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Completely clueless!

K

Katie Tincher

New User
I have a few questions for all you farming guys! I have a 3 acre lot that we are going to build a house on. I am looking for a small tractor for all the grass and garden needs. I want to be able to mow, pull a lawn roller...basically start from scratch putting grass in. possibly a snow plow for winter and a loader bucket up front. I"m clueless as to what to buy and all the accesories I will need. And even, where to look to purchase one of these. If I could get some help with this I would greatly appreciate it! The land that we own is pretty much flat, and all the trees have been removed. In input would be greatly appreciated~!!

Thanks in advance!
 
Buy a brand new John Deere or Kubota compact diesel, 4 wheel drive. Get it with a 72" belly mower, a front bucket and a rear grading box. This will take care of 90% of your needs. As you find you need more implements, buy them. A snowplow, a soil leveling Gil, and, maybe a snowblower instead of a snow plow. Compacts come in all sizes so visit said dealers and try them out for size. The bucket will be super handy as will the grading box.
How do I know this? I have a JD 870 with said implements and would give up s#x before I give up my tractor. Pricey but you won't regret it.
 
A 10 year old (or so) 20 hp (or so) garden tractor from a major manufacturer should be perfect. You'll save if you don't fall in love with a single brand.
 
Katie,take bo's advice and buy a new compact tractor. You will get many years of trouble free service if taken care. With an old tractor you will have problems from the get go and you will never stop spending money on it.
 
Yep, take a real hard look at one of the compact tractors offered by any of the major brands. It will give you service for the life of your home and then some. The initial cost may be a little pricey, but the end result will be the most economical.

Please avoid the temptaion to buy one of the homeowner model lawnmowers like they sell at the discount places. The neighbors go through one of those per season on their 3 plus acre lawn. They just won't handle that much work.
 
(quoted from post at 18:55:20 11/19/08) Nothing
like
a-little
ole
Ford
Click to expand...

a121987.jpg


Cutern' a speckled pup huh? Imagine all the work you could get done on this. Think I'd just sit on it a couple of hours 3 or 4 times a week :roll:

Dave
 
Thanks for all of your replies! They are much appreciated! I guess I'm not sure how much I want to spend....just because I don't know how much they are...Was looking on a sale site and they had a KUBOTA B8200 HST. 3 Cyl. 19HP diesel. Hydrostat. 4WD. 3-point hitch. PTO. 60" mower deck. VGC, $5950; BO Is this along the lines of what I should be looking at....or something bigger?
If you could, give me some examples or brands and numbers...
Thanks again for all your help! I drive heavy equipment at the job I'm at, but am clueless to garden tractors!!:)
 
First off welcome to the forums.

While a front end loader is great to have the add a lot of length to a tractor and somewhat obscure vision. I'm of the opinion that if you can get by without one do so. Instead for heavy lifting buy a 3 point mount crane sometimes called a boom.

Without a loader you can probably get by with a smaller tractor which is more maneuverable which facilitates easier mowing. Personally I'd opt for a riding mower and a little larger old tractor for loader use.

If you will be using a roto-tiller for gardening getting the proper size of tractor and tiller will need to be observed. A lot depends upon your soil. I have very sandy soil and can get by with a 27 horsepower tractor for my 58 inch roto-tiller, photo below.

While I'm partial to my Ford tractor I would recommend any brand that has a strong dealer in your area. For me that was Ford but the John Deere dealership reopened after my purchase and is now quite strong.

Lots of used tractors to choose from and with a pinched economy there might be a lot of compact tractors come on the market in the near future.

Again, welcome to the forums with your first post.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t298/growerguy/Greenmanureroto-tillingfrontview001.jpg[/IMG]]Ford 1720
 
Bo - I agree with you completely. Bought a JD 4200 Compact with loader in 2001 for 5 acres and it is the best little tractor I've ever had! Little expensive at the time but -Mows nice with rear mount deck and quick attach loader. Pulls 6' blade for snow, 5' tiller for garden and everything in between. Would like R-4 tires at times (other times not) as my neighbor has had to pull me out with a kabota!
 
We have 2 tractor dealerships in town...John Deere, and International(I think). Should I just go in to those places and inquire with them?!

You guys are awesome! I didn't expect so many responses so quickly!! I really appreciate your help!! I'm ready for my new house to be built yesterday!!haha
 
Stay away from the aircooled so called Garden tractors. A 20 hp compact deisel with a cat 1 3 point hitch and 4 wheel drive. JD, Kubota, Newholand is what you need. I perfer Kubota. I have a B1750 Kubota and a 43Hp JD 2008 year model. I bought the Kubota in 89 The Kubota has a 60" belly mower. You can do anything you need with it. The JD is a Backhoe. I think the Kubota is a better built tractor. I also have a couple of older tractors, AC and Ferguson. They were the best in their day. You don't want an older tractor unless you are a collector.
 
New Holland TZ25DA. Had an 07 model, and it was the best tractor ive ever used. It always had power to spare and was one tough machine. It lasted through plowing gardens, mowing more then knee high weeds, planting corn and many other chores. I cut my teeth on that thing and it was a great little machine. And a loader is availiable for it. Our top of the line model was $12.9
 
If you can afford new, We bought a new 3202 JD with loader and indus. tires, 4x4 hyd. tranny. Great little tractor, little light on HP. sometimes but easy to overcame, just take smaller bites sometimes.
 
John Deere and Kabota usally hold the value pretty well - if you don't abuse them. You could always buy a "good" used one and then trade down to garden (not lawn) tractor when finished. Bet you don't want to after you start with the right tractor!
 
What part of the country, climate, terrain and soil type? Are you handy with repairs or don't mind an hour of tinkering for every 10 hrs of operation plus parts bills?
 
On the other hand, if you like coming to this site and learning from all the nice people here and don't mind getting your hands greasy, then buy an old one that has been gone through. You gonna move any big bales for horses?

If you are rich and spend your weekends at the lake and going to ball games(basic suburbanites), then get a new one(talkng tractor here) so you don't have to mess with repairs. If you just have a short couple hundred feet drive, a 20' by 20' vegetable garden, and mow the rest, then get a 20-25 hp john deere or other garden tractor at lowes with a snow blade. You can use it to plant your grass. Then get a rear tine tiller for the garden. Choice of a snow blade or snow blower will depend if drive is paved or not. Blade for sure on gravel and blower to clear walks, front of garage, and drive. We have a big blower that we use on gravel too. Not sure if you are in snow country or not. When Kansas gets a big snow it melts off before worrying too much about pushing snow.
 
Hi Katie and Welcome!!

It sounds like you have the right ideas about the 2 local dealerships in the area. One thing, I haven't seen mentioned that my Dad taught me a long time ago. Nothing you buy is any better than the availability of parts for it. That makes a lot of difference. I have a New Holland dealer within 5 miles of my house, therefore, I have a New Holland tractor. I pass it going to and home from work. Any time I need anything, I can just stop and get what I need.

Last time I bought I caught him as he was trying to clear out last years inventory and had a better price than all the other dealers within a 45 mile radius. Check the dealers first, you can learn a lot from them, what's available, and what you may need, more than what a private seller you may find. Pick up some brochures and don't be afraid to ask lots of ?????. Tell the dealer what you would like to do and have them show you different things they might have.

My New Holland dealer will let me have nearly anything on the lot to try out for a weekend, let me test drive. That makes a huge difference.

This sight can give you lots of hints and tips, but ultimately you have to live with what you buy.

Good luck,
Brad
 
If you have a NH dealer close they will be alot more help when you need a widget on a Saturday morning and will be alot more likely to have one. You said garden"n, I don"t think garden tractors are good for garden"n. They are great lawn mowers but a plow or tiller will make them grunt more than they like.

If you don"t want to spend as much as a newer compact tractor, you can"t go wrong with a 2000 or 2600 ford. (If you want a little more than you need and are looking to put a loader on it go on up and get a 3600) If you are looking to spend a little more money, go to the dealer and see what they have or can get in, in the 25 hp range in a new or 10 or less years old.

(If you buy an older one and don"t know much about them find some one even if you have to pay a local independant mechanic to look it over before you talk price to much.)

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Dave
 
If that green paint will make you give up nnalert it by all means should be banned from the plannet as dooms day is closer than you think.
 
First step....What sort of budget are you working with? Remember that $ figure must allow you to purchase any implements you expect to need. A tractor without implements is like an airplane without a runway.
 
At my age, it's overrated. It lasts a few minutes but a good JD keeps on giving.
 
Hi Katie!
This forum can be a great site for a lot of input for anything you might need to know, everyone is always willing to help.
I Bought a 22HP Kubota with a front loader 10 years ago. It came with a 5' mower deck, 3 point hitch, power steering, and is hydrostatic drive. It's a breeze to mow with it, and the loader has created MANY garden areas for the wife. The assortment of implements is varied, and I have a Back blade, tiller, sod cutter, and carry all that I've made or adaped to fit.

New Holland, John Deere, Kubota are the 3 to begin looking at(for warranty, parts, resale)but if this is your FIRST tractor, and have never had experience with equipment, I would suggest a mentor. A neighbor or someone close by with this knowledge, that can help with learning AND equipment safety.
Go slow, have fun and welcome!
 
To be real honest Katie it would be lot cheaper and you would get a better job if you hired a landscape contractor to do the work for you.
But you wouldn't get all the fun of making a mess out of it and then trying all over again.
Walt
 
A farmal cub would be a good tractor. It can do all of that plus more and it would still coust less than a new tractor of the same size. I use mine to mow my grass ang turn over my garden and I like it better than my riding lawn mower.
 
Thanks for the input bruster! I am a heavy equipment operator at a power plant so I have been on equipment before! I just get confused when they talk about the smaller tractors and all the numbers that they put with them! I don't know how big what is! Thanks again for all your help!!
 
Just depends if you will want to use it for more than cutting grass, after you've put in your lawn, Cause if you are, you might want consider 20hp or better, 3 point, and remote hydraulics
 
A B8200 Kubota is a pretty old tractor, last year made was 1989, it is a 14.5 PTO horsepower tractor, you proabably will not like it as most of the older small Kubota tractors had no power steering, except what you have in your arms. They came standard with 3 point, and the mower deck adds little if it is original due to age. That tractor average retailed about 3800.00, if it is a 1989, as they get older, they are worth less, and that is a price in last years book, so I am sure it is worth less.
Jim
 
JD 950 diesel with loader- brother has one he uses for a lot of utility/loader work. Has a three point and pto for mower and tiller if needed- but he uses a 430 JD as main mower and has the tiller to fit for garden- 430 wouldn't make a good loader tractor compared to 950, but small blades and snowblower are made for them. Case skid loader used by other brother for general loader work. A older H or like sister Case VA with narrow bucket loader was used for a lot of jobs on farm- 120 acres so 3 acres for garden and a bit of lawn mowing would be no problem- H would cost $1000.00 to $2000.00. $20,000.00 would get a new Kubuta - whatever those orange things are called. RN
 
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