Recommendation for 6 acre hobby farm

[repete]

I do like my 2550 with the two speed PTO. When I finish mow the field (take down just lite tall stuff I like the 1000 RPM) because of the lower engine speed.

 

[Yander]

See my comments in bold I plan on using a front end loader, mower, rake, and probably a box blade. Maybe a dedicated snow plow.

1) How much horsepower do I need? A relative has told me I shouldn't go any smaller than 40hp. I don't see myself doing much in the way of dirt work, is 40hp more than I need? You want 30 hp at the PTO as a minimum. Many attachments require that much hp to run efficiently. So 40 hp at the engine recommendation is right. (HP is rated at engine, PTO, drawbar, and there is a 4th, but that eludes me, right now

2) I've been encouraged to primarily shop for John Deere or Kubota. I see a lot of LS, Mahindra, Yanmar, Kioti, etc. sitting in my neighbors fields. I don't mind paying more when the quality is superior, but for a consumer like me am I going to realize the benefits of the big two brands there? Borrowing from an old sales pitch of IBM - no-one ever got fired for buying IBM. You will not go wrong with the big 2. You may go wrong with most of the other brands - Yanmar, specifically, excluded.

3) Any special considerations when purchasing used over new? I haven't decided which way to go here, will probably depend on "how much tractor" I end up deciding that I need. See comment in (2) above. Wherever it says "IBM", insert "new". Only you know the importance of money vs. peace of mind - to you.

4) HST vs gear drive? Gear for agricultural work - back and forth in the pasture or cropland. No question in my mind - HST is the route to take.

Recommend not getting mower with tractor. Instead, spend the money on a good, consumer grade mower. If you lawn is relatively flat - zero turn. If quite hilly - lawn tractor (over traction issues). Vendor should be willing to let you test one on your property. Some of those under mount mowers can be a real bear to connect. With your bad back, there is no need to look for ways to aggravate the situation.

Unless you need the financing, no need to purchase the implements from the dealer. Look on Craigslist and expect to save 50%. But you already knew that.

Thanks in advance - Tucker

I will second everything he said... Other factors to consider, if you won't be doing the yearly maint. yourself, is dealer locations. Though any dealer will maintain most any make of tractor.

I wouldn't make close dealer location a deal breaker for serious issues with your tractor, expect those to be a rarity. Especially if you are not making a living with it.

Any of the tractors you note that are within an hour of you, the only ones I would lop off the list are TYM & LS. I know a lot of guys are plenty happy with both of those makes and you do get a lot of bang for the buck but my opinion is that they don't build the tractor that the other 4 on your list do. Unfortunately you don't have a Yanmar dealer nearby or that would be my top pick. My order of preference would be 1. MF 1740M series (not E) because of the emissions difference, 2. Kubota 3. JD 4. Kioti. I've not heard any bad things about Kioti on this or other sites I've frequented. I would buy one.

Again, you asked, and that is my opinion based on my experience. I have owned a couple MFs, 1 Kubota. We have (well MIL has but I operate it) a MF 1750m and it is a beast and I love it. I don't think you would hate owning any of those 4 tractors.

Get the rear tires loaded, Get a hydraulic third function if it doesn't have it, in preparation for a Grapple for woods work. If you have a bad back, the grapple becomes your back. Get a Grammerly seat, for the back.

Edit: if you have a Yanmar dealer even remotely close, go check out the YT235. For it's size it is a powerhouse of a tractor and may not be so intimidating for first tractor to own. Since you have mostly woods, that tractor would easily handle 6-10 acres of property.

 

[airbiscuit]

My recommendation would be a 30hp - 40-hp hydrostatic. I would add Kioti to the list. I'd take a look at these models first. The Kubota LX3310 is a small frame CUT with bigger tires. All the rest are mid frame CUTs. If you want to move up to 40hp+ large frame CUTs, you will pay more $$$, but have more capability.

Kubota LX3310

Kubota L3302 or L2902

John Deere 3032e

 

[airbiscuit]

Decent video about Kubota's 30hp models

 

[airbiscuit]

Informative video of the range of Kubota sizes.

 

[jyoutz]

Do not underestimate what you need for a tractor, within reason. It is far easier to not use all of the tractor potential than it is to not have enough tractor for the work you need done.

On the "dry side" you may want a model you can add a cab with A/C and a heater to and on the "wet side" a canopy is a must have. Not that there is a "wet side" this year...

As WHV1977 says, gear or hydro is a matter of preference. There are times when working hay I wish I had hydro for slowing while maintaining a constant engine RPM but not pushing the pedal during all of the the other times is nice.

If this is a new toy for you, enjoy the learning along the way.

Cruise control fixes the constant foot pressure on the pedal issue for HST

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Big as you can afford. I live on 6 acres and have a 48hp 6000lb tractor.

Gear drive is nice for putting more hp to the pto and less loss. And less complicated

I wouldn't take a smaller tractor but I'd take a bigger one.

 

[Monster5601]

Hoping you guys can help me with some traction recommendations.

I've read through the entire thread and there is a lot of solid information. What will work best for you is very subjective. When I was in your position, I was lucky enough to stumble into the showroom of a local Kubota dealer (this is back in 2009), a mom-and-pop dealership. It so happened the owner lived not far from me and did nearly the same as what I was looking to do so I got good direction and free education once I learned to listen to him.

The first lesson was to separate out land management activities, tractors in our setting don't do well cutting grass, particularly with belly mower decks (think navigating around obstacles and uneven ground), so I bought a Kubota zero turn. The next lesson was tractors don't do well pushing snow due to traction issues with R4s, a tread I needed for other tractor work. The type of snowfall we get does not lend itself well to snow blowers (wet snow), so I bought a Kubota RTV with a hydraulic angle blade. The RTV900 has become a very handy tool, it is small and navigates well in the woods, and does a top-notch job of skidding out trees. My wife uses it for all her hobby farming and greenhouse activities. It has become a very useful tool beyond what I initially imagined.

I ended up with a 30 HP Kubota, B3030, four-wheel drive, hydrostatic drive, with 3-speed ranges, front loader, and backhoe. The implements are in my signature. As has been stated, HP doesn't do much good if you don't have traction and if I come up a little short on traction, I will load the front-end loader with dirt or rock for added weight.

As I discovered, you have to learn how to use the tractor to do a particular task and as you do, you will find that horsepower is second to traction. The majority of tractor work I do is done in the 1,200 to 1,600 RPM range, well below the maximum RPM/HP. The only time I venture into the 1,800 and up RPM range is when I am bush-hogging.

The best advice I have is;
1. if you can find a dealer like the one I have, listen to him.
2. get a backhoe with a thumb, it will hold the tree you are bucking and cutting up saving your back!

 

[Yander]

I would have a hard time with the thought of cutting grass (racking up hours) on a $30k machine when you can cut it even faster and better on a $6,000 one. If you figure the price of a big deck for the tractor, your probably talking $2k or more. So the net difference to get a mower is only $4k if you leave the MMM off the tractor.

Use your big $ tractor for things that are more suited for that size tractor. But hey, you only live once and if you like to tractor, maybe worth the money to you to mow on a tractor.

 

[hornett22]

Mahindra 1626. Hst is good for a lot of direction changes. Gear is good for hills and field work.

I like gear personally and especially the shuttle option. I can't stand the gear shifter in the center of floor.