Spec’ing a new tractor

[RWR]

Hi,

The wife and I bought 73 acres in Manitoba a few months ago. The land is mostly wooded with trails throughout and a 500 yd driveway. Got lucky with little snowfall this winter and was able to handle it with the plow on the side x side.

Currently shopping for tractors and looking for some input. No need for a finish mower (have a zero turn for the yard) but a rough cut mower for trails, FEL and snowblower for clearing that beast of a driveway. I’ll be using it to clear room for a shop , we’ll be getting a couple of horses at some point and other than that general maintenance work around the property.

The salesmen at our local dealers (looked at Kioti, JD and Kubota - leaning towards the Kubota) all recommended 25hp machines. In the case of the Kubota I quoted on an LX2610 with a FEL and front blower. My concern is that this might not be enough tractor for our purposes - hp or size/weight wise. I’m new to compact tractors and looking for some input from more experienced acreage owners! Thanks!

Jim

 

[Rdrcr]

The LX2610 is a great machine. I’m not sure of your budget but, if you stay with Kubota, from what you describe, I’d probably be looking at the Grand L for its larger size and weight (assuming you don’t mind emissions equipment).

Mike

 

[old and tired]

A smaller tractor can do about what larger tractors does but at a slower pace. Need to take smaller bites. You'll get lot of "buy the biggest" you can afford. Which is fine if you have unlimited funds. Make sure you include implements that go with the tractor to fit in your budget.

A tractor without implements is just a very slow UTV.

Top and tilt Hydraulics for the three point hitch, Pat's Quick connects, Grapple to pickup and move piles of brush (I like a bolt on one which are cheaper), Don't rush out and buy the first thing, research what you might need.

Personally, the L2501 or 2 could do what you need (add a $3 turbo kit - aftermarket - I'm just kidding about this!!!) The tractor will be slow but is very capable, IMHO.

The good thing about the LX2610 is you can use a front blower (that runs off the Mid-PTO; that the L2501 can NOT have).

 

[RWR]

There is a B2650 for sale not too far from me. Low hours, FEL, front snowblower and a cab. Price is near the quote for the open station Lx I was looking at. How were the B2650s? Worth looking at?

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Hi,

The wife and I bought 73 acres in Manitoba a few months ago. The land is mostly wooded with trails throughout and a 500 yd driveway. Got lucky with little snowfall this winter and was able to handle it with the plow on the side x side.

Currently shopping for tractors and looking for some input. No need for a finish mower (have a zero turn for the yard) but a rough cut mower for trails, FEL and snowblower for clearing that beast of a driveway. I’ll be using it to clear room for a shop , we’ll be getting a couple of horses at some point and other than that general maintenance work around the property.

The salesmen at our local dealers (looked at Kioti, JD and Kubota - leaning towards the Kubota) all recommended 25hp machines. In the case of the Kubota I quoted on an LX2610 with a FEL and front blower. My concern is that this might not be enough tractor for our purposes - hp or size/weight wise. I’m new to compact tractors and looking for some input from more experienced acreage owners! Thanks!

Jim

Good day.

Congratulations on the new property. Sounds great.

Normally a dealer would ask some questions about your time and tasks and $$ and make recommendations based off what you tell them…I am not sure what you told them, but IMO if you shared what is in your OP, they hope to sell you another tractor in 6 months. However it’s interesting that three different ones suggested 1700lb-ish machine.

An LX is a fine machine, but it will run out of traction before it does power.

I did not see any description about how much you want to be able to lift or pull….to me those are criteria that require weight of a machine…so I would be trying to figure out how much you would want to lift with your loader? Do you have large trees / logs that could fall across your trails or drive that would need to be lifted? If you get horses how will you handle feed, hay, and water?

I think My B is similar to an LX…i also have an MX…for what you described in OP, if I already had a lawnmower, I’d be looking at a L, MX, or M depending on how heavy of a machine you want and how much you want to be able to safely lift. That being said, an LX would be helpful inside a barn mucking out stalls compared to a bigger L size.

All depends on your use cases. Happy shopping.

 

[old and tired]

There is a B2650 for sale not too far from me. Low hours, FEL, front snowblower and a cab. Price is near the quote for the open station Lx I was looking at. How were the B2650s? Worth looking at?

Yes, it's definitely worth looking at... but it might sell fast.... Those "B" models are what turned into the LX models.

Do NOT look at the B3350 - it's Kubota's problem child...

 

[PoTreeBoy]

I don't know your budget, but I'd recommend you look at a grand L, maybe the L4060. I've never even seen a snowblower, except pictures, but everybody says they need horsepower. The grand L has an available mid-PTO for a front snowblower if that's what you want. It also has an optional cab which would be good for snowblowing, but not so good in the woods.

Whatever you get, get SSQA on the loader and hydrostatic transmission.

 

[Elliott in GA]

I am sure you have already found them, but you might want to look at GP Outdoors' youtube channel. He has an LX2610, and you can see how and what his machine can handle. See example below. He blows snow, hauls logs, mows and etc.

 

[Moose7060]

After having to train at Gimli for 3 months during the winter, a cab is essential and you would be ecstatic to have one the very first winter!
Welcome and good luck.

 

[mcmxi]

A smaller tractor can do about what larger tractors does but at a slower pace.

Respectfully I'd say that it's a lot more nuanced than that. There are many advantages to a bigger tractor above and beyond horsepower. I had a BX25D for five years and there are many things that it couldn't do, and many things that simply weren't fun doing with it. Cutting a few acres of tall grass sucked on the BX25 due to the ride being so awful with small wheels/tires and a short wheelbase. The MX and M are much more comfortable when using a flail or rotary cutter. I could list a bunch more advantages of bigger tractors such as being able to pull more weight, lift heavier, lift higher, go faster and on and on.

For that kind of acreage I'd look at Grand L4060 up to the L6060 and the MX .... all with cabs. Just my $0.02 based on owning four Kubota tractors, lots of implements, and a mere 20 acres but helping a friend on his 20 acres, and doing some paid tractor work too.

I will never own a small Kubota again, and by that I mean anything under 60hp. Been there, done that. That's just my position and only applicable to me, my needs and my experience.

 

[fried1765]

A smaller tractor can do about what larger tractors does but at a slower pace. Need to take smaller bites. You'll get lot of "buy the biggest" you can afford. Which is fine if you have unlimited funds. Make sure you include implements that go with the tractor to fit in your budget.

A tractor without implements is just a very slow UTV.

Top and tilt Hydraulics for the three point hitch, Pat's Quick connects, Grapple to pickup and move piles of brush (I like a bolt on one which are cheaper), Don't rush out and buy the first thing, research what you might need.

Personally, the L2501 or 2 could do what you need (add a $3 turbo kit - aftermarket - I'm just kidding about this!!!) The tractor will be slow but is very capable, IMHO.

The good thing about the LX2610 is you can use a front blower (that runs off the Mid-PTO; that the L2501 can NOT have).

I will be accused of being like a broken record, but:
.............BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR !!!

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Hi,

The wife and I bought 73 acres in Manitoba a few months ago. The land is mostly wooded with trails throughout and a 500 yd driveway. Got lucky with little snowfall this winter and was able to handle it with the plow on the side x side.

Currently shopping for tractors and looking for some input. No need for a finish mower (have a zero turn for the yard) but a rough cut mower for trails, FEL and snowblower for clearing that beast of a driveway. I’ll be using it to clear room for a shop , we’ll be getting a couple of horses at some point and other than that general maintenance work around the property.

The salesmen at our local dealers (looked at Kioti, JD and Kubota - leaning towards the Kubota) all recommended 25hp machines. In the case of the Kubota I quoted on an LX2610 with a FEL and front blower. My concern is that this might not be enough tractor for our purposes - hp or size/weight wise. I’m new to compact tractors and looking for some input from more experienced acreage owners! Thanks!

Jim

I have 43 acres in Northwest Wisconsin. And just over a 1/2-mile driveway. Mostly woods with a neat stream running through it. And a Kubota LX2610 Cab.

My LX2610 Cab is perfect. PERFECT.

BUT, If I had LOTS of money and an open budget. Or emissions, wasn't an issue. I'd buy an MX with WITH a cab.

 

[mcmxi]

BUT, If I had LOTS of money and an open budget. Or emissions, wasn't an issue. I'd buy an MX with WITH a cab.

When you say "emissions" are you referring to the operator or the tractor? I can see how being on an open station tractor is more forgiving in terms of operator emissions.

Seriously though, the regen is not a big deal with the MX. I would buy the same tractor again without a shadow of a doubt. Funnily enough, the MX decided to do a regen as I headed down the driveway to pick up the Yamaha outboard last week. I should make a note of the hours, but I'm fairly confident that this was the first one in a while i.e. 30 hours or more. I explained to the NPT driver why I wasn't reducing the revs as I was getting the forks under the pallet, and he knew exactly what I was talking about.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

When you say "emissions" are you referring to the operator or the tractor? I can see how being on an open station tractor is more forgiving in terms of operator emissions.

Seriously though, the regen is not a big deal with the MX. I would buy the same tractor again without a shadow of a doubt. Funnily enough, the MX decided to do a regen as I headed down the driveway to pick up the Yamaha outboard last week. I should make a note of the hours, but I'm fairly confident that this was the first one in a while i.e. 30 hours or more. I explained to the NPT driver why I wasn't reducing the revs as I was getting the forks under the pallet, and he knew exactly what I was talking about.

Nothing like a healthy long fart to make one feel better. But it's the only downfall of cab tractors not much bigger than a phone booth!!

 

[edritchey]

Get a M8 - Buy once cry once

 

[Tzerne5]

The wife and I closed on 40 acres last year. The L4802 was the right tractor for us. I had a lot of experience on an L3301 but that wasn't enough for the light farm tasks and other work we had planned. I'm surprised the dealer recommended such a small tractor for that acreage, but it all comes down to what you plan on doing with it. I suspect you will want a front end loader capable of hauling round bales if you are getting into horses. You'll save a ton of money on hay that way. As always the first question is where are you storing it? Doesn't pay to get a tractor that does fit where you want it to go. Next question is what are the top 5 things you will be using it for. Select horsepower and hydraulic/hitch options to match. Since you don't plan on mowing your yard with it, I suspect you will appreciate more of a utility tractor.

 

[PaulL]

B2650 would be a great buy. It's the same machine as the LX2610, very minor changes. Get it while it's available.

 

[NorthwoodsLife]

Get a M8 - Buy once cry once

View attachment 124846

M8?? That's wimpy...

)

It comes down to need and your budget.

 

[PaulL]

1850HP. Wonder if that's over the limit where you need emissions equipment? Personally I'd be asking if that's available in 26HP or less, sure, you'd work a bit slower, but it's worth it to not deal with regens.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

re: a rough cut mower for trails,

You may not actually need it. Friend has 10 miles of trails and drags an I-beam with tractor chains welded to it behind his UTV/ RTV/SXS/ whatever you call them... Only takes couple laps and trails are GROOMED !