Well, I've had quite a crash course in tractors over the last six weeks and I have updated my requirements several times now. I'm glad I gave myself time to figure things out. Since I won't be able to start until next year now, I have more time to get an education. I have arranged to have the land flattened by a dozer over the summer, which will save me a lot of time and pain. I will still have a lot of debris in the soil, so that will be the first problem to solve. I'm thinking of using a ripper to hit on anything big and then proceeding directly to a heavy duty tiller. I've gotten mixed advice on that idea. Everything from just start with the tiller to don't even bother with a tiller until you've worked it over with a disc for a few years. Probably an idea subject to further refinement.
I've resolved to probably spend about twice as much as I hoped to on a tractor. The problem is that it is not easy to find a tractor that is both well suited for doing the heavier work of cleaning the place up and then the ongoing work of row crop maintenance. In some ways, it would be better to buy two tractors, but that is definitely not in the budget.
Having looked at some Mahindras, Masseys, Kiotis, and Bransons now, I favor the Branson 7845C and the Kioti NX6010 Cab. They are pretty close in price. One of the big problems that I found in the next step down from those models was minimal ground clearance. That would really limit cultivation in established crops. The Kioti is about 16 inches, which seems just barely workable. The Branson has a more comfortable 18 inches. They're not really in the same class, as the Branson is a much heavier tractor, but that seems to fit well with my soil prep needs. 6000 pounds ought to give some traction. I also really liked the synchro transmission and creeper gear on the Branson. On the other hand, I'm a bit leery of Branson since they are such a small outfit. The Kiotis are also really nice and have a great dealer close by, so they're certainly not out of the running, but there aren't any of the larger ag type RX models locally, which might compare more favorably with the Branson. Haven't looked at Kubota yet, as I couldn't get anyone at the dealer to acknowledge my existence.
There are a lot more options if I don't want a cab, but it rains more than 100 inches per year here and buying a tractor without a cab seems like a decision I would probably regret.
