Compact Tractor

[Dave Lehnert]

Did not want to hi jack other tractor thread.
I am at the point in life where a compact tractor would make things a little easier for my 2 1/2 acres.
It would be a want but not a need for sure. For that reason I cant justify buying a new unit.

Just for example, this is the size I would be interested in. I am not set on any one brand.
http://rktractors.com/products-tract...k-tractors.php

Just looking for some pointers in buying a used unit.
I am concerned about "Gray Market" units. I don't know enough to avoid one.
I have no knowledge on 3 point hitch equipment. What works with what tractor etc.... Does one brand of belly mower fit any brand tractor.
What to avoid, what to look for etc....

[Larry Edgerton]

Dave, hang out on Tractor .net for a while and read. Particularly read the complaints.

I have a NH 45hp, but would like to buy a small one like you showed as a yard unit. I want to keep the big one for unloading/loading trucks and other heavy chores, but for the garden and yard cleanup a little one would be nice.

Its just me but I stay away from the off brands on anything like a tractor that will be around for a long, long time. My concern is parts. I also try to stay away from the obscure low volume models, again for parts reasons. For example the JD1025 that is mentioned in the add you posted is fairly common, has a good reputation, and John Deere has been around a long time. Kubota B&L series are around used a lot, and quite often with low hours as homeowner units.

I had all kinds of toys over the years, but I have to say I wish I had bought a tractor many years before I did. It just saves a lot of work on the body. I would recommend a quick change bucket mount so you can have forks. I use the forks more than the bucket. Little backhoes are not worth the money, they are close to useless for real tasks and for as little as you will use it hire that out to a real backhoe or rent one.

[Jim Becker]

Best advise is to buy from a local dealer who will be there to provide advise and service. There is little or no discounting in the tractor business, so "quality" dealer takes precedence. In my area, for example, there are three Kubota dealers within 10 miles of me and one Deere dealer that's about 15 miles away. The New Holland dealer closed its doors a couple years ago. Guess what color tractor you see the most of around here?

Gray market means machines intended for foreign sales imported without permission from the manufacturer. It generally means "no warranty" and in some cases, certain parts may be hard to find.

3 pt hitch equipment is pretty ubiquitous -- sub-compacts and compacts like you ask about generally use Category 1 3-pt attachments. "Belly Mowers" are generally brand-specific. I personally gave up using a mid-mount mower years ago in favor of a ZTR for mowing. Mounting and un-mounting a 300+ pound mower was a very unpleasant task and necessary to properly use the backhoe and FEL for "real work". This was before "drive over" mowers became available, however. The major brands like Kubota and Deere tend to support this now so it's a more workable option for folks wanting to both mow and do heavier tractor work.

Used tractors are certainly an option and many dealers even have great trade-ins from when folks bought too small and moved up. But these machines hold their value, too, so the cost difference from new isn't going to be striking, trust me. And new generally has 0% financing plus a warranty. Buying used from a third party is also viable, but be careful about ascertaining how it was serviced, how many hours are on the machine, etc. There's no recourse when you buy from an individual.

A good resource about tractors is a forum like this one, but, well...for tractors. TractorByNet is it's name and it's a good place to explore information about any of the brands available locally to you with experience from folks who actually own them.

[Tom M King]

The price is really attractive, but I wouldn't buy one. None of my tractors were new when I bought them, but know people with new ones that have about the same about of trouble to deal with on theirs, as I do on mine. I only have one John Deere.

My JD dealer is the closest to me. I call when I have the part numbers of what I need. The guy that answers the phone will say, that part number has been changed to some other long digit number, and I've seen this guy do it off the top of his head, so I don't think he's looking it up. The part will be there early the next morning.

My Massey Ferguson dealer is about 45 minutes away. I got a deal on that tractor, but the deal diminishes every time I need to get something for it.

I looked at the tractor specs. I wish they made compact tractors without a hydro transmission, but doubt they do. I like a power reverser standard transmission.

The other turnoff is Titan tires. No one could give me another pair of Titan tires. I bought two for the back of the John Deere because of price, and I'll be glad when they're worn out, so I can put some smooth riding tires on it. Also, I bought a gooseneck flatbed trailer that came with Titan tires. I left it sitting about 100 miles from home one night, and went back the next day, when stores were open, so I could replace two blown tires on the empty trailer.

A friend lent me a small Kubota with loader once, to do a job for him. I don't remember the model number, but it was probably the smallest one, with maybe a four foot wide bucket. It wouldn't half fill the bucket with loose dirt because it wouldn't push the bucket in the pile. I could have done that job faster with a shovel and wheelbarrow. I do notice in TV ads that they show the operator picking up a bucket of some sort of lightweight mulch.

With any tractor, new or old, a most important part of the purchase is proximity to a good dealer. If you have farmers around you, buy what most of them are using.

[Dave Lehnert]

Dave, hang out on Tractor .net for a while and read. Particularly read the complaints.

I have a NH 45hp, but would like to buy a small one like you showed as a yard unit. I want to keep the big one for unloading/loading trucks and other heavy chores, but for the garden and yard cleanup a little one would be nice.

Its just me but I stay away from the off brands on anything like a tractor that will be around for a long, long time. My concern is parts. I also try to stay away from the obscure low volume models, again for parts reasons. For example the JD1025 that is mentioned in the add you posted is fairly common, has a good reputation, and John Deere has been around a long time. Kubota B&L series are around used a lot, and quite often with low hours as homeowner units.

I had all kinds of toys over the years, but I have to say I wish I had bought a tractor many years before I did. It just saves a lot of work on the body. I would recommend a quick change bucket mount so you can have forks. I use the forks more than the bucket. Little backhoes are not worth the money, they are close to useless for real tasks and for as little as you will use it hire that out to a real backhoe or rent one.

Interesting info you gave about the backhoe. I could go with a smaller unit if I did not get a backhoe.
Something like this. http://rktractors.com/products-tract...k-tractors.php
Like you, I wish I had invested in one 20 or more years ago. Guess I never realized you could by a small tractor with a PTO and such.

[Tom M King]

If I need a hoe for a small job, even up to digging footers for a building, I'll rent a mini-excavator.

I rented a TerraMite once. The hoe on the Terramite surprised me with how strong it was, but by being strong enough to stick the teeth in hard ground, it would easily move the position of the tractor with every stroke of the hoe.

[Jack Lemley]

I bought a JD 3032E a couple of years ago with front loader (5ft bucket), brushhog, and box blade. Later I picked up the iMatch that makes hooking up and disconnecting 3 pt attachments a breeze (it shouldn't be optional equipment in my mind). Should have bought it 15 years ago. The JD quick connect for front end attachments is superb. You won't regret the purchase. This is the one have https://www.deere.com/en/tractors/ut...ility-tractor/

Jack

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

Best advise is to buy from a local dealer who will be there to provide advise and service. There is little or no discounting in the tractor business, so "quality" dealer takes precedence. In my area, for example, there are three Kubota dealers within 10 miles of me and one Deere dealer that's about 15 miles away. The New Holland dealer closed its doors a couple years ago. Guess what color tractor you see the most of around here?

Gray market means machines intended for foreign sales imported without permission from the manufacturer. It generally means "no warranty" and in some cases, certain parts may be hard to find.

3 pt hitch equipment is pretty ubiquitous -- sub-compacts and compacts like you ask about generally use Category 1 3-pt attachments. "Belly Mowers" are generally brand-specific. I personally gave up using a mid-mount mower years ago in favor of a ZTR for mowing. Mounting and un-mounting a 300+ pound mower was a very unpleasant task and necessary to properly use the backhoe and FEL for "real work". This was before "drive over" mowers became available, however. The major brands like Kubota and Deere tend to support this now so it's a more workable option for folks wanting to both mow and do heavier tractor work.

Used tractors are certainly an option and many dealers even have great trade-ins from when folks bought too small and moved up. But these machines hold their value, too, so the cost difference from new isn't going to be striking, trust me. And new generally has 0% financing plus a warranty. Buying used from a third party is also viable, but be careful about ascertaining how it was serviced, how many hours are on the machine, etc. There's no recourse when you buy from an individual.

A good resource about tractors is a forum like this one, but, well...for tractors. TractorByNet is it's name and it's a good place to explore information about any of the brands available locally to you with experience from folks who actually own them.

Everything Dave said, especially about tractorbynet.com. I spent months there before we bought our Kioti 27hp. Don't buy a belly mower or a 3 pt finish mower (I did, biggest waste of my money). If mowing is your biggest concern, get a ZTR + the tractor

[Nike Nihiser]

Here's a couple of thoughts. I had a Kubota BX 22 with a 5 ft belly mower and a FEL. I think I only took the belly mower off once to use the FEL, if you're operating on relatively level terrain just put the belly mower in the full up position, It never got in my way and probably helped with traction due to the added weight. I could scrape up/load loose dirt so full it would be spilling off the loader and would make the rear end bounce a little from the weight in the FEL. You definitely need 4 wheel drive with a FEL on a small tractor like this because the back end gets light and you lose traction. I had over 1000 hours on mine and other than routine maintenance only had to replace the battery.

[Jim Becker]

A friend lent me a small Kubota with loader once, to do a job for him. I don't remember the model number, but it was probably the smallest one, with maybe a four foot wide bucket. It wouldn't half fill the bucket with loose dirt because it wouldn't push the bucket in the pile. I could have done that job faster with a shovel and wheelbarrow. I do notice in TV ads that they show the operator picking up a bucket of some sort of lightweight mulch.

Was there any weight on the back? I leave the 700 lb backhoe on my little BX-22 and routinely move full buckets of 3/4 modified and 3/8 red stone as well as dig out and move soil. Without the weight on the back, the behavior would be very much like you describe!

Speaking of that little backhoe...it's helped my machine pay for itself many times over. Yea, it doesn't dig fast nor does it dig really deep, but for maintaining my property, it's been a blessing. I used it last weekend to put in a new conduit between my shop and the house for a communication cable when the existing conduits proved to be unusable. In a half hour, I had a 2' deep, 30' trench across the driveway cut in, the conduit in and the backfilling done. But for big jobs, I'd certainly want something larger, heavier and more capable.

[Ken Platt]

Another vote for spending time reading on Tractorbynet, it really got me up to speed on the basics and figuring out what I wanted, which was a front end loader, backhoe, and front-mount snowblower.

By some odd coincidence, there happened to be a guy on tractorbynet who had essentially that collection on a kubota B2410 and when he saw my post, decided it might be a good time to sell and upgrade, and turned out to be maybe 50 miles away, and we made a deal good for both of us.

I can't imagine using the tractor to mow; too awkward me. But it completely ROCKS as a snow removal device.

THere's a huge thread on TBN titled something like "what you did with your tractor today" which I found very helpful to get an idea of the variety of functions these things can do. As someone new to tractors, I had no idea. I can't imagine how I got along before owning one.

[John K Jordan]

First thing I'd ask is what you want to do with it. Mowing is different than log skidding and digging and grading and steep hills. A friend of mine bought a Kubota B-series with a belly mower. I can literally mow circles around him with my Kubota zero turn. It might depend a lot on the terrain, flat vs hilly. The belly mowers I know of require an extra PTO shaft in the center of the tractor - check a for this on a used tractor. I don't know if the attachment points are universal. If buying primarily to mow I'd probably look at a mower instead.

The 3-point hitch is nearly universal until you get into the bigger tractors, but even then there are adapters. The bigger problem is a smaller tractor may not get much use from certain attachments, for example trying to level clay with a yard box which might act like a parking brake. You have to You'd have a hard time plowing with a small tractor except perhaps with a small plow or a subsoiler used gently. A hitch with quick adjust is a wonderful unless hooking up things small enough for you to lift. Some friends with tractors without this are envious.

From those I've know who have had them I'd stay away from a backhoe that mounts on a 3-point hitch. One friend broke the casting on his larger tractor. I do have a backhoe but it attaches to a strong subframe that runs from near the front of the tractor to the rear. I had to dig a 15' diameter circle about 4' down to get this hackberry stump out of the ground.

stump.jpg

The means of powering the wheels is also an important consideration. For example if you want to load a big pile of compost into a truck a hydrostatic drive is a dream while a standard shifter with clutch will wear you out. If you are driving around and around the field spreading fertilizer the straight shift should be fine. If you hope to pull a heavy seed drill or hay baler you simply can't do it with a compact tractor with even mild slopes. One consideration with the drive method is a hydrostatic drive does steal some power from the engine, perhaps further handicapping an underpowered tractor.

Some tractors are 4wd but not all. The 2wd tractors have stouter front axles but 4wd is almost a necessity on hills and mud (or muddy hills!) I use my tractor in 4wd mode almost all the time.

I consider a front end loader essential for a general use tractor, for digging, smoothing, spreading gravel, carrying and lifting logs onto the sawmill, and carrying things. Just fine to take the chainsaw out to the woods and bring back firewood or haul trash to a pile. Some people refer to a FEL as a glorified wheelbarrow. However, the buckets really don't hold much - if buying mostly to haul things around I'd look at a little 4wd utility truck instead.

One problem with a FEL is again tied to the size and power of the tractor - I have a 40 hp Kubota and still can't lift some of the logs I want to put on the sawmill - I have to roll them up a ramp or fire up the skid steer.

I agree with the quick connect for the FEL bucket. I swap buckets and forks often and the same attachments fit the bobcat as well as the tractor.

If buying used the first think I'd ask is to see the maintenance records. Some people don't keep them, sometimes because they don't even change the oil and hydraulic fluid on schedule. Any engine or hydraulic repairs might cost more than the used tractor.

Check the tires on a used tractor. You might not believe how much tractor tires cost.

A good local dealer is imperative unless you get a tractor to just prissy around in the yard and never break anything or never do any maintenance.

I researched tractors on the tractor forums before I decided. I ended up with the Kubota L-series 40 horse with FEL and a number of attachments such as post hole digger, hydraulic fence post driver, and 6' wide things including a yard box, rotor tiller, bushhog, and rake. (6' just clears the rear wheels on my tractor even turned around to their wide mode for more stability) The tractor is still not powerful enough for everything I want to do on my property (27 acres) but your decision still boils down to what you want to do with one. Just what do you want to make a little easier?

JKJ

Did not want to hi jack other tractor thread.
I am at the point in life where a compact tractor would make things a little easier for my 2 1/2 acres.
It would be a want but not a need for sure. For that reason I cant justify buying a new unit.

Just for example, this is the size I would be interested in. I am not set on any one brand.
http://rktractors.com/products-tract...k-tractors.php

Just looking for some pointers in buying a used unit.
I am concerned about "Gray Market" units. I don't know enough to avoid one.
I have no knowledge on 3 point hitch equipment. What works with what tractor etc.... Does one brand of belly mower fit any brand tractor.
What to avoid, what to look for etc....

[Dave Lehnert]

Thanks everyone.Some good info.

I do not plan to mow with it. I have a ZTR.

My ground is flat as a pancake except for a small grade up to the road.

I'm thinking a bucket, forks (like a forklift), blade, maybe a tiller, drag.

I know when having problems there is nothing better than dealer support. But I can count on one hand the number of times I needed a dealer help. I tend to take care of things myself. Don't know what its like around you but here it is nothing for a dealer to be backed up 4 to 6 weeks for repair in the spring/ summer.
My ZTR purchase I went with my second choice because of a local long time dealer. They went under. Two other dealers close to me have changed brands over the years so don't have the confidence in them supporting me as one would hope.

[Dave Lehnert]

Everything Dave said, especially about tractorbynet.com. I spent months there before we bought our Kioti 27hp. Don't buy a belly mower or a 3 pt finish mower (I did, biggest waste of my money). If mowing is your biggest concern, get a ZTR + the tractor

I have a Kioti dealer about 45 min from me.
What made you buy the Kioti over another brand?

[Larry Edgerton]

Interesting info you gave about the backhoe. I could go with a smaller unit if I did not get a backhoe.
Something like this. http://rktractors.com/products-tract...k-tractors.php
Like you, I wish I had invested in one 20 or more years ago. Guess I never realized you could by a small tractor with a PTO and such.

The local rental place here gets $175 a day for a mini excavator. The price of the backhoe attachment will buy a lot of time with the much larger excavator.