Buying Advice Which tractor for a very small farm?

[owkaye]

My wife and I bought 1.1 acres. The upper half was previously cleared so it only has a few trees on it. We want to plant a lawn and grow a garden in this part of the property. The lower half of the property has never been cleared. It is relatively wet with lots of tall trees that we have begun to remove one at a time.

Our goal is to get a tractor that will help us to do some of the work involved in clearing the lower half of the property, dig ditches for the installation of underground drain tiles (to help lower the water table and dry out the lower half of the property), dig a small pond for our ducks (maybe the size and depth of a typical above ground swimming pool), pull a box blade to help level and reshape the ground in some areas, till the soil in the garden 2-3 times a year, cultivate between rows in the garden, pull a landscape rake to help prepare some areas for planting a lawn, drill post holes along the property lines for the installation of new fencing, etc.

We already have a good riding lawnmower so we won't be using a tractor to cut the lawn.

The reason I'm explaining all this is so you'll have a good idea of the tasks we hope to accomplish on this property with a small tractor. Our problem is that we are new to tractors so we need some suggestions. This is all homeowner work and we are not in a hurry to get it all done immediately. Instead we prefer to take our time and do as much as we can ourselves ... with our own small tractor and implements.

Please post your suggestions for a tractor you feel can help us. There is no way we can afford to buy a new tractor, so we are definitely in the market for a good used tractor and the appropriate accessories.

 

[kevin37b]

If youi are going to dig ditches and a pond and I am sure a few stumps , you need a backhoe , mini excavator , or the like . You need to talk to a contractor , agree on the rough out , be assured he will show up and complete the job. Then you can buy a little tractor to do maintenance . I can see you being stuck or worse if you don't think about this .,.

 

[murphy1244]

:welcome:

 

[murphy1244]

You need to rent instead of own till the big work is done then by a subcompact to maintain your land

 

[/pine]

The more you look/shop the better the odds of finding what you want (including attachments)...leave your number with as many new and used dealers as you can...

in the mean time if the surrounding properties have not been cleared...take note of the available sun for your garden plot throughout the season...

 

[Localmotion]

:welcome: Owkaye...

Having read you post, i'm guessing you have quite a tight budget for this? If that is the case I think you're going to have a challenge finding a small tractor and all the attachments you'll need to complete the project without spending more than you want (or probably need) to... As has already been suggested you could look at renting some of the machinery - for example hire in a mini excavator to dig the pond, holes for trees and even some of the rough landscaping - most mini excavators have a blade, and being tracked would be ideal for clearing your lower ground.

You might then want to look at what implements you can get to fit your lawn tractor - there are an increasing number of attachments being designed for quad bike / atv's including spring tine cultivators etc - depending upon the size of your lawn tractor you could maybe fit a tow ball and make use of these light weight tools to do much of the work?

If you're really wanting a tractor, then I'd look at selling your existing mower and replacing it with a more conventional CUT with mowing deck (or even finishing mower that attaches to the 3pt hitch) - Some of the older "small" Kubotas would fit the bill nicely, although beware that I have heard Kubota pto's work anticlockwise (meaning you would need proper Kubota attachments if they are pto powered) - I don't have much experience with Kubota myself, but I am sure someone else here on TBN will be able to tell you if that is the case...

You might also want to look at some of the older small articulated tractors (Pasquali etc)... Or you could consider looking at the Chinese tractors - a Jinma 204 would suit you perfectly, and can be fitted with Front end loader & back hoe if you need... (I'm must admit to being a bit biased towards Jinma, as I own one myself and also sell them here in Spain!)

What ever you choose - enjoy your land, and your tractor seat time....! :thumbsup:

 

[Don87]

For 1 acre of ground you don't need a large tractor. Hire the drainage work out, then you can get yourself a small Subcompact tractor like the Massey GC series, or the Kubota BX series, or the John Deere 1026r. All the above tractors have a 3pt. hitch and rear PTO for attachments. Some come with small backhoes, and mower decks can be used on all the above.

 

[HereticWild]

I have 2.5 acres and the Kioti 20 HST is perfect for my needs.

 

[newbury]

2 wheel walk behind.

Hire out your few big tasks which only occur once (tree removal, ditches) and get a 2 wheeler off Criags List with the appropriate attachments. I've frequently seen them sold there because someone with more acres thought they could get by with a 2 wheeler.

Do not forget to get a picture of a snowblower attachment.

My grandfather managed about 2 acres of garden and a small woodlot with a gravely.

IF you feel you HAVE to have a 4 tire machine and money's tight, look for an older, small Ford or IH 2WD. Only if you have a good chance of getting more acreage or you have health issues could I see going up to a 15 OR 20 hp SCUT.

 

[radioman]

For 1 acre of ground you don't need a large tractor. Hire the drainage work out, then you can get yourself a small Subcompact tractor like the Massey GC series, or the Kubota BX series, or the John Deere 1026r. All the above tractors have a 3pt. hitch and rear PTO for attachments. Some come with small backhoes, and mower decks can be used on all the above.

I concur here except hiring out the work like digging ditches. You CAN do it with the FEL. I cleaned my existing ditch with FEL even though I have a backhoe. I just felt the FEL is better choice at the time. If I had to dig quite a bit of dirt for a neew ditch- I'd switch to my BH. But stumps or clearing trees - you cant beat a backhoe. However I have 2 acres and I think maybe a BX with BH might be a tad overkill for 1.1 acres. You can always rent out a mini excavator for one day if you have enough work for it. Much cheaper and easier. If you want to install drain tiles and have it to be 4 ft wide - the FEL on subcompact like don87 said is a great choice. I know you said you already have a riding mower, but I bet that once you get your new tractor - you will see its a simple add on and one less engine to maintain. I loved my BX for mowing since it was sooo much cheaper on fuel. Before I would go through 1-2 tanks per mowing and it was 2.5 gallons. With my BX, I can mow several times and still have enough leftover for other tasks with 5 gallons of diesel at a time.

 

[94BULLITT]

For 1 acre of ground you don't need a large tractor. Hire the drainage work out, then you can get yourself a small Subcompact tractor like the Massey GC series, or the Kubota BX series, or the John Deere 1026r. All the above tractors have a 3pt. hitch and rear PTO for attachments. Some come with small backhoes, and mower decks can be used on all the above.

I would go with one of the tractors Don mentioned. For the larger jobs like the pond I would rent a mini excavator or a backhoe.

 

[Soundguy]

my advice is to hire the ditch work and pond digging to a guy with a dozer or excavator. they will be in and out by lunch.

buy a small tractor to do the regular work.

otherwise you will be buying a small tractor with a loader and a hoe.. hoe can add 2-4k$ to tractor price.. and loader 500-1500$ to price. even if you start with a cheap old tractor for 2000$ that puts you at 6-7K or more for a TLB.

get you an old ford and perhaps a loader on it. that should run you about 3000$ depending on your market. use the other money to hire the excavator.. you will have change left over.. use that to buy a few toys. if you get lucky.. the tractor will come with goodies.

1-of work is almost always better to hire out.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My wife and I bought 1.1 acres. The upper half was previously cleared so it only has a few trees on it. We want to plant a lawn and grow a garden in this part of the property. The lower half of the property has never been cleared. It is relatively wet with lots of tall trees that we have begun to remove one at a time.

Our goal is to get a tractor that will help us to do some of the work involved in clearing the lower half of the property, dig ditches for the installation of underground drain tiles (to help lower the water table and dry out the lower half of the property), dig a small pond for our ducks (maybe the size and depth of a typical above ground swimming pool), pull a box blade to help level and reshape the ground in some areas, till the soil in the garden 2-3 times a year, cultivate between rows in the garden, pull a landscape rake to help prepare some areas for planting a lawn, drill post holes along the property lines for the installation of new fencing, etc.

We already have a good riding lawnmower so we won't be using a tractor to cut the lawn.

The reason I'm explaining all this is so you'll have a good idea of the tasks we hope to accomplish on this property with a small tractor. Our problem is that we are new to tractors so we need some suggestions. This is all homeowner work and we are not in a hurry to get it all done immediately. Instead we prefer to take our time and do as much as we can ourselves ... with our own small tractor and implements.

Please post your suggestions for a tractor you feel can help us. There is no way we can afford to buy a new tractor, so we are definitely in the market for a good used tractor and the appropriate accessories.

First off, even a used tractor with 10 years of age will be 60% or more of new price and with a backhoe is going to add $3-4k to the tractor price so forget about a back hoe. Rent one if you need to dig. If you have a wet area needing drainage, rent a tracked excavator to dig you french drains and dig your little pond at the same time. One day will do all the digging you could possibly do on 1 acre of ground. Get the excavator with a front blade so you can use it to backfill your drains. As for spoils from your pond, use them to fill in some of the low lying are, but be careful that you dont create a dam for drainage to adjacent properties. You will be liabel for any flood damaged caused by your dirt work if it causes unnatural damming, water retention or diversion from what is there now onto your neighbors property.
I dont have any experience with the small tractors but many BX Kubota owners and other SCUT owners of other brands do lots of work with them. They can run a small PTO powered tiller for you gardens, pick up 500# loads of dirt for landscaping, disk, cultivate young crops only due to the low ground clearance and mow with the MM belly mowers as well as any lawnmower. Since you have a good mower, you may want to look for just the tractor with a FEL. Try Tractorhouse.com for pricing and availability in your area. It has a good search feature to find equipment and tractors by state, 4WD or 2 WD etc Take a look at the offering and make a few calls on what might look good to you. 18-22HP SCUT is about as large as you would need.

 

[owkaye]

After reading all the suggestions, the bottom line seems to be:

"Hire or rent big equipment for pulling tree roots, digging a pond, and digging/backfilling drainage ditches, then buy a SCUT and the necessary implements for ongoing maintenance and farm operations."

Got it, thanks guys.

 

[Don87]

Your welcome. Glad we could help.