Some help choosing a tractor

[StrykerCavScout]

Hi all - just moved into a new home with some land and need some advice on a tractor purchase:

10 acres - 8.5 grass, 1.5 wooded.
Mostly flat/gentle hills.
Some seasonally [very] wet ground.
Quarter mile paved driveway.

Projects:
Cut Grass
Move materials for Horses (feed/manure/etc)
Plow snow - prefer to use a FEL for that given the amounts we typically get.
Dig drainage to restore original drain lines previous owner tried to fill.

I know I'd want an FEL and pull mower, other accessories I don't know about - maybe a back hoe... maybe.

I'm looking at a B3350SU, but worried it might be too light. I know an M is WAY to much for my land, but I wonder about an L. I don't want to over-buy, but I don't want to under-buy either. This is the first time we've had land (just retired from Army), so although we are really excited about it, I'd like to make sure I have the right equipment to manage it properly. I don't care about a cab, but I'm pretty sure I want the HST.

The nice thing about a B is that I could also afford a zero turn to handle the fence lines and the areas near the house - but it is useless if I can't use it to clear snow.

I intend to visit my neighbors place sometime soon to check out his equipment. He has an M and an L - his M is awesome, and cleared my driveway of 3' deep snow in about an hour. But like I said, way to big for my land - he has around 60 acres.

 

[85Hokie]

First off - welcome to OTT - been through you lovely town many a time on I-66.

AS for the tractors of choice - based on what you "need" the BX-25D will do everything you wish! And saying that the B3350SU is too light leads me to believe that you are not sure of the capabilities of these machines. The L and M series are really fantastic machines, no question - and if the $$ are not too much, jump in at that level.

AS for the snow levels, you may never see another snow like this past one, then again with mother nature in a twit - you might see another 1/2 dozen!

AS you move from Bx through M series, obviously the HP goes up and the FEL width increases to the point that bigger tractor look awesome in what it accomplishes in record time. But never feel that the small tractor will not do that what you wish - it WILL, only it will do it slower and cost less! With smaller tractors you will have an advantage of a smaller footprint - it gets in places other cannot, simply does things you could not do with a much larger tractor.


with the bigger tractors - you will have to deal with the new tier iv machines, if you never cussed before - you will learn a few new words! SOME have had little problems with the new tier ivs and some would sell them in a heartbeat. BUT with a new machine, you will be dealing with that.

I think you hit the nail on the head with your choice the B (B3350SU) series machine, and if you can afford it - get the backhoe, people say rent one when you need one, I say BUY one and then never take it back !!! The backhoe will do things you never thought of before - and once you get a new machine the things you will do were never on your original list of things to do!

Do your research, and I am sure you have done so - and then go and talk to your nearest dealer and see what that dealer can do for you. Expect to see prices a little high right now, but still the 0% is hard to beat.

Best of luck - and by all means - send us a picture of the new machine!

 

[sheepfarmer]

I have 15 acres, a couple of horses, some sheep. I had an old Ford 8N but it wasn't much fun to use after I hit 60. I bought the L3560, and it is great. To my mind the features in the 60 series compared with the base L tractors are worth having, but it is a point to have a dealer show you if you are comparing say a 3301 and a 3560, or a 3901 and a 4060. The HST and "autothrottle" are worth having, as is the intellipanel screen that gives information about the dpf filter and the regeneration cycle. The 3560 is very easy to use, and heavy enough to handle decent sized implements. FEL with bucket, rear blade, landscape rake, and flail mower do most of the pasture horse chores a whole lot easier than by hand. You could also look at the L2501 which meets the current emissions standards without a dpf. I would avoid the B3350 for the time being, there have been more repair issues reported for that model (unofficial personal observation )

 

[D2Cat]

Sheepfarmer, you mention " I had an old Ford 8N but it wasn't much fun to use after I hit 60."

Why would you be running that Ford 60? It sure doesn't sound safe!!

 

[85Hokie]

Sheepfarmer, you mention " I had an old Ford 8N but it wasn't much fun to use after I hit 60."

Why would you be running that Ford 60? It sure doesn't sound safe!!

Thanks D2, I need that !!!
She musta had that sherman overdrive from hell!
Can you imagine the steering at 60?

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Hi all - just moved into a new home with some land and need some advice on a tractor purchase:

10 acres - 8.5 grass, 1.5 wooded.
Mostly flat/gentle hills.
Some seasonally [very] wet ground.
Quarter mile paved driveway.

Projects:
Cut Grass
Move materials for Horses (feed/manure/etc)

Make sure the capacity of the tractor matches the move material requirements, especially if you get into moving bales.

 

[sheepfarmer]

Thanks D2, I need that !!!
She musta had that sherman overdrive from hell!
Can you imagine the steering at 60?

Never mind the steering, had to STAND on the brakes to get it stopped at 0.5 mph

Stryker to get back to the topic, if you are shopping used, you do want power steering!

 

[Robert3301]

Like someone said, check out the L2501. The best way to describe it is it's a "little tractor in a big frame at an affordable price". Can be had with hst too, which you said you wanted. I have one and love it! It's my first "small tractor" and I never thought I'd ever have a need for one this size but I've found plenty of jobs for it!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Third for the L2501.

 

[BadDog]

I've been debating my choice of the B2150 (used obviously, too cheap for new) recently, it was an upgrade from a B7100, in large part to get the backhoe. I certainly don't have the land to justify, but I seem to just KEEP hitting it's physical limits on 3 point AND loader. Anyway, one of the things I remember seeing in the last year or so here is all the complaints about the L series 3 point on the non-"Grand" versions. The larger Bs seem to get high marks, and my B2150 has the super smooth "position control" 3 point that I really love, except for the 1000 lb limit. Anyway, what I read about the L 3 point issues popped into my mind the last few weeks as I've debated the possibility of looking for an L (or larger B) in my future, so thought I would toss it out here.

 

[StrykerCavScout]

Thanks all - I'm going to head to the dealership tomorrow and check out the L2501, L3301 and the B3350SU. I think I'm leaning towards the 2501, but we'll see. I kind of want to drive them around a little bit to get a feel for them.

Again - thank you for the advice and I'll post what I end up buying!

 

[bmmitch]

I have found that the L3301 has a $2000.rebate and the L2501 has only a $1000. so you can buy the L3301 for $1000.more.

 

[David Cockey]

Any reason you are not also looking at the B2650?

 

[joes]

I was debating the B3350 and the B2650 and went with the 2650. I was afraid of the regen issues that I was reading about. Really haven't had much of a chance to use it. They had a couple of discounts and interest free so I loaded up on implements, can't wait till spring. Good luck in your search.

 

[chieffan]

Hi all - just moved into a new home with some land and need some advice on a tractor purchase:

10 acres - 8.5 grass, 1.5 wooded.
Mostly flat/gentle hills.
Some seasonally [very] wet ground.
Quarter mile paved driveway.

Projects:
Cut Grass
Move materials for Horses (feed/manure/etc)
Plow snow - prefer to use a FEL for that given the amounts we typically get.
Dig drainage to restore original drain lines previous owner tried to fill.

I know I'd want an FEL and pull mower, other accessories I don't know about - maybe a back hoe... maybe.

I'm looking at a B3350SU, but worried it might be too light. I know an M is WAY to much for my land, but I wonder about an L. I don't want to over-buy, but I don't want to under-buy either. This is the first time we've had land (just retired from Army), so although we are really excited about it, I'd like to make sure I have the right equipment to manage it properly. I don't care about a cab, but I'm pretty sure I want the HST.

The nice thing about a B is that I could also afford a zero turn to handle the fence lines and the areas near the house - but it is useless if I can't use it to clear snow.

I intend to visit my neighbors place sometime soon to check out his equipment. He has an M and an L - his M is awesome, and cleared my driveway of 3' deep snow in about an hour. But like I said, way to big for my land - he has around 60 acres.

It sounds like you will have plenty of time to take care of your property. Bigger is always more costly to acquire, maintain and operate. Lot of time the larger units are not as much fun to operate. Most, but not all the time the smaller tractor will do the same job the larger ones do, just takes a couple extra trips and a little more time. When you look at the various attachments, think about how often you will use it. Like the back hoe to use to dig drainage - couple days and then it sits and to much hassle to put back on for a 2 hour job? Might be cheaper to hire it done.