What tractor is best?

It sorta depends on how that one stall is, If it is full face open front And how much dirt you have to move And you will be happy with a 3 point mower then That IH 340 and others that size will work fine.
How much dirt are we talking about?
I have dug a hole50 x100x 5 feet deep with one but it takes a while.,

The stall has access through a 8 foot wide door and then there is an 8 foot gate on the stall. I don't see anything being able to move through and manuver except those small mini expensive tractors like the Kubota. The dirt moving is the big thing so unless I hire it out I need to have something to move it around. I can't really tell you how much dirt it is. I guess it depends on how much I need to move to solve the run off from the hill. Hint here NEVER buy property in a dry summer because when it rains you may be in for a surprise lol.

You could find a 25-30 hp Ford 1710 with loader, or an equivelient Kubota with loader, for $4000 - 5000. These are the compact tractors. They will do everything you want. They will be easy enough for you to operate safely.

The trouble is finding a good one for that money. Do you have a mechanic type friend to go look it over with you? Unfortunately there are a lot of bad folk out there doing horse sales..... A hint is the front axle on most of these older compact tractors no longer have parts available for them, or will cost over $5000 to repair, so you want to _know_ it has a good front axle on it! And so forth.

A rear mounted mower on the 3pt is much easier to deal with on a tractor. They make rougher brush hog type that mow through small trees, or smoother finish mowers that cut like a lawn mower. I don't know which you are looking for. But I would look into those.

An ag tractor is not really designed for major dirt work. You could hire a construction fella to do it quickly in a couple hours and be done with it, or putz with it yourself all summer and still not have it right. Doesn't matter what size tractor you get. Without knowing what you have to do, it is hard to judge. The tracotr will work well for minor things, but if you have a major huge project, it becomes time vs money.....

The compact loader tracotr will be excellent for the 8 foot by 8 foot door. I have that exact size on my barn, and I bought a 1720 Ford/New Holland tractor with that in mind. I can't use a bigger tractor. I have an IHC H tracotr as was mentioned here, but had to duck my head to get in the door, and no live hydraulics, no power steering, and pretty worn out, it was _not_ smaller female friendly - big tough he-man me struggled with it.

So, yes, one tractor will do what you want easily. Used Kubota or Ford compacts are available & can be dependable if they were not abused. The older 1950/60s tractors mentioned also will do the job, perhaps will be a bit more mechanical work keeping them going, but then more parts are available for them.

The issues are: You might want to consider a different type of mower? Placing it on the rear makes things easier.

Your price point is quite low to get a good machine. It's possible, but $7000 would get you a good machine & implements a lot better quality.

Moving construction-quantities of dirt around is not what a farm tractor does well, so it depends just how much stuff you need to do with that job. Might pay to get it proffessionally roughed in, and you do the finishing details if it is a major job.

Here you would need many permits to fill in or modify a wetland area, probably couldn't do any of the dirt work 'here'.

--->Paul

I don't think a tractor is going to be much help in the stalls. You could sit it outside and shovel dirt into the bucket on the front end loader, but you won't be able to do much more. If you're going to remove dirt from the floor, aren't you going to have to lower the stall walls anyway? Seems to me like you should take out the stall walls, then hire a backhoe to dig it out, then reinstall your stalls. But won't your stall floors then be below ground level where your walls are??? All in all, I don't think a tractor is gonna help much in this job.

Rambler thanks for all the great information! You may be right on having someone come out and look at what needs to be done. I can fool with it all day or days as in this case and still may not get the drainage problem fixed. As far as permits I am in an area where nothing needs to be fooled with as far as a permit.

Another option for the barn stall is a skid steer. Aka Bobcat. They are very maneverable for such things, and come as small as 36 inches wide.

They can also move dirt around as well as an ag tractor.

Mowing is not typically an option tho, possible with a hyd driven mower on the front for those who will argue the point, but be sitting down if you price this specialized equipment...

Wetlands rules are national, but some states and some counties are not bothering to enforce it. That will change. We are turning 'green' in this country, change is going to happen, and these rules will be visiting you. All of you. Don't mean to rant, but I have to live by them, farmers really get the short end of that stick - it makes your food cost more. Grrr. I better stop.

Good luck with the tractor hunt. There are so many many variables, it gets hard to jump in and start out doesn't it? Life is a lot easier with one with a loader on a farm.

--->Paul

Some decisions are personal. I won't abide a IC machine that fails to start and run well when I have work to do. Quality reveals it's self every day you use the tractor and may have a different value to you than to me. My investment in a Kubota 4X4 years ago leaves me with no regrets after 12 years. My upkeep has been limited to new batterys and one battery cable end. It has more power than weight to keep it on the ground and cranks at the turn of the key and works many hours on 5 gal. of fuel...Glen

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Yes I am sure I wouldn't regret the Kubota it is just too much money for me to spend. Did you buy yours new or used?

New tractors are great, if you have a bunch of money, buring a hole in your pocket. Otherwise, you just spent a LOT of money, on something that just sits around most of the time. Sales tax -ouch!

Used compact tractor prices are coming down and in some areas, more are available, as landscaping business and horse farms close.

It would be worth a few bucks (or free if you know somebody) to have someone knowledgable look one over before you buy. If something needs fixed lower the price accordingly.

I recently saw one like this (only 4wd) sell as a horse farm liquidation auction. I had to grind my teeth (no tractor budget yet), with my bidding hand firmly kept in my pocket. - $4300.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings...e6fd088610917a

Good luck.

I've had the same experience. The Kubota just cranks and goes. It's an overstatement (but only by a little) that every other tractor I've used in my life has seemed a crap shoot as to whether it would crank or not.

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"Luck is the residue of design" - Branch Rickey