Comparison The right tractor for snow removal and maintaining property

[PAKraig]

Hello all! Brand new to the forum and probably like a LOT of others, coming here looking for advice on a compact tractor.

Maintaining 25 of my own wooded acres along with managing a small 2 acre food plot on an adjoining land lease. Driveway to my new property is a 1/4 mile long and uphill, shale and gravel lane. Snow removal in the winter is #1 priority, with ground maintenance and food plot numbers 2 and 3 on the priority list.

I've got it narrowed down to 2 new tractors under $18,000 with a loader and bucket. These are both available to me NOW, since I'll likely be buying within a week. I've shopped and test driven ALL the competition and for my budget these are the 2 I'm going to pick from.

Kubota B2601, 26 hp hydro with 3 speed transfer case and 19.5 hp to the PTO, tractor weight around 1700 lbs

Yanmar EX3200, 32 hp hydro with 3 speed transfer case and 25.5 to the PTO, tractor weight around 2500 lbs.

Which tractor and why if both could be had for basically the same money.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[oldballs]

I'd go with the Yanmar, even though I don't know anything about them. It sounds like more HP and PTO power will be needed as you go thru the coming projects, especially if you get involved later on in using PTO attachments. Assuming the dealer service etc. is about equal, I'd go with the Yanmar. SomeTBN'ers can fill in that blank as to it's performance.

Welcome to TBN also.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[roadhunter]

Interesting choices. I suspect you woudl be happier with a bigger used tractor if you are going to spend 18k. Something around 40 hp with low hours could be had for that money and would probably work better for the food plots.


Does the Yanmar have a local mechanic for service down the road?

 

[nybirdman]

Welcome to TBN from Northern NY.We have owned three Kubotas so a little bias for sure.Great tractors and in our case a great dealer to work with.No doubt Yanmar makes good equipment but just not familiar with them.
I have operated a B7800 which is very similar to the B2601;this one had a back-hoe and was a nice rig just a little tight for my body type!
How are you doing snow removal;plow or blower?More HP would be better for any PTO operation but the B2601 should be capable.
Either tractor I would recommend R1(AG) tires for your uses.
Being from Pa.you have several large Kubota dealers to research.
On my L3130 I had a six Ft. sub-frame mounted snow plow and a rear blade and it was a good snow tool.I moved up to a cabbed tractor(L4240 HSTC) and use a eight ft.front FEL mounted plow and a seven ft. rear blade.

 

[PAKraig]

Thanks for all the quick replies fellas.

Interesting comparison, I know....not exactly apples to apples...

Planning to run a 72" manual angle plow on the FEL. I've got GREAT Kubota support with 3 dealers within 20 miles and good Yanmar dealership support. I do have a friend who is a small-diesel mechanic at the closest Yanmar shop, which provides a little peace of mind.

For those that might not know, the EX3200 is pretty much a 2009 JD without the green paint.

Full cash purchase is not really an option right now so I'll be financing part of it and want to stay with a new tractor. 0% on Kubota does weigh on the decision, since I'd be taking the "cash" option from Yanmar and using a local bank at 3.9 for the same term.

 

[PAKraig]

and the Kubota DOES have a skidsteer-type quick attach on the loader, not available from the factory on the Yanmar.

 

[PAKraig]

Oh, did I mention the Yanmar EX3200 is non-DPF!!

 

[onelostdogg]

We bought the Yanmar last summer after also looking at Kioti and Kubota. It did great in the 28" snow we got a couple weeks ago with bucket and 7' rear blade. Only 20 hours on the machine so far, so can't say much, but no regrets here at all.

 

[TJP89]

If you are set on those two, the Yanmar. The B is too small. I have about the same amount of property, minus the food plot. I originally looked at the B, but the guys here convinced me it was too small. I have a 35HP tractor, and its about right, wouldn't go smaller. When I first read your setup, I thought 35 to 40HP. The Yanmar is about the smallest I'd go. It will likely get everything done, but my recollection of yanmar (and JD) is that they are on the light side, which is not a good thing. However, if you're set, I was impressed by the thought that had gone into the design and control placement of the Yanmars, and the amount of features they carried standard. However, the raw specs and capabilities are a bit underwhelming.

 

[PAKraig]

If you are set on those two, the Yanmar. The B is too small. I have about the same amount of property, minus the food plot. I originally looked at the B, but the guys here convinced me it was too small. I have a 35HP tractor, and its about right, wouldn't go smaller. When I first read your setup, I thought 35 to 40HP. The Yanmar is about the smallest I'd go. It will likely get everything done, but my recollection of yanmar (and JD) is that they are on the light side, which is not a good thing. However, if you're set, I was impressed by the thought that had gone into the design and control placement of the Yanmars, and the amount of features they carried standard. However, the raw specs and capabilities are a bit underwhelming.

I shopped Kioti. The CK3510 hydro was the first tractor I REALLY liked. They also recently came out with a CK2610HST which is the EXACT same frame as the 3510 with a non-DPF 26 hp Daedong. Drove it too and the only reason I have excluded it is because of dealer representation. WAY too many nightmarish stories about severely under-educated techs at my local dealer. Too bad, they seem to make a nice machine for the money.....