New Tractor

[Someday isle]

I looked at both the 1025r and the 30 series Deere. The 1025r really felt more like a big lawn mower and the ground clearance I thought was an issue for plotting and woods work. I love my B 2601. It’s just the right size for me. Anything bigger would be too big on my trails and logging road plots. Anything smaller would be less efficient. Four foot implements are fine for me. If I had a 2 acre field instead of smaller plots and had more wide open spaces I’d certainly go larger. My biggest single area is a half acre though and other than the roadside, which only gets mowed twice a year, so the compact tractor works great. If I’d bought a BX or 1025r I think I’d have regrets because they’d have been too small.

 

[yoderjac]

Just going through some old compact tractor posts, since I am doing some research for one. For those of you that have and went with the smaller/sub compact tractors, are you happy with them? Or do you wish you went with the bigger models?

I kinda want an all purpose tractor, belly mower for the yard, a loader to haul, spread, and level spots in my growing yard, snow moving, firewood assistance, and of course some food plotting. My food plots are getting smaller, but I am still doing over an acre.

I have been looking at John Deere’s, I was looking at a 3038, but I don’t know I need anything that big, and I was also looking at a 1025R, but it seems so small.

I am open to other brands, but would like something in the 20-35hp range.

Do you guys wish you went bigger? Or are you satisfied with the smaller compact size?

I would NOT buy a sub-compact tractor. I started with a Honda Riding mower. Eventually I got a kubota b2400 with a FEL. It is a compact not a sub-compact. It was fine for doing an acre or two. When we bought the pine farm, I used it for the first couple years and killed myself doing it. It was quickly clear that I was undersized. I stepped up to a 45 hp Kioti DK45 4x4 with cab and fel. I wish I had gone bigger. I'm getting by with it, but my next tractor will be in the 60-70 hp range. I still have the B2400 and use it for cutting my lawn and tasks around the house.

For me, at least, I always wish I had gone bigger. I eventually got a mini-excavator for habitat work. I was killing the DK45 doing it.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Bassattackr]

That’s a situation that comes up time and time again on tractors . Time and time again I come to the same conclusion. You need 2 tractors. One for plotting and habitat work and one for mowing the lawn.

This. Tractor + lawn mower.

A subcompact with a mower is a "Fish n Ski" of the tractor world. No one wins.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I’m with you on the two tractor idea.

I think a 25-40 HP 4x4 Tractor with a FEL is ideal. Small enough to bang around in the woods or get back to odd places, easy to tow, decent lift capacity. Good Resale. Pretty terrible with ground contact implements.

Plus an older 2nd farm tractor. 50-100 HP. Heavy. Good for field work, pulling implements. Reliable. Don’t want to take it in the woods. Allows you not to have to go so big with your compact tractor.

The other way around this is 1 40-75HP 4wd Tractor with a FEL. Not great in the woods. Pretty heavy. Need a 3/4 ton to tow.

I had a 2011 New Holland 1520 35 HP. Great Tractor - beat the snot out of it. Bought it new. Sold it with my first 20 acres for 6k less than I paid for it. Put about 1000 hours on it.


I just bought 100 acres. Its about 75% woods, 25% hay ground. It’s 3 hours away from my home. I’m on the look out for a 35-40 HP kubota. Something easy enough to tow with a 1/2 ton and 7k trailer. Maybe a L3901 or 3301. You could look at an L2501. It’s smaller HP, but I think it gets away with the same frame size and no emissions. Eventually I’ll look for an older 2wd Tractor.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

I’m with you on the two tractor idea.

I think a 25-40 HP 4x4 Tractor with a FEL is ideal. Small enough to bang around in the woods or get back to odd places, easy to tow, decent lift capacity. Good Resale. Pretty terrible with ground contact implements.

Plus an older 2nd farm tractor. 50-100 HP. Heavy. Good for field work, pulling implements. Reliable. Don’t want to take it in the woods. Allows you not to have to go so big with your compact tractor.

The other way around this is 1 40-75HP 4wd Tractor with a FEL. Not great in the woods. Pretty heavy. Need a 3/4 ton to tow.

I had a 2011 New Holland 1520 35 HP. Great Tractor - beat the snot out of it. Bought it new. Sold it with my first 20 acres for 6k less than I paid for it. Put about 1000 hours on it.


I just bought 100 acres. Its about 75% woods, 25% hay ground. It’s 3 hours away from my home. I’m on the look out for a 35-40 HP kubota. Something easy enough to tow with a 1/2 ton and 7k trailer. Maybe a L3901 or 3301. You could look at an L2501. It’s smaller HP, but I think it gets away with the same frame size and no emissions. Eventually I’ll look for an older 2wd Tractor.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Right now I am trying to decide between a Kubota LX3310, LX2610 or a JD 2038R, or a 3038R

 

[yoderjac]

Right now I am trying to decide between a Kubota LX3310, LX2610 or a JD 2038R, or a 3038R

Between those two brands, I'd buy the dealership. In my area, the JD dealership is very expensive on parts and service. They are quite slow as they prioritize the farmers with the big and latest equipment. I've had much better service from the local Kubota dealer. They are the same distance from the farm (across the street from each other). I'd opt for the most Hp I could afford.

 

[Foggy47]

I'm on my third tractor.....and likely it will be the last one I buy. I now own a Kubota L3560 HSTC. Previously....I owned a JD 790....and the small size and geared tranny were not the right stuff when I needed to operate my stump grinder...or for loader and grapple work. Then came a cream puff JD 3320 e-hydro.....and I likely would still have that tractor if it had a cab.....and if that front axel was a bit more robust. I ground a few thousand stumps from my food plots with that tractor and it had adequate power and was nimble enough in the woods. But.....in the summer we have lots of ticks followed by deer flies and I really wanted a cab tractor with HVAC and the weight and features found on the 3500. That 3560 is LOTS more tractor than others in this HP category. I got the HD 805 loader and it can lift good loads at both the loader and 3 point. Beet juice in the rears. Pulls much more than my old 3320 JD. Love all the capabilities of the Kubota hydro tranny and the many speeds and features it offers.

I tend to like smaller implements in the 5 and 6 foot widths as I can get around in wooded situations.....and they fit my property needs.....and are simply more affordable and you often can find great used implements in this area on the cheap.

A tractor without implements is just transportation. I own about 15+ implements of various quality. All can get the work done.....some are pretty and others are "serviceable".....but I use them all. Implements hold their value and are easy to buy and sell as needed. No brainier if you can afford 'em. I like finding good values in lightly used implements.

If I can remember em all: Loader Grapple, 6 foot bucket with tooth bar, Forks, Front QD plate, PH Digger and two bits, Single shank ripper, field cultivator, tandem box frame disk, box blade (for sale), ballast box (for sale), landscape rake, tiller, JD 71 2 row planter, Fertilizer Spreader, SAYA NT Drill, Woods Stump Grinder, 3 point Cultipacker, Rotary Cutter, Woodmaxx Flail Mower, EZ Flow drop spreader.....and my latest purchase is a 6 foot Goliath roller/crimper. I can take on allot of projects....and have fun doing most of 'em. After another year or two....I likely will part with a few of the tillage implements as I become more committed to no till. (I'm a slow Lerner ;) ).

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Dealers are a wash. I have a couple of each within 40 miles. Closest about 25 miles.

I don’t have fields, or large food plots, I have 3- 3/4 acre plots, with one being converted to an orchard.

My plans are a regular bucket, grapple, rear blade, still want one with a mowing deck, because my yard is getting bigger, and my current mower is getting older. Possibly a post hole digger. A snow blower would be a cool addition on the front, but I have a gravel driveway, and I could see myself launching rocks through a window. I will be using it in the woods, for firewood, and trail upkeep, so a large tractor wouldn’t be ideal.

I would like to buy used, to stay away from the new tier 4 emissions, I hate having to deal with def, and dpf systems.

I found a 2014 JD 2032 with 500 hours, and a belly mower, loader, rear blare, and a rear balance box for a good deal, but the sale is pending. But the buyer hasn’t came to complete the sale yet.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

My parents have a b2650 with loader, disc, bushhog, spreader and a bx series that basically just gets used with a belly mower. They are north of Grand Rapids and the b2650 works well enough for the limited plots in the sandy soil. The b2650 is smaller than the L2501 but has better hydraulics if I recall correctly.

I recently got a l3560 and think it’s a great all around option that punches above its HP class. The 3 point lift capacity on the L2501, 3301, and 3901 wasn’t enough for some of the drills I was looking at and the loader lift capacity wasn’t great either. The HST+ tranny is pretty dang sweet. I did notice it is much quieter than the b2650 hydro which whines pretty loud.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

My parents have a b2650 with loader, disc, bushhog, spreader and a bx series that basically just gets used with a belly mower. They are north of Grand Rapids and the b2650 works well enough for the limited plots in the sandy soil. The b2650 is smaller than the L2501 but has better hydraulics if I recall correctly.

I recently got a l3560 and think it’s a great all around option that punches above its HP class. The 3 point lift capacity on the L2501, 3301, and 3901 wasn’t enough for some of the drills I was looking at and the loader lift capacity wasn’t great either. The HST+ tranny is pretty dang sweet. I did notice it is much quieter than the b2650 hydro which whines pretty loud.

I think the B2650 is the old version of the LX2610, and I heard loud whine was a complaint about them as well

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

On my last property (20 acres with about 2 acres of lawn) I ran a NH Finish Mower on the back of my 1520. I hated it. Hard to weave around stuff, left divots all over the yard in the spring, always have to unhook a box blade or a loader to mow. Just a royal pain in the ass.

The finish mower was $1700. That would have gone a long way towards a used zero turn or a lawn mower. Plus you’ve got to burn $7 / gallon diesel now.

Any tractor that is going to be worth a damn with a grapple (think front lift and ground clearance in the woods) is going to be so heavy it will tear up your lawn.

Say what you want, but I was in the same shoes you are in - and I thought the finish mower was a mistake.

 

[yoderjac]

On my last property (20 acres with about 2 acres of lawn) I ran a NH Finish Mower on the back of my 1520. I hated it. Hard to weave around stuff, left divots all over the yard in the spring, always have to unhook a box blade or a loader to mow. Just a royal pain in the ass.

The finish mower was $1700. That would have gone a long way towards a used zero turn or a lawn mower. Plus you’ve got to burn $7 / gallon diesel now.

Any tractor that is going to be worth a damn with a grapple (think front lift and ground clearance in the woods) is going to be so heavy it will tear up your lawn.

Say what you want, but I was in the same shoes you are in - and I thought the finish mower was a mistake.

This may be a difference in what folks think of as "lawn". I'm not one of those guys who manicures his lawn, sprays for weeds, fertilizes, and such. If you're one of those guys, a zero turn is a very good option. Folks like me with a mix of fescue, crabgrass, clover, chickweed, and a myriad of other weeds, a tractor works just fine. Keep in mind that weight is not an issue chewing up a lawn. It is PSI that matters. Using 4wd making tight turns is also an issue.

I've used both a 5' finish mower as well as a 5' belly mower on my old Kubota B2400. I like the finish mower better when I'm lazy and let my back yard get a foot tall, but other than that, the belly mower is much nicer. It is no zero turn, but much better for going around stuff. My yard is hilly and the thing I like most about the belly mower is stability when using the FEL. With the fell lifted with a little weight in it, the tractor gets unstable quickly on a slide slope without the belly mower attached.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[4wanderingeyes]

My yard isnt smooth or manicured by any means. Bumps, some random roots sticking out, not level at all. I drive all over my yard most of the year with my truck and trailers, ATV's, grand kids riding ATV in circles for 8 hours straight, I dont care about what a lawn more, or tractor tire does to my yard. I am with Jack on this one, if it grows green, I am ok with it as my yard. In fact over half my yard is white Dutch clover that I plated after they dozed the trees down in 2017 to make my yard.
One of the needs for the tractor is to level my yard some, fill in the holes, drag down the high spots. I wouldnt know what to do with a fancy yard with out an ATV track on the outside of it, or the trail that goes to the back woods driving right through it.

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

 

[Spike_Horn_Shooter]

Definitely not fancy - but I am the King of Doublewides! That lawn was about 16” of clay over shale bedrock. It was miserable in the spring.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I think the B2650 is the old version of the LX2610, and I heard loud whine was a complaint about them as well

Its a nice little tractor but that tranny noise is notable.

Is the LX2610 free from the tier 4 emissions stuff? My stepdad said something about that being a deciding factor for him with the b2650. If the LX3310 doesn't weigh much more AND has more emissions restrictions it would be hard to pay a significant premium for it IMO.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

The LX2610 does not have the emissions, but the LX3310 does.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

The LX2610 does not have the emissions, but the LX3310 does.

Seems like the only reason to get a LX3310 would be if you think you need the extra PTO HP to run your implement of choice. They have about the same lift capability and I'd guess are more limited by traction than HP when pulling. I bushhogged in my stepdad's B2650 for one afternoon and it did bog down a bit in less than dense grass but it worked. I don't recall if he has a 4 or 5' mower.

 

[4wanderingeyes]

I think for the extra cost, I would rather spend it on a couple attachments rather then emissions.