General small acreage tractor advice

[tirebob]

So we just had final conditions removed on a small 2.67 acre property in Water Valley! We are super excited as this has been a bit of a dream for us for the past 20 years and we finally found the right piece for the right deal and jumped on it...

It is more of a wooded property with only maybe 1/2 and acre cleared around the house that is in grass, but it has a couple of large driveways that will require snow clearing. On top of that I do plan on removing some trees, building a couple small shops/buildings and general property maintenance. I have been researching for quite a while and have the obvious list of what I would like to have if budget was not an issue (Some sweet Kubota's out there!), but it is and 25k is just not in the cards at this point.

So with that being said, I am wondering what sort of budget set up all of you experienced acreage pro's would suggest investigating to try and cover as much work as possible without crushing the budget. I don't mind older and used at all but keeping in mind parts and accessories would need to be relatively attainable. I would love to try and keep things in the sub 5k range, but I could swing a couple thousand more without cringing too much. Am I being reasonable?

[Drewski Canuck]

Get a low hours "GREY MARKET KABOTA".

Look at goodusedtractors.com if he is still operating. This will give you an idea on the savings.

You want something in the 30 hp + range by the way, as a minimum.

Drewski

[nsmitchell]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Get a low hours "GREY MARKET KABOTA".

Look at goodusedtractors.com if he is still operating. This will give you an idea on the savings.

You want something in the 30 hp + range by the way, as a minimum.

Drewski

I grabbed one and love it. Mine is a Li-38 and is 45 hp but has all the 3 pt equipment and even moves round bales on the hitch.

[tirebob]

Not bad deals on there! Still a little bit of a reach for me price wise unfortunately but it does have me thinking...

[cdales]

We got a Massy 2310 with backhoe. Works great its in the 12-15k range. 23hp 4x4 does the trick. You may need to bump up your budget closer to 10k+ and it will be worth it.

[FISHBATTEREDBEER]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Get a low hours "GREY MARKET KABOTA".

Look at goodusedtractors.com if he is still operating. This will give you an idea on the savings.

You want something in the 30 hp + range by the way, as a minimum.

Drewski

beware of grey market tractors,often they are submerged for months at a time in rice fields,hard to get parts and the pto turns the wrong way on some models!! Ask me how I know!!


buy a diesel kubota once and your done for ever.

[Stubb]

Kubota used to have a annual sale on a small tractor with a FEL, I think it was 18hp. They were on sale for about 18,000 if I recall correctly. I don't think you'll end up with much for 5k.

[trophybook]

Just picked up a 06 taskmaster 32hp 4wd with 660hrs for 9800$ at timberland auction. Looks identical to the John deer but red .

[Ken07AOVette]

Hard to beat 0 percent financing on JD, I bought a 2032r 2 years ago and just love it. Got 655 tiller, 60" mid mount deck, front end loader and weight box

[Red Bullets]

I know it's not conventional to go backwards but if you watch for a few farm auctions this spring there will be small tractors, some with implements, for sale. Sometimes a guy can get a really good deal on an older tractor. The older Ford 8N tractor with a 3 point hitch and pto was a great acreage tractor. They use all sorts of attachments, like blades, rototillers, rough and finishing mowers. Seen them sell at farm auctions for a couple grand. Kubota is nice but you can do the same job with cheaper tractors.

[Big Lou]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

I know it's not conventional to go backwards but if you watch for a few farm auctions this spring there will be small tractors, some with implements, for sale. Sometimes a guy can get a really good deal on an older tractor. The older Ford 8N tractor with a 3 point hitch and pto was a great acreage tractor. They use all sorts of attachments, like blades, rototillers, rough and finishing mowers. Seen them sell at farm auctions for a couple grand. Kubota is nice but you can do the same job with cheaper tractors.

I kind of have to seconds Red's sentiments even though I own a newer Kubota. Dad has done a pile of smaller scale work with his 8N. He has pretty much all the same attachments I have although not as pretty, work just fine. That little tractor has paid for itself many many times over. I was looking at everything before I bought mine from old to new. As much as I hate Kijiji, some nice ones come on there fairly regular. There was a fellow in Saskatchewan on Kijiji that had a really good selection of them. Basic to full restos and all were very nice. Pricing was surprisingly reasonable from what I recall. I don't think you'd have much trouble getting a nice 8N with a couple or 3 good attachments for under $7500.

[Pikebreath]

You can pay now or pay later,,, there are some good quality used small tractors out there, but there is also the likelihood you will be buying someone else's problems,, unless you enjoy the challenges of tractor restoration. The 7 - 9Ns are great tractors,, but they are a 1940 - 1950 something tractor - their popularity means parts are available but not necessarily readily accessible right away.

Fact is any tractor over 15 years old is going to be a challenge to find parts for.

[Puma]

Welcome new neighbor, you will love living out here.

Decide what you need a tractor to do first. I suggest something with a 3 point hitch and a frontend loader. Diesel is nice. One thing about a 3 pt is you can buy multiple pieces of equipment, as you need/find them ie; rear blade, snowblower, mower, cultivator, rototiller, etc . Just change them out as you need them.

I find I use my quad with a plow for most of my snow, but do have a 3 pt snowblower for the big snow events or when the plow windrows get too big for the quad.

Lots of farm/acreage auctions here over the summer to pick up something.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by Puma

Welcome new neighbor, you will love living out here.

Decide what you need a tractor to do first. I suggest something with a 3 point hitch and a frontend loader. Diesel is nice. One thing about a 3 pt is you can buy multiple pieces of equipment, as you need/find them ie; rear blade, snowblower, mower, cultivator, rototiller, etc . Just change them out as you need them.

I find I use my quad with a plow for most of my snow, but do have a 3 pt snowblower for the big snow events or when the plow windrows get too big for the quad.

Lots of farm/acreage auctions here over the summer to pick up something.

Nice! I was originally thinking of just a quad and a blade but everyone keeps telling me it won't be enough out there for heavy snow falls, and I figured with the extra jobs I expect to be playing with, I have pretty much resigned myself to a tractor.

I know it sounds silly to many, but I actually love the older tractors! I have been wanting to have one to tinker with for as long as I can remember, but that said, I need to know it will work when I need it to do so.

I would love to find an old Ford 641 or something like that in good condition (maybe buying a tractor on the style I think looks cool is bad hahaha!), but I was worried that implements etc may not be interchangeable easily. Sound like if it has a 3 point hitch that might not be the issue i was thinking about! I might have to dig into that a little deeper.

[bsmitty27]

If your not looking for using it for loader work. I would look at a case 444-446 garden tractor. Can get one with mower, tiller, snow blower, 3 pt hitch for around 3000.00. I have a 224 which is similar, its a solid garden tractor.



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[curtz]

Keep a eye on kijiji deals come along, last year I bought a 2011 Massey 1635 with cab and loader and only 200 hrs for $25,000, same thing is $40,000 new.

[canuck]

Can you do without a PTO?
My dad has an older Kubota (40 hp?) that he is thinking of selling - well within the budget you suggested above (prolly much less)
Its 4x4, runs good, has 3 pnt hitch and a loader but the PTO is pooched (repairable, just not something hes into doing)
Bonus is that its in Water Valley!

If you want a real beast as well as a project, this one could be had cheap!

[couleefolk]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

I know it's not conventional to go backwards but if you watch for a few farm auctions this spring there will be small tractors, some with implements, for sale. Sometimes a guy can get a really good deal on an older tractor. The older Ford 8N tractor with a 3 point hitch and pto was a great acreage tractor. They use all sorts of attachments, like blades, rototillers, rough and finishing mowers. Seen them sell at farm auctions for a couple grand. Kubota is nice but you can do the same job with cheaper tractors.

The old Fords! With today's shipping, parts can be almost as fast or faster than waiting for the dealers to order something in because almost nothing is on the shelf anymore. I grew up on a Ford Jubilee (model NAA). It had the Dearborn loader on it, but it was used for so much on the farm. Not nearly the stuff to wrong on that thing as these newer tractors. If a person can swing a wrench, they could probably quite easily rebuild the whole tractor for a reasonable price since they are so simple. No it doesn't have the live PTO or hydraulic steering, but you really don't have a huge yard either. When you consider what some of the diesel starters are selling for these days, those old Fords look financially respectable. Oh the days when you had to be a real man to farm.

[Dr. Phil A]

Originally Posted by canuck

Can you do without a PTO?
My dad has an older Kubota (40 hp?) that he is thinking of selling - well within the budget you suggested above (prolly much less)
Its 4x4, runs good, has 3 pnt hitch and a loader but the PTO is pooched (repairable, just not something hes into doing)
Bonus is that its in Water Valley!

If you want a real beast as well as a project, this one could be had cheap!

That is a Belarus. Whole different kettle of fish. But you do have a Leon loader.

[Puma]

Looks like a Belarus 512, about 60 hp. Made in Poland if memory serves.

[Red Bullets]

Just a couple of stories on the older tractors. They were made to last.

A few years ago when I was cleaning up my fathers farm.. with a chain I pulled my dad's 1947(or 8) Cockshutt 80 out of the shed it had sat in since the 1960's. So 50+ years in the shed. My brother is a HD mechanic so he checked all the wires and borrowed me a 6 volt battery. The tractor was on blocks all those years so the tires were great.

Put some fresh conditioned gas in and gave it one complete crank on the hand crank. The second crank around and the tractor fired and ran. We were both amazed. My brother then changed all the fluids and the tractor ran just like the day Dad parked it in the shed half a century before. Later sold the tractor to a fellow that put that cockshutt 80 back to work.

Back in the early 70's my dad asked me to help him get a tractor he had bought about 6 miles from home. I drove him there so I could follow him home as he wanted to drive the "new" old tractor home. He had paid 400 dollars for it. We get there and sure enough, this tractor is running in the yard ready to go. On steel wheels was Dad's new purchase... an original 1904 Hart Parr. He bought it from an oldtimer that had had it in his shed for 50 years. The Hart Parr could still pull too.

The moral of these stories is the older tractors were made to work and last. There were enough of the common tractors that parts aren't impossible to find now a days either.

[Reeves1]

http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=322296

Just spotted here.....

[Mangosteen]

Amongst my other larger tractors one day I picked up a restored Ferguson TEA for 3200 bucks for mowing between a few apple trees and after 13 years of use it just will not quit.

Amazing tractor that Mr Ferguson built over there in England back in those days.

It just keeps going and going. If it ever kicks the bucket will replace it with a Kubota or small John Deere but it will probably never die.

The three point hitch invented by him was the basis for a three point hitches today. Even Henry Ford wanted a part of the action.

Then Massey from Canada screwed Ferguson over there in Ireland.

It's one of three tractors I have kicking around but the one that makes me smile the most for its nimble simplicity.

The other one is a 1936 JD B flywheel start in perfect condition and my 80 HP
workhorse.

Depending on how long your driveway is get a 84 inch dual scroll Lucknow snowblower. I still have one kicking around I don't need.

[Gary K]

Originally Posted by FISHBATTEREDBEER

beware of grey market tractors,often they are submerged for months at a time in rice fields,hard to get parts and the pto turns the wrong way on some models!! Ask me how I know!!


buy a diesel kubota once and your done for ever.

you happened to buy the single grey market tracker where the PTO spins the wrong way? i believe its the Kubota B6000?

[cooper]

Forget the tractor get a skidsteer JD 320 . more than enough attachments your hart can desire.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by cooper

Forget the tractor get a skidsteer JD 320 . more than enough attachments your hart can desire.

Hard to argue that wouldn't fit the bill for what I want to do but I really need to keep in my budget of 5k give or take a couple grand. I know it is tough but that is where I am trying to make this happen...

[Drewski Canuck]

Counter spin PTO was only on the one B 6000 model. That is not what you want.

You NEED a tractor in the 30 HP + range, but not by much.

The Japanese Grey Market Kubotas typically are a 4 speed PTO compared to the 2 speed "Domestic" Kubotas.

On the Model Number, just take the Domestic "Horse Power" and convert it to Kilowats, and then look up the model on Tractors.com. They list the models of all tractors. That is also how you can reference Domestic parts.

As for the story that the Tractors sat in water for months at a time, this is really FUNNY!!!

Yes, these are Rice Paddy tractors, meaning in the dry season the tiller is used to work the soil. Then the Tractor sits in a shed, and the field is flooded for planting the rice plants. That is all.

Japanese farms are small, usually under 5 hectare. There is a Tax on vehicles and equipment over 15 years old in Japan. That is done to support domestic consumption. That is why you see export tractors, cars, etc from Japan.

When you get the tractor, use your head and change all hoses, belts, fluids, filters, and put in long life universal anti freeze. Make sure to do a flush and fill on the rad, so it is nice and clean. You should be good for years after that.

Word of warning, if you fill the bucket with wet sand and you HAVE NOT changed to new tires and put in fluid in the rear tires for ballast, the tractor will tip if you lift a very heavy load. You want to take off the rice paddy tires and put on Ag tires anyway. I don't have fluid ballast in the rear and wish I did.

Drewski

[Ken07AOVette]

Drewski is there a PTO reverser box that can be put on? Shouldn't be too difficult, 1-1 in and out chain or gear drive, I would have to think one exists?

[Drewski Canuck]

Ken,

Never heard of a PTO reverse set up. Just stay away from the B6000 line.

Most of the Grey Market Tractors from Kabota are the LT series. Solid frame, Mechanical Assist front axle (4 x 4 that can disengage), Rear axle differential lockout, etc. These are the larger tractors, which have the higher capacity hydraulic pumps.

Drewski

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Ken,

Never heard of a PTO reverse set up. Just stay away from the B6000 line.

Most of the Grey Market Tractors from Kabota are the LT series. Solid frame, Mechanical Assist front axle (4 x 4 that can disengage), Rear axle differential lockout, etc. These are the larger tractors, which have the higher capacity hydraulic pumps.

Drewski

Good plan

Just did a quick google search, yes they are available, looked exactly as I thought