Hello all. I just purchased a new home with 47 acers. I am looking for a compact tractor with a back hoe to help manage it. Its purposes will be tearing out rotten stumps in the yard. Brush hogging a 1.5 acer field, and tilling a half acer in the same field for a food plot. Tilling a small garden every spring, help maintaining my side x side trails and keeping up with my 1500 ft gravel drive way. I dont want new as i dont want a payment. So i will be buying used. I found a low hour bx23s local but i just dont know if it will be capable enough. Im not brand dependant and will look at other brands. Like yanmar tym ect. My old tractor that i sold when i moved was an old ih b414. Which is too old and too big for what i want. Just some input from you guys with these newer and smaller compacts would be apreciated
Tractor advice for 40+ acers
- Thread starter caleb90
- Start date
That's going to be hard to in that price range. How old and what size are you thinking.
jyoutz
Well-known member
Equipment
MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
In this price range, the best option is an older ag utility tractor. And I wouldn’t recommend a sub compact for the size of your land and doing stump removal. It takes a heavy tractor for those chores, even if the stumps are rotten. And no doubt you will find many more uses than what you described on 40 acres.
See if you can find a B21 I had one back in the early 2000s it was a great little TLB it would handle what your talking about and you might be able to get one in your price range.
Ive looked at every thing from old 1980s ford 1910 units to these newer sub and compacts. Found that bx23s in my price range and figured id ask what they can do. Im in ky so snow isnt an issue. I dont want nothing to big as it will be a pain on the trails. I was thinking a 4ft brush hog would be good for my small field. I used to mow 10acer with my old b414 with a 6ft unit.
jyoutz
Well-known member
Equipment
MX6000 HST open station, FEL, 6’ cutter, forks, 8’ rear blade, 7’ cultivator
I’m sure that there will be a lot of BX owners take issue with my comment, but I really think it’s too light for your purposes. And too low to the ground for trails unless you’re sure they don’t have stick ups or brush. The HST fan is vulnerable to breaking if you run over anything. And it’s certainly not a tractor for stump pulling unless it has a backhoe. Look for a heavier unit for your 47 acres. Down the road you’ll be happy that you did.
A B series ought to be a good match for the intended usage you describe. If you hadn’t mentioned the total parcel size, you’d probably be getting the feedback you’re looking for. Sounds like you have previous experience with tractors, so you ought to end up with what you need.
A bx23s with backhoe will do what you describe. Perhaps just do it slowly, and you'd need some care on trails and in bush. A B7100 or similar is a bit older but more competent. My inclination would be to drop the requirement for a backhoe and that'll open up a lot more machinery in your price range - a lot of the B series of various ages would do what you describe quite well. That then means renting or hiring out the work that you'd have used a backhoe for - which sounds mostly like stumps. Arguably a stump grinder is a better way to deal with them anyway.
I agree with the others recommendation on renting or hiring out the heavy items like the stump removal. A mini-excavator is vastly more productive than any backhoe attachment.
A B or L series would be a good fit for your needs. The L would not be a good choice if you plan on doing a lot of work on finished lawn. I'd also look at the new machine Financing, I think lots of options are still out there for 0% down, 0% interest, so your upfront costs are flexible.
A B or L series would be a good fit for your needs. The L would not be a good choice if you plan on doing a lot of work on finished lawn. I'd also look at the new machine Financing, I think lots of options are still out there for 0% down, 0% interest, so your upfront costs are flexible.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
While a BX23s may be a small TLB is WILL do what you want, just not fast. Everything in life is a compromise. In 5yr/1100+ hrs I've used my BX23s to dig out stumps,move mountains of soil and compost, dig ponds,push snow, tiling fields, clean up edges on 20 acres to gain another 4 for crops. My 2018 model came WITH the HST fan shield and considering where it's been, ,that shield WORKS. To maintain the driveways, I just drag a heavy steel C-channel with tractor chains welded to it. It's also great at keeping brush 'tamed' on the trails. I do NOT cut grass with it. A riding mower does that chore. Even though I do have the 3PH kit, it's still in the box as BH has never been off.
As long as you KNOW it's limits, it'll perform fine for you.
As long as you KNOW it's limits, it'll perform fine for you.
So i want a back hoe on the machine for many reasons. Mostly because from what little i have used these smaller compacts , i found it very hard for the front bucket to break ground. Old rotten stump removal is just a small idea of what i will be using the machine for
could buy the bx then start doing tasks and put it to the test. If you find it’s not big enough for your liking resell it and get a bigger one. If it is a good deal then I don’t think you’ll loose much in say a year of ownership. Might even make a few bucks. Given your price your gonna only looking at used so I would (to each their own) prob stay away from Yanmar TYM etc etc unless you have a dealer in your area and they have a decent reputation. Main reason being resale. Myself I’d be looking for something bigger for 40 acres and what you listed stumps 1500’ driveways and bush/trail work tilling however if the IH b414 was to big then maybe the bx will be a perfect fit. I don’t own one but have a few friends with them and they absolutely love them. Only one has the hoe. They are both on smaller land and snow is their biggest tasks I’d say. So not really comparable
Good luck and have fun with your new place.
Good luck and have fun with your new place.
I burnt up some pto time today and took the family out to look at tractors. First stop was a kioti dealer that i drive past every day. They could get me in a cx2510 manual trans with a loader and backhoe for 23,500 cash or 26,500 @ 0% finance. Local john deere place was 30g for a comparable machine and the local kubota place was 34g for a l2610. They had a 23s there with a back hoe and man that thing is tiny.
ajschnitzelbank
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L4701, BH92, Frost Bite grapple, Logosol M8 mill, Stihl MS661
I agree.
I had a B2301 for a few years before trading in in to go bigger. There are some benefits to doing it that way. Like learning the limits of the smaller machine, the appreciating the limits of the larger.
Found a dealer not to far away that can get me a tym t254 for 20,900 with the loader and back hoe. But just not to sure on that brand. Then found a local used mahindra 2017 emax25 with loader back hoe back blade and box blade for 16,500. Might be able to get it less if paying cash. Still not sure on the brand and it might be made by tym any ways. Mahindra dealer is 30miles away and tym is 47
They're both good mid tier brands. Key is whether you have solid local support.
Personally I'd go with an older Kubota rather than a newer Mahindra or TYM. And I rate TYM and Kioti a bit above Mahindra. But this is a Kubota forum, so I guess you'd expect that.
Some of those other brands don't match their loaders and capacities well - i.e. the machine has enough power to break stuff, or to lift things that the axles can't carry. Just something to watch out for, and unlikely to cause real issues with light usage.
The LX2610 is a bigger machine, a B2601 is probably more in the size you're looking. B26 for the TLB version (noting that the loader isn't removable on the B26, but it's a very robust machine - lots of them go into rental fleets).
I am not sure how to ask this, but I am sort of curious as to why sell a 40ish hp tractor and then buy 47 acres and look for a sub compact? I guess before I would decide I would also think about what implements (size and weight) you plan to use and make sure to size the machine appropriately. If planning to buy used implements I think you have a lot more choice to find a match with something larger than a sub compact. If you limit yourself with a smaller machine I think it might limit finding used implements. I would think implements to fit a B or L would be much more common.
then also I wonder with your woods, how large are the trees that are standing as well as the stumps you want to get rid of? (Mature trees or is it really young growth?)
Is it hilly in your area? I’d sort of also be thinking about the lay of the land and if hilly like in eastern KY, I’d be thinking about a wider footprint / machine. If very hilly it’s sort of going to limit you with traction and what you can reasonably ballast in a smaller machine.
My thoughts are sort of centered around sizing machine to the work. If you have large mature trees, that could be asking a lot out of a BX. For the gardening and food plots I would tend to agree a smaller machine is more convenient. But I think some of the other tasks you list and what else might be needed on almost 50acres might be helpful to have something a little larger than an. Sub compact…all depending on your criteria and expectations.
then also I wonder with your woods, how large are the trees that are standing as well as the stumps you want to get rid of? (Mature trees or is it really young growth?)
Is it hilly in your area? I’d sort of also be thinking about the lay of the land and if hilly like in eastern KY, I’d be thinking about a wider footprint / machine. If very hilly it’s sort of going to limit you with traction and what you can reasonably ballast in a smaller machine.
My thoughts are sort of centered around sizing machine to the work. If you have large mature trees, that could be asking a lot out of a BX. For the gardening and food plots I would tend to agree a smaller machine is more convenient. But I think some of the other tasks you list and what else might be needed on almost 50acres might be helpful to have something a little larger than an. Sub compact…all depending on your criteria and expectations.
Well we just moved from rual upstate NY to KY. Got sick of the weather and liberal bs. No way i was towing a 1960 somthing tractor 800+ miles to ky. Plus it didnt have a loader or backhoe , i used it for brush hogging and fire wood up home. Where i am at its hilly, the hills arnt as big height wise but much more steep. Plus i owned mostly pasture up home and now its 98% woods. A tractor that size on my current property would be a pita. After looking at new sub compacts i feel they are much to small, and that a compact would be the right choice.