I need a tractor. I want a tractor. Talk to me about tractors!

HI Judy!!!

What happened to that john dere that was in the barn yard when I picked Libby up?

Libby had another calf a few weeks ago. She is giving about 7 gallons per day now.

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I'm going to recommend a smaller tractor. Something in the 18-20 HP range, 4x4, with a loader. Find out what dealers you have in the area and buy one of their brands. Sticking with a well known name brand is best. John Deere/Kubota/New Holland are the most popular. I will link some examples of what I'm thinking about.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings...2b0c550da4dbe1

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings...1a1cbeea3f4e20

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings...d61ebf4d795a82

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Tractorbynet.com check them out.

Don't underestimate a skid steer, they will turn around within their own length which makes them handy in close quarters. Having 100's of hours in one I can tell you they are more stable than they look & you sit inside a roll cage, not just a ROPS [rollbar] and have a seatbelt [so do non grey market SCUT/CUT] so you are more protected in a roll over. They should lift higher than a SCUT[sub compact utility tractor] or CUT [compact utility tractor] and come in AWD so you don't need to pony up extra for 4X4. My only bad experience was driving down a ramp into a hole to dump trash w/ the bucket too high. It would tip forward onto the bucket and wasn't strong enough to back up so I had to get a pickup & a chain to get the back wheels on the ground.

The best advise is to look at the dealers closest to your location, and ask everyone you know how they are for service. Tractors can and will break & you won't want to go back to the wheelbarrow while the parts come in.

Get the largest/widest tracctor you can afford & avoid the grey market. Size isn't as important as experience. Dad & I were purchasing a fuel tank/pump from a friend who ran an excavatiion business. He was retiring and his son was running the business.

We sat on his front porch watching his grandaughter, all of 14, muck out the barn & barnyard using a 941 CAT track loader. The barnyard was maybe 20 X 30 & this kid grew up watching her dad & granddad & while the 941 was a smaller CAT, it was still a full size construction machine!

Leave the old Ford 9N/8N & farmalls for the collectors. They are workhorses but they are not suited to your needs.

gee, we have some very good inclines and have never had problems! did dump a four wheel drive tractor once, find they get into trouble quicker. a friend operates a bobcat on and off a barge going on steep hilly islands with just tires(not the most stable of the skidsteers). he did try tracks but not as good as tires. we have a new holland 555 plus 3 loader tractors, 3000 ford, 6600 ford and a case 580 backhoe, of them all, the skidsteer is the most stable and used. under 10 too buy these days and a kubota diesel too boot! you can get ground driven manure spreaders as well that you could tow with a skidsteer.

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àigeach carnaid
chaora dhubh
"Don't raise your voice, improve your argument."

cruachan

I'm another who would say you should seriously look into a skid steer. They are so much better for dirt/scraping work. Get one with the newer style attachement and you can easily rent all sort of things (post hole diggers, tillers, pounders) to get work done.

We have an old skidsteer, and I can't imagine dealing without one. (also have an old tractor, but it's not that little).

Cathy

if you _only_ want a loader, those skid steers are pretty good. However they _only_ do loader work, don't handle deep mud, and you will not have a tractor to pull things, or run other implements. They are very specialized. You can find ok used ones for $5000, so it would fit your budget.

I think a slightly used compact utility tractor about 3-5 years old, in the 7-10,000 range, would do what you want. You might find one for $5000 with a loader, but that would be a real deal or one with a preoblem..... These tractors with 1000 hours or less are in pretty good shape. Kubota, New Holland, JD. Mahindra is in the cheaper class, but also worth looking at.

Now, what size do you need? How tall is your shed, how wide is the door? Are we talking 2 horses, or 30 horses to clean up after. Those tractors yunder 20 hp can be glorified lawn mowers - if you have _real_ work to do they might not cut it. Or, if you have a real small shed with a narrow door, that might be the only thing that fits, and then is perfect for you....

I'd say the tractors under 20 hp are small, 20-30 are nice work horses, and over 30 are getting to be serious tractors. I'd guess you are looking at that middle range? But the smaller range might suit your needs, we don't know. It sounds like you do not need the big range, unless you find a real deal.

--->Paul

There are lots of good tractors out there, and I've had good luck with Fords, Masseys, JD, and Kubota. The Kubota I have now is a 3130 L, and it is a great tractor. It has been the "most borrowed" piece of equipment in the family. The loader and 4x4 just gives it so much more utility than bigger two wheel drives on the farm/in the family. Do look for a tractor with a roll over protection system (ROPS). There's only one of you. Best wishes.

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"Luck is the residue of design" - Branch Rickey

Just to confuse things try WWW.jonesboro-tractor.com . It will give you an idea as to what is out their. On the front cover of Volume 3 Issue 12 .March 20,2009 is an add for several package deals, Tractor, front end loader 5 foot cutter, 5 or 6 foot box blade 18 foot trailer and ramps from $17,900 to $24,599. Find a dealer that works on tractor and buy that brand. You will have to have somebody to work on your tractor from time to time.

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God must have loved stupid people because he made so many of them.

WILLOW <> I have a neighbor who has a good 8N Ford wth a loader on it. I'm pretty sure he'd trade it to you even up for your 4 cows. Those 8N loaders don't amount to much, but without any cows it wouldn't make much difference, would it. Happy titilating. LOL <> UNK

Take heart, girl....

My wife and I spread 5-6 TONS of manure on our farm each week, and yes we do it all by hand with pitchforks! No spreader or loader, just throw it on the trailer, drive to the field, and fork it out spreading it evenly over the land. Just bought another tractor too (50hp), and could have had a front end loader for another $1500, but we decided against it. Why?, cuz we just like the workout! No pudgy farmer bellies here!

When you've spread manure by the ton daily(by hand), you'll find out that 4 cows just aint nothin'!

I bought a Massey Fergusson tractor a couple months ago.

Front Loader, Backhoe, 4WD, PTO, 24Hp, diesel.

70 months at zero percent financing got me in at $250/month.

It is fun to use.

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OK, I'm back! (Yesterday was kind of a long day.) Thanks, everybody, for the suggestions -- keep 'em coming! Here are just a few quick comments:

That's an excellent point, and something I hadn't considered. I could save a LOT of money feeding round bales, but right now I don't have a way to move them around. Hmmm.

Mud I have plenty of, especially this time of year! There is NO pavement on my property, only dirt and gravel.

Good point!

My ex kept the tractors, and I kept the cows! I should have made him take Twister, and kept the loader tractor. *sigh*

Oh well, too late now! Hey, I'm glad to hear Libby had another successful calving! Bull or heifer this time? and, SEVEN gallons of milk?! Holy moly, that's a LOT of milk out of a LITTLE cow! I'd love to see some pics when you have time, Max. Thanks for taking such good care of our girl!!!!!!!

Trade my cows???? Oh, perish the thought! Although, there is Twister ... hmmmmm

BECAUSE YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN' MINDS?????? J/K, please don't take offense
Yeah, I realize hard work never killed anyone, but I don't wanna be the first!
Seriously ... I do all the farm stuff by myself, and I have 4, count 'em FOUR, part-time jobs off the farm, so something's gotta give somewhere.

Anyway ... spring is usually auction season, so I'll be scouring the listings on Auctionzip.com to see if I can find any of the tractors recommended above!

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"I love all of this mud," said no one, ever.

May I suggest watching your local craigslist for tractors? They are usually posted in the farm/garden section. This will help give you an idea of what tractors are out there, and a general idea of price and what people are asking for them.

I have seen some really good deals on craigslist for tractors. They don't last long if they are priced right.

Seems like I have seen several small Massey's and Fords at really good prices.

I still vote paying cash for a old tractor with a wide front end in good condition, but that is just me. I have posted this before in other threads, and got the daylights beat out of me for not suggesting a new $20,000 tractor with $14,000 worth of implements.

(We worked the Dave Ramsey plan many years ago, and we avoid debt like the plague.)

* This part is important, and I haven't seen it posted yet: Make sure you have adequate clearance to get a tractor in and out of your barn. Probably need to measure the heighth of your barn doors.

I dunno if hard work ever killed anyone or not, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I used to handle a lot of square bales, (2 to 3 thousand a day was average) and was quite proud of myself for the great shape it kept me in. I realize now that doing about a fourth as much hard labor would have kept me in good shape at the time, and left me in a lot better shape today. I use the front loader to handle the round rolls now because its impossible for me to feed the half dozen square bales a day. Today I do well just to GET TO THE TRACTOR and run it. The pain in my hips, knees and ankles keeps me awake half the night most nights.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other peoples habits." Mark Twain

Willow,

I have a gasoline 3000 Ford with power steering, live hydraulics, live power, and a front end loader. When I bought it 5 yrs ago it had low hours, roll bar, new tires, good paint, no problems of any sort, and cost less than $5,000 delivered. Good old iron at a very reasonable price. They are out there if you just look, and a lot cheaper than imports.

There are plenty of implements available for these oldies at cheap to reasonable prices. I have a pt. blade, a rotary mower, a gin pole, a drag, and bale spike for the front end loader, with it and a spike on the 3 point I can bring in 2 round bales at a time from the field with no problem.

Parts are readily available, reasonably price, and most mechanics can, and will, work on them, something not awlays true with imports. This tractor does everything I need to do, and does it easily. The only thing I would possibly want different is I wish it was a diesel.

I maintain and service it well and I expect it to last me as long as I ever need a tractor.

local Massey Ferguson place has a 165 with front end loader (50 hp) for $5,000. Craigslist often beats that for good used ones.

I'm in the same need of a frontend loader.
Skidsteers are like an extra (loss for the proper term) miracle I guess.

My youngest works for Bobcat and he can snag one for me to use on occasion. And use it I do. I have tried most all they have and the track machines are more suited for me. They ride better and are more versital in the mud and tear the ground up less than tire machines.
This is just my opinion from the experience I have had with them.
About 80 hours operating time for me.

Very handy to have but............

I need another tractor, more modern hydraulics than my WD I have now.
I did acquire an old front bucket off a backhoe (6') and rigged a 3-point hookup on it for the WD. It works great, but it isn't enough. It has been my right arm for 15 years now.

Bobcat has compact tractors that I have been drooling over for some time now. I think the 50 hp is about 25k. 30hp or so is about half that.

As much as I would like a skidsteer, I think a compact tractor w/loader would be better.

On a side thought,
My youngest was needing to work off some aggrevation with his girlfriend so he decided he was going to dig a hole in the upper pasture with the latest Bobcat he brought out. It was 40' long and 4' deep. After about a foot he hit loose limestone rock. 50% were the size of a hood of a car, 6" thick.

When he was done playing, after seperating the rocks. I used the rocks in the washout I call a driveway. The drive goes over a runoff creek. I moved those in about 3 hours and never got out of the machine and placed them exactly where I wanted them. Something that I wouldn't have dreamed could happen with my current setup. I have been doing this periodically for 15 years with my WD and rear bucket but it would have taken 2 months and manhandling ever rock in the bucket.

They both have there place.
Choose which one serves you best.

Where is that located? Sounds like a nice deal.

................One IMPortant difference between the smaller\older farm tractors and a small commercial tractor like a Ford 340A , 340B , etc . A small farm tractor (small being less than 70 hp) has ONE hydraulic pump mounted inside the body of the tractor , now this pump will provide sufficient pressure and fluid volume for the operation of the rear 3 point hookup used for blades and such , IF a frontend loader is added the pump(factory) will NOT have sufficient capacity too power both FE loader and the rear 3 point hookup . So , the only solution is to add a pump on the front of the engine dedicated , EXclusively too power the FE loader , otherwise both functions will be very degraded .
................Now , a small Commercial tractor will have been equipped with one Hyd. pump dedicated exclusively too the FE loader , and another pump too the 3 point hookup . Plus , the frame on a commercial tractor is built MUCH stronger than a farm tractor . , fordy

I have a 30hp Kioti and have never had a problem with it....this will be its 3rd year and i use it to mow. blade the drive, get gravel from the creek and put in food plots. It is a 4x4 and the one decent snow we had this year it had no issue clearing the road. I was considerably less than the kubota and now it is even being labled and sold by bobcat. just do your homework there are a lot of good compact tractors out there.....

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