Tractors...hp or 4wd?

[bboswell]

Bigger is usually better but for your situation I would want at a minimum a 70hp 4wd. Once you have it you usually don't go back to 2wd. Not a necessity but is sure is nice when you need it.

He's someone I know and trust. Our boys grew up playing baseball together. He's recommending upgrading to a joystick control and it needs control box seal work. I think it would be around $1k for those two items.

Better option than small tractor

[tef]

Don't get too caught up in the bigger is always better deal. Of course in a perfect world with no limitations then yes, get an enclosed cab w the biggest hp available lol. I have done a lot of work, some of very demanding work, off a New Holland 30hp, 4wd. I haven't found anything it couldn't do for me. 4wd is a must imo. Keep in mind the size if you need to trailer it and don't have a big enough trk and trlr. I also feel a loader is a necessity. I do about the same type work you described, mow,food plots, moving dirt, driveway work etc. Ive even used it some to lift roll up doors on shops that my son installs. Don't let a lower hp tractor fool you, they can work. It sounds like your deal isnt too bad, just a little leary on the work needed. Good luck.

[dclifton]

55-75hp 4wd will do everything you need.

[kdenhead]

I have a 32 HP Kubota 4x4 with 5' loader and 5' shredder. We have 240 acres. We don't farm (we sub it out). I use tractor to mow trails, around the yard and hunting stuff (food plots, loading feeders and moving stands). It's a great size and gets the job done. Before I had my tractor, I borrowed my cousins 2wd tractor - it had a hard time making it around our place - it's Oklahoma sand hills. I looked at new ones, but pulled the trigger on a well maintained used one. Good luck!

[dclifton]

2940

Not a bad tractor. We have a 2840 and it's been solid the engines are great. Hydraulics can be finicky. Make sure the hi-lo works. If it shifts good then not much to worry anout.

Cab or no cab?

[Laner7]

We have a Kubota that's is around 47/48 horsepower 4*4 and does everything we needed it to do so far. We mostly mow and use it for road grading and have a pretty good size ranch. Ours is plenty for what we do, only down fall is power wise when trying to clear thick Mesquite's

[Bowtech38]

Get the biggest you can afford better to have more tractor then you need. And get a kubota

[Low Fence]

Like m16 said. Min 70 hp
And I don't know why they make a 2wd tractor, useless to me. Even a big 2wd with a small bucket on front full of dirt is a nightmare. Hp is useless if the tires are always spinning

[Full Throttle]

Cab or no cab?

No cab.

[denimdeerslayer]

Go for the four wheel drive. I had two wheel drive and its annoying trying to back out with a load in front end loader.

[txwhitetail]

A lot of folks that will swear by the 4x4 are normally people with undersize HP for the work they are doing or weight using bucket.

You will get way more bang for the buck on a used tractor bigger HP and 4x4 if you want it than buying the "trailer" package type undersize tractors. That is if you plan on doing any bigger type work on larger acreage (plowing larger plots, bigger shredding, etc).

If it is just going to be a once a month type situation for light shredding etc find you one of those smaller used units and save some $.

[niceg3s]

Most of the newer tractors under 65 hp are made in India (CaseIH, John Deere). 4x4 is needed if you have a loader, if not there is not enough weight on the front of the tractor that your back tires can't handle.

Buying a used tractor, you want to be able to run through all the gears. Take a rag and a can of diesel, use it to wipe down the side of the engine, run the tractor for at least 10 minutes to see if there are any leaks. Idle it down low and bring the rpm's up to the range to power the pto, especially during the low idle, make sure the engine is running smooth. Look for leaks on the loader around the hydraulics. To be honest, you are better off just bringing someone that knows what to look at. There's a lot of things that can be wrong.

[M16]

I had my first tractor buying experience 20+ years ago. I knew a little about tractors but not a whole lot. I was planning on buying a smaller 40-50 hp. I took a buddy along that knew tractors and what they could do. He convinced me to buy a 70hp. I didn't want to spend the extra money but didn't want to get something that was too small. I'm still using that tractor and it is worth dang near what I payed for it. It will handle a 15 foot batwing shredder. A ten foot tandem disk etc.

Would a smaller tractor with smaller implements have worked? Sure it would. But is your time worth something. Do you want to spend twice as long getting a job done?

I think you'd like the JD you are looking at. Older tractors have more weight in them. Newer tractors are being built lighter and lighter. This is a bad thing since weight helps a lot with traction. That's one reason why new tractors almost have to have 4wd. Older 2wd tractors perform very well. Water in the rear tires and wheel weights do help.

[SB09]

Definitely get the 4x4.

How big of food plots are you planning on doing? How many acres approximately will there be to maintain via shredding?

[asttbe]

I had my first tractor buying experience 20+ years ago. I knew a little about tractors but not a whole lot. I was planning on buying a smaller 40-50 hp. I took a buddy along that knew tractors and what they could do. He convinced me to buy a 70hp. I didn't want to spend the extra money but didn't want to get something that was too small. I'm still using that tractor and it is worth dang near what I payed for it. It will handle a 15 foot batwing shredder. A ten foot tandem disk etc.



Would a smaller tractor with smaller implements have worked? Sure it would. But is your time worth something. Do you want to spend twice as long getting a job done?



I think you'd like the JD you are looking at. Older tractors have more weight in them. Newer tractors are being built lighter and lighter. This is a bad thing since weight helps a lot with traction. That's one reason why new tractors almost have to have 4wd. Older 2wd tractors perform very well. Water in the rear tires and wheel weights do help.

Yep. Mine would sit a lot more if it were 2WD. And I added fluid to the tires the first week.