 pull a 6' shredder effectively? Or would I have to stick with a 5'?

There are lots of tractors that will work for you new and used, I would get something about 40 to 60 hp. Depending on the deal I would be open to a good used 2wd or 4wd for use in your locale. What becomes available for the right price would be the deciding factor. If you have questions about a particular model post them here and you should get some opinions and advice.


FWIW, I think having someone cut and bale on your property is a bad idea. This depletes the soil and nutrients and you wind up with poor land at some point. On the otherhand, mowing the grasses and proper amendments will build up the land. Which way do you wan't to go?


Soundguy's suggestion of a used tractor and larger mower is good advice.

We found this out the hard way only with row crops many years ago. We took the land from him and rented it to someone we trusted, but it took years to build the land back up. You really have to monitor someone using your land.

Thanks for the input on this issue guys. Really it's a buddy of mine that comes out and cuts and bales just once each year. It's more probably a favor to me than it is for him to get the hay. I just told him he can come out and cut the grass and bale it and keep the hay. I just needed the pasture mowed.

 

[TripleR]

I am a little apprehensive about going the used tractor route, first, because of the finance options provided by Kubota....and I'm sure the other dealers are similar on these. Second, I don't know if I can deal with the repair aspect of owning a used one. I am definitely looking around, but it is not as easy for someone with little to no experience with tractors to pick out a 'good' one.

Now I have questions about the shredder. If I were to go with the L3400 package I will most likely have them keep the box blade and take it off of the price. I have many friends and family who have already offered theirs up to loan to me should I need it. So my question is, would I be better off telling them to keep both the shredder and box blade and opt to upgrade to a name brand more heavy duty shredder (Rhino is what they stock I believe)? If so, should I get a slip clutch or a shear pin design? Will the L3400 pull a 6' shredder effectively? Or would I have to stick with a 5'?

Thanks for the input on this issue guys. Really it's a buddy of mine that comes out and cuts and bales just once each year. It's more probably a favor to me than it is for him to get the hay. I just told him he can come out and cut the grass and bale it and keep the hay. I just needed the pasture mowed.

While I have been operating tractors for a LOT of years, I am not a mechanic and will not buy a used tractor without someone more knowledgeable than I looking at it. Fortunately, my brother is a mechanic and he checks any used tractor out for me. The last used tractor I bought, I knew the history and had the service record, plus i bought it from a dealer I trusted. Otherwise I would have gone new and in fact a few months later we bought a new M8540 when our Case went toes up.

There are some older threads on here about the proper size shredder for a 3400 with some differences of opinions. My choice would be a 5', but others say you can go 6'. I believe most people will opt for a slip clutch though a few like the shear pin. I use my cutters hard and use to spend a lot of time crawling on and off a tractor replacing the darned things. My brothers mow mostly grass and light brush and use shear pins.

I personally prefer the heavier duty name brands and only buy Land Pride or Woods as there are no Bush Hog dealers in my area. My brothers are quite happy with the economy units which have held up surprisingly well.

Bottom line, whether you or your relative does it, you land needs nutrients added. You can do this by application or rotation of crops with a little less addition of nutrients. Depending on your and, you probably won't deplete your soil with hay, but it would benefit from proper management.