Small tractor recommendations

[Lowdown3]

Probably will have to buy a small tractor in the next year or so.

Prefer new but a good used one will work also.

Have had great luck with a family member's Yanmar tractor but evidently you can't find them any more.

Small tractor, no cab, doesn't have to have any front lift capability. Essentially just needed to mowing, perhaps running a small hay bailer, etc.

What should I be looking for?

[protus]

I used to boohoo kabato (sp) back in the day but they are more and more common...it woulda been what I got if we got the larger place.but Im on protus power now LOL

[hidden_waldo]

Probably will have to buy a small tractor in the next year or so.

Prefer new but a good used one will work also.

Have had great luck with a family member's Yanmar tractor but evidently you can't find them any more.

Small tractor, no cab, doesn't have to have any front lift capability. Essentially just needed to mowing, perhaps running a small hay bailer, etc.

What should I be looking for?

My opinion would be to determine what attachments you want the tractor to use and determine what 3 point hitch category those attachments require; your tractor size is determined and you can shop for the size of tractor that is needed. Price should not be your primary factor in your purchase; support for the product, parts for the products, availability of the parts in your area, etc... should be considered.

If the "orange" dealer is 15 miles away and always has the needed part(s) vs. the "green" dealer being 80 miles away and always has to drop ship parts three days later, that will be something to factor in as well.

[rockriver]

hidden waldo made excellent suggestions.

many of the small jd's are yanmar...

I've ridden on a couple..
a jd 770 has about 25 hp. but will pull a 72 grooming mower if it is "up close and tight"
but not a 72" mower that sticks out 6 ft... not enough weight to tractor and not enough oomph in 3pt hitch.
can handle a 5" chipper shredder, but front end will bounce!
can handle a tiller about 48 inches

a jd 990 has about 40 hp. that extra 15 hp is a lot. the weight of tractor is much more. the wheels are bigger (real important) holding their value real well... which means a lot of folks like them..

a Kubota l2150 I believe this is right number? about 24 hp similar to the jd 770 the one I road had no power steering... get ps! regardless of the tractor you buy unless you are getting a tremendous value otherwise

Kubota 5640 about 56 hp... another "step up" this model had the muscle, but no extra's. sort of just a 56 hp motor. the one I rode didn't have hydraulics to add a front bucket or other hyd operated item.
so, only good for pulling implements that ran off pto..

oh yeah, if possible get 4wd! will add effective hp to the ground.
especially if you are going for a frt end loader... and you'll be doing that sooner or later even if you don't realize it now!

tractorhouse
and
tractor by net are excellent sources of info on a wide variety...

ok folks... give us a report... what have you ridden.
where's 610 when you need him... I've got a feeling he's ridden bigger machines than me!

[tech]

Not sure of the exact model number, but we have a Mahindra (IIRC in the 25hp range) at work w/ front end loader and a couple different styles of box blades for lot maintenance. Overall a nice small package, but the loader lift cylinders and hydraulics overall are a bit on the weak side...usable, but lacking.
When shopping around, there are some (it's late and I don't recall which it is) that have a pto that rotates backward from standard! Buyer beware. Additionally there are gray models with very hard to obtain parts. Due diligence is a must.

[610Alpha]

Determine your HP requirements, are you going to use a Yeoman's plow (sub-soiler to channel water - Keyline Design) or just pull a PTO powered mower?

FIL - has JD and when he got his newest one he was able to get what out of the trade in what he paid for it (they were holding their value which blew me away). He has the smaller hobby farm size ones. He has a mower deck underneath, front loader, 3 point hitch etc. He made his own counter weight and his own hay fork attachment to use on the big square bales for his horses. I know he faced some Horse Power (HP not Hollow Point ;) ) issues with the previous one so he upgraded. I can't remember if his new one or the old one has/had a belly mower. Basically what RR said about HP and weight, i think the ones that RR mentions are the ones that my FIL had the HP numbers sound familiar.

ditto on parts availability and location of repair shops.

I would check out the resale value of older models too, see what they originally listed for and see their used price.

[rockriver]

a close associate has bought a couple of used tractors..
twice he was able to load up on implements during the trade...

frequently the seller will advertise 30 hp tractor and rotary mower and box blade and fertilizer spreader and finishing mower and tiller as a package.. these individual items are high priced new, but buying as part of a package... the package gets to be a deal!

or, buyer can just ask "got any implements that are sized right for this tractor?"
seller may add in stuff to help the deal! as 610 mentioned... folks frequently "move on up" to a bigger size... sometimes the bigger tractor can handle bigger equipment. therefore seller is eager to dump his
smaller implements with the sale of his tractor..

[610Alpha]

a close associate has bought a couple of used tractors..
twice he was able to load up on implements during the trade...

frequently the seller will advertise 30 hp tractor and rotary mower and box blade and fertilizer spreader and finishing mower and tiller as a package.. these individual items are high priced new, but buying as part of a package... the package gets to be a deal!

or, buyer can just ask "got any implements that are sized right for this tractor?"
seller may add in stuff to help the deal! as 610 mentioned... folks frequently "move on up" to a bigger size... sometimes the bigger tractor can handle bigger equipment. therefore seller is eager to dump his
smaller implements with the sale of his tractor..

Excellent points RR.

IIRC my FIL wanted the larger tractor to pull a baler. I dug through my emails and I had found some mini balers for my FIL on the interwebs:

Mini hay baler manufacturers

The Japanese Star MRB0850 mini round baler (twine tie unit) is sold by Agriquip and it is rated for 18-30 hp tractors (compacts).

For borderline to hobby use, there is the Caeb MP 550 R mini made by Rekord. Bale size produced is 55 x 52 cms, weight is 20-25 kgs and it can make 50-80 haybales per hour.

China Tractor Export Co makes some very attractively priced models of minibalers, the 0850 and 0870.
0850: 50 x 70 cm bales, the baler is 115 x 130 x 130 cm, weight 330 kgs and has a capacity of 80-120 bales per hour. Rated for 18-30 hp tractors.
0870: slightly larger bales - 61 x 70 cm, the machine is 135 x 130 x 130 cm, weight 370 kgs and has a capacity of 60-90 bales per hour.

Agronic makes the model 60/70 mini model for baling of silage, hay and straw. Bale size is 60x68 cm, or 200 litres.


As always the Total Cost (maint, time to rake & bale, etc.) of producing your own bales vs buying bales from someone. I know my FIL sends hay samples in to be checked for quality for like $10 or something really cheap.

[Lowdown3]

Ended up getting a little John Deere 5015 used. In pretty good shape overall. I've been going over it changing fluid and filters and slowly getting it up to snuff.

One of the things I read online says it will pull a small hay bailer, which seems excessive for this little tractor, but you know you can't always trust what you read online!

Any specific problems with Deere I need to be watchful for? Any systemic weak links or anything of the like?

[rockriver]

lol. I thought you said "small"
5015!
there are several real good tractor sites with forums!

congratulations...

4wd?
hmm... can you discern jealousy?

[Lowdown3]

There is evidently a boatload of models in that range, all the numbers get confusing.

[Lowdown3]

M1A pic is supposed to be in another thread:)

[rockriver]

yep. lol. jd will put the same model number on a disc harrow as they do on a tractor!
m1a would go in the scabbard (sp?) you can mount to the rollbar! for hogs and dogs!

yours looks to be in great shape!
some of the older models had a fuel screen/filter behind the seat...on the right side. a little trash and water and it would shut you down.
which was a good thing! but easy to clean out.
a few models had problems with batteries dying prematurely... I never heard of a fix... just something to keep an eye on.

I'm predicting great fuel economy. and think you are going to love it... and I am jealous... congrats.
rr