advice on tractor for snow removal

What ever you buy make sure it is hydrostatic or has a low range of gears in it with the top speed of less than 1 mile per hour. If you move snow with a blower you will need this to keep from riding the clutch. If you ever want to till with one that is the right speed to go. Usually the low range is 4 gears and slower than regular first gear.Some times it is called snail gears.

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

There is this fear of debt that can hold some people back unnecessarily. Debt is a tool. I would council not to have debt for frivolous things like vacations, toys, etc but debt for a tool that will let you do your job and earn money, more money than the debt and expenses.

If the current inflation rate were 3.5% then any debt with an interest rate of less than that is paying you to borrow the money. What a deal! Free money.

I see people who are afraid to take out a mortgage to buy land to homestead. Instead they keep paying rent. This makes no sense in the long run. Rent is only a short term patch. By paying rent you are paying the landlord's mortgage, insurance, utilities (in the rent or separately), maintenance and repairs, real estate taxes and probably a profit. Far better to pay a mortgage and end up with the equity you'll gradually build.

Use debt wisely. It's a tool just like a hammer, a tractor or a gun.

Agreed. Hydrostatic transmissions are great. I do most work in the lowest speeds. Crawling.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

in the price range are FORD selecto speeds, they are now old tired and hard/expensive to fix.

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

cruachan

in the price range are FORD selecto speeds, they are now old tired and hard/expensive to fix.

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

cruachan

That is a tough combination of specs. Rank, for yourself, the importance of the snow removal, hay moving, and the 3K budget. I won't doubt the Lord's ability to provide, but finding that combo may take some patience and searching. Alas, I know that when you can't get out of the drive to work, nothing is more important than snow removal. When the cows are bawling nothing is more important than moving hay. And when the rent is due nothing is more important than the $...

As far as practical advise, I find a 50-ish HP with a FEL to be a real good utility. I will tell you from experience, that moving large round bales, especially if you lift them into a ring with a FEL, require tractor size tractor north of the 50 HP range to reduce the "pucker" factor. (because of the weight of the tractor) This is especially true when you are trying to delicately lift a bale into the ring while the cows are banging against the bale you have on the 3pt hitch for counter weight.

Also, there is an excellent, very active forum site called tractorbynet.com, that is devoted to tractor talk. You might get some good tips there and probably will be able to validate your search criteria pretty quick.

As for snow removal experience, I don't think it has snowed here in west central MO for like 90 years, so I can't help you there.

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Honesty and integrity are homesteading virtues.