O my, I am comfused

Ooklaa · Oct 17, 2015

I have been looking to buy a sub compact tractor for a while now. I have 2 acres, so I need it for mowing my lawn which some parts are hills. I am a wood burner and would like to buy log length wood so i can split my own, i have been buying split wood and paying more. i also have probably a good 3/4 of the acre that needs some loving, alot of downed trees and debree to be moved around.

So something that is strong enough to move log length firewood, yet can move around and not ruin my lawn while mowing it. Id like to get a loader with a grabble attachemnt, a wood splitter wood be awesome for the rear, and a belly deck mower or rear attachment.

Never owened on at all or been on one. I have used rented many times skid steer machines and dingos.

Dont wanna spend more then i should. I went to one dealer yesterday for some JD (closest one) stuff and they where Nice but very expensive. Decided to call dealers as others where 30 min plus further. Called about mihindra max and dealer seemed to busy over the phone and couldnt even quote me a price. Called a branson dealer who was very nice but, but i asked him about matching big reds prices and he told me they are """"""""" and all their attachments they give with their packages are cheap chinese ****.

Every time i look i find another name for a sub compact tractor and i a total loss now. Started searching for forums and found you guys. Its my first post so im not a robot and only mower ive owned is a JD d125, good machine just bought my new house last year and the d125 is gonna be given to a freind.

Im all ears and love learning and any one that is local id love to come buy and check out your machines so i can learn real time vs reading.

Niko..

varmint · Oct 17, 2015

Niko, welcome to TbN! You will find amazing amounts of information, opinions, projects, good advice and neat stuff here.
My advice is to get a separate log spitter, as they are more efficient and you can buy a great one for under $1500. Get turf tires. Get a skid steer type quick detach loader bucket and one set of rear remotes (minimum) which will power a grapple, a snow plow and who knows what other uses you will find for it. Pallet forks are another handy SSQA implement. (Or, go for the third function with your loader instead of the rear remote). Get a belly mower.
Get a Kubota. Maybe a BX or smaller B tractor, maybe used even if you can find a clean one. Bigger tractor will do more, more quickly, but will damage your lawn. Smaller tractor will do a lot, but more slowly.
Most importantly, have fun, and post what you find, with photos!

TomSeller · Oct 17, 2015

Varmint is giving you good advice. Totally agree that the splitter should be separate with a good quality gas engine. That way you can use the loader to move your larger logs to or larger blocks onto or up to your splitter.

Sounds like your Branson dealer needs to mature, I would be concerned there about that dealer, not so much the brand. Or maybe it is just the sales guy. Yanmar makes a good unit in that size, or Cub/Yanmar. Kubotas are top dog in that size. Maybe give the Mahindra dealer another look in person. I'm a fan of in person shopping for something like this, just make sure you can walk away from a sales person. Massey, Kioti and LS are good brands depending on the size you go with there may not be much inventory. Used Kubota BX are pretty common and usually lightly treated. That is where I would start. If you have a lot of grass get the turf tires as Varmint says and go with the LIGHTER machine. Some brands steer you to heavy which can be good for AG use but not for your grass.

Ed of all trades · Oct 17, 2015

To me the important thing is that the tractors are mostly good but not all dealers are close to the same. start going to dealers and find one that will treat you right. Talk to tractor people about who the good dealers are in your area. Go to where the farmers hang out and talk to them, they know the rep of all of the dealers. Find a good dealer and Then look for a tractor.
I have seen a dealer charge over $50 for labor putting on a new push mower blade. How much could they get from a tractor owner. Ed

Ooklaa · Oct 17, 2015

Ive talked to some farmers as i own a restaurant and have many different type of customers. They all own the big boys and are much older machines. Around my local area we got apples amd corn fields, some cows and sheep. I was looking into a seperate wood splitter but i fugured the horsepower coming from a rear pto if im saying that right is 4 times greater then the consumer ones. For instance the box stores sell 22-25 ton rated at like 5 horsepwper. The horsepower number i see for a rear attachment are like 18-24. I would assume that these attachments would be better and stronger then the stand alone units. But then again i have no idea. I have rented a wood spliter from home depot which was nice(22 ton) but never played with one that was a attachment.

Im also at a loss as i Domt really know how strong these machine are. 24 horsepower doesn't really see, like alot, i would think that they would be posting torque. Torque is what moves, pulls things and lifts. But maybe its differemt in a tractors sense.

I habe been reading the forum every spare minute. I appreciate what you guys do. Thanks for the warm welcome

.

So anyome have experience with big red in texas? Would it be a stupid idea to order something like this 1000 miles away from me? The branson dealer near seemed like a cool guy and just was straight forward with me. Maybe he doesnt have the buying power that they do. The 2800h seems like the best deal from what i have read. Not to sure about the 2 year warranty tho. John deere is right down the road from me but on paper it looks like your getting less of a tractor for alot more money. The 4 year warranty looks good. Im not rich and like to stay around the 15,000 range after negotiations are done. Im gonna read about kabota tonight.

HOW CAN I TELL IF ONE TRACTOR IS BETTER THEN THE OTHER WHEN THE DEALERS ARE TELLING ME I CANT USE ONE? they told me i can take a spin around, but i mean for loading, cutting etc. Its a very hard market for a new customer to get in and the manufacturers and dealers dont cater to them im seeing.

Ooklaa · Oct 17, 2015

whatever company it is, is 25 percemt off to much to ask? Especially now that winter is coming? The john deere guy near me said he just recieved 10, 1 series tractors in a bunch of different builds. He to,d me JD forced him to take em. Its his inventory for next spring. But all of them are 2015. In my head im like why would u want so many leftover models for the 2016 spring?

Utopia Texas · Oct 17, 2015

I think the group in general is recommending the smaller units with turf tires because of the 2 acre sized piece of land you are working. Too large of a tractor for a piece of property can be a problem. I live on 30 acres and use my small Ford 1215 with 14 HP a lot more than I use the NH T4.75 at 75 HP.

k0ua · Oct 17, 2015

Ooklaa said:
whatever company it is, is 25 percemt off to much to ask? Especially now that winter is coming? The john deere guy near me said he just recieved 10, 1 series tractors in a bunch of different builds. He to,d me JD forced him to take em. Its his inventory for next spring. But all of them are 2015. In my head im like why would u want so many leftover models for the 2016 spring?

Tractors are thought of in terms of age, by how many hours they have on them not so much what year they were manufactured. The tractors manufactured in 2015, even in the middle of 2016 would still be brand new tractors.. They are likely to still be brand new tractors in 2017 too. Not saying that manufactures don't make improvements in model runs of tractors, but unless they do, the same tractor can stay about the same for years. When people ask about the age of your tractor, they are asking about how many hours it has on it, not what year it was made. Unlike a car which last years model, carries a stigma with it. Now if a tractor sits outside on a dealers lot for years it may have faded paint, but they will still try to sell it as new.

Lots of good tractors out there, I have owned many different brands, my current tractor is a Kioti.

KennyG · Oct 17, 2015

Ooklaa said:
whatever company it is, is 25 percemt off to much to ask? Especially now that winter is coming? The john deere guy near me said he just recieved 10, 1 series tractors in a bunch of different builds. He to,d me JD forced him to take em. Its his inventory for next spring. But all of them are 2015. In my head im like why would u want so many leftover models for the 2016 spring?

25% would be screaming good deal. Around here we look for something like 15% and I've heard it's a little harder to deal on the East Coast. Agree that year is unimportant. You won't be able to tell a 2015 from a 2016 without checking the serial number.

Rustyferrious · Oct 17, 2015

I have a Kubota BX25D with a few handy attachments. It's perfect for my 2 acre (mostly) wooded lot. I use a smaller JD riding mower for the relatively small amount of lawn I do have. I use the kubota for everything else. I can carry 10" & 12" diameter logs up to 15' long using the forks. I can also carry a fairly huge pile of brush that way too. I can carry a bucket load of concrete landscape blocks, crushed stone, field stone, top soil, mulch, small machinery, hay, and lumber as well. The back hoe is great for landscape projects, water runoff control, shed foundations, fence posts, planting and unplanting shrubs and small trees, etc. A bigger tractor would be too much machine for my lot. The other major brands make a similar sized machine. You really need to go and see the machines before making a decision. Look at Craigslst for used ones (just be a cautious as you would buying a used car). If you buy used, would be worthwhile having it checked out by a dealer, especially if you are not knowledgeable about tractors. I bought new because I didn't know what to look out for myself.