Where can I get a good compact tractor?

[PJereb]

I am moving to about six acres, on a slope, with a pond... ... I need a tractor!



I want a front end loader, a rear mower, and a scraper, and it to be 17-25hp and 4wd.



I have looked a buying a new tractor, probably a Kubota B7510HSD if I decide to go that route, but that is about 15K with a couple toys, which is more money than I should spend (2 times to much).



So far I have looked at two used tractors, a Kubota B7000, and a Yanmar 185D



Anybody have any good advice?

I am willing to go anywhere in Northern California, Oregon, or Western Nevada.



Thanks!

Peter

 

[IC Smoke]

KUBOTA stick with it

we picked up our first B2400 from Dakins Equipment here in Michigan (who also is a TDR member JDakin) its a 99 with close to 3200 hours on it. One hyd trans failure under warranty. I use this year round mowing lawns & scraping sidewalks! I woudlnt have any other brand!



we just bought a KUBOTA ZD21 this fall and it already has 130 hrs on it! it cuts grass like no tomorrow! Of course they are both diesel!



They are worth the money! and like a Cummins wayyyy better than the rest in Trade-In value!!



Ian

 

[ShannonHarris]

I have been very happy with my John Deer. This is a 20 hp, I have a 54" mid deck mower, post hole agger and that blade. It runs great, a 3 cylinder diesel.

It is the smallest of the 4000 series, a 4100. This ia a gear driven,JD also has the Hydro trans. And it works great moving snow.

 

[tractorseller]

Kubota and John Deere are both good tractors, but they are expensive. You need to figure out how much you're going to use the tractor. If you buy new you're going to spend alot of money and take a beating on depreciation if you ever sell it.



For someone who isn't going to be using one everyday, go used unless you just have lots of money to throw around. There are plenty of great Yanmar tractors out there. You'll never put enough hours on a diesel tractor to wear it out if you're like most people. I grew up working on farms and some of the tractors we used ran all day and all night for months on end. You'll use one a few hours and then park it. A good friend of mine bought a new John Deere about 10 years ago and he has only put 500 hours on it. He wishes he wouldn't have spent so much money on a tractor and now it isn't worth nearly what he paid for it.



If you get a good deal on a used one you can get your money back out of it if you decide to sell it for some reason. You can get a very nice Yanmar 21 horsepower 4 wheel drive diesel with a new Koyker front loader and a new box scraper on it for under $7,000.

 

[Lnwing]

Check out the Century/Branson tractors. They are very rugged and will typically cost thousands less than the top brand names. I've owned a 2028 Century w/ C50 loader and C76 backhoe for about 2 years, and I'm still amazed at how much work that little tractor will do! The manufacturer is Kukje, of South Korea, which also manufactures the A-series Cummins engine. tractorbynet.com is a good source of information.



Lynn

 

[JFinke]

Get a used 40-65HP tractor that can do something. You will very rarely wish your tractor is smaller unless you want to mow the lawn, or work in the garden with it. A 17-25HP MFWD tractor wont pull or push what a 2WD 40-65HP will, and with the added HP you can run a 7' mower and get the job done and be drinking a cold one. The bigger tractor will also be much more stable on the slope that you mention. We have a couple neighbors that bought the little ones for there hobby farms and when thay need to do anything it takes 4-ever or they get me to bring a real tractor over. I moved a pile of dirt for the neighbor in a half hour that he had been working on for a whole day. His loader will move about the same amount of dirt as small wheelbarrow. It's also easier to do a level job with a wider tractor, bucket or blade. Whatever you end up getting will be better than a shovel, but for the same money you can get a lot bigger used utility tractor that has some real grunt. Jake

 

[DPKetchum]

Well my two cents worth. I shopped for small tractors and found John Deere's to be the most exspensive. The ranchers and farmers I taked to said Kubota's were the first to fall apart. I ended up with a New Holland Boomer seriers. 30h. p. 4wd frt end loader,manual trans, etc. Priced near the Kubota and a lot less then the Deere. So far 600 hours and 0 problems.

 

[PJereb]

Well,

I am still up in the air!



How good of a deal the tractor is will probably decide the purchase, whatever make or model it ends up being.

 

[DPKetchum]

I started looking at the Jap import YANMAR etc. stuff. Yea they were cheap,parts appeared to be a nightmare,controls etc. on some of the off brands were from the dark ages. Looked a good 2 months at that sorta stuff(some used)and found the tractor dealers were as willing to deal as the new car dealers are now. So after shopping and haggling a while got a New Holland dealer to beat all the others prices including other New Holland dealers in the area. The Boomer series came with a 3 year unliminted hour warranty on everthing including battery. Let each place KNOW your shopping who and where. I told them up front PRICE as going to sell it.

 

[Boomer II]

Kioti CK20 is a really nice tractor, www.kioti.com

http://www.tractorbynet.com/

 

[wyosteve]

I'll throw in my . 02. How often are you likely to use the tractor? If not much, it may be cheaper in the long run to rent one w/ the attachments you need. Out here, the rental rates are very reasonable and they will deliver and pick up the unit.

 

[Dieselnut59]

Kubota. They can't be beat. I am seriously considering trading my New Holland for a Kubota. And I love my TG1860 diesel mower. WOuld LOVE to have one of the new zero turn mowers and a RTV too. I love Kubota equipment.

 

[PRyker]

Whew...



You guys must have a lot of dough to be buying these pricey tractors. First off let me tell you that there is not a SINGLE tractor under 100HP that is produced in the US today. So if you buy John Deere or Kubota or Massey or New Holland you will likely be getting a tractor built in India or Asia.



For the money you simply cannot beat an older tractor from the 60's to 70's. They are overbuilt, parts are readily available and cheap and the horsepower ratings are actually accurate (New tractors HP claims are really questionable). Tractors have not really changed all that much. Heck, I would even buy a Ford 8N. They just do not make them like that anymore. From what you said you want to do I would look at a 504 International with a diesel or a Massey Furgeson 135 with the diesel option. They have everything the new tractors do and will run and run and run... Live PTO, 3pt, power steering and remotes.



You could pick up a good one with implements and a front end loader for less than $6000. You could probably find one for even closer to $4000 if you have a lot of farm auctions in your neck of the woods.



Thanks



Phil

 

[PRyker]

PJereb,



Go to ytmag.com and ask over there. They also have a classified section and A LOT of knowledgable folks that can steer you in the right direction.



Thanks



Phil

 

[PRyker]

OK, here is what you need!!



http://www.tractorshed.com/cgi-bin/...play_db_button=on&db_id=98691&query=retrieval



That is a decent price and will save you a load of cash.

 

[DPKetchum]

My neigbors Massey is new and crude. Paint is crude,gauges old timey. Has DRUM external rear brakes. Built in CZECHOSLOVAKIA!!!All he can go on about is it has a PERKINS and WHAT a deal he got. The three months I priced and shopped the ranchers and farmers all said to avoid Kubota(didn't dicuss others with werid names)said that in the past they were the first(out of Deeres/New Holland etc. )to have things stop working,rattle,have things vibrate off etc. Said they were the American Motors of the tractor world. The New Holland is assembled in south Georgia. Its all jap really BUT New Holland is the LARGEST manufacture of Aig Equipement world wide. Got 600 hours on my Boomer series with front end loader. No issues of any sort. Just maintance.

 

[daveshoe]

Sadly,the size tractor youy are looking for in 4wd is very likely in high demand and will command a high [used price] if bought off a dealer's lot. You can buy a crate tractor from China that you do final assembly on ,but be careful if you need parts. These have been around for awhile and hopefully there are a few people set up by now that have the parts supply built up a little. A search on Farm Show Magazine should get some info on these.

You pay for the paint on brand loyalty on some of these tractors. John Deere comes to mind on this. A little known brand is White [made by iseisi]. My dad had one and it is very tight and was Japanese made. The tolerances in the Hyd linkage were very imporessive and it was a very strong tractor,but the grey paint was very prone to dulling,even when kept inside. AGCO company has bought White,Massey,New holland[Ford] and some others. When you buy a used one,I would recommend a visit to the parts counter of the servicing dealer to make sure you can get repair parts. That's why a lesser known brand like White may be a good buy as long as it has good service available

 

[Elite1]

I used to have a little Kubota 4x4 18 HP, it was really too small to do much, and under powered. I have a bobcat 763 skid loader that does alot more work... but you may need something with a gannon/disc. I always liked the old ford skip loaders (they then became NewHolland) and the JD's... here is a nice looking little unit for a small farm at a reasonable price:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=91953&item=7505166533&rd=1

 

[DPKetchum]

Nice unit. Kinda what I have only a New Holland Boomer series. Front end loader gets in the way sometimes but it does the work of FOUR men as I was told by a Hispanic buddy of mine. He's right. Everthing from yard depris to lifting the wife to clean gutters,moving fire wood etc.