Advice on a tractor

[FiremanDan]

So the wife and I have purchased 20 acres. Roughly half woods/ half overgrown pasture. Of course I have big plans to do all the work on the land on my own to get it ready for a shop/house and her pool. I have looked at brands that are local to my area(JD, Kubota and Mahindra). I have decided to go with Kubota. I am trying to decide what size tractor I will need. I know what I want, but that doesn't always matter. I will be using it to clear the pasture of tall matted down grass/ briars and small trees. I will also build the driveway and any other work needed. I plan on doing some bush hogging and driveway/ road work for $$ as well.

I like the newer HST models with the HST Plus stuff. I am too big for the small tractors, just doesn't feel right. I have been looking at the LXX60 series since LXX40 series are few and far between around here. Test drove a M5140 but it seemed like a fairly large tractor for what I am needing. Was seriously considering a used L5740 but it sold before I could get the money together. I plan on having top n tilt and the third function up front for a root grapple. My wife is considering a Cab because my son will always want to be in it with me and I will not let him on an open station. Just too many bad things can happen with a kid on one of those. With the woods on the property, this concerns me a little with windows. Sure would be nice when it is over 100F during the summer though. I would like this to be the only tractor I ever need.

So what are your thoughts?


Edit: forgot to add that she will want to be able to use it as well.

 

[BAP]

Riders on tractors, especially kids is a very bad idea. Many kids have been killed by falling off tractors and being run over. Cabs help to reduce the risk, but if you roll the tractor, they have no protection without seat belts and could be ejected threw broken windows. The only tractors that should have riders, are the bigger cab tractors that have "Buddy Seats" made specifically for that purpose.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I'll second the NO riders policy, it can be real bad news in a quick hurry!
And teach them to say away until someone gets them, I've seen too may bad situations where kids just run up on a moving tractor!

On to the choices, An M makes a better cab tractor model, yes your getting larger but your also getting more stability. If you stay in the L's go large!
If you going to want a cab to keep cool with A/C your going to want the extra HP and room for the equipment needed to keep it cool.
Doing heavy dirt work with a wimpy tractor is the pits, you have to do twice as much work to get the job done, bigger is better.
Reverse engineer what you want to be able to do with the tractor, I.E. look at the implements you want to work with and let them help you decide what size tractor is needed to run the implements efficiently and safely.

 

[Elsinore]

So the wife and I have purchased 20 acres. Roughly half woods/ half overgrown pasture. Of course I have big plans to do all the work on the land on my own to get it ready for a shop/house and her pool. I have looked at brands that are local to my area(JD, Kubota and Mahindra). I have decided to go with Kubota. I am trying to decide what size tractor I will need. I know what I want, but that doesn't always matter. I will be using it to clear the pasture of tall matted down grass/ briars and small trees. I will also build the driveway and any other work needed. I plan on doing some bush hogging and driveway/ road work for $$ as well.

I like the newer HST models with the HST Plus stuff. I am too big for the small tractors, just doesn't feel right. I have been looking at the LXX60 series since LXX40 series are few and far between around here. Test drove a M5140 but it seemed like a fairly large tractor for what I am needing. Was seriously considering a used L5740 but it sold before I could get the money together. I plan on having top n tilt and the third function up front for a root grapple. My wife is considering a Cab because my son will always want to be in it with me and I will not let him on an open station. Just too many bad things can happen with a kid on one of those. With the woods on the property, this concerns me a little with windows. Sure would be nice when it is over 100F during the summer though. I would like this to be the only tractor I ever need.

So what are your thoughts?


Edit: forgot to add that she will want to be able to use it as well.

G'Day FiremanDan. Recently we went thru a similar dilemna about whether to go cab or open design. We decided to go cab. First, if you want this to be the only tractor you'll ever need, and you want to do some contracting work, you should go bigger and consider the M series tractor. Second issue about the cab or not.......! The M series ultra grand cab is a very comfortable workplace to be in. I spend a lot of time in my cab, and while I don't think the M series cab is perfect, it certainly is a fantastic place to work in. It is cool .....(Australia gets pretty hot), it is much quieter....(have the radio on most of the time), it is cleaner.....(dust doesn't get in), it is far less fatiguing....(you can actually sip on a travel mug of coffee and munch on an apple while you are working), you can safely and efficiently stay inside the thing and work for longer! I was caught out in a real gully raking down-pour recently.....just put on the windscreen wipers and kept working till it cleared. Now the down side....it does stop you from getting right in the thick bush. You have to give some of the timbered areas a wider berth and you can't get up close and personal with the lower thicker tree'd areas. But for me, if this gets too frustrating, I just put on a favourite song from my MP3 player, turn up the speakers, take a wider line and feel the smile grow from ear to ear! Anyhow, just my thoughts on it. Good luck.

 

[FiremanDan]

Thanks for the replies! On the M series. Are they all the same size tractor just different HP? I.e. 5140,6040,7040? The 9540 looks larger. There are a few 7040 cabs around for sale.

 

[TripleR]

Just so happens my primary tractors are an L5740HSTC and M8540HDC; both have their good points and therin lies the "problem" as I know you have realized. Everyone has made good points as to their recommendation.

No doubt the "Ultra Grand Cab on the M is bigger and more comfortable than the Grand Cab on the GL, BUT they are both pretty darned nice. Filtration is a bit better on the M and it has a smoother ride. Either way, I would recommend an air ride seat, mine don't have them, but will pretty soon.

I have a 12/12 hydraulic-shuttle transmission on the M and really like it; also like the HST+.

We have three small farms and really need both, but I bought the GL after the M as the M is just too big for some places and can't be beat for prolonged, close in work with a lot of direction changes.

My wife is also comfortable driving the L5740, but won't use the M8540 and that's an important consideration for us.

Based on your land etc., I would think the GL would be the way to go.

Neither of our tractors have room in the cab for a child. We had a buddy/instructor seat in a previous tractor, just no room in one of these. John Deere has that capability in their 5000 Series and I know people who have gone green primarily for that reason.

 

[TripleR]

Thanks for the replies! On the M series. Are they all the same size tractor just different HP? I.e. 5140,6040,7040? The 9540 looks larger. There are a few 7040 cabs around for sale.

Here is a recent picture of the M and GL side by side, the M6060/7060 are a little smaller, but still significantly larger.

 

[UnionMan]

Not sure where you're located but I happened to run across this one. Pretty close to new with 40 hours and garaged kept.

http://frederick.craigslist.org/grd/4219527538.html

 

[FiremanDan]

Triple R- thanks for all the great info. Just looking at the two on the lot I could tell the M series was larger but they weren't next to each other. I am going to put all the ones Im interested in side by side before I write the check for sure.

Unionman- That 5740HSTC is an exact copy of the one I was planning on buying used. It sold before I could get the money together. It had 26hrs and a brand new LP RCR2672 cutter for $35k. Im sick that I couldn't get it together in time. Thanks for the link!

A new cab tractor is probably out of the question. The quote i received on a L6060HSTC was $45500!! Gonna be hard to justify that. I will have to get a trailer heavy enough, a bush hog and box blade also. Gonna be well over $50k!! Ill probably be in the used market for now. But with the 0% interest, new may not be too much more than a used.

Thanks again for the insight!

 

[TripleR]

Triple R- thanks for all the great info. Just looking at the two on the lot I could tell the M series was larger but they weren't next to each other. I am going to put all the ones Im interested in side by side before I write the check for sure.

Unionman- That 5740HSTC is an exact copy of the one I was planning on buying used. It sold before I could get the money together. It had 26hrs and a brand new LP RCR2672 cutter for $35k. Im sick that I couldn't get it together in time. Thanks for the link!

Always a good idea to put them side by side and try them out. Also a caveat, tractors seem to "shrink" once you get them home. I once went looking for a 35HP tractor and came home with a 50HP knowing this would happen and darn glad I dd.

The tractor you missed would have been a great deal, I have an RCR2672 and they are pretty expensive.

I have TnT on mine and high;y recommend them, I use a LP HR3584 and use all three of my rear remotes.

 

[UnionMan]

FiremanDan - I feel your pain. I found a L3240 about a hour drive from me listed for $16k only had 200 hours on it with the optional larger capacity FEL and had a Woods rear blade. I found it on CL and contacted the guy. But I was at work and had to work a shift trade the next day so I wasnt able to go down and look at when I wanted to. I planned on going down the morning I got off work (Monday). Found the tractor Saturday, got off work monday morning. Called the guy sunday evening to confirm the time and he had sold it a couple hours earlier. Mind you the tractor was on CL for over a week. He told me he sold it for 14k. Ended up being a guy that goes around buying tractors to resell. It was back on CL that night for $17,900. It made me sick. That week I ended up with a brand new L3800 from the Kubota Dealer.

 

[FiremanDan]

Always a good idea to put them side by side and try them out. Also a caveat, tractors seem to "shrink" once you get them home. I once went looking for a 35HP tractor and came home with a 50HP knowing this would happen and darn glad I dd.

The tractor you missed would have been a great deal, I have an RCR2672 and they are pretty expensive.

I have TnT on mine and high;y recommend them, I use a LP HR3584 and use all three of my rear remotes.

I haven't even looked at anything under a 48hp. Every smaller than that size tractor I have ever used just never seemed to be enough for the job we were trying to do. I rented a 48hp this summer and it was good enough for 90% of what I was trying to do. So, I figure closer to 60hp would be enough for 95%.

The RCR2672 at the dealer is $3500! You have me going through my LP book trying to figure out what an HR3584 is. I can't find it.

 

[Eric McCarthy]

The RCR2672 at the dealer is $3500! You have me going through my LP book trying to figure out what an HR3584 is. I can't find it.

Here ya go!
http://www.landpride.com/products/62/hr35-hrl35-series-box-scrapers

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

An HR3584 is:

http://www.normangeetractor.com/showcaseproductdetail.htm?ID=18030069#/0

 

[TripleR]

I haven't even looked at anything under a 48hp. Every smaller than that size tractor I have ever used just never seemed to be enough for the job we were trying to do. I rented a 48hp this summer and it was good enough for 90% of what I was trying to do. So, I figure closer to 60hp would be enough for 95%.

The RCR2672 at the dealer is $3500! You have me going through my LP book trying to figure out what an HR3584 is. I can't find it.

Sorry, I should have specified box scraper, I see Eric and Wolfman have taken care of it, thanks to them.

 

[FiremanDan]

Dang, that looks awesome. I wonder why it wasn't in my catalog, have to look again.

 

[skeets]

Good lord Wolfe, at r a box blade to be sure, ayep it am

 

[Eric McCarthy]

Dang, that looks awesome. I wonder why it wasn't in my catalog, have to look again.

Could be an older model and just replaced it with something else. Probably not many changes to it, just a fresh new model number.

 

[FiremanDan]

I found it. That is a nice one!!

 

[Bulldog]

If loader work is going to be important to you then I would look at the M series tractors. Even though the L5740 has more hp than the M5140 the M series has quite a bit bigger loader. Every way you look the M series will be a heavier built tractor.

The 0% sure makes a brand new tractor seem alittle easier to reach.