Realistic $ for a reliable tractor?

[I Piddle]

Background:
Recently purchased a house on 10 acres of wooded land in the mountains of Washington state. ~1 mile of trails, small cleared yard (no mowing required), 150ft sloped gravel driveway. Moving from the city I’ve never owned or operated a tractor. I’m about an hour from any dealer, but there’s pretty much all the major brands represented.

Realizing I need some machinery to speed up all the tasks around the property (moving snow, skidding logs, regrading driveway, laying mulch, trail maintenance, etc). Importantly I don’t have grass to mow, though am considering a brush hog for the trails.

Tractor Requirements: FEL, cat 1 3pt hitch, 4wd.

Given all this, what’s a realistic budget for something *reliable*? I’m looking for equipment because I already have more projects than time, and don’t need another one.

The cheapest around me seem to be about $5k for an older 1970-1980 compact tractor (yanmar 1610d or kubota b6800 equivalent).

The next step up seems to be around $10-15k for a more modern, used compact or subcompact.

Finally I could buy new, but I’m wary to drop $20k+ when I’m not entirely confident on what size tractor I need or how much I will actually use it.

Ideally I’d love to stay under $10k but I would rather spend a bit more and get something I will want to actually use vs an expensive lawn ornament. Apologies for the novel, but I wanted to include as much context as possible. Please let me know your thoughts and advice!

 

[I Piddle]

Background:
Recently purchased a house on 10 acres of wooded land in the mountains of Washington state. ~1 mile of trails, small cleared yard (no mowing required), 150ft sloped gravel driveway. Moving from the city I’ve never owned or operated a tractor. I’m about an hour from any dealer, but there’s pretty much all the major brands represented.

Realizing I need some machinery to speed up all the tasks around the property (moving snow, skidding logs, regrading driveway, laying mulch, trail maintenance, etc). Importantly I don’t have grass to mow, though am considering a brush hog for the trails.

Tractor Requirements: FEL, cat 1 3pt hitch, 4wd.

Given all this, what’s a realistic budget for something *reliable*? I’m looking for equipment because I already have more projects than time, and don’t need another one.

The cheapest around me seem to be about $5k for an older 1970-1980 compact tractor (yanmar 1610d or kubota b6800 equivalent).

The next step up seems to be around $10-15k for a more modern, used compact or subcompact.

Finally I could buy new, but I’m wary to drop $20k+ when I’m not entirely confident on what size tractor I need or how much I will actually use it.

Ideally I’d love to stay under $10k but I would rather spend a bit more and get something I will want to actually use vs an expensive lawn ornament. Apologies for the novel, but I wanted to include as much context as possible. Please let me know your thoughts and advice!

Your requirements are right on. I would suggest 28-40 horsepower. I suggest looking for a good used tractor with a diesel engine from the year 2000 or later. Stay away from the newer ones with all the electronics and Def. There are lots of older tractors out there with very low hours. I bought a 28 HP Branson back in 2004, and it has 400+ hours. 22 years later, I skid some very big logs with it and load them on my trailer. It takes a little strategy, but I can load a 24-inch 12-foot log with it. Check on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. There are a lot of compact older tractors on there with low hours. I have passed over several on there because I thought they were too far away, but later regreted. Hydrostatic would be nice, but not a necessity. Shuttle shift is good. Good luck in finding one. Later in the spring the demand will uptick. Do some good searching right now.

 

[ACWSPEEDPATROL]

Background:
Recently purchased a house on 10 acres of wooded land in the mountains of Washington state. ~1 mile of trails, small cleared yard (no mowing required), 150ft sloped gravel driveway. Moving from the city I’ve never owned or operated a tractor. I’m about an hour from any dealer, but there’s pretty much all the major brands represented.

Realizing I need some machinery to speed up all the tasks around the property (moving snow, skidding logs, regrading driveway, laying mulch, trail maintenance, etc). Importantly I don’t have grass to mow, though am considering a brush hog for the trails.

Tractor Requirements: FEL, cat 1 3pt hitch, 4wd.

Given all this, what’s a realistic budget for something *reliable*? I’m looking for equipment because I already have more projects than time, and don’t need another one.

The cheapest around me seem to be about $5k for an older 1970-1980 compact tractor (yanmar 1610d or kubota b6800 equivalent).

The next step up seems to be around $10-15k for a more modern, used compact or subcompact.

Finally I could buy new, but I’m wary to drop $20k+ when I’m not entirely confident on what size tractor I need or how much I will actually use it.

Ideally I’d love to stay under $10k but I would rather spend a bit more and get something I will want to actually use vs an expensive lawn ornament. Apologies for the novel, but I wanted to include as much context as possible. Please let me know your thoughts and advice!

Are you near the Wenatchee side of the Cascades?

 

[rScotty]

Your requirements are right on. I would suggest 28-40 horsepower. I suggest looking for a good used tractor with a diesel engine from the year 2000 or later. Stay away from the newer ones with all the electronics and Def. There are lots of older tractors out there with very low hours. I bought a 28 HP Branson back in 2004, and it has 400+ hours. 22 years later, I skid some very big logs with it and load them on my trailer. It takes a little strategy, but I can load a 24-inch 12-foot log with it. Check on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. There are a lot of compact older tractors on there with low hours. I have passed over several on there because I thought they were too far away, but later regreted. Hydrostatic would be nice, but not a necessity. Shuttle shift is good. Good luck in finding one. Later in the spring the demand will uptick. Do some good searching right now.

My thoughts are pretty much the same. Go look at and try some new ones so you can decide what feels right to you. Decide what you would like to have for your chores on yhour land. Compare that with what you like and don't about what dealers are selling. Use TBN forums here along with dealers to get some education about tractors.

When you do get ready to buy, don't be shy to about searching around for a good older tractor. If you find one in nice shape, that's great. Tractors age slowly, and the older models were very well built. They sometimes need basic maintenance, but tractors rarely break or wear out. As a baseline, a used tractor should start easily when stone cold...some initial coughing is OK if it clears up. Then it should shift easily, steer & brake without shuddering, and the hydraulics should work smoothly - all without excessive noises.

If a used tractor works well when you try it out, the chances are good it will work exactly the same way for a long time.

Good Luck,
rScotty

 

[angusblack]

Background:
Recently purchased a house on 10 acres of wooded land in the mountains of Washington state. ~1 mile of trails, small cleared yard (no mowing required), 150ft sloped gravel driveway. Moving from the city I’ve never owned or operated a tractor. I’m about an hour from any dealer, but there’s pretty much all the major brands represented.

Realizing I need some machinery to speed up all the tasks around the property (moving snow, skidding logs, regrading driveway, laying mulch, trail maintenance, etc). Importantly I don’t have grass to mow, though am considering a brush hog for the trails.

Tractor Requirements: FEL, cat 1 3pt hitch, 4wd.

Given all this, what’s a realistic budget for something *reliable*? I’m looking for equipment because I already have more projects than time, and don’t need another one.

The cheapest around me seem to be about $5k for an older 1970-1980 compact tractor (yanmar 1610d or kubota b6800 equivalent).

The next step up seems to be around $10-15k for a more modern, used compact or subcompact.

Finally I could buy new, but I’m wary to drop $20k+ when I’m not entirely confident on what size tractor I need or how much I will actually use it.

Ideally I’d love to stay under $10k but I would rather spend a bit more and get something I will want to actually use vs an expensive lawn ornament. Apologies for the novel, but I wanted to include as much context as possible. Please let me know your thoughts and advice!

Sounds like heaven. You mention "moving snow". If you need to clear snow from all those trails, I'd strongly suggest a snowblower attachment, which means a tractor with enough PTO output to power the size of blower you need. Clearing trails with just a front loader gets tedious pretty quickly. I moved from the city to 5 acres 20 years ago and all my initial equipment purchases were undersized. I clear about a third of a mile of driveway and trails. My used Kubota L-48 with CAB, BACKHOE and BLOWER has become essential, especially as I age. It's totally reliable and would sell today for what I paid for it. And with the backhoe, I've been able to do work I hadn't even imagined when I bought the property.

 

[davidbham]

Good advice to rent to get a feel for your needs.

It is amazing what even a smaller tractor can do but some can get tippy and you are in the mountains and inexperienced. Hills are not tractor friendly. Easy to have a bad accident.

Some of the Chinese mini skid steers have made me consider adding one for the jobs that do not need a tractor my size. I am thinking about renting one to evaluate it. A decent new one is under $10k.

Dealing with the "Tippy" is very important. Make sure you have the ROPS (roll over protection bar) AND use your seatbelt. It takes both.

Also, keep your load low and work up and down the hill, not across. Be safe.

 

[Fxfymn413]

Obviously i don't know how the dealers in your area work, but when I purchased tractors from 3 different dealers in my area all of them brought the machine to my place for me to try out. As Mom always said the answer is no unless you ask.

Did you ever buy a car without a test drive?

 

[I Piddle]

Sounds like heaven. You mention "moving snow". If you need to clear snow from all those trails, I'd strongly suggest a snowblower attachment, which means a tractor with enough PTO output to power the size of blower you need. Clearing trails with just a front loader gets tedious pretty quickly. I moved from the city to 5 acres 20 years ago and all my initial equipment purchases were undersized. I clear about a third of a mile of driveway and trails. My used Kubota L-48 with CAB, BACKHOE and BLOWER has become essential, especially as I age. It's totally reliable and would sell today for what I paid for it. And with the backhoe, I've been able to do work I hadn't even imagined when I bought the property.

I may need to be corrected on this. I suggest the FEL should be a Quick Attach. It is easier to find attachments for that. Otherwise, you will need to look around for proprietary attachments. In my opinion, QA is must.

 

[rScotty]

I may need to be corrected on this. I suggest the FEL should be a Quick Attach. It is easier to find attachments for that. Otherwise, you will need to look around for proprietary attachments. In my opinion, QA is must.

i don't know that the entire FEL has to be a Quick Attach type. There are advantages to a having a rigid frame-mounted loader. And without a bucket up front, the loader arms are not much in the way.

But I agree that the FEL bucket should certainly be QA type. There are lots of times you will want a different implement up front or none at all. Most popular QA is the standard SSQA. JD's system is good too. Luckily, most tractors the past 30 years or so come with QA buckets. There are conversion kits for those that didn't.
rScottuy

 

[airbiscuit]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I’ll try and respond to some of the questions and comments I saw in the replies.

- I definitely plan to rent something and visit dealers before buying anything. However renting is not super practical on an ongoing basis as the closest rental locations are about 1.5 hours away over mountain passes.

- I don’t mind doing maintenance myself, but as noted I’m not looking for a project so anything requiring more than a few hours of work I would likely be finding a mechanic. so it sounds like the cheapest category of old tractors probably isn’t a good fit

- I could afford to buy a new tractor, it’s definitely an option. However, the goal is to (in the long run) save money by doing many tasks that I would otherwise have to contract out. If I’m buying new with the implements I want I figure I’m in at least $30k. that’s a big hole to dig myself out of

- I saw some people mentioning looking at larger tractors, a big constraint for me is my current truck can only tow 5000lbs. I was hoping to be able to tow whatever I get myself, which accounting for the trailer weight and everything is pretty limiting. Or do people have good experiences with dealer delivery/pick up and not find themselves towing their tractors much?

It's only been a week, but it will be good to hear when the OP has looked at any tractors, and his thoughts. I think he is kind of new to the tractor game, and it might be kind of a walk before you run situation - Start with something inexpensive until he gets a better sense of things.

The key is do the search. Sometimes you think you want low budget this, and end up choosing higher budget that, or vice versa,

 

[aircommuter]

Everybody has their opinion. Since I was a general engineering contractor as one of my careers I would look at industrial tractors rather than farm or toy varieties. Operating those light weights just make me frustrated when I am used to getting things done. I would stay in the older machines back to the eighties or further. Horsepower doesn’t mean much on a tractor. It’s torque and weight that does the work. I would look for power shuttle, 6 way hydraulic scraper box like a Gannon, single stick loader control or one that would be easy to modify and wheel weights. Resale value will be better and no electronic issues. I have 4 different ones, the lightest is 10k, one is 15.5k, a 25k and a 32k. Not counting forklifts and a man-lift and a paver. They all have their jobs.

 

[paulsharvey]

Everybody has their opinion. Since I was a general engineering contractor as one of my careers I would look at industrial tractors rather than farm or toy varieties. Operating those light weights just make me frustrated when I am used to getting things done. I would stay in the older machines back to the eighties or further. Horsepower doesn’t mean much on a tractor. It’s torque and weight that does the work. I would look for power shuttle, 6 way hydraulic scraper box like a Gannon, single stick loader control or one that would be easy to modify and wheel weights. Resale value will be better and no electronic issues. I have 4 different ones, the lightest is 10k, one is 15.5k, a 25k and a 32k. Not counting forklifts and a man-lift and a paver. They all have their jobs.

Although I will normally sing the praises of a JD210LE type machine, (or similar NH, Case, MF), nothing he mentioned says he needs that. I still think either a large CUT with around 35hp, is likely a good fit. 6 ft impliments, mobile, compact, transportable,

 

[altoonapillarrock]

Background:
Recently purchased a house on 10 acres of wooded land in the mountains of Washington state. ~1 mile of trails, small cleared yard (no mowing required), 150ft sloped gravel driveway. Moving from the city I’ve never owned or operated a tractor. I’m about an hour from any dealer, but there’s pretty much all the major brands represented.

Realizing I need some machinery to speed up all the tasks around the property (moving snow, skidding logs, regrading driveway, laying mulch, trail maintenance, etc). Importantly I don’t have grass to mow, though am considering a brush hog for the trails.

Tractor Requirements: FEL, cat 1 3pt hitch, 4wd.

Given all this, what’s a realistic budget for something *reliable*? I’m looking for equipment because I already have more projects than time, and don’t need another one.

The cheapest around me seem to be about $5k for an older 1970-1980 compact tractor (yanmar 1610d or kubota b6800 equivalent).

The next step up seems to be around $10-15k for a more modern, used compact or subcompact.

Finally I could buy new, but I’m wary to drop $20k+ when I’m not entirely confident on what size tractor I need or how much I will actually use it.

Ideally I’d love to stay under $10k but I would rather spend a bit more and get something I will want to actually use vs an expensive lawn ornament. Apologies for the novel, but I wanted to include as much context as possible. Please let me know your thoughts and advice!

I also live in Washington State on a 20 acre very steep property overlooking the Columbia River. In Jan 2013 I purchased a 2008 Kubota BX24 with 45 hours for $10,700. The key here was having the cash in hand so I could offer it to the seller the minute his ad appeared and haunting Craig’s list for a couple years. The tractor now has 900 hours and has been a Godsend.
My gravel driveway is almost 1/2 mile long and has a 20% grade. The key is having the right category 1 implements. Over the years I have acquired Land Pride grading scraper, a Wolverine back blade, a DR Power shaft driven string trimmer for the sides of the driveway, and other stuff.
The backhoe spends most of its time in the garage but is super handy when needed.
My neighbor just purchased a brand new model L but I like the BX because of it smaller footprint and great maneuverability around the garden and the BXepanded accessories.
I have been able to do all my maintenance so far. I am 2 hours away from Watkins tractor and don’t have easy access to a trailer.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Tractor_Jack]

Thanks everyone for all the replies, I really did not expect so much engagement! @Altoonapillarock and @caine you two sound like you have very similar properties so appreciate hearing what worked for y’all! Will definitely be getting a ROPS and HST based on feedback here.

Glad to see that even knowledgeable tractor people seem to disagree on what sort of tractor would suit the property best and it’s not just my own indecisiveness haha. Sounds like I need to just get some seat time in a tractor on the property itself. Hopefully I can take one of the dealers into bringing one out for a test It will likely be a few weeks before I can actually do that, but will report back when I do.

To answer some questions/comments I saw:
- I am indeed on the eastern side of the Cascades in chelan county. So Wenatchee is technically the closest big city. Though I have a place in Seattle as well so realistically could buy from anywhere between Seattle and Wenatchee without it being a big inconvenience.
- I only intend to move snow off the driveway, the trails I will leave with snow
- the trails are pretty narrow and I like that they are smaller walking trails, though I still want to use the tractor in them. In my mind that is the biggest reason (besides towing) why I might go for a slightly smaller footprint tractor than I would otherwise.
- I also specifically do not want a TLB because of maneuverability on the trails. I am thinking of getting a cheap Chinese mini excavator instead. Is this crazy? Do people like their compact backhoes and still find the tractor maneuverable?

 

[dodge man]

I’ve never had a backhoe on my tractor but other than adding some length I don’t think it would hurt maneuverability. It’s probably adds less length than a brush hog. I take my end loader off when I mow not only because of the weight but it makes the tractor more top heavy. I’m sure a backhoe does that too.

 

[big bubba]

not sure what the OP's point is here, maybe looking for used. Anyway, as far as purchasing the right tractor, (& i've been there myself until i knew what size tractor is best for my place) most of us when purchasing a tractor misjudge what their current and future needs are
then eventually trade in for an upgrade having miscalculated.
a very expensive enterprise, esp for those who don't make their living at it.

this is a compact tractor forum. you can always expect to find posts on "wish i had gone"...etc) If you can sidestep the purchasing fever for a while, hopefully you can find the model that suits your needs by spending more time considering future tasks rather than obsessing about shiny new sheet metal with a steep price tag.
(although this may not be the OP's intent on new)

one way of finding out is to rent a tractor size you're considering then decide which model will fit current & future needs.

 

[rScotty]

not sure what the OP's point is here. as far as purchasing the right tractor, (& i've been there myself until i knew what size tractor is best for my place) is that most of us when purchasing a tractor really misjudge what their current and future needs are
then eventually trade in for an upgrade.
a very expensive enterprise, esp for those who don't make their living at it.

this is a compact tractor forum. you can always expect to find posts on "wish i had gone"...etc) If you can sidestep the purchasing fever for a while, hopefully you can find the model that suits your needs by spending more time on considering future tasks rather than obsessing about shiny new sheet metal with a steep price tag.

one way of finding out is to rent a tractor size you're considering then decide which model will fit current & future needs.

Me too, bubba. In spite of years of experience I ended up with the wrong tractor several times. That's probably an argument in favor of buying a "name brand" just because trading up becomes easier.

For the OP, I'd say rent if you can. Not to get anything done, but just to find out what different machines are capable of doing - and how they feel when doing it.

Over-thinking is a trap too. Bottom line is that any 20 to 45 hp 4wd tractor with a loader & 3pt will do most jobs. Only the speed of getting the job done varies. For whatever your tractor cannot do, there is an attachment for it that can.

Maneuverability depends entirely on your own land. We have a TLB because our land is creek plus steep pine forest and rocks. The tractor cannot go a lot of places, but the backhoe can reach sideways off of the trail and do with the bucket a lot of the same things a tractor could do. Add a thumb to the hoe, and it can reach out to lift and move downed timber and rocks where the tractor could never fit.

But the downside is not having a 3pt when leave the forested hillside and are back on level ground. Not having a 3pt is then a huge downside. Yes, the hoe is removeable..but that swap is not easy or casually done.

A person really needs two tractors eventually. But for now, a loader & 3pt will do 90% of your work and give you time to look for a backhoe later.
Enjoy the search,
rScotty

 

[big bubba]

rScotty: excellent. having said, i traded 3 K's till i found the machine that was right. It's so easy to get caught into machinery purchasing lust, but looking patiently at our current & future applications (and budget) is hopefully how we make wise & very expensive decisions. rental or borrowing is one way of doing that.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

I have NO regrets on getting a TLB ... Yes, I believe that it does make it a bit more "tippy" than most 3pt attachments would, but ... I added 3" wheel spacers, filled tires, and steel wheel weights ... It is very stable!

In addition to the benefits that @rScotty mentioned ... It is a very handy "un-stucker" as in if you get stuck, you can self extract yourself!

On mine it's less than 15 minutes to go from BH to 3pt or the other way around ...

Mines smaller than I'd recommend for you, (a SCUT) but like was mentioned having 2 tractors, and a Z-turn is handy ...

I use to just grab this 15 gallon barrel, dunk it in the above creek that I widened and deepened, close the valve, and then go give the little trees a drink, I have a better way now, but it's amazing what you can come up with to do with it!

Pulling posts

Reaching down into the creek to fetch a tree I cut ...

Lifting a log over a fence

Pick up and place rocks ...

A BH will probably add another 25% to the cost of a tractor ... To me it's worth it, just in the convenience of having it when I want it ... It's also good at digging trenches and holes ...

 

[bearthebruce]

We inherited a 2005 Massey Ferguson 1533, 33hp geared synchro compact tractor when the property was bought. We are in the Appalachian mountains in southwest Virginny. The rise on the property is 400' in under a 1/4 mile. There are places where I take the tractor on 22-23 degree hills. We have mostly a forested 200 acres but we also have several small meadows to maintain.

The tractor was purchased used in 2009 with less than 100 hours on the clock. We found the bill of sale - $9000. The original owner had added a grader blade, a rake, and a sickle bar mower - its for sale if anyone wants it. No idea why he was thinking sickle bar mower.. It runs but we have never cut with it and do not see us ever using it. Offer a price... New Holland.. I can send pics.

The tractor sat for 7 years. We acquired the property in 2013, a year after the original owner had passed.

We wanted to mow the meadows which were overgrown and out of control. We added a brush hog ($3k light duty) to this 33hp machine. The hog made the front end way light on the hills and I had major difficulty keeping all four on the floor.

I read here on the forum that a front loader would significantly improve the hill stability along with weighting the wheels. We were still developing trails and feared weighted tires and the stumps we were leaving might just puncture a tire, so we did not weight the wheels with fluid or wheel weights. We did add a front loader. The dealer charged us $5k to add it. The hydraulic controls were already built into the tractor.

We had need to work the driveway. We bought a light weight box blade ($1.8k). Effectiveness of it is so so... maybe not the best purchase.

Recently we added a grapple and that has been a game changer. Instead of cutting stuff to fit a bucket with chain saw, we can now move big sections and get them out of the way. The grapple was $3k and dealer added third function was $1.5k

Missy now has 680 hours on her.. she is still a baby... but still a workhorse.

I don't know about you, but I would certainly look to used machines... harder to find? Sure... Gonna take some TLC - absolutely. But judging from the sub compact we recently bought to have a small back hoe, that new tractor takes more TLC than the 2005 Massey. Frankly, I felt that sub-compact was the wrong machine but I don't pay the bills. The boss does! Me and Blue, the little tractor's name, are still getting to know each other. 25hp, Hydrotranny, front loader, back hoe, LS125 - $21k.

What would I pay for the 2005 Massey today? She is worth every bit of $10k with the 680 hours on her clock. I would even say she would be worth $12k given the price of new machines with all their DEF and crazy electronic controls.. and understand this - the company we manage builds diagnostic tools for VW/Audi brand cars... we know emissions systems and electronics.. We prefer the simpler 33 hp Iseki engine on Missy to the electronic controlled 25hp LS engine. We have had a couple of false codes on Blue... They cleared with another key cycle... but we remain watchful.

I don't know if we have the right equipment for what we do. We work them hard and we are not in a big rush. We get done what we get done. If we went bigger, we'd have trouble in the woods but we could cut the meadows in shorter time. Is that trade-off worth the investment? I have counseled the boss that it is not. More often than not, Missy is out in the woods cleaning up downfall on the trails we have built. She is open stationed so we can fit in smaller spaces. Do I wish she had a cab when mowing? You bet! Do I need that? No. We made our own sun shade and its good enough.

I turned 70 last week... how many more years will I be tractoring? Who can say. For now, we have machines that let us keep up with the 200 acres on which we are working. They are good enough and since we have them, we find ways to put them to work. Are they the purest right ways? Doubtful. Trust me, whatever you buy, you will see better ways to do what you are doing. The question is, do you need to do as others are doing? Can you live with the way you figure out to "gitter dun"? I know I do... I am the main machine operator. I gitter dun and keeper dun.

Good luck with your decisions.

Bruce