what size tractor needed?

[Hostetter]

looking for a used farm tractor to maintain garvel lanes and camp sites for a 100 site campground. would also do some grass cutting and snow removel. want tractor to have a front end loader. any help would be great. brand,hp,etc.

thanks

hoss

 

[illflem]

A JD 2020 or 1020 diesel will fit your needs perfectly. Tons of good used ones out there for around $5k, most of the time with a loader.

 

[Hostetter]

thanks for the info illflem anthing i should watch for other than the normal things. never owned or used a tractor before

thanks

hoss

 

[JLinder]

I'll throw in my $0. 000002 here. If it were me, I'd buy the largest 4wd tractor I could afford. Don't make the mistake my neighbor did and buy an off brand (Rhino) or you may not have a company around to buy parts from or repair your tractor. I recommend a 4wd because you say you want to remove snow and want a front-end loader. Not sure where you're from, but in the wetter areas like the Oregon coast anything less than a 4wd is worthless.



Depends on how much mowing you want to do, but you can flatten a lot a brush with a rotary mower on a 25hp tractor. As far as brands, I like JD the best but I'm also a JD fanatic. Kubota, Ford/New Holland and Case also make good utility tractors. Another concern may be where the closest dealer is and what kind of service they have.

 

[Tim1]

tracrors

For pushing dirt i use my oliver oc3 for small jobs and for the more serious work, I use my Case 580B extendahoe which I paid 6 grand for and 2 grand for the oliver. Both do all the work that I need to do or want to do. The bigger equipment seems to be less expensive because it is hard to move it. Love running equipment! Tim

 

[bmoeller]

What's your price range? It would alot. Does age matter? How big of mower and blade and/or loader do you need?



http://www.fastline.com/ This might help too. If you want a particular tractor you can search and find a dealer with one. You can also place a want ad.

 

[QRTRHRS]

hoss,



Tractors have an hour meter. Similar to a car's speedometer, they "lie". However, on a big tractor, ~3500 hours would be considered not bad. ~6500 would be a lot. Course that is very subjective. On a compact, I would stay below 1000 hours depending on shape and who has it. Private, look around and see what it was used for. At a dealer, it could be anyone's guess.



There are anomalies within makes. For instance, a Ford 5000 with a manual shift can still bring a good buck. A Ford 5000 with the "Selectomatic" (auto) is dog.



Do you have any understanding of terms like 3pt, outlets, shuttle shift, etc. ? Ask away.



What kind of cutting are you talking, grass or brush or both? And how much? For the road maintenance, you can pick up a 3pt rear blade. That will work for snow up to a foot or so and for the grading. I would want one at least 7 feet wide. Get one with adjustable shoes to keep the blade up on soft surfaces. If you can go with hydraulic angle, it will save many trips off the seat and let you do a nicer job. You may also want to add a landscape or "york" rake too.

 

[bighammer]

I bought a '62 Farmall 504 a fews years back with rear plow and a brand new 6' brush hog. It has been a great workhorse for grading, mowing, plowing, etc. Despite it being a gas engine, it has been really reliable and strong. I paid $4k for it all, and don't regret a penny of it.

 

[Todd T]

you left out Massey's.



i think you will find ford or JD's are pretty readily available with the stuff you need on it.



for mowing the Ford (New Holand) "Boomers" have the sharpest turning radius of them all. A Tc25 or Tc30 should suit your needs.



think trees and fire pits, my friend!



you may want to look for one that has a quik detachable loader. I can remove mine in about two minutes and it will stand on its own to drive in and out of. a loader is a pain to mow with. you cant get close to stuff or inside corners. I have a 1220 Masey and it works great for me. i have a 60" belly mower that cuts like a rider, a loader that can handle up to 850lbs and a brush hog for the high stuff.

 

[Hostetter]

still looking

thanks for all the responses. There will not be much mowing with bush hog. maintaing some hiking trails on property 85 acers. campground takes up about 10 acers. the rest is hardwoods and pine trees. i have a 52 inch jd 260 a a teenage son. looking into a 0 turn for c. g. mowing. previous owner had a dump truck a massey tractor for the gravel and snow. and land is not flat so should this factor in on what size?I have about 10k to spend total on tractor with attacments. did not think it would be so hard to find something close. checked out fastline.com found 1 ford {i dont know about fooord}diesel2910 2600hrswith bushhog. and loader new tires rops exc cond. 9,950 may go look at sat.

I hate looking for somthing i dont know about

hoss

 

[daveshoe]

If you are looking for something primarily for a front end loader , I would certainly consider a Bobcat skid steer . There are enough used ones around that the prices are dropping. Bobcat brand guarantees the most service centers. You can rent trenchers. post diggers and about 30 other attachments.

Biggest advantage is the skill level that you will rapidly acquire with the loader. You can really see what the bucket is doing with a skid steer.

I have made a Bobcat to three point conversion that allows me to buy landscape tools at the local farm supply store . Saves a mint of money.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Some links that may help.

http://www.ytmag.com/today/index.htm



http://www.prairielinks.com/tractorsearch.html



http://www.diamondfarm.com/



4x4 is probably going to be over budget. 2x will do with good rubber for normal work and chains for snow. Be nice to hook up with someone before you jump into a nightmare.



Todd T, I have a 1260 Massey with the quick attach loader. Unreal how much work they do and hold together. Only thing, my bucket roll is slow and my six foot brush hog makes it run hot if I don't keep after the radiator. Seems to plug up with dirt real quick.

 

[Sled Puller]

Originally posted by daveshoe



Biggest advantage is the skill level that you will rapidly acquire with the loader. You can really see what the bucket is doing with a skid steer.

.

Real Operators don't need to see the bucket... ... .....



I would shoot for a 40-45hp, small enough to get around, yet large enough to do a fair amount of work.

 

[daveshoe]

Hey Sled

I am a real operator. My backhoe is a four sticker-- It don't get more real than that.

Not trying to be snooty about this , but just trying to help out a TDR member that stated he had very limited experience in the tractor business. I have been operating some sort of tractor for 42 years.

If you see a contractor with a rubber tired backhoe and a skid steer, look at both front buckets and see which one is the most shiny