Farm or utility tractors Help!!!

I have used kubotas ,new hollands, and MF. I have a 3032 at the moment ( unless i get a buyer). I bought the package deal. I went to buy a used one, but the payment was cheaper on a new one being new interest was 1.9% and used was 6.7%. If i had not bought the JD i would have went with a Kubota. I love my tractor and the whole package deal I bought with it. The only reason I would sell mine is to get a 5000 series. The 5ft bush hog that comes with it, while i probably over work it, has been great for cutting and the hydro-static driving is so much better than the old school ones i grew up on. I would shop around, go drive em and continue to ask. I will say that these two things are a must : a CANOPY and a Bucket lol... That bucket is a lifesaver and if you are like me you will use it for everything but scooping stuff up.
Message me if you have any more questions man. Good Luck!
 
You can use the bucket for things, but like I said in my reply to your post, I have used it for more than " loading". With the 3032 and the bucket it has, I have moved a little dirt with it with that I mean a little lol. But I use it more for pushing things, clearing up, w weight if I am unstable which on my hilly property it has asaved my butt many times. If you are doing hay and stuff, drsmile is right and those who have said 38 plus is probably good. Just know that with a JD, you really are not getting much between a 3032 and a 3038. If you are wanting something that is a noteable difference than a 3032, then a 5000 series is what you need. If i am not mistake to run a 6ft bushog you have to have 35 plus HP at the PTO to run it. With my 3032 its 31.8 HP but only approx 25 HP at the pto...
 
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I have been around farm tractors all my life. My Dad is an engineer and said that a farm tractor is the most over engineered piece of equipment there is. A wise old tractor repair man affiliated with the old Ward tractor dealer in Marietta (Massey Ferguson) from long ago said that as long as you buy one of the main 4 brands (Massey Ferguson, Kubota, John Deere or Ford/ New Holland), you're good to go.
This all said, my experience has been primarily Ford/ New Holland and Massey Ferguson. An old farm tractor just always works. I've been around the skid steers as well. For packing, moving dirt or loading you can't beat them. The skid steers are much heavier than a farm tractor. If you have to tow one of these you're going to need a heavy duty truck and trailer. The skid steers break down more because of the hydraulics needed to operate the unit, they use more fuel and they're harder to work on (close quarters and heavy duty). My experience on a skid steer is almost exclusively on a Bobcat 873, this is a pretty big unit. They only made one size larger at the time this was bought.
All this said, I would stay away from hydraulic drives. I use a plain old manual shift, even for shuttle work. Yes it works slower, but no problems. Get 4 wheel drive, it will pull twice as good as 2 wheel drive and you can get away with a smaller more lightweight tractor (less fuel consumption, easier to tow on a trailer if needed and far less expensive). You start getting implements over 5', they're going to get expensive fast. Also you'll need a larger trailer to haul it on.
I bought my tractor new. The first 50 hours, I thought I had made a mistake on size. After 200 hours, the tractor was pulling very well. At 500+ hours on this machine I can manage to get some work done with it. My tractor is a New Holland TC30. I use a 5' bush hog and I've mowed stuff 7' tall and thick growth. I've cut stuff 2-3" in diameter using a Bush Hog 600 squealer. I mow about an acre per hour. My box blade is a 5' 500-600lb Bush Hog implement (weight is everything). It will pull dirt slap full and flowing over the top in 4 wheel drive. The loader won't lift but about 600lbs, but I've pushed some good sized trees out of the way with it. And yes it will move some dirt in 4 wheel drive. Also I have about 35 gallons of antifreeze in each of the rear tires. The agricultural tires pull best, but I have the commercial tires on mine. They give good flotation on the creek bottoms, pull well enough when plowing and won't tear up a lawn like ag. tires will. I use a 2 row sub-soiler. It will cut 8" deep in 2 passes. And yes the loader is a great help. Frontend weight to keep the front on the ground and extra weight for traction to help pull better. Not to minchin all the things you can do with it.
If you buy a new tractor, you'll have to break it in. If you buy one with 200-600 hours and in good shape, you'll have a good workhorse for years to come and ready to work. And you'll save a little money. Hope this helps.
 
basstracker89 said:
[
I have been around farm tractors all my life. My Dad is an engineer and said that a farm tractor is the most over engineered piece of equipment there is. A wise old tractor repair man affiliated with the old Ward tractor dealer in Marietta (Massey Ferguson) from long ago said that as long as you buy one of the main 4 brands (Massey Ferguson, Kubota, John Deere or Ford/ New Holland), you're good to go.
This all said, my experience has been primarily Ford/ New Holland and Massey Ferguson. An old farm tractor just always works. I've been around the skid steers as well. For packing, moving dirt or loading you can't beat them. The skid steers are much heavier than a farm tractor. If you have to tow one of these you're going to need a heavy duty truck and trailer. The skid steers break down more because of the hydraulics needed to operate the unit, they use more fuel and they're harder to work on (close quarters and heavy duty). My experience on a skid steer is almost exclusively on a Bobcat 873, this is a pretty big unit. They only made one size larger at the time this was bought.
All this said, I would stay away from hydraulic drives. I use a plain old manual shift, even for shuttle work. Yes it works slower, but no problems. Get 4 wheel drive, it will pull twice as good as 2 wheel drive and you can get away with a smaller more lightweight tractor (less fuel consumption, easier to tow on a trailer if needed and far less expensive). You start getting implements over 5', they're going to get expensive fast. Also you'll need a larger trailer to haul it on.
I bought my tractor new. The first 50 hours, I thought I had made a mistake on size. After 200 hours, the tractor was pulling very well. At 500+ hours on this machine I can manage to get some work done with it. My tractor is a New Holland TC30. I use a 5' bush hog and I've mowed stuff 7' tall and thick growth. I've cut stuff 2-3" in diameter using a Bush Hog 600 squealer. I mow about an acre per hour. My box blade is a 5' 500-600lb Bush Hog implement (weight is everything). It will pull dirt slap full and flowing over the top in 4 wheel drive. The loader won't lift but about 600lbs, but I've pushed some good sized trees out of the way with it. And yes it will move some dirt in 4 wheel drive. Also I have about 35 gallons of antifreeze in each of the rear tires. The agricultural tires pull best, but I have the commercial tires on mine. They give good flotation on the creek bottoms, pull well enough when plowing and won't tear up a lawn like ag. tires will. I use a 2 row sub-soiler. It will cut 8" deep in 2 passes. And yes the loader is a great help. Frontend weight to keep the front on the ground and extra weight for traction to help pull better. Not to minchin all the things you can do with it.
If you buy a new tractor, you'll have to break it in. If you buy one with 200-600 hours and in good shape, you'll have a good workhorse for years to come and ready to work. And you'll save a little money. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

definitely helps. Thanks....
 
I have been around tractors all of my life too and when I was a kid we had an older Ford 601 and then we got a new MF245 which was a great tractor. I agree with all the guys that you need 40-50 HP. I have a New Holland 3930 and it is a 50 HP tractor and would do anything you want, plus it is all metal so you don't have to worry about busting fiberglass in the woods. My Father in Law bought a new Mahindra 5200 (I believe that is the model) and it is also a 50 HP tractor but has more torque than my New Holland since it is a 4 cylinder diesel compared to the 3 cylinder New Holland. The Mahindra is much heavier in the front end and will not spin around by locking the brake pedals like the lighter New Holland (No 4-wheel drive tractor is going to turn as tight or quick as a two wheel drive). The Mahindra also sits taller and you have to look straight down if you are plowing or mowing which kills my neck. I would advise you sit on a tractor before buying one and make sure it feels comfortable. And if you are looking at new ones, ask your dealer if you can demo one for a day.
 
mcph1827 said:
I have been around tractors all of my life too and when I was a kid we had an older Ford 601 and then we got a new MF245 which was a great tractor. I agree with all the guys that you need 40-50 HP. I have a New Holland 3930 and it is a 50 HP tractor and would do anything you want, plus it is all metal so you don't have to worry about busting fiberglass in the woods. My Father in Law bought a new Mahindra 5200 (I believe that is the model) and it is also a 50 HP tractor but has more torque than my New Holland since it is a 4 cylinder diesel compared to the 3 cylinder New Holland. The Mahindra is much heavier in the front end and will not spin around by locking the brake pedals like the lighter New Holland (No 4-wheel drive tractor is going to turn as tight or quick as a two wheel drive). The Mahindra also sits taller and you have to look straight down if you are plowing or mowing which kills my neck. I would advise you sit on a tractor before buying one and make sure it feels comfortable. And if you are looking at new ones, ask your dealer if you can demo one for a day.
Click to expand...


Great feedback. Hadn't thought about the right fit physically. I know that's true with automobiles. Thanks...
 
Almost a year old, but a great thread - great content. In the market for a tractor as well - looks like 25 to 30 hp FEL 4wd w/ 5' bush hog is what we'll be looking at.
 
I did end up buying a used 4wd Kubota L3240 cab tractor with a hydrostatic transmission. It didn't have a loader on it when I purchased it but I just found one about a week ago (thank goodness, a real life saver). I definitely love my tractor and really appreciate all the feedback and help I received from the ODT.
 
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