Trying to decide which size tractor to buy

[jrdepew]

Hello All,

I have been lurking for a few weeks, doing some reading, and finally decided it was time to make a post. I have a little under 4 acres of land currently. I mow about half of it with the LT180 and am happy with its performance. I am looking for a tractor for the following tasks:

-There are 15+ stumps in the "field" section of my land, standing from 3" to 36" tall. This makes it impossible to mow with the LT180 as I would end up breaking something. I would like to be able to remove the stumps and use the tractor to mow/hog this ~1 acre part of my yard once or twice a year. The biggest stump is probably 8" diameter, the smallest being 3" diameter.

-Many of these stumps are located on a grade that my LT180 doesn't like climbing with even the slightest amount of moisture on the grass, so a 4wd tractor would be a big help here

-Old garden needs to be turned back into lawn....This garden was built near the leach field of the septic system, and it is also WAY to big for me (25' x 20' or so). It is overgrown and uglyyy. We built a small garden higher up on our property. I would also like to be able to rent or borrow a tiller to turn this garden once a year or so.

-Smaller raised bed (maybe was a garden) needs to be knocked down and turned back into lawn. It is approximately 2 ft wide by 10 ft long. I have a couple more of these around the property as well that I would like smoothed out.

-I have a HUGE bramble of blackberry bushes, and other NASTY prickers that I would like to pull out. At least 10' diameter. Thinking about wrapping a chain around a few at a time and using the bucket to lift them up and out of the ground to get rid of the roots. This would also be the perfect spot to have a nice burn pit in the future, and maybe a horseshoe pit as well.

-I have some drainage work that needs doing on my property. Main problem is that the french drain (which works very well) dumps out into the back yard, so it is always wet at that section. I would like to extend this back near the woods and build a critter and crush proof exit. I was also going to add fill and possibly a few dry wells to the front yard as there are some low spots that stay soupy when we get a week or so of heavy rain. These weren't a concern this year, but they were BAD last year and we couldn't mow the front yard.

-Spreading crushed stone on my driveway until I put up the money for blacktop

-Lots of working as a "powered wheel barrow"

-Snow removal

I am sure I will think of 1000's of other uses for the tractor as well as I use it more and more.

What I THINK I want is:

25-35hp
FEL
ROPS
4wd
HST
Optional backhoe

If I get a JD that can accept the backhoe on my co-workers 2520, then he said I could borrow that when I wanted to do the drainage work. I am also thinking that a 2520 is about the perfect size tractor. I will have around 12k to put down on a tractor when I get around to buying it. I am selling my race car project (my only toy currently) to get the tractor, so the tractor will become my toy as well.

The local JD dealer has a 2320 for sale with a drive over MMM, tiller, and FEL for 10950. It is a repo with 180 hours on it. The price seems great, but after reading the hydraulic specs on this unit, and how much lighter it is than the 2520 as well as the tire size difference, I am thinking that the 2520 is a better size. I am afraid of getting something too small and ending up with a second lawn mower that has a FEL....Then again I have never owned a tractor so I don't know...

The only tractor I have operated is a Yanmar 276d that my neighbor let me borrow for a weekend. I used this to dig 9 post holes in our awful clay/stone soil, as well as move all the extra dirt to a pile at the back of my property. When comparing how this drove to how my HST LT180 drives, I really think that for the work I will be doing that the ease of direction change and the nimbleness of the HST would be better.

I have good mechanical ability and have worked on everything from my turbo race car, welding, to refurbing a coal boiler, to house upgrades and building a deck. I am confident that I can do most anything to a tractor at this point, although I haven't worked on one as of yet. I wouldn't mind buying a tractor that needed a bit of TLC to get it back to working 100%, as long as I wasn't going to spend so much on parts I should have just bought new of course.

I guess my question to the forum is...Is the 2320 enough for my needs? Will going bigger hurt anything except my wallet? Used/new? Brand?

The dealers I have in the area are: John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, Yanmar/Cub, LS, TYM, Zetor, Case, Massey, Kioti, and probably more

The JD and Kubota dealers are closest to my house, while the others are a bit of a drive.

Thanks for reading my novel,
Joe

 

[Guesseral]

The 2320 looks OK but I would always go bigger and new!:thumbsup:

All of the brands you listed are good tractors, it would all depend on you look at them all price them all, if possible drive em all look at all of the factory options add what you want (if anything) and price them all and see where you fall. Used is also ok if you find what you want in good shape and for the right price but going through the new process first you will have a better idea of what a used price should or could be.

 

[hosspuller]

Nobody has ever said they bought too large of a tractor. BUT, pulling stumps as large as you list is a job for a D9 Cat. Tractors aren't the best and breaking chains/cables are dangerous. A better option is grinding or digging them.

 

[murphy1244]

:welcome:

 

[Gary Fowler]

As for stumps, get your buddy to dig them out with his backhoe or get a tractor that is compatible with it. I do a lot of work with my B26, a lot more than I would have thought possible for such a small TLB (tractor, loader, backhoe) 25-30 HP is plenty large. My daughter has a 2.5 acre lot and uses the B series 29 HP Kubota which is plenty large with mid mount mower, tiller and FEL . You really dont want much larger than that.

 

[MBTRAC]

Removing stumps can be a herculean task, and what you see above ground is often the "tip of the iceberg" - for c.15 stumps IMO hire/contract an excavator it'll do it a lot quickerwith less peripheral damage than a backhoe - saving time, fuel & substantial hours of heavy wear/tear on your ag machine......using smaller CUT/Ag tractors for pulling stumps is risking both damage to the machine & operator injury....sure it maybe can be done but given the ingerrent risks the questions is why would you?

The 25-35hp & specs you detail should be more than ample for what you have in mind on 4acres & HST is a must, you might want to also consider implements such as bush hog or finishing mower, box blade (with rippers) & maybe a cultivator or tiller in the package.
Consider also the bigger the machine the less maneuverable it will be & the more storage space required, less weight = potentially increased versatility/less "footprint" & damage if you intend to use it for lawn mowing it, & on a 4WD HST Turf Tyres might be more desirable depending on your long term plans (Ag tyre give more traction but will leave more impact damage in their wake on softer ground) - c.20hp may prove a more attractive option once you research & balance the desired "needs" & "wants" against what makes economic sense for your actual use (my c.17hp Kubota's & Iseki's would handle fine what you have described with the exception of stump pulling)

As for brands, Kubota, Kioti, Yanmar & JD (though you often pay an unrealistic premium price for "green"..) are sound chioces with generally good parts availability/network support - and in this smaller gear I'd always take a "unabused" & preferably low houred second hand machine over new because of the cost savings.

 

[94BULLITT]

:welcome:to the forum.

I think you are on the right track a JD2520 or a 2720, or a Kubota B2620, B2920, or a B3200 would be good. You could aslo get a Kubota B3000 with a cab and mow in the a/c. The kubotas have a 3 range hydro were the deere is 2 range. For the stumps I would just rent a stump grinder. I rented a manaul stump grinder for $150. I think a hydraulic one is 350-400.

 

[jenkinsph]

The problem with borrowing your friends backhoe for the 2520 is that you would still need to have the sub frame mountings for it. I would either pay him to do the digging or buy your own backhoe attachment.

For 4 acres and lots of choices a 25 to 30 hp tractor should fill the bill for you. I would recommend you keep your lighter mower for most of the lawn work and then load the tires and add weight to the new tractor for the other tasks.

 

[94BULLITT]

Plus you would have to go get the back hoe. You might have to take your tractor to get it.

 

[Don87]

From what I've read............all you need is a Subcut tractor with an FEL.

You are only mowing 2 acres, the stumps and drain lines can be done by renting a small trackhoe for a weekend or 2.


EDIT: I've dug out 8 inch stumps with my GC2400.............it has no backhoe.

 

[BroBro]

Always remember you can do a little job with a big tractor but you can't do a big job with a little tractor.
Nuff Said !!!!!!!

 

[Gittyup]

I was in your situation when I bought. I went kioti for the weight. It will out dig all the others mentioned. However, you might do better to rent a stump grinder and then go subcut. The 2320 with those attachments you mentioned sounds about right once you remove the stumps from the equation.

I have a backhoe and it is a beast to store. Need nearly twice the space if you don't leave it on the tractor. Unless you have a lot of ditches and retaining walls to dig, forego the backhoe. Big stumps also demand big equipment. I found out the hard way. Grind them below grade and happily mow away.

 

[xring100]

Always remember you can do a little job with a big tractor but you can't do a big job with a little tractor.
Nuff Said !!!!!!!

I'm about 80% in agreement with you. Its easy to work my 85hp tractor at 25hp or use 3000 lb loader capacity to lift 500 lb logs. Its really hard to make a 25hp do an 85 hp job save propane injection. Or to lift 3000 lb pallets with only 500 lbs of lift capacity. But my setup is nearly 7 ft wide 20 ft long and over 8 foot tall and weighs in at 10000 lbs. Believe me there are plenty of places i cant go like my yard during spring thaw. But thankfully all my neighbors have 20 - 40 hp SCUTs or CUTs. If i find a job to small i just ask them. Because they have all asked me for Assistance when their tractor's are not up to the task.

 

[jrdepew]

I went to the local Yanmar dealership (I didn't realize that cub and yanmar split) and talked with the dealer there a bunch. I ended up driving an Ex3200 with FEL and turf tires around the yard. Still trying to get the grin off of my face!!!! Totally different experience than the neighbors 276d. I was looking for something a little smaller than this, but it was this, the sx3100, or down to the 2400 series. The 2400 series seemed so tiny sitting next to these!!!! I got quoted 15,500 plus 1,240 sales tax as the unit sat. The sx3100 is a little more money because of some features, but I really did like the 3 speed hydrostatic and the bigger feel of the 3200. The price doesn't seem to bad, but he says that price will expire Dec 31st and it will go up about 3 grand!! :thumbdown: Does anyone here know if yanmar will have some incentive for the new year?

When I asked the dealer what model he would suggest, he showed me the 2400 series and said it should do all the things I list. I didn't mention the stumps to him as from what I am hearing from you guys, I am better off renting a grinder or paying someone with bigger equipment to get this done in a day.

The ex3200 seems a lot bigger than the JD2520 that my coworker has as well. At 2500 lbs of weight it sure is heavier!! Also 32 horse vs 26...

Will this thing destroy my yard being so big and heavy? Will the turf tires be okay on my hill in 4wd? The dealer said he could put R4s on it but it will cost some money and it won't be as nice to the yard. Maybe tomorrow I will come down from my excitement and feel this tractor is too big.....but it was a blast driving it around today.

PS...Dealer said 5-7 days for any part that he doesn't have in stock. First service (50hr) is free. Free delivery and full tank of diesel.

Joe

 

[Gittyup]

Have you looked at Mahindra? The Mahindra MAX28XL is one very nice tractor with good specs.

From all I've read the yanmar is a good tractor. Price not bad. But, you should really try many many makes and models before jumping in. They are all good, and will leave you with the feeling you got today. But, eventually one will be the obvious right choice for you. You are wise to skip the hoe.

The 2320/2520 are still not a bad choice, especially if also mowing. Did you look at the JD 3038? Kubotas are good for mowing too. Digging: Kioti, Mahindra, Bobcat. LS is also a very good value. The 1600 series massey's are awesome, but pricey.

Heavier machines are not good for mowing. Not so much about grass tear, though that is a problem too. But it's more about compaction. I had mine in my vegetable garden about 5 years back working a bank that leads down to it. Made the ground under the back tires where I was working as hard as concrete. Just now really getting it broken up good with a tiller (can't get a plow in there).

Turfs, R4s, R1s. They all have their place. The R4 is super tough and wide (stable); great for dry ground work, in the woods, and allow for maximum weight. The R1s are best in the mud (R4s no good here) and can be width adjusted. Turfs for mowing, and they are pretty good for hard surface snow removal too.

 

[Gittyup]

Just read in the Bobcat forum where new CT235's are being offered for about $14K. If you can find that deal, it's more tractor than the Yanmar.

 

[94BULLITT]

I do not recommend a CT235 because of the sticking hydro pedal.

 

[Gittyup]

I do not recommend a CT235 because of the sticking hydro pedal.

I don't see where this is an inherent design flaw. There are only a few reported cases across hundreds (probably thousands) sold in both Kioti and BC. And from what I've read, the manufacturer has fixed this for most of the tiny portion of users that have had the problem. Just test drive the heck out of the exact one you might buy.

I know a farmer that has a Kubota L4240 and he has to replace the front wheel bearings every year (200 hrs). So, maybe I should say folks shouldn't buy an L4240. But, I won't.

 

[yelbike]

Reading through your post I was thinking at first you need jd 1023 because funds are somewhat limited( so is everyone really). I haven't shopped lately so I'm not on top for pricing, but it seems ( for JD anyway) that every step up in tractor size is only a little more money. Well when is enough enough? You have 4 acres which is huge if you've just moved out of the city but small if your retiring from the farm. The " I've never heard anyone complain they bought too big" saying is only partially true. I have JD2320. Don't get caught up in the spec war. Yeah the flow rate is half of the 2520. Two issues the JD 2320 has:

1. Top gear is a travel gear only. Well I guess it slows down some tasks, but likely not by a whole lot though.

2. The cycle rate of the loader. I noticed it was a little slow when I was spreading the gravel for my drives, I only did three times. I can live with that. For "normal" tasks it's totally a non issue.

If you can save money on that used JD 2320, I'd jump on it. I think you have the right size tractor when you 95% of the time your happy and 5% of the time you wished you had bought a larger one. JMO.

 

[case245]

you could digg arould the stumps with the hoe and then if they are far enough away from building u could burn them then finish digging them out i would buy the used JD the hour on it are not many does it come with any warantty i would never buy another new tractor