HELP! Tractor size

[JeffWischer]

What they all said! Operated forest nurseries many years; spent as much time on a tractor as at a desk. You don't need 70+ HP, but with 40/45 as a minimum, you'll appreciate everything up to 65. Had 160 acre "hobby" farm in Kansas, and got by with 1940's-50's gas tractors in 25HP range. Got by. Just.

Rent or hire the backhoe! And be careful. Lost my best friend to a rollover.

 

[Lions fan]

After 2 years of looking at used stuff and offerings from Kubota, Kioti, LS, Mahindra and TYM, I ended up buying a TYM 474. The only drawback I could see is the lack of dealer network. I'm gambling that dealer support will grow over time just like LS and Kioti have.

 

[Bill G]

I’ll take that bet. In a heartbeat.

I have an Avery A that will pull my 2038r backwards. It weighs around 2700lbs according to the ol’ internet’s which I think is quite strong. The 2038r is around there as well. It wasn’t even funny, the A pulled it backwards in soft dirt and on my hard driveway. I hale lots of smaller older machines I can hook to that 2038r to see what won’t pull it. I bet my Farmall B may even give it a run for its money.

The size and type of tire have a lot to do with it as well. I’d put money down that that VAC will out pull your 2025r in anything on most any surface.

The issue with discussing things on the internet is that no one is really wrong but no one is totally correct either. A Deere X738 tractor weighted to 1900lbs will not pull the same as a 2025r that weighs the same. It just won’t. They have similar HP but are totally different machines meant for similar tasks but very different tasks at the same time.

The advance of the CUT and SCUT markets have created a whole new generation of “tractor owners”. Not saying that is a bad thing at all but growing up around farm equipment gives a different perspective than shopping online for something and becoming an expert. There is a reason most farms do not use off-brand machinery. I don’t like writing the checks for the CNH and Deere stuff we have here but I know when it goes down there are literally a hundreds of techs within a hundred miles of me that can repair it if I can’t. Someone will very likely have the part I need.

The initial purchase of the machine is such a small part of owning it and so many people focus so much on it and it alone. I just stuck close to $11,000 in repairs to my Deere 5510. It has 23,000hrs and I paid $8,500 for it 8yrs ago knowing it’d need some work at some point. It was worth fixing. I’m gonna say there are very few, if any, SCUT/CUT machines that will last that long. That 5510 will be good for another 5-7,000hrs now and will last me the rest of my farming career.

OP if you’re looking at something for mowing primarily I’d look pre 2000 and in that 75hp range. Use it in the wide open areas and use a zero turn on the lawn. Get one with a loader and a cab and rent a mini-ex when you need it unless or until you can afford one right away.

This is a stolen internet pic of of the first tractor Grandpa bought in1918 or so. Grandma drove it in the field also. A whopping 10 horsepower.

 

[Ford3000]

I had a lot of customers who wanted a larger chainsaw (MS 400 and up or a Husky 572 and up) for the work they needed to do but had a hard time with the price tag and would end up buying a smaller saw. Usually a few weeks later they would be in getting the larger saw because while they were initially saving money, they found out that a little more spent would get then exactly what they needed for their job. At this point they spent more money than they would have if they initially just bought the larger saw. Lots of good advice here so far!


I hear that DEF tanks have a habit of falling out equipment, happened to my friend's Chevy, the DEF tank fell out and now he gets better fuel economy! Who knew?

Friend of mine was quoted 750.00 for a sensor in his vw caddy, he took an angle grinder to the car, and got the van remapped, far better fuel economy, no more add blue, no more engine lights, and a huge increase in fuel economy and power, completely different van now.
I hate this epa crap.
His friends John Deere is now on its second brain / ECU, that is a costly years tractoring for him.
Try to avoid electronics as much as possible.

 

[hacskaroly]

I hate this epa crap.

I think this is the majority consensus!

 

[Duce]

You need a PDF copy of the service manual for that machine? If so, let me know, I'll email you one. I have a tc29d, same machine with a little bit smaller engine. Mine has also been trouble free other than having to jump a safety switch or two. Unbelievable how much work it'll do on a tank of fuel. Best part is mine didn't have a loader, so the guy had it listed for a couple months with no takers. I picked it up for $5000.

Thank you for the offer, but already have a copy. Thanks again!

 

[Bill G]

Friend of mine was quoted 750.00 for a sensor in his vw caddy, he took an angle grinder to the car, and got the van remapped, far better fuel economy, no more add blue, no more engine lights, and a huge increase in fuel economy and power, completely different van now.
I hate this epa crap.
His friends John Deere is now on its second brain / ECU, that is a costly years tractoring for him.
Try to avoid electronics as much as possible.

Ford 3000 eh...........

I might have some........

 

[redneckhillbilly]

the first tractor I ever bought, tuff little workhorse, Kubota B7100, it sure beats a wheelbarrow and a shovel, but not much for running a brushhog or a tiller.

 

[Jusgunn3]

Are bobcat tractors any good?

2022 bobcat tractor like new - farm & garden - by owner - sale - craigslist

Like new 2022 CT 4045 bobcat tractor only 61 hours comes with box scrapper 540 rear PTO $23,000 OBO

boise.craigslist.org

 

[Ryan Browne]

Are bobcat tractors any good?

2022 bobcat tractor like new - farm & garden - by owner - sale - craigslist

Like new 2022 CT 4045 bobcat tractor only 61 hours comes with box scrapper 540 rear PTO $23,000 OBO

boise.craigslist.org

I know years ago they were the same as kioti, and made by a Korean company, Daedong. I believe that's still the case, but I'm not sure. I do know that at some point in the last ten years, bobcat had been selling tractors and then decided to stop and discontinued all their models. I'm not sure what they were going to do about parts. Now they're back in the tractor business, but this is what someone brought up before. Like with NH, they had one manufacturer making their machines, now they have totally different models made by a different company. Will bobcat keep working with kioti? Will they switch to putting white and black paint on a TYM? What will parts and service look like in 10-15 years?

Kioti has been around a long time, if they have a dealer nearby that's confident about getting parts for it, I'd absolutely consider a machine like that.

 

[Ryan Browne]

Are bobcat tractors any good?

2022 bobcat tractor like new - farm & garden - by owner - sale - craigslist

Like new 2022 CT 4045 bobcat tractor only 61 hours comes with box scrapper 540 rear PTO $23,000 OBO

boise.craigslist.org

Kinda hard to tell, is that hydrostatic or a maybe a shuttle transmission?

 

[Jusgunn3]

Kinda hard to tell, is that hydrostatic or a maybe a shuttle transmission?

I sent an email asking the same question, I will let you know what he says. I did read they are made by kioti and I shave a few dealers within an hour or so.

 

[Woodpecker]

Are bobcat tractors any good?

2022 bobcat tractor like new - farm & garden - by owner - sale - craigslist

Like new 2022 CT 4045 bobcat tractor only 61 hours comes with box scrapper 540 rear PTO $23,000 OBO

boise.craigslist.org

Rebadged Kioti… it’s best to buy a real Kioti. Unless the bobcat Dealer near you is fantastic specifically with the tractors.

 

[Catbuster]

So, I’m several years out of the farm tractor game. And I’m going to warn you that this is a long post. And some of this is apples to oranges, but the same principles apply. Brand are forks and spoons. I’m not brand loyal, but I would want something I know I can get parts for 20-30 years from now. But my recollections and my experience in general is as follows…

For tractors I always preferred as big a frame as I can get with sufficient horsepower to run implements. I also prefer mechanical gear transmissions to CVT or hystat units. When I was younger and doing ag stuff it was usually a 2000 or later 6000 series Deere. As an example, some of the ones I did a lot of work with were the 2555, 6400, 6310 and 6320. I was in a 5100M for a couple of days to help someone out and a few smaller tractors.

I think you need to look at what your needs are. Do you want to run a 6’ mower off your 3 point hitch? Or a 12-15-20’ mower? For a 12-20’ mower you’ll need two or three rear remotes to adjust the deck height and fold your wings depending on the manufacturer of the mower. Either way, a bigger frame and more weight will balance the tractor better and keep you from doing a wheelie going uphill and keep the mower from

Are you doing any tillage? I didn’t do a lot of that, but I can tell you a Deere 4240 does a better job than a Challenger MT525, and the 4240 is a heavier tractor with more displacement and not much more horsepower-which tracks.

For loader work a 4wd is going to be king. The heavier axle and bigger, wider track tires make for a much more durable platform that’s less likely to sink. The skid loader will do a better job of doing heavy digging grading or loading, but once you get to a 75 horsepower or large frame utility tractor they load higher and reach farther.

Running a bay baler or mowing PTO horsepower is king, but there’s no replacement for displacement. Same deal, the Agco blew the 5100 out of the water despite only being rated at something like 3 horsepower more at the PTO running the same model baler and accumulator.

In short, you need enough weight and horsepower to do the jobs you need it to do. I’ve never regretted having too big a utility tractor. Any tractor that I would own I would want at least 50-60 horsepower. Which probably sounds like a lot, but it’s the size tractor where you start to really be able to do some work and accomplish it quickly because you have the weight and frame size to balance implements and have some serious traction.