Buying Advice Tractor I need vs tractor I want.

[JerryK]

Also, should be ' Tractors I need vs Tractors I want ' [ plural ]

 

[K5lwq]

I'm considering that route. Mid decks aren't cheap and you can buy a dedicated mower for less in many cases.

I used a 38HP JD to do some rotary cutter work and it was bogging down on some of the stuff. So I know a smaller one will lug or just stop. So I'm afraid of getting something inadequate and regretting it. Also don't want to spend a ton on a bigger unit and never use it. I'm sure this is a typical problem for first time buyers.

Very few people get a tractor that is too big or has too much HP. Most people get a tractor that is too small and have to upgrade.

I would recommend getting a mower for the wife and bigger tractor for other work.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I had an MT125 TLB, great little tractor! I put in our new septic system, graded the site for a new cottage, did all the power and plumbing trenches, cut in the drive, etc.... it will do the jobs you are going to do, just not fast. I, too, had plenty of time, so that made it feasible. The little MT never let me down. 225 hours in 20 months.

I did end up selling it and purchased 2 sizes up, the LS XG3025 TLB (now MT225e). Much heavier, much bigger, more capable? Only in a couple of ways....1) the BH is definitely stronger. 2) The loader is definitely more stronger and the bucket is almost twice the size (so can carry more = more productive). Do I like the new tractor? ... absolutely! Do I miss the little 125? ... absolutely! They both have pros and cons.

If I were to be purchasing my first tractor all over again, and had to choose between these two, I would have to go with the larger XG3025, solely due to the greater capabilities. The only downfall with the MT225e is that it does not accept a MMM.

With that being said, the new 2020 Kioti CK2610 (similar size) can accept a 72 inch MMM. I do not know how much they will cost, but there is that option.

As said before many times on here, “ buy once, cry once”. Go sit on them, drive them, operate the controls, fit the tractor to you!

Good luck on your search! Do not hesitate to ask any more questions.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Also, when I sold my MT125, got 90% of my initial cost. I kept it looking and operating like new. I may have been in the right place at the right time ? but I really did not loose anything on the tractor after all the work it did (saving the cost of rentals or hiring the work out). It REALLY saved me about $5K.
Get the bigger tractor if you can, it will last you a looonnnggg time!

 

[shooterdon]

Take a close look at your needs and the time you have to get things done. Once you establish the minimum size tractor you need...buy one size larger. You will not put a lot of hours on your machine after the first couple of years. I think Kubota makes one of the best machines out there but I could not justify the investment or deal with the arrogant dealer. I doubt my LS will as last long as a Grand L, but it will outlast me. For most of us, size is more important than longevity,

 

[desertdog71]

You guys make some good points. You're supposed to help me narrow things down, not add options. ��

 

[TractorGuy]

For 10 acres you need a good used industrial size backhoe, a 50 HP cab tractor, and depending on how much yard a decent mower. If your wife is willing to help mow let HER pick out the mower. But make sure you like the mower too because it will end up being YOUR job. Just saying.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm a tractor virgin.
Recently purchased 10.3 AC of thistles, cedar, some sort of natural razor wire (?) and groves of saplings of assorted flavors and spikyness. Probably 2-3 AC of lawn. Some trails. Keep the rest knocked down a few times a year most likely. Its hard to say exactly, I can hardly see what I have.

Soil? I have no clue. I suspect it has some clay and shale and whatever else. It's mine spoils from 100 years ago when they strip mined coal in that area of Kansas.

Pick the implement requiring the most power to use, then select a tractor with enough power. Although I use my tractor for many things running a bush hog puts the greatest load on it.

I recommend a 1,000 pound heavy-duty Rotary Mower in 60" width. Such a mower requires a minimum of 35 horsepower, 40 horsepower better.
Same mower in 72" width requires a minimum of 40 horsepower, 45 horsepower better.

 

[whistlepig]

We have 20 acres. I have a 60" rotary cutter and a 72" rear finishing mower. I mow the majority of the yard with the RFM and then trim with a 54" zero turn and a weed eater. I have other attachments that require little power.

I also have a quick attach loader. The loader not only saves a lot of wear and tear on me but also turns a lot of two man jobs into a one man job.

 

[RjCorazza]

...
So let's hear some wisdom.

I would add 3 things:
1. Whatever you get, you will want a loader
2. Easy to spend someone's money, but I would be certain to buy a large enough tractor, maybe more than what you think you need.
3. Consider skipping the mid mount mower, and get a dedicated mower, preferably a zero turn. Zero turns save A LOT of time, and I'm sure your significant other would like it.

Happy shopping.

 

[whistlepig]

Good (commercial grade) zero turns are expensive. For me the cost of a premium RFM over a jumbo sized commercial grade zero turn that does nothing but mow made the RFM + zero turn trim size the more economical decision. So I just got a 72" RFM and a trim size (54") zero turn. That was 12 years and well over a thousand mowing hours ago. If I had to do it over again I would do this the same way. Scuts are very versatile these days. Makes decision making a bit more difficult.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

I'd aim to the higher end of what you can afford. I use a 7ft finish mower on my 5 acres of pasture. I can mow it in about 1 hour and use a cheap rider for the fence line and yard around the house. I have a 5 ft rotary cutter for when I let it go. Other thing is pulling my 6 ft box blade for my drive.

So i went with a 50hp tractor. Granted i settled for 2wd but at $5,000 for the tractor, loader and rotary cutter, it was worth it.

The other thing to consider is if you plan to lift much with the front loader. I use forks to move heavy stuff all the time. Counter weight, tractor weight is a big deal. Mine weighs about 5-6k lbs which is a big deal when you try and pickup 1-2,000 lbs off the front end.

My buddy has a mid mount for his 24hp mahindra. He ditched it and bought a JD commercial zero turn.

 

[Gary Fowler]

While a 125 will do a lot, I don't think you'll be happy trying to do those tasks with it. It will be better for some of the lesser tasks after the big work is done, but I'm not sure it'll be sufficient for 10 acres. LS has a few options in the next couple of size steps.

Actually you can do a lot of work with a small tractor if you have the time. When my brother in law first purchased the 42.29 acres of which I now own 11.29 acres of, he mowed most of it with a 750 JD two wheel drive tractor with a 4 foot bushhog. It took about a month to get it mowed the first time due to it being so overgrown with weeds and sapling higher than the tractor but he managed most of it since he was retired and had all the time in the world. Later I bought a 42 HP 4WD with 6 foot bushhog and together we mowed it in about a week (some of the low areas didn't never got mowed with the JD because it was 2WD and would get stuck on a cow patty. He later got a New Holland 2310 with 4WD and FEL and 6 foot bushhog which he uses on the 30+ acres that he has and moves big round hay bales.

Anyway, a 25 HP tractor will likely take care of 11 acres and do anything you need for maintenance, I.E. mowing, box blade work, etc. So be sure that you get one with HST AND a 3 speed transmission. Some ground engaging might need the L gear for pulling. Some of the smaller tractors will only have a 2 speed transmission.

The biggest drawback with small tractors is the FEL lift capacity. So calculate what the most weight and highest lift that you will need and check the specification of
tractors that are within your budget for the size that will meet your requirements.

 

[Timmer92]

We had a Kubota BX2370. After 3 years we just traded it for a Kubota L3901. My opinion is that is was just enough to get tasks done with minimum ability. Those jobs were done inefficiently and it just wan't big enough to do those jobs well. Our 48" brush hog took too long to cut our 7 acre field (12 hours each time). Our 6" auger just barely lifted off the ground and if you hit a bump and it bottomed out it would just about jar your teeth out. The blade would push snow, but we often had to use only a portion of the blade or we wouldn't have enough traction. We could pull our 375 gallon water cart, but the wheels would spin on an incline. We could lift things with the bucket, but it didn't go high enough to take things off of a trailer. The list goes on.

We just got the new one and have only tried it in snow, but boy what a difference so far with a 72" blade and more weight and traction! We are looking forward to trying the 72" brush hog this spring.

 

[whistlepig]

It can be over done. Ruts in the yard, inability to maneuver around or in barns and buildings that are close together. Large size can either be an asset or liability. Right sized is nice. Small, when needed isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Granthol]

Digging a foundation with a skid steer or a dozer?? That痴 a new one. You don稚 have to move a lot of dirt for a foundation, a tractor backhoe is easily up to the task. A conventional to my area gravel septic system is a different story.

Not around me. The rocky soil of the Ozarks is too much on a foundation dig for a backhoe, unless you want to spend days doing it. Nearly all around me are dup with loader/dozers

 

[desertdog71]

I feel like you are all over estimating my needs, and I probably did a bad job describing it.

The house will have a bit of a yard around it, maybe and acre. Then the sides of the driveway will be nice and groomed. Say 600 feet long. That covers my "mowing" needs.

I'll need to drag the driveway every so often to keep it in good shape.

I'll need to bush hog most of the rest of it a few times a year.

I'll probably have some garden work, like moving some soil, mulch and that kind of small scale stuff.

I'll probably have some drainage issues that need ironed out as time goes by.

I don't foresee needing to lift a ton of weight, although as we build, I can see uses for standing up walls and suck for a loader but still nothing extremely heavy.

I think the early on work of getting the land ready to build on is best left to either a pro or at least more capable equipment. I'm sure a pro with a skid steer or small dozer can make short work of what I need done.

That all leads me to thinking a 25hp tractor is enough, maybe a larger framed one as some have suggested. Like a B-series for example or B50 series.

That being said, the kid and man in me wants to go bigger. Lift huge things, knock over trees, and other fun stuff. Those types of tractors don't come with a MMM, which is what my wife wants and needs in order to do the mowing. She's not helpless and afraid of work so the comments about her not doing it and leaving it to me hold no weight, she's not like that at all.

I appreciate all the good information. Thanks

 

[whistlepig]

As you get older a few pounds will feel like a ton.

My gravel driveway is 600 feet long and requires a lot of tractor work to take care of.

Although I could have bought a backhoe I didn't and haven't regretted that decision.

I have a B7800 I bought new that has 1300 hours on it now. It has to grunt a little now and then but that's what Kubota's do best.

If you live close to a lot of friends that can easily come and help you then don't get a loader. If not get a loader.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I feel like you are all over estimating my needs, and I probably did a bad job describing it.

The house will have a bit of a yard around it, maybe and acre. Then the sides of the driveway will be nice and groomed. Say 600 feet long. That covers my "mowing" needs.

I'll need to drag the driveway every so often to keep it in good shape.

I'll need to bush hog most of the rest of it a few times a year.

I'll probably have some garden work, like moving some soil, mulch and that kind of small scale stuff.

I'll probably have some drainage issues that need ironed out as time goes by.

I don't foresee needing to lift a ton of weight, although as we build, I can see uses for standing up walls and suck for a loader but still nothing extremely heavy.

I think the early on work of getting the land ready to build on is best left to either a pro or at least more capable equipment. I'm sure a pro with a skid steer or small dozer can make short work of what I need done.

That all leads me to thinking a 25hp tractor is enough, maybe a larger framed one as some have suggested. Like a B-series for example or B50 series.

That being said, the kid and man in me wants to go bigger. Lift huge things, knock over trees, and other fun stuff. Those types of tractors don't come with a MMM, which is what my wife wants and needs in order to do the mowing. She's not helpless and afraid of work so the comments about her not doing it and leaving it to me hold no weight, she's not like that at all.

I appreciate all the good information. Thanks

I was going to suggest to keep the lawn mowing part of the yard to a minimum. I am going to look at mowing some of my areas less often.

Maybe your wife would go for a push mower......

 

[nrosario]

I feel like you are all over estimating my needs, and I probably did a bad job describing it.

The house will have a bit of a yard around it, maybe and acre. Then the sides of the driveway will be nice and groomed. Say 600 feet long. That covers my "mowing" needs.

I'll need to drag the driveway every so often to keep it in good shape.

I'll need to bush hog most of the rest of it a few times a year.

I'll probably have some garden work, like moving some soil, mulch and that kind of small scale stuff.

I'll probably have some drainage issues that need ironed out as time goes by.

I don't foresee needing to lift a ton of weight, although as we build, I can see uses for standing up walls and suck for a loader but still nothing extremely heavy.

I think the early on work of getting the land ready to build on is best left to either a pro or at least more capable equipment. I'm sure a pro with a skid steer or small dozer can make short work of what I need done.

That all leads me to thinking a 25hp tractor is enough, maybe a larger framed one as some have suggested. Like a B-series for example or B50 series.

That being said, the kid and man in me wants to go bigger. Lift huge things, knock over trees, and other fun stuff. Those types of tractors don't come with a MMM, which is what my wife wants and needs in order to do the mowing. She's not helpless and afraid of work so the comments about her not doing it and leaving it to me hold no weight, she's not like that at all.

I appreciate all the good information. Thanks

IMHO, don't go with the scut, at the very beginning you will be happy with the new machine (toy). But soon you will realize how limited you are in terms of capabilities, you will outgrowth that little machine in no time.
Kioti CK2610 accepts MMM and it has some nice features.
Kubota B50 series, soon to be replaced by the LX series, are nice tractors but I will consider something with more weight.
Like other suggested a 3000 pounds bare tractor weight should be better for the needs you described.

Kubota L3560
Deere 2038 (or similar)
MF 1736 (or similar)
Kioti CK series

Good luck and make sure you take your time and try every machine beforehand.