Little survey cab or backhoe when building lx2610

[NCL4701]

what you buy SHOULD be based on the land you buy and what you're using it for.

Out of all the great advice (and impassioned subjective opinions) in this rather entertaining discussion, that’s probably the best advice.

I grew up on a 200 acre farm with milk cows, milo for silage, buckwheat for the honey bees, pastures that needed mowing, constant fence maintenance, house heated 100% with wood (backed up with oil furnace we never used) which required much firewood. It wasn’t as major an operation as maybe it sounds being a substantial percentage of the 200 acres wasn’t in production. Now, there’s a farm use property tax provision to prevent this but back then property tax was based on “best use” so developers would buy up around you and property tax at “best use” would run your annual property tax to some multiple of your annual income forcing you out. We were forced out, albeit at a reasonable price.

We now live on 60 acres that is far too cut up, steep, and just messy for any sort of agricultural pursuits beyond a small orchard and garden. We have a pond with an earthen dam that’s estimated to be around 75 years old. We heat half of two houses with wood. We have several areas, some quite rough, that need to be bush hogged at least annually. Dad still keeps bees. We have a gravel private road and three driveways to maintain along with many dirt tractor/UTV trails. Drainage is a constant issue so ditches and road grades require routine touch ups. There’s nowhere to burn brush here and it isn’t legal in this county anyway so we have to chip brush.

The point of all that is, although I’ve been using tractors since I was 8 (46 years) the tractor(s) and equipment we needed at the old place is VERY different from the tractor and equipment we need at the new place.

So yeah, find the land and at least get some clue what your vision for it is. Look at what you need in the way of equipment to accomplish that vision beyond one off tasks such as forestry mulching or heavy bulldozer type grading that may be better hired out or done with rented equipment. That’s the baseline of what you NEED. Past that, if they fit in your budget and you want some implements or luxuries to to make things more comfortable and enjoyable, have at it.

Having the right equipment to accomplish your vision for the land leads to efficiency, more enjoyment rather than frustration, overall better results, and a safer operation.

I can attest from experience, working with undersized equipment or “getting by” with the wrong equipment is a miserable experience.

Hard to say what you need until you really know what you need it to do. If you have land, you’ll need something so get you some land and have a good time whipping it into shape.

 

[Mggray87]

thank you to everybody who put time into responding and giving me some suggestions and experiences.

 

[PaulL]

I can attest from experience, working with undersized equipment or “getting by” with the wrong equipment is a miserable experience.

I learned this renovating a house. By the time I finished I had all the equipment you could need. The first year or so I made do with less than the right equipment.

Tractors don't lose much money. If you're going to end up buying it anyway, buy it early. Even if you have to finance (particularly if you can get 0% if you're buying new). You'll get more years of use and enjoyment, and not have that experience of "why didn't I buy this years ago".

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: We heat half of two houses with wood.

sounds kinda 'funny', then I remember my friend's farmhouse. Kitchen would be warmish overnight, but ..skim ice on water glasses in the bedrooms. That would have been 6 decades ago...

As for equipment... I've bought several tractors and a combine over the years(only have 1/2 ac btw...), all used ,currently just 3 in their sheds and have less invested in all of them than the BX23S. In buying used ,I was able to get LOTS of implements, some I never needed to use. The BX23S was a BD gift to myself ,for my 65th, 3 years ago, as I wanted it...didn't 'need' it. Neighbours love it though !
When thinking about buying equipment, write down the 'pros and cons', list specific reasons for this or that, real prices, and 'whatifs' (like tractor breaks down....)

 

[NCL4701]

re: We heat half of two houses with wood.

sounds kinda 'funny', then I remember my friend's farmhouse. Kitchen would be warmish overnight, but ..skim ice on water glasses in the bedrooms. That would have been 6 decades ago...

I did live in a house like your friends farmhouse back in the day, but thankfully the houses are heated with wood on one floor and oil on the other so we don’t have ice in the sinks in the winter.