10 acres - what would you get?

[Kmyers]

Been lurking for two years, finally signed up.

Wife gave me the okay on a tractor purchase. Settled on Kubota. Got a couple tractors in mind, but wanted to see what people with first hand experience would recommend both new/used. Do not want this center on a budget, more on tractor sized for property/task.

Plan to build house in 2 years. We are in our 30s. I work for an excavating company and can borrow equipment for the weekend once or twice a year.
10 acres, 8 wooded with creek in the middle. Flat land. Some snow, but typically not a lot.
1500 ft grass drive to where house will be.

Task: clearing woods, changing driveway to gravel, maintaining property after build.

Was going to get an excavator at first or something with a backhoe, but now think it may be better just to borrow from work to pop stumps, trenching, and house construction dirtwork.

So, now down to a tractor and implements. Any opinions greatly appreciated.

 

[jkcolo22]

No budget? M62!


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[Kmyers]

No budget? M62!


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Haha. Always a budget. But once people know that they tend to recommend the most tractor that will fit in it.

 

[jkcolo22]

Haha. Always a budget. But once people know that they tend to recommend the most tractor that will fit in it.

Fair enough. You could get by with a B series, but I’d go L2501. My primary reasoning is that with a BX my biggest hang up is with the FEL lifting capacity. The B isn’t that much better. Now I’m building a large shop, I have to think through whether I’ll be able to get a pallet of materials out of my truck. Makes me wish I had an L. I have to ask... coming from a construction background, what made you decide on tractor over a skid steer?


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[SidecarFlip]

Something around 100 PTO with a cab and power shift or hydraulic shuttle. It's only money and financing. R1's and a self levelling loader. Once you get a cab unit, you'll never go back to open station but if you run construction equipment you already know that. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter and no dirt. At least 2 remotes in the back and a Cat 2 3 point.

 

[Cathy Liebchen]

L2501 would be a good choice

 

[Kmyers]

coming from a construction background, what made you decide on tractor over a skid steer?


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For the first year or two a skid steer would definitely be more useful. But, I dont see a skid steer being utilized as much after construction is complete and the tractor/implements for maintaining get used. Just theorizing

 

[mjrwood]

As others have said, the L2501 might be a good starting point for the tasks you mention. One thing to consider with it, the gear drive 2501 has a non-live pto so if you plan on doing a lot of pto work in tighter areas that require more stop/starts you might opt for the hst.

If you felt that you might need a little more hp than the 2501 can offer, especially if you were looking at hst, I think I would skip the 3301 and go up to a 3901. That's just my opinion, no great reasoning behind it other than personally, if I were to get something dpf I'd want to go with a little more noticeable difference in hp.

 

[L35]

How bout a used L35, L39, L45? FEL,PTO,BH right from the factory. Strong like bull too.

 

[nbryan]

A B2650, FEL, Box Scraper, rotary cutter and/or finish mower? With not much snow the FEL and box scraper should take care of it, otherwise add snow blower?

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[34by151]

I have 14 acres and a BX23S-AU

I chose the bx23s as it has the 4 in 1 bucket and backhoe standard
I looked at the next model up but decided it was bigger than needed.
The extra length makes it harder to get into some places.
The extra width means the bucket is too big to slide into a 5ft wide box trailer

attachments
Purchased pallet forks and box blade
I have made a spreader (smudge) bar & tow hitch for the bucket

 

[jkcolo22]

As others have said, the L2501 might be a good starting point for the tasks you mention. One thing to consider with it, the gear drive 2501 has a non-live pto so if you plan on doing a lot of pto work in tighter areas that require more stop/starts you might opt for the hst.



If you felt that you might need a little more hp than the 2501 can offer, especially if you were looking at hst, I think I would skip the 3301 and go up to a 3901. That's just my opinion, no great reasoning behind it other than personally, if I were to get something dpf I'd want to go with a little more noticeable difference in hp.

Maybe even the L4701. A pallet of plywood sheathing weighs around 2400lbs. Do you want to be able to lift that? If so, you’re into the 4701. Like I said, I’m all about lifting capacity. It’s the one thing that will really make your tractor feel small.


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[PaulL]

Check the numbers on the smaller Kubota models here: http://www.orangetractortalks.com/f...55&arubalp=b1ae49d1-8a7e-43e7-b02b-ba05658657

Will you use it around the house / have nice lawns in close? Do you want any mid mount implements (front snowblower, mid mount mower?). For either of those I think a large B is better than the L2501.

Considerations:

• BX is probably too small, and you mention woods. BX has less clearance and that vulnerable HST fan
• B-01 series would probably work, but is a bit lighter and less lift. Is there anything you want to do that a B2601 wouldn't do?
• I suspect the B-50 series (probably a B2650) is the sweet spot. A bit stronger, a bit bigger, but still runs mid-mount implements and isn't too heavy on the lawn around the house
• L2501 if you have no need for mid-mount, and have a mower already for around the house - so you're looking for a machine that spends it's time out in the fields, not around the house. With 10 acres, 8 of them wooded.....seems most of your time has to be in the 2 acres close to the house though...

Implements:

• Box blade or land plane - maintain that gravel driveway
• Front end loader (obviously)
• How much snow (if any)? Maybe a back blade or a snowblower, depending on volume and frequency
• Personally I prefer a ballast box to filled tyres. Means you can get rid of the weight when you mow or when you trailer it
• Will you make a burn pile for dropped limbs/prunings? If not, then a chipper is a must - a Wallenstein knockoff of one sort or another
• Quick attach on the FEL, and a set of forks.
• Maybe a grapple (therefore third function). People who have them swear by them, my property doesn't need one, but if you're tidying up woods you may use one a lot
• Are you planning to cut firewood from those woods? If so, rear forks are essential to carry stacks of firewood on pallets / in boxes. You may be able to find some that quick attach to the front, as well as attaching to your 3PH

 

[Beaudeane]

L47 or an mx. Box scrape, brush hog, grapple for implements. I prefer just over gear but that’s personal choice. Probably a backhoe for it because if u have it u will use it. Big enough to get a lot done pretty fast that u mentioned u wanna do. I have personal experience on an MX. Small enough to get in the woods with where I am as well.

 

[NWAZL3560]

I sure like the features on my Grand L3560. I don't use PTO so the HP isn't a concern, you might want more HP in a Grand L. And my most used implement is my pallet forks, don't forget them for moving stuff around and a workbench wherever you want it. Mine are 36" and I wish I had 48" forks.

 

[dlundblad]

Another selling point for me on the L2501 was the normal dash. The B2650 has a mini tablet looking display.

You’ll have to be the judge of this, but both mentioned are the biggest you can go HP wise without getting into the emmisions equipment.

The L does have a much larger rear end and is cast iron. I believe the B is aluminum if that matters.

 

[skeets]

Ain't it fun to spend other people's money

 

[johnjk]

Ain't it fun to spend other people's money

Absolutely. I started with 19 acres and am now up to 25, 9 being wooded the rest is tillable. Front 7 are currently in alfalfa and being mowed 3x/yr for cattle feed by a local farmer.

I bought a used B3200 with a FEL, 5' brush hog and a 4' box blade. For finish mowing we have a Cub Cadet that the wife uses around the house.

I added a Tuff Top canopy to keep the sun off. No cab but at this point I don't really miss it. Give me another 5 yrs and I may work my way up to a L with a cab.

Other options I've added are a Pirahna Tooth bar, great for popping out scrub, small trees and clearing trails. Added on to this some Ken's Bolt On Hooks. These are great for dragging logs out of the woods or strapping a log to the FEL to pick it up. My property was logged around 10yrs ago so I have old logging trails to rebuild and use. No real issues with clearance back in there for me.

I picked up a Quick Hitch for the 3pt attachments. Works pretty good, nice to just back in and get the lower two connected without a fight. The last add I did was Bro-Tek wheel spacers. They widen the stance just enough to greatly improve the ride and stability out front when I have to mow the ditch.

For the off season, I hard wired a pigtail and a weatherproof connector to hook my Battery Tender up to. Eliminates the need to pop the hood to pull the cables.

The B3200 has enough horsepower for what I'm doing. If I had to do it over again, I would have gone with a similar sized L, larger frame/stance with the quick release on the FEL. It would be nice to have a grapple. Also not having access to a backhoe, I would give it a bit more thought and possibly have purchased a tractor with it on. That being said, it would spend more time sitting off than actually being used and for the cost, well, I can do a lot of rentals at Sunbelt of a small track excavator for what the backhoe would cost...

 

[Mich4x4]

I have 10 acres as well and i'm currently shopping for a new tractor. in fact, I just joined this forum today because I have questions and Kubota is my first choice in tractor.
I'm of the opinion that you should buy more tractor than you'll need. I'm currently looking at L3901, L4701 and MX4800. The MX being the one I'm really considering. I have a pellet burning stove and would like to move 1 ton pallets of pellets around with the loader. Planning on a pole barn construction project in the future, brush hogging, food plots and possibly getting hired by the neighbors for random stuff.

 

[78Vette]

I had a B1700 while i was building and it did everything i needed. Maybe not as quick as a larger Tractor, but it got the job done. Although a L Series would be better during construction, it might be to large to live with after, where the B Series is all you'll really need. A BX would not be on my list.