Really really really want a tractor

[lwmibc]

Aw hell, cut to the chase here--if the mrs is anything like your picture there, get the one she thinks is sexy and get to work, the rest will figure itself out.

More seriously--unless I missed it we have no idea how much land you're intending to work with one, and what it consists of. As--a backhoe on a 35 hp tractor will just dig a septic tank hole, one on a subcompact will dig the hole for the distribution box. Both will trench, the little one 3' deep, the larger 6' deep. You mentioned 'landscaping'; the bigger the tractor the greater the chances of running into a wall. Mowing a lawn working round the house and shrubs, HST is better with a belly mower; mowing a field with a brush cutter a gear transmission works just fine and you don't have to hold a pedal down. PTO farming implements will require hp in the 35-40 range unless they're for just a small vegetable garden. You'll feel comfortable lifting up to maybe 600 lbs with the loader on a 35 hp tractor, 300 lbs on something BX23 size. On nice flat ground, the L3400 loader will just lift the engine out of the '65 Thunderbird, the BX1860 will just lift the engine out of a '2005 Focus.

Compared to tractors in the 50's and 60's, to an old guy all these things are impressively competent now, who would have thought that a BX25 size tractor could be made to do so much. Why not put some jobs together, take some money and go rent one for a day or two and see how you like it? I think a lot of talk could be eliminated that way; try one, all it can be is big enough or not.

And you'll find out whether the mrs thinks it's sexy; might be worth the rental fee right there.

 

[husky455rancher]

I thank you all you info and opinions on everything. It does seem that the mower is a bad idea because of the price for what you get. I’ve looked a lot online and many people saw use that money for a zero turn if you need a mower. Honestly I don’t need a mower it would just be a way for me to get more use of the tractor if I had one.
It will be almost all loader work for me. I wanna fix up my yard and move around log lengths and firewood. Honestly I don’t know what a 10-12 ft tree length of oak weighs I really have no idea. Maybe a sub compact could lift it maybe I’d have to cut it in half? I’ve had full length delivered before too but not really recently. I could easily cut those in half if need be.
Are the little backhoes really that worthless? If I wanted to cheap out I could just get a sub compact with the loader and forks and call it a day. Picking out a proper tractor is harder than I thought it would be that’s for sure. I want to be happy with my purchase but don’t wanna just buy way more than I need as well. I do that with chainsaws and my log splitter

 

[pdqdl]

Get a John Deere 2755 with a fork, works great for moving bales, I'm sure you could throw a bucket on and go to work! Holy cow it can climb any hill, up/down, or drive on it sideways! The 2755 also goes pretty fast on the road, like 40 I'd say.

40? Thats fast as hell aint it?

There aren't any tractors that i know of that will go that fast.

Your tractor is only good for 15 mph. Downhill, with a tailwind. It just seems like 40mph on account of the poor steering, tires, and brakes that all tractors have. Read for yourself:
http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/1/3/137-john-deere-2755-transmission.html
With 16.9-24 rear tires.

 

[husky455rancher]

Aw hell, cut to the chase here--if the mrs is anything like your picture there, get the one she thinks is sexy and get to work, the rest will figure itself out.

More seriously--unless I missed it we have no idea how much land you're intending to work with one, and what it consists of. As--a backhoe on a 35 hp tractor will just dig a septic tank hole, one on a subcompact will dig the hole for the distribution box. Both will trench, the little one 3' deep, the larger 6' deep. You mentioned 'landscaping'; the bigger the tractor the greater the chances of running into a wall. Mowing a lawn working round the house and shrubs, HST is better with a belly mower; mowing a field with a brush cutter a gear transmission works just fine and you don't have to hold a pedal down. PTO farming implements will require hp in the 35-40 range unless they're for just a small vegetable garden. You'll feel comfortable lifting up to maybe 600 lbs with the loader on a 35 hp tractor, 300 lbs on something BX23 size. On nice flat ground, the L3400 loader will just lift the engine out of the '65 Thunderbird, the BX1860 will just lift the engine out of a '2005 Focus.

Compared to tractors in the 50's and 60's, to an old guy all these things are impressively competent now, who would have thought that a BX25 size tractor could be made to do so much. Why not put some jobs together, take some money and go rent one for a day or two and see how you like it? I think a lot of talk could be eliminated that way; try one, all it can be is big enough or not.

And you'll find out whether the mrs thinks it's sexy; might be worth the rental fee right there.

Sounds like a good idea. Maybe I’ll call around about a rental. Oh and that is not the mrs in the picture but she does like tractors

 

[holeycow]

Don't make the all-too-common mistake of getting too-small of a machine. Too large can be a pain too. As someone mentioned, lifting capacities on farm loaders are as optimistic as towing capacities for pickup trucks. Imo, anyone who approaches those capacities hasn't a clue how close to disaster they are.

I am in the buy a lawn mower to mow the lawn and a tractor to do tractor things camp. Don't buy a wee tractor to mow the lawn expecting it do behave much like a tractor when you want to push, pull, or lift.

lawn mowing "tractors" are pretty cheap used. Small farm tractors can be quite an expense.

anyway, you are down the rabbit hole now, lol.

 

[husky455rancher]

Don't make the all-too-common mistake of getting too-small of a machine. Too large can be a pain too. As someone mentioned, lifting capacities on farm loaders are as optimistic as towing capacities for pickup trucks. Imo, anyone who approaches those capacities hasn't a clue how close to disaster they are.

I am in the buy a lawn mower to mow the lawn and a tractor to do tractor things camp. Don't buy a wee tractor to mow the lawn expecting it do behave much like a tractor when you want to push, pull, or lift.

lawn mowing "tractors" are pretty cheap used. Small farm tractors can be quite an expense.

anyway, you are down the rabbit hole now, lol.

Oh you ain’t kidding, I joke with my wife that this is consuming my life. I should just buy the bigger tractor or don’t get anything. I would be the guy who bent the tractor in half or flipped it cuse the manual said it could hold this much weight haha. So many decisions……

 

[Sandhill Crane]

If you don't need a pto, check out used Kubota r420's or r520's.

 

[pdqdl]

No, no, no. Those are just wheel loaders. Tractors are a different machine entirely. Even a small skid steer would offer a great deal more versatility.

And they are a LOT more expensive than a little ag tractor. I seem to recall that budget was a major consideration.

 

[holeycow]

You need a pto.

 

[holeycow]

And hydraulics. 2 remotes.

 

[husky455rancher]

I called a bobcat place that ships all over the country and he said he has 10 of each coming but doesn’t expect them for quite a while. He mentioned summertime which seems a little ridiculous but who knows. He had the best price so far and said he would call me when he hears anything. I don’t see me waiting that long though so I’m gonna keep looking.

 

[holeycow]

Lots of folks talk about motor, motor, motor when a tractor is more about transmission, transmission, transmission. I don't mean hydro vs manual, I mean number of gears (if geared) number of ranges and ratios..

anyway, if you're buying new it's easy. You don't "buy the dealer" yet you would like to have a decent one fairly handy. If you buy a good example of a good model it will never see the dealer.

one reason I like my Kioti is that it is so easy to service. Virtually every service point is easily accessible. Some machines have stuff hiding all over the place. I like that it is a tidy design. I didn't find the Mahindras (the real, Indian ones) to be that way. That was enough for me, I found them to be relatively untidy.

you need to get your butt from in front of the screen and go see a bunch in person. That way it will just come to you naturally with a lot less stress.

someone with more little tractor experience than I should come up with a list of likes and dislikes, or a list of questions for that nice bum to ask the dealers.....

 

[SS396driver]

He gets deals like this through the university all the time tho. He bought a Chevy sedan that had 1400 miles for a thousand bucks. I got a 6 holder kayak trailer for $100 from the same place.

that's why its 100k to go to college
Just busting nuts.

I have a bx25 Kubota . Do I wish I had bought a bigger one yes do I regret buying it no. It does everything I need it to do and I can store it inside . When I need a bigger unit I rent one .

 

[Dirtflirt]

A lot of opinions here so I will add my 2 Cents. I had a 43 HP Kubota and sold it because it was too big for what I was doing with it. When I was shopping I wanted the smallest footprint that had at least 22HP at the PTO to run a Woodland Mills 6" Chipper. I looked at the green ones, I looked at the orange ones and I would up with a Mahindra that I never thought I would buy just because of the stigma, then I read an article that back in the '50s (or so) IH started what they thought was going to be a partnership with Mahindra to build tractors for the international markets but they got snaked after they showed them how to build tractors. Anyway, I have a Max 28 Shuttle that was way more cost-effective than the green or orange ones can lift more and turn tighter. This thing is tough, I punish it, try to and pick up way too much, and work it hard. This unit helped me haul about 60K LBS of trees out of my last investment property. I bought the pallet fork attachment by Titan and they are on there as much or more than the bucket, I would like to have a grapple but that is still on the wish list. My only regret is buying the MMM, I got the 60" deck and the ground clearance is pathetic, can never get it up high enough, the mount linkages get hung up in the woods and this last time came up through the floorboard. For the 3k that I spent on the MMM, I could have bought a dedicated mower. Food for thought, Cheers!

 

[bbxlr8]

I'll jump back in based on the latest posts from OP Huskey455rancher - I think you are on the right track and FWIW I think time spent upfront will pay off for you. Going and looking is great when you have some direction to narrow it down.

Yours may be similar to my situation after all. A couple of additional points to add:

• I gave up on the do-it-all as I decided on the next level up. Background I have a 60"mmm on my old ford and it has been great but I have been working on it as much as I cut. I landed on keeping it going with spit and duct tape and getting a ZTM when the day comes. As per above, it is a PIA in the woods even with the deck locked in "up"
• My Kubota is the smallest of the L series but has none of the emissions "stuff" It is WAY under-stressed and HP is via a bigger engine & only down that low due to timing and throttle stop (bit like cars in 74)
• It runs the same hydraulic pump for the BH & Loader as the rest of the L series except the 47. As I said in prev. post above, digging, clearing and moving rock abilities were key over ultimate ground pulling ability via the 3ph
• It is right-sized for the woods in my case - Ex) with a Landpride grapple I moved 60K pounds of deadfall and rotten logs stumps, etc in 2 weekends.
• The weight of the tractor is a big factor.
• A box blade is super useful

This evening, I finished bucking a standing dead and moved & split two buckets worth in no time and little effort. I thought I knew but am surprised all the time at the difference the tractor makes.

You will not regret getting one no matter where you land. I can't believe I did it the hard way for so long!!
Balancing my saw with a 24" bar is a challenge on the way back - the next step is a saw holder...

 

[bbxlr8]

I have a bx25 Kubota . Do I wish I had bought a bigger one yes do I regret buying it no. It does everything I need it to do and I can store it inside . When I need a bigger unit I rent one .

Mark - that is pretty ingenious with the chains on the back

 

[holeycow]

A lot of opinions here so I will add my 2 Cents. I had a 43 HP Kubota and sold it because it was too big for what I was doing with it. When I was shopping I wanted the smallest footprint that had at least 22HP at the PTO to run a Woodland Mills 6" Chipper. I looked at the green ones, I looked at the orange ones and I would up with a Mahindra that I never thought I would buy just because of the stigma, then I read an article that back in the '50s (or so) IH started what they thought was going to be a partnership with Mahindra to build tractors for the international markets but they got snaked after they showed them how to build tractors. Anyway, I have a Max 28 Shuttle that was way more cost-effective than the green or orange ones can lift more and turn tighter. This thing is tough, I punish it, try to and pick up way too much, and work it hard. This unit helped me haul about 60K LBS of trees out of my last investment property. I bought the pallet fork attachment by Titan and they are on there as much or more than the bucket, I would like to have a grapple but that is still on the wish list. My only regret is buying the MMM, I got the 60" deck and the ground clearance is pathetic, can never get it up high enough, the mount linkages get hung up in the woods and this last time came up through the floorboard. For the 3k that I spent on the MMM, I could have bought a dedicated mower. Food for thought, Cheers!

Is that a Mahindra, a TYM, or a Mitsubishi?

 

[CaseyForrest]

My first tractor was a B2650 with loader and MMM. Firewood, mowing, maintaining the drive etc..... basic homeowner tractor duties. We live on about 3, unwooded acres.

I loved the way it mowed, but quickly grew tired of going around trees, having to cut corners short simply because the tractor just couldn't get into them. I was creating work for myself. I sold the deck to a lady I know who bought a 2650 to blow snow, but decided she could also use it to replace her tired ingersoll. Bought a Z726x and never looked back.

For firewood, I was always using it right at its limits. I got logs from my previous place of employment and usually cut them at 14'. 12-14" white oak was about all it wanted to pick up and that was with a 5' box blade as counterweight. I also wanted to make moving processed wood easier, but didn't have the lift capacity to make that happen with the 2650.

So I started looking for a new tractor and once comparing specs, pricing, weight, utility etc I settled on an L4060 Rops. Its definitely overkill for my 3 acres, but I am not left wanting more tractor. I can easily lift face cords+ green white oak, hickory etc. I can run the WM8H chipper without worrying about slowing down. I purchased 3 rear remotes and the top and tilt kit at the same time, but I installed those items.

Firewood is serious business here, and I didn't want to have to upgrade again. Not many people say I wish I would have bought a smaller tractor, but you'll hear many people say they wish they had bought larger. Buy as large as your budget will allow.

I wouldnt personally get weighed down with the cost of a backhoe. Cool to have, sure. But you can rent a mini ex and be far more efficient at the task, and not have to store a backhoe if you dont want it on the tractor.

 

[SS396driver]

Mark - that is pretty ingenious with the chains on the back

Ya have to improvise.

 

[rwoods]

... It will be almost all loader work for me. I wanna fix up my yard and move around log lengths and firewood. Honestly I don’t know what a 10-12 ft tree length of oak weighs I really have no idea. Maybe a sub compact could lift it maybe I’d have to cut it in half? I’ve had full length delivered before too but not really recently. I could easily cut those in half if need be.
...

If you plan to lift logs, then use this calculator: https://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/calc.pl?calculator=log_weight. I have found it very helpful. Also learn your loader's capacities. It will pick up a whole more below hood height than full height. Don't start out big. Get a feel for it and your tractor's tipping points which will vary with the load's weight, position and length, your speed, the terrain, etc. I treat mine pretty much like a tree - it will try to kill you.

Ron