Howdy,
I'm looking for a small farm tractor that's going to be used for some dirt moving, and grading for 2 years or so, and then mostly snow removal with a blade. Not interested in expensive snow blowers as I have a walk behind I'll use when I'm not in a hurry.
I think I've decided on a used $7-12k no DEF or EGR kubota, but I want to make sure I get enough tractor.
It'll be used in Donnelly, Idaho where the snow is usually blown down to about 2 feet of dry snow. I'd like to be able to get through a few feet of wet snow on a "snowmageddon" winter, but I'm OK with using a bucket to peck away at it on those rare winters, versus getting a bigger machine that's much harder to fix and more expensive.
I'm a diesel/gas mechanic/electronics tech and can fix most anything, but I'll have to learn how to build soft hydraulic lines.
I have 150-300 yards of pit run to move, and I want to be able to rip up the incredibly tough sod from the local pasture grass, and i want it to be able to slowly take the ground level down about 6 inches, but I can water it first so the ground is not like stone. The ground is extremely soft here in the spring, but the roots of this grass are extremely tough (for grass) .
Later on it'll just be snow removal and gravel driveway grading. I'm not worried about the gravel being swept to the sides and I'll fix that by hand and tractor in the spring. Just don't want to deal with wearing out an expensive pto driven snowblower when I have plenty of room to push snow. Not to mention braking shear pins and getting gravel stuck in the auger...
I found a L2850d 4500lb kubota with loader and box blade for $10k, but it'll cost me 2 days to retrieve and probably $500 in diesel on the old cummins. It's has just over 2k hours and alleged good maintenance. Tough to want to drive that far to look at it, so I'll probably pass. But, I'm wondering if the price is decent if it's a solid machine? And, is it enough machine.
Lastly, I think I want a front push blade, but I'd like to hear what you experienced folks have to say.
Edit: and could I get away with less tractor, like one of the units that are around 2-3000 lbs with a loader?
I greatly appreciate any advice!
I'm looking for a small farm tractor that's going to be used for some dirt moving, and grading for 2 years or so, and then mostly snow removal with a blade. Not interested in expensive snow blowers as I have a walk behind I'll use when I'm not in a hurry.
I think I've decided on a used $7-12k no DEF or EGR kubota, but I want to make sure I get enough tractor.
It'll be used in Donnelly, Idaho where the snow is usually blown down to about 2 feet of dry snow. I'd like to be able to get through a few feet of wet snow on a "snowmageddon" winter, but I'm OK with using a bucket to peck away at it on those rare winters, versus getting a bigger machine that's much harder to fix and more expensive.
I'm a diesel/gas mechanic/electronics tech and can fix most anything, but I'll have to learn how to build soft hydraulic lines.
I have 150-300 yards of pit run to move, and I want to be able to rip up the incredibly tough sod from the local pasture grass, and i want it to be able to slowly take the ground level down about 6 inches, but I can water it first so the ground is not like stone. The ground is extremely soft here in the spring, but the roots of this grass are extremely tough (for grass) .
Later on it'll just be snow removal and gravel driveway grading. I'm not worried about the gravel being swept to the sides and I'll fix that by hand and tractor in the spring. Just don't want to deal with wearing out an expensive pto driven snowblower when I have plenty of room to push snow. Not to mention braking shear pins and getting gravel stuck in the auger...
I found a L2850d 4500lb kubota with loader and box blade for $10k, but it'll cost me 2 days to retrieve and probably $500 in diesel on the old cummins. It's has just over 2k hours and alleged good maintenance. Tough to want to drive that far to look at it, so I'll probably pass. But, I'm wondering if the price is decent if it's a solid machine? And, is it enough machine.
Lastly, I think I want a front push blade, but I'd like to hear what you experienced folks have to say.
Edit: and could I get away with less tractor, like one of the units that are around 2-3000 lbs with a loader?
I greatly appreciate any advice!
