Tractors

[Mac66]

Been saving my pennies for a few years and with the new house on my hunting property just about done I've been looking at tractors. I've often told my wife that my next ATV (all terrain vehicle) will be a tractor.

I debated putting this in the gardening forum but I'm not really going to use it much for gardening. Although the food plot qualifies as a big garden it will mostly be used to haul stuff (wood, rocks etc) and cut/clear trails, debris etc.

So this is what I learned looking at various brands...

There are basically 4 levels of tractors. Garden, Sub-Compact, Compact and Utility.

Garden/lawn tractor are just that, used to cut grass maybe haul a cart around and maybe push snow. Priced range from $7-16K.

Sub-Compacts are bigger 15-25 hp also used to cut grass, but often have a bucket on the front, PTOs, sometimes a backhoe,They are used for landscaping, light duty hobby farming, chores, snow clearing etc. Prices range from about $17-27K

Compacts are the most popular sized tractors right now. They run 26-65 hp and usually have buckets on the front. They have 3 pt hitches, can use most farming implements that are available. Depending on HP they can drag a plow, disk etc, etc. Commonly used on small farms, food plots. They also have backhoes, front plows, PTOs etc. Prices range from about $25-50K depending on attachments and brand. John Deere's are usually 30-50% more expensive than other brands.

Utility Tractors-66-110 HP-basically a full size farm tractor. $50K+

There are also big super sized tractors in the $100-200K+ range

The sub-compact, compact and utility tractors are usually 4 wheel drive. Truly all terrain vehicles. They also mostly run on diesel fuel. Most also have PTO (power take off) connectors to run other equipment like generators, saws, splitters etc.

I determined that I need/want a Compact tractor in the 40-50 HP range with a bucket on the front.

John Deere-the big green-Often thought of as American made, most of their lawn tractors, sub compacts and compacts are made in Asia and assembled in the US. Comparably equipped, a JD compact will run in the low $40K range

Kubota-Japanese made-Probably the second most popular tractor behind JD. A comparably equipped Compact will run approx. $32K.

New Holland- is an old name tractor company now owned by Fiat. Based in PA most of their small tractors are made overseas but assembled in the US. The third best selling brand in the US. Comparable compact tractors run in the $30-32K range.

The rest aren't in any particular order...

Case IH/Farmall- Case Intl. Harvester and Farmall also acquired the McCormick and Deering brand of tractors. Case IH/Famall and New Holland are owned by Fiat. Basically the same as NH tractors under a different brand name. Compact tractors are in the $30-32K range.

Massy Ferguson-the MF was bought by AGCO a huge agricultural intl. equipment conglomerate. Some of the bigger MF tractors are built in the US. Smaller ones are built in China and/or Brazil. Comparable sized and equipped tractors run in the $26K range.

Mahindra-India-the largest tractor manufacturer in the world. Fairly new on the US scene. Their comparably equipped tractors run in the $25K range

Kiota-S.Koriea-They build pretty good tractors. Comparable in the $26K range.

Yanmar-Japan-primarily an engine builder whose engines were/are used in JD tractors they entered the US market recently. $26K range

TYM-stands for Tong Yang Moolsan a south Korean manufacturer. Fairly new to the US market they make a pretty good machine. Range in the $26Ks.

I personally liked the TYM and Yanmar tractors. They both have a lot features and represented a good value.

The upside is that they are all pretty good tractors. They all have lots of good features and are comparable to the JD and NH for a lot less money. The other upside is that both TYM and Yanmar have the closest dealers to my property. Tym is about 17 miles and Yanmar is about 30. JD, NH and Kubota dealers are 60-70 miles away. MF and Mahindra are 50 miles.

The down side is that being new to the market there aren't many dealers around to provide support. The next closest TYM dealer is 120 miles away. There are only 3 Yanmar dealer in my state currently. New dealers are small and tend not to stock parts or provide service. You don't know how stable the dealers are. If the tractors take off in a particular area they become successful. If not they go out of business and you are stuck with a machine without any parts or support.

I've decided that I will wait for spring to get a new tractor

[bdcochran]

Just a thought. Post a note in the local super markets and on the local websites that you are looking for a guy with a tractor. You might ask the neighbors as well. Depending on where you live, you might find a teenager who can borrow his dad's tractor.

Here is why I suggest it. My relatives are from MS. Miserable in the summer. Add to it that my relatives were then what my age is now.

Minnie had a large garden out in the country. She had a local come in plow a huge garden plot every year. All she had to do was to plant, water and harvest. No worries about servicing a tractor, spare parts, fuel and working in the heat.

Step mom No. 2 had a house in the country, a pond put in. My dad had the imagination that he would load up his pick up truck bed and haul a mower out to the country and cut the lawn, cut all the wild stuff growing around the pond. That lasted about 4-6 trips and then he found a local.

I have a city lot. Two years ago, for the first time in 40 years, I hired a crew to come in and trim the fruit trees. Up to that point, I had done it all myself. $600 for 7 guys working all day and they took the mess with them. By this time, I was unsafe to climb a hill and use a chain saw.

It is good that you looked into servicing before buying. It relates to repairs. My kid does everything to his car - replaces struts, brake jobs, etc. However, he lives where he can walk 3 minutes to rent a car if he decides not to walk 10 minutes to a car parts store. I don't have a spare car. The nearest parts store is a 1/2 hour walk. I can't borrow a car from a neighbor or keep asking for a ride to the store when I screw up or the car part is so fragile that it breaks. So, I end up buying the parts and having a local mechanic do the work when I know if the effort I make is going make the car so it won't run. Let neighbor Sid's high school son use his tractor and if the tractor isn't working when you want it, it isn't your problem.

[Mac66]

Just a thought. Post a note in the local super markets and on the local websites that you are looking for a guy with a tractor. You might ask the neighbors as well. Depending on where you live, you might find a teenager who can borrow his dad's tractor.

Here is why I suggest it. My relatives are from MS. Miserable in the summer. Add to it that my relatives were then what my age is now.

Minnie had a large garden out in the country. She had a local come in plow a huge garden plot every year. All she had to do was to plant, water and harvest. No worries about servicing a tractor, spare parts, fuel and working in the heat.

Step mom No. 2 had a house in the country, a pond put in. My dad had the imagination that he would load up his pick up truck bed and haul a mower out to the country and cut the lawn, cut all the wild stuff growing around the pond. That lasted about 4-6 trips and then he found a local.

I have a city lot. Two years ago, for the first time in 40 years, I hired a crew to come in and trim the fruit trees. Up to that point, I had done it all myself. $600 for 7 guys working all day and they took the mess with them. By this time, I was unsafe to climb a hill and use a chain saw.

It is good that you looked into servicing before buying. It relates to repairs. My kid does everything to his car - replaces struts, brake jobs, etc. However, he lives where he can walk 3 minutes to rent a car if he decides not to walk 10 minutes to a car parts store. I don't have a spare car. The nearest parts store is a 1/2 hour walk. I can't borrow a car from a neighbor or keep asking for a ride to the store when I screw up or the car part is so fragile that it breaks. So, I end up buying the parts and having a local mechanic do the work when I know if the effort I make is going make the car so it won't run. Let neighbor Sid's high school son use his tractor and if the tractor isn't working when you want it, it isn't your problem.

As usual, good suggestions. I already have a guy who does my food plot. It costs me about $2500/year to have him cut, plow, fertilize and plant. I figure I could save $2K a year by doing it myself.

Then there is the pile of logs scattered around the property and the corresponding brush piles of branches trimmed off the fallen trees. I need to recover the wood and clean up the brush piles. I suppose I could rent a tractor, backhoe and/or skid steer but it's going to take me months or even years to get to it all. Not to mention the rental place is 20 miles away. I would prefer to have the equipment on site to be able to be used when needed. I could use the tractor to clear the driveway in the winter.

Still, I could hire someone to do the work for me a helluva lot cheaper than a $26K tractor.

But I think 52 acres justifies the expense of having a tractor. I could expand my shooting range, cut/clear trails through the woods, harvest trees I currently can't get to by hand. I have a stand of cedar trees down in the swamp that are falling down.

The next consideration is buying a used tractor. I see them along side the road on my way up to the cabin all the time. The problem with that is that I don't know enough about tractors yet to know what to look for in the used market. Heck I see 60 year old Ford 9Ns along the road for $1500-2000 all the time. Those things will last forever but I don't know enough about them. If my dad was still alive, he'd know, he grew up on a farm with one. Maybe by the time I'm ready to buy in the spring I'll have learned enough about used tractors to be able to look at them as well.

[bdcochran]

I share crop. The guys who participate and live across the road have a tracked pick up truck.

If you could find a combination tractor/back hoe/with a road grading attachment, you are all set. www.teamtractor.com/blog/the-10-best-tr ... own--14515

[Mac66]

Back in for lunch while hunting. Saw a big 6 pt this morning at about 60 yards. Too long a shot.

I forgot to mention another S. Korean tractor. LS Tractors. The have a lot of extra features which come standard for less money than some of the others. The problem is very few dealers. Don't know if they'll still be around in a couple years.

I also put the word out that I was looking for a used tractor. Good used tractors are in great demand I found out. May have to bite the bullet and buy new.

Sitting in my deer blind looking at the piles of logs and brush makes me want one more.

[bdcochran]

I like the concept of having a tractor with options for bulldozer/grader and so forth. If you think you are going to have the stamina and eyesight of a 40 year old for the next ten years, you buy new.

I am not on any medications. Yet, I have given up some activities. And, it doesn't matter than I follow an exercise routine every day. Only you know your limitations. Somewhere, locally, there is an old duffer sitting on some equipment. You just have to find him.

At one time, my dad had three boats. He finally got rid of them. I can drive around town and see campers that are never taken on the road as well as boats never taken to the Marina. Keep looking. go to Craig's list and similar web sites.