Don't buy a bigger tractor than you need.

[hedgerow]

I think for a lot of first time tractor, acreage buyers budget plays a large roll in the size of tractor they buy. The cost of moving from town to the country is already a shock and then buying a larger tractor on top of that just may not be in the budget. I have a friend that has a five acre acreage that he takes care of and doesn't own a tractor at all. Ten years ago when they bought the place I gave him a Grasshopper zero turn mower with five hundred hours on it for a house warming gift. They have a concrete long circle drive and he scoops it or blows it with a five horse snow blow he had when they lived in the city. This is a five hundred thousand dollar acreage and he and his wife both have good jobs. They both drive newer pickups and the acreage is paid for. There are just both close with a buck. Last winter he had a lot of snow and looked a little at buying a tractor with loader then spring came and the looking stopped. His place doesn't have a weed or a limb down in his small timber. He doesn't mind working hard. He comes to help me at the farm and I know he thinks I have too many tractors. I farmed with junk and folks seconds for years so I could buy farms and get them paid for and now I can afford extra , nice tractors so I have them and enjoy them. Buy what you can afford and enjoy it. If a 100 Hp tractor on your one acre makes you happy or your BX on your section of ground makes you happy so be it.

 

[chim]

I've said to buy your 5th tractor first. While this is said partly in jest, that's what i DIDN'T do. I went up in size and capability in steps. The first was in 1990 and last - at least for now - in December of 2018. Admittedly it was more "want" than "need".

I dont NEED to mow 3-1/2 acres in less than an hour and a half, plow the parking lots at church, lift heavy things onto/off of trailers, move and spread crushed stone easily, etc. The first tractor would still mow and take care of the snow in my driveway. The rest could be handled by someone else. I could still use the open station in the heat, cold, wet, dust and pollen. But, I'm 75 and choose to do what i want (with approval from wifey of course).

 

[GreensvilleJay]

yeah, wifey, mine said to get rid of the combine, so I did( gave it away) it took her 8 DAYS to see it wasn't in the driveway and she passed by the empty spot 4-5 times every day......

 

[McMXi]

I have a friend that has a five acre acreage that he takes care of and doesn't own a tractor at all. Ten years ago when they bought the place I gave him a Grasshopper zero turn mower with five hundred hours on it for a house warming gift. They have a concrete long circle drive and he scoops it or blows it with a five horse snow blow he had when they lived in the city. This is a five hundred thousand dollar acreage and he and his wife both have good jobs. They both drive newer pickups and the acreage is paid for. There are just both close with a buck.

I have neighbors who moved to MT from CA and they're on 22 acres. They bought the property six years ago for $750k along with a house in Kalispell that they sold three years later for a good profit. They have a tiny JD sit down lawn mower but no way to move snow, or do much of the work that they do around the place. They've been paying for snow removal the past five winters, but their tenant bought a really old truck with a snow blade for $4k (I'm talking a real rust bucket POS) and is now taking care of their snow removal for a fee. I don't understand their way of thinking at all. Independence and self-reliance is a big deal to me.

 

[Yotekiller]

I tend to believe that acres has less to do with a tractor choice and that intended USE plays much more in the decision. Someone who needs a tractor to mow 100 acres probably has different tractor needs than a guy who uses a tractor to maintain trails through a 100 acres of woods. I bought a tractor to be used %99 of the time in heavy woods with narrow trails.

 

[ken erickson]

I tend to believe that acres has less to do with a tractor choice and that intended USE plays much more in the decision.

When I shopped and purchased my Kubota my main criteria was ranked like this.

My primary use and then secondary jobs
Budget
Reliability and less complex in electronics and emissions.
Tow-ability
Dealership location and reputation


Acreage was barely an after thought.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

Anybody see Jeremy Clarkson buy a Lamborghini tractor? He didn't replace it with a smaller machine, he widened the gates.

 

[McMXi]

Anybody see Jeremy Clarkson buy a Lamborghini tractor? He didn't replace it with a smaller machine, he widened the gates.

That was one of the funniest moments in all three seasons! But in the end it wasn't too big for what he needed to do. I stopped by his farm shop this past Christmas.

 

[jyoutz]

I used my small 20hp JD tractor for 16 years on my 20 acres. It was always a struggle to maintain my 2300’ road and use the 4’ loader for moving hay and other things. And mowing the field grass with the 4’ rotary cutter took many days. Moving brush also took many trips. I also had several butt puckering episodes because the stability of that small machine was always questionable. Life is much more enjoyable with my MX that I bought 3+ years ago. No butt puckering moments, and every job is faster, safer, and more enjoyable. A small machine on anything over 10 acres isn’t much fun, no matter what your uses.

 

[nbryan]

A small machine on anything over 10 acres isn’t much fun, no matter what your uses.

You are entirely incorrect on that, Mr. Youtz.
That determination depends ENTIRELY on what your needing from the machine. So far the B2650HSD has been absolutely the best size for my needs, and I've operated other tractors, Kubotas, of sizes smaller and larger, so know precisely of what I speak.
Your blanket judgement makes no sense, to me at least.
Speak for yourself!

 

[jyoutz]

You are entirely incorrect on that, Mr. Youtz.
That determination depends ENTIRELY on what your needing from the machine. So far the B2650HSD has been absolutely the best size for my needs, and I've operated other tractors, Kubotas, of sizes smaller and larger, so know precisely of what I speak.
Your blanket judgement makes no sense, to me at least.
Speak for yourself!

I guess you have no need for heavy lifting, 6’ cutters to mow, or heavy 8’ blades for road maintenance? I know that mowing 20 acres with a 4’ cutter takes many days and is extremely rough with a short, narrow wheelbase machine.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

....A small machine on anything over 10 acres isn’t much fun, no matter what your uses.

Well...I see your point, though in heavily wooded Wisconsin (with lots of glacier-formed rocky hills) and having a concrete driveway, a tiny tractor for my uses is incredibly awesome (and affordable). It fits where a larger tractor wouldn't.

I'd LOVE a M6L-111 for the stability and lack of height, but the price/performance ratio doesn't make any sense for my uses. Fitting under and between stuff is where it's at, I'm able to do less work by squeezing it into where the tractor is needed. I still have "tractor envy," though so do Wisconsin people who see my sub-compact setup.

 

[Shawn T. W]

Well ... I bought my "Little Baby Overgrown Lawnmower" a 25 HP SCUT 3 years ago, during the "derth" not much on the tractor lots ... I was looking for a 50-75 HP tractor with a backhoe ... Couldn't find ANYTHING within 500 miles ... My brother who has a B, and his son had a BX, (both have backhoes) nephew just traded BX for LX though ... suggested I look at smaller tractors ... I continued my search ... All I could find was two SCUT's ... A BX and the Massey Ferguson I ended up with ...

I have 16 acres, while my handy little AMAZING Swiss Army Knife Tractor has accomplished a lot more than I ever dreamed it could in the 585 hours I've put on it since buying it new ... I've realized that it's biggest limiting factor in my situation is the tiny tires!

I plan on keeping it until I die (retire in 37 months!)

However ... I have 13 acres of field I want cut, every three weeks or so ... The tiny tires will shake you sore by the end of the day ... So ... I'm looking at getting a 50-75 HP tractor with much larger tires for a better ride, to pull a bigger mower ...

Two tractors is better than one, right?

While my little tractor has "made do", most of everything I've done with it could have been done with a bigger tractor, it just takes longer now ...

You may be surprised that the one thing it CAN'T do, is the one thing that I don't expect my new much bigger tractor to do ... Lift a full skid of 2000 Lbs of wood heating pellets ... I have to hand stack off 17 - 40 Lb bags onto 2 pallets to haul them down to my walkout basement door, then I can lift the original shipping pallet with the remaining 16 bags on it ... Don't want the heavy tractor and load on my lawn!

If I'd been able to find a L or Grand L I'd probably not be considering a bigger tractor, but it would still be a compromise for my situation ... A combination of a BX and M sized tractors seem to be what will work out the best for me!

 

[Tractor Gal]

All of the above thoughts are quite good. My thoughts parallel others. I bought a home with 5 acres many years ago. The fenced yard is about 3/4 acre, the rest is combo of pasture and some wooded area. At first, I used a push lawn mower. After two seasons of that, a used ride-on was a spectacular find! Meanwhile, for the garden and pasture, I had a family-owned 2N Ford that did the trick...still have it, in fact! It is easy to work on and it could plow and mow. That's all I needed. But, to complicate things, I purchased another 14 acres !

Next came the slow death of the ride on mower. In looking at lawn mower prices and discovering the world of the Kubota BX, I couldn't justify paying $7K+ for a machine that would only mow the yard when I could get a used BX with a loader, mower and backhoe for not much additional money. That purchase opened up a whole new world.


Meanwhile, having never had either hydraulics or diesel, it has been a real journey of learning and repairing. I bought the tractor...sight unseen...from a Kubota dealer who said he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Well, that was not quite the case, but I have come to appreciate the fact that there was nothing major wrong with the engine and maybe that's what he meant. It may be 20 years old but burns no oil which I call excellent for an engine this old. Perhaps that's part of the Kubota brand itself. The other problems have mostly been solved...thanks to the help and advice of this forum.

So, with the addition of a loader and a backhoe, I have been able to do things that would've been difficult to do without them. Mowing the grass is fun now, moving from a 36" deck to a 60" deck! The choice of what to purchase, as many of the posts above indicate, depend on what the job requirement is. The problem is that you don't know what you don't know. I had no idea what hydraulics could do and all the attachments available. But, meanwhile, I'll be happy with my little tractor, try to keep it well maintained, and appreciate that I don't have to work as hard as I used to! If I knew then what I know now, would I have bought a "bigger" tractor? I'll never know! It's good to be happy with what you have and it's always good to never have everything you want!

Tractor Gal

 

[airbiscuit]

I started making trails and food plots on our 80 acre hunting land with my first CUT (a 15hp Shibaura) It was Awesome!

Then I bought a 24hp John Deere and it was Awesomer!

Until I got a 30hp Kubota. I thought that was Awesomest!

Bigger was definitely better. People in NW WI had tractor envy every step along the way.

 

[jyoutz]

Well...I see your point, though in heavily wooded Wisconsin (with lots of glacier-formed rocky hills) and having a concrete driveway, a tiny tractor for my uses is incredibly awesome (and affordable). It fits where a larger tractor wouldn't.

I'd LOVE a M6L-111 for the stability and lack of height, but the price/performance ratio doesn't make any sense for my uses. Fitting under and between stuff is where it's at, I'm able to do less work by squeezing it into where the tractor is needed. I still have "tractor envy," though so do Wisconsin people who see my sub-compact setup.

Sounds like you need a large and small machine.

 

[airbiscuit]

MY first CUT at home was a 34hp New Holland. It was Amazing!

My next CUT at home is a 40hp New Holland. It performs my tasks soooo much better!

In my case, bigger is better!

 

[McMXi]

Bigger was definitely better.

Yep! I only bought the wrong tractor 50% of the time. I had intended to keep the BX25 when I bought the MX6000HST. But after a couple of weeks of using the MX I realized that the BX would be moving on. On the up side, I like and intend to keep the pair I ended up with.

I started out with this ....

Followed by this .....

Followed by this ....

And finally this.

 

[nbryan]

I guess you have no need for heavy lifting, 6’ cutters to mow, or heavy 8’ blades for road maintenance? I know that mowing 20 acres with a 4’ cutter takes many days and is extremely rough with a short, narrow wheelbase machine.

I don't mow 20 acres. I mow maybe 3 total. Yards, trails, work yards, logging road, ditches. 5' bush-hog mainstay.
1000lbs loads of firewood stacked in pallet crates. Done.
Harvesting and hauling firewood from tamarack forest in back 80 acres. Chipping branches. Snow blowing the trail.
Done.
Create swales, pond, hugelkulture planting bed.
Load, transport, pile and turn compost.
Done.
Grade and maintain 400 ft of driveway and 75'x150' parking area.

I really do not have the need for a bigger, or smaller, tractor. Mine is perfect for me, our 119 acres, and occasional neighbor help. Has no regen needs, sips fuel. Paid off. Easy tow.

But that's just me. Another owner of this same exact property may have needed a much bigger rig to dig up and row crop, or hay tens of acres. Like my neighbor across the river with 30 acres and 20 head of cattle on it. His 60HP Kubota can handle the manure, round bales, baler, that THEY need it fore. Mine wouldn't cut it.

So it depends, always!

 

[Tarmy]

When I bought mine…the dealer recommended a larger tractor for what I was describing to him. I was convinced that a smaller tractor would be enough.

He took me out to the tractor I wanted (and was going to buy that day) and said look at the back end (tranny/axle area)…then he walked me over to the L series tractors and said to compare them. The cost was not going to much more…but the tractor was twice the beef and steel.

I bought the L and have been very happy I was talked into upsizing…it is the perfect fit and HP for my needs 15 years later.