First time tractor buying advice.

[GreensvilleJay]

You might consider TWO tractors. I've always loved having a 'spare' or 'backup'... actually have 4 now. Obviously you'll have a TON of fun and work to do, so having a primary tractor is key BUT having a second, smaller one allows you to say bushhog while someone else is pulling logs out of the bush. Say #1 breaksdown, you can still carry on ....especially if both have SSQA loaders. You may find out ,after a year that a smaller primary tractor worksfine for you...didn't really need the 'big' one after all.
Options... always look at options...

 

[Magicman]

Spend $15K-$20K and you can get a 4-WD “Utility” model such as a ‘90s era Kubota “M”. and it will handle virtually anything you’ve mentioned and a lot more you haven’t.... and it’ll have ZERO emissions junk.... straight, cast-iron diesel.

Which is the exact reason that I bought a 2005, M4900 4WD, with FEL.

 

[PaulL]

Maybe your right as I don't know anyone that spends that kind of money on boats and trucks. I work for a major investment bank and live in probably the best neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Must be the market. I guess after further thought it would be ok for Brad Pitt to get a tricked out expensive Kubota for screwing off on at the hobby farm. Interestingly some of the wealthiest folks I know are among the most frugal. Folks that own multiple hotels, construction businesses, vast tracts of timberland, coal, natural gas ,multiple car dealerships.... Net worths 10,20,30 million dollars or more. None of these people would consider buying a $50,000 tractor for hobby farm use. Read The millionaire next door book. I am not being judgmental. Those are the facts from my vantage point here in Pittsburgh ,the "Paris of Appalachia".

Interesting. Different countries I guess. In NZ we have a concept of "enough" money. If you have $10M it's time to stop accumulating money and start spending it. A boat. A car. A tractor. Can't take it with you. I have that discussion with Dad often - I have no desire to inherit his money, he should spend some of it. Hence he bought a newer and larger tractor on their 60 acre farm. It'll let him keep farming for 5 years more than he otherwise would have. I guess I can inherit the tractor instead of the money, if you look at things that way, but I prefer to think it lets him keep doing what he wants to do by spending some of the money that he made over his working life.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Interesting. Different countries I guess. In NZ we have a concept of "enough" money. If you have $10M it's time to stop accumulating money and start spending it. A boat. A car. A tractor. Can't take it with you. I have that discussion with Dad often - I have no desire to inherit his money, he should spend some of it. Hence he bought a newer and larger tractor on their 60 acre farm. It'll let him keep farming for 5 years more than he otherwise would have. I guess I can inherit the tractor instead of the money, if you look at things that way, but I prefer to think it lets him keep doing what he wants to do by spending some of the money that he made over his working life.

In the US often its the women that like to spend. I lucked out and married a country girl with relatively thrifty ways. We also have to pay for college in the US. Lots of middle age people like myself could have possibly purchased a Kubota tractor dealership for what one outlays in college costs these days for a couple of kids. I am not sure farming in the US today is perceived as the noble endeavor it once was. Here in Pennsylvania dairy farmers receive suicide prevention information with milk checks. Its been terrible for many. I hope you and your dad have long, happy lives doing what you love. Did I mention very few in the US get pensions anymore.......

 

[SRRGC1]

I recently bought our forever dream home on 45 acres in Missouri ozarks area. I’m looking for first time tractor advice on what model. 35 acres is wooded and 10 is pasture. I’m trying to decide what size tractor I need. I originally was going to buy a l3901 model. I need something to brush hog 10 acres with. Skid logs out of woods, I have a hardy outdoor furnace. I plan on getting a set of forks to move wood as well. Plow snow with it and grade our driveway that is 1/3 of a mile. Put in a few food plots for deer. Our ground has some hills in it. We plan on getting a couple horses too so a tractor would help with up keep of stalls. Put in a small garden. I think the 3901 can do everything I need it to do but I want to pick some more people brains and make sure I don’t need bigger one. Other I’m considering is a l4701 or a mx5400.
I can buy the l3901 hst with fel and landpride brush hog for $25500
L4701 would run me 29690
Mx5400 would run me 31050
The 3901 would be good for maneuvering in and out of woods better since it is smaller. I don’t want to buy a bigger tractor at more money if the 3901 will do everything I need it to do.

Having worked prior for a Kubota dealership for 10 years and a Kubota equipment owner X 3, it has always been my opinion to buy as much HP and tractor you can afford. As with building storage you usually will not be dissatisfied that you build too big, only to small. Weight and HP are your friend. Also always use rear ballast for FEL regardless of tractor. This can be weighted tires, wheel weights, cast rims, rear weight box and numerous other home made stuff. Get a QT bucket. Might consider rear remote/s OR third function valve to FEL if ever using an front/rear attachment that require them. Usually less expensive at tractor purchase than added on later. I know this seems like alot, but typically a tractor like this is a one time purchase. Educate yourself before pulling the trigger. My opinion.

 

[SRRGC1]

I recently bought our forever dream home on 45 acres in Missouri ozarks area. I’m looking for first time tractor advice on what model. 35 acres is wooded and 10 is pasture. I’m trying to decide what size tractor I need. I originally was going to buy a l3901 model. I need something to brush hog 10 acres with. Skid logs out of woods, I have a hardy outdoor furnace. I plan on getting a set of forks to move wood as well. Plow snow with it and grade our driveway that is 1/3 of a mile. Put in a few food plots for deer. Our ground has some hills in it. We plan on getting a couple horses too so a tractor would help with up keep of stalls. Put in a small garden. I think the 3901 can do everything I need it to do but I want to pick some more people brains and make sure I don’t need bigger one. Other I’m considering is a l4701 or a mx5400.
I can buy the l3901 hst with fel and landpride brush hog for $25500
L4701 would run me 29690
Mx5400 would run me 31050
The 3901 would be good for maneuvering in and out of woods better since it is smaller. I don’t want to buy a bigger tractor at more money if the 3901 will do everything I need it to do.

In 2012 our hunting camp purchased a MX 5100 DT with FEL w/QT bucket. Pre-emissions unit, shuttle shift. Rear R-1 ag tires loaded with rim guard w/6" HD Woods 3-pt rotary mower and one set rear remotes. Great unit for our use doing food plots and maintaining roads. Have rear weight barrel when rotary mower not on.

 

[nbryan]

I have a B2650 and it does a great job with all the mentioned tasks on our 119 acres mostly forest. You'll see from my signature what it's getting hooked up with. A larger machine will definitely do these tasks a bit faster. So for example, I can't fill a 4'x4'x3' pallet crate with green firewood but can lift it 2/3 full, so that means getting a few more free pallets, and a few more trips getting the full dried firewood bins from the shelter to the house over a winter.
I like doing it too, so more trips = more fun!
Bigger everything means bigger costs. So for a 40ish HP machine over my 26 HP machine would cost almost twice for everything all in, no? My was 40 grand new including new attachments, would probably be 80?
It's easier on fuel and maintenance costs too.
You can do it all on a smaller machine. If you're ok with being on it a bit longer for some things.
But if you MUST be able to loader forklift a large round bale off a trailer or stack, and drive it out to the feed lot, then clearly the big machine wins!

 

[BobInSD]

Here you go, everything you need in a tractor. Nice model, Grand L, cab.. 408 hrs. It's even in Mo.

2012 Kubota 5740 HSTC - farm & garden - by owner - sale

2012 Kubota 5740 HSTC 59hp, original owner, 408 hours with loader/bucket, Landpride 72”rotary cutter & Landpride 72” box blade, pallet forks

loz.craigslist.org

View attachment 55232

If legit, that would be a steal. You'd pay that much around here for that tractor + FEL w/ no cab and w/ none of the other implements.

 

[UpNorthMI]

If legit, that would be a steal. You'd pay that much around here for that tractor + FEL w/ no cab and w/ none of the other implements.

That's yet another scam listing, "send me the money through a very real looking ebay check out site by wire transfer". It's tough to think that people from all around the globe consider scamming us as their full time job. It's not just tractors it's done with everything. If you sent them the money no one will do anything to help you either, the police or FBI will do nothing for that amount of money. The lack of action just encourages more and more scams.

 

[D2Cat]

I posted the CL tractor showing the OP what might be available in pre Tier 4 tractors. Didn't look into any details. Sorry guys!

 

[doublebass73]

I find it very interesting how things are always better with a bigger tractor. I would think that you need to do a cost / benefit analysis. Do you need to spend 30 or 40 thousand dollars to cut a few cords of wood for the winter? Or mow a 10 acre field? Or groom 2000 feet of driveway? What about the cost of the implements? A L2501 has no computer nor DPF to worry about. It has the power to run a 5 foot rotary cutter. It will move logs both in the grapple and on the ground. It will grade a drive way. It will till a food plot or garden.

Are you doing anything with the tractor to feed or care for you and your family? Do you need to spend the extra thousands of dollars to save a couple hours of tractor time per year. A 5 foot mower at 3 mph cuts 1.64 acres per hour. A 6 foot mower at 3 mph cuts 1.96 acres per hour. Seams like a lot of money for few minutes of mowing.

I know a guy who purchased a new Kubota 7060 cab tractor to mow 4 acres of lawn. I think he is the winner of the bigger is better race.

There are hundreds of old Ford 2Ns, 8Ns and 9Ns that are still used. Are they the best tractors every made? No, hell no. However the simple well made machines are reliable and repairable. These new tractors have systems in them that the owner can not repair. The computer must be serviced by a dealer. There is no way around the dealer only repairs and if parts need replaced you need to grab your wallet. Will these tractors last 20 years without problems? Only time will tell. How long will the repairs of the computer be possible?

Now if you have become one of the people that want to buy a new tractor every few years then go for all the glory and buy the biggest most complex tractor that you can afford.

An example of why you want to stay away from the dealer, car or tractor. I can no longer work on my own equipment. I called the Chevy dealer and asked the price of a drive shaft rebuild. $210 per hour for 4 hours for labor only plus parts. My son dropped the drive shaft in less then 15 minutes. Rebuilt by a professional rebuilder after shortening and balancing the shaft $350 for parts and labor. And 15 minutes to reinstall the drive shaft saved me hundreds of dollars.

I'm of the same mindset as you. As much as I would love an L3901 with a FEL and a bunch of attachments I looked at my needs and what I was currently using. I was running a Ford 9N to maintain my 700 feet of driveway with a 68" snowblower and a 3 point hitch sander plus an old school 3 point hitch dirt scoop for light dirt work and carryall duties. When I started looking at Kubotas I was pleasantly surprised that they made a stripped down, gear drive, 2WD L2501 for reasonable money. Basically a modern day version of a Ford N series. That was all I needed so that was all I bought. An L3901 would be able to blow snow faster than what I have but the L2501 is adequate enough for what I need to maintain and seat time on the tractor is fun anyway so I don't mind a little extra seat time.

 

[jamecsen]

I learned that it has a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and related computer accessories at L3901. So I bought the much simpler L2501. I mow ten acres, and you don't need a more giant tractor. Keep in mind that both tractors use the same LA525 loader. Keep that in mind when thinking about forks if you are putting them on the front. In general, the heavier, the better. You can do the same thing with a smaller tractor, it just takes longer, but I only clear snow from a quarter-mile. I bought it at https://www.machinerydealer.co.uk/compact-tractors-for-sale/. It wasn't new, but its condition was perfect. I was able to save $4,000 thanks to them.