I am hoping someone can advise me as to what I would need for a tractor. We just put a modular home on an 8.5 acre chunk of land which needs continual maintenance. The tractor must clear snow in the winter and cut grass in the summer. I also need to be able to grade the land and move a fair quantity of dirt. So I am thinking a FEL, with 3 PH but not sure of what HP or type of PTO I need. Also what price I should expect to pay....I don't have a ton of $....and any other advice you may have.<br><br>Any help would be appreciated.<br>TIA.

 

I have also been looking for a compact utility tractor for some time now. All the big names are pretty much the same, Deere, Kubota, New Holland, and Case IH. Two other brands that I've heard are also pretty good little tractors are Mahindra, and Kiota. The down side the that latter two is parts when something breaks, and it will, it's hard to come by parts and a service center.<br><br>I have narrowed my selection down to either a Case IH, or New Holland, (same exact tractor just different paint) They are the most user friendly and have an awesome veiw over the nice sloped hood. I also like the easy access to all the servicable items. Makes the oil changes easy and fast.<br><br>I'm in the market for no less than 40hp I want at least a 4 cylinder engine, and 4wd with a FEL. It seems that all the models from the 4 major manufactures are all in the $16,000 to #17,000 range. A lot of money for a tractor but mine will be making some of that back. 8)<br><br>Here are a few links <br><br>Case IH<br><br>John Deere<br><br>Kubota<br><br>New Holland<br><br>Good Luck<br><br>DB<br><br>

 

Darrell, have you considered the Cub Cadet line of utility tractors? The 73XX series would be right up your alley.

 

A vintage mid-size tractor can be had for half the price of a new compact. Parts are readily available for almost all of the American-made brands from the 50's and 60's if you can do your own wrenching. <br><br>Four wheel drive is not necessary if you stay out of the really soft stuff and have a differential lock. Heck, my non-posi 1963 Ford 2000 is quite capable of moving more dirt than a 6' box blade can hold and it does not have loaded tires or wheel weights.<br><br>The funny thing is that the larger tractors (CATII, 75 HP and up) are actually cheaper to buy used than the smaller utility tractors because everybody that has a small &quot;mini-farm&quot; lot wants one for use on their oversized yard. <br><br>Sounds like what you need is a utility tractor with a 6' Woods finish mower, maybe a FEL to fit. At any rate, get live PTO and live hydraulics on whatever you buy. <br><br>Try this site for all kinds of vintage tractor info:<br>http://www.ytmag.com/cgi-bin/boards.cgi<br><br>Several people on here post over there. There is an awful lot of good info and good people on that site, just like here.

 

I have a vintage tractor, a 63-64 Ford 4000 diesel, rated at 42-45 hp from the factory. I'd trade it in a second for a 27 hp 4x4 New Holland 1710. My buddy up the road has one and the 4x4 makes all the difference in the world! I know because he has moved piles of stuff I could not do anything but spin on, and his tractor has pulled mine out of mud holes that only a medium duty wrecker could do otherwise.<br><br>If you're gonna make the investment, the 4x4 is worth more than the HP. You'll also want to get a 4 in 1 bucket on that loader if you have a choice.<br><br>Chris

 

I had a Mahindra 485DI, 45 HP with FEL and it worked great. Put a 6' bush hog on it and it ran it without a problem. Never had a breakdown in the four years I owned it, and I bush hogged some pretty stout stuff. It is an IH tractor frame from years ago with a 4Cyl direct injection diesel. A 9 gal. fuel tank at 2050 RPM on the bush hog would run about 6.5 hours non-stop. This is basically an old IH design tractor with Mahindra's name and assembly plant on it, and holds up well. I gave it to my youngest boy last year for his 50-acre farm, and about the only thing it has trouble running is the huge round baler his neighbor lends him, so he uses a larger tractor for the baler. Everything else it seems to do. The only complaint I had about it is the hydraulics are lower capacity than the name brands, so the FEL lift is a bit slower, but that was o.k. for my use. My eventual replacement will be a JD 5330 or 5340 4WD, at a turbocharged 65 HP at the PTO, with air-conditioned cab (needed her in Texas) and FEL, 7' bush hog (mostly for deer camp work, and some acreage work when I get the acreage in a year or two).

 

Stamey,<br>For moving masses of material the 4X4 is the ticket. However, can you say $$$$$$$$ for a new one? I will keep my old tractors for my &quot;hobby farming&quot; and spend money on other stuff before I go to a new 4X4. However, the swinging front axle on the new New Hollands is a great idea and makes maneuvering in tight areas much easier.

 

I have gone throught this same senario in my own head about a billion times. Our problem is we are spread all over the place. Our two farthest farms are 70 miles apart, so it gets to be a pain hauling tractors around all the time. We are building a new home and I didn't want to move tractors from any of our other three locations to use at the house. I gotta friend in the tractor business and I went up to his place to look at soem used tractors. He had a nice used 806 farmall with a loader on it, price was right($4500) so i wrote him a check and away I went. Well, it didn't take long and I had problems with it. And as a wise man once said, you can run old stuff and pay the repair bills and have headaches, or you can run new and pay the payment. My wife agreed, it was time to buy another new tractor. We looked at several new one's but then our friend came up with a year old Kubota M4700 with only 100 hrs on it. He sold it to us for $11,674, and I had him put a new loader with a quick tach bucket and front bale fork, a radio, and a conopy for about another $4,000. It has performed flawlessly and I do not have to worry about breakdowns all the time. Get some piece of mind and buy something thats worth a dam. Otherwise, you'll be cussin when your turnin wrenches all the time. If money's tight, they offer financing on these new tractors for up to 72 months, which makes them affordable for any budget. <br><br>Just my $ :.02

 

A few years back I bought a 89 model Case IH 1896 4x4 at auction for 14,500 with cab and air. It was NICE!!! It was also with a 5.9 cummins! I put a Great Bend Front end loader on it and it was one tough tractor!<br><br>I sold the ranch and sold the tractor but if I was to do it all over again I would not hesitate to buy one of those again...<br><br>James

 

I've been lookin at buying some land myself. This is the best all around tractor IMO that you can buy. It will meet all of your needs and a few more. New Holland TV140 I've ran one several times and can say it is a functional workhorse.<br><br>Kyle

 

I bought a John Deere in '95 new and worked the crap outa it. Sold it with 1900 hours this spring and got 500 bucks less than what I paid for it. It was a 755 compact with FEL and backhoe. I would not hesitate for a second to get another John Deere. Big $$$ but excellent tractor. Only minor repairs on it. I had 10 acres at the time. It was perfect for me.

 

redramnc,<br>I know about the bucks :'(, I probably won't be buying and upgrade to my 4000 until I get the truck paid off. :<br>I priced out a Kubota, with about 30 hp, and with the bucket it came to about 17K. <br>I may buy one used or try another dealer I heard is cheaper.<br>I have just been so impressed by the 4x4. I had no idea until I compared it directly to my 4000. The pulling/pushing power is no comparison.<br><br>Chris

 

Thanks all for the great info..pls keep it coming.<br>Thanks for the link Redramnc, I will check it out. What is a swinging front axle? And just to confirm, live PTO and hydraulics allows me to work the attachments while stationary? <br><br>Grandpasram-what is a bushhog? a backblade?<br><br>Signed <br><br>Farm noobie...<br>

 

the swinging front axle is also called the &quot;supersteer&quot; by New Holland.<br><br>we have one at work and that thing is really maneurverable (sp?)<br><br>wont pretend i know exactly how they work but it almost seems that the entire hub turns. one thing ive noticed is we go through tires really quick even with multi-trac tires (do use it alot on the pavement though [undecided])<br><br>cant say im a big fan of the hydraulics on the thing though....<br><br><br>a bushhog is exactly what the name says...<br>a really tough mower that will eat through thick brush.<br>