# Need Advice on a Compact Tractor



## millsaps118 (Aug 13, 2006)

I'll be in the market for a tractor this Spring but have no idea on where to start looking as far as model, Hp etc.... I know I want a Deere or a Kubota and that's it. For you tractor pros out there, help steer me in the right direction. I will be purchasing new and would like to stay in the 20-30K range. 

Here's what I'll be using it for:
SUMMER: Tilling, disking, field mowing and seeding new lawns.
WINTER: Plowing private two lane roads.


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

ok, tilling and disking are effectively the same thing.
But over 2 acres or so, it's faster to run a disk.
But most small disks (below 6') simply don't weigh enough to do anything (they don't go into the ground)

How many acres are you going to mow?
what size properties?
seeding how? with a no till? or just a broadcast or what?
how far away are you going to plow?
if you are going to use it for snow I assume you want a cab, add about 6 grand to your pricing.

Not enough information to size it.

Brand, go with orange, green or blue (red), whichever dealer that is close to you is the best.


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## shooterm (Feb 23, 2010)

I dont like the quality of the New Holland compacts. Everything is assembled loose and safety seats dont work at all. We run a crap ton of new New Hollands using them from little 40hps bushhogging to 120hps running mulchers. The under 60hp group just doesnt belong in the major compact crowd. The over 60hp NH's are quality machines though.


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## XplowX (Feb 17, 2009)

I have a 2008 New holland 3045 ( 45 HP), with a loader. currently has 500 hours and its been great, no issues. I run a 7 foot kuhn tiller, york rake, bushhog, pallet forks. its does everything i want and then some. I looked at all the brands and new holland was the only one that stood out. My father also has a TC35 ( 35hp) with a loader and backhoe, and with 1300 hours on the cloc,k only thing that has been done to that machine was a new clutch about 100 hours ago.


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## creativedesigns (Sep 24, 2007)

LoneCowboy;1129552 said:


> Brand, go with *orange*, green or blue (red), whichever dealer that is close to you is the best.


....I agree on the brand side! Green is the color of when things go bad, lol


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## JB1 (Dec 29, 2006)

I myself am looking at a kubota L3240, around 32 hp, this does what I want.


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## millsaps118 (Aug 13, 2006)

LoneCowboy;1129552 said:


> How many acres are you going to mow? *On one job site right around 10ac*
> what size properties? *Mostly be used on 1ac up to 20ac*seeding how? *Brillion Seeder *
> with a no till? *I want to till, grade then seed *
> how far away are you going to plow? *10+ lane miles, 2 vehicles wide w/no shoulders, private roads*if you are going to use it for snow I assume you want a cab, add about 6 grand to your pricing.* I was figuring 4K would have been ball park, whats another 2K....:crying:*
> ...


 *Best dealer support would be Green or Orange, I'm leaning towards Orange though.*


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## LoneCowboy (Jan 2, 2007)

millsaps118;1130302 said:


> *How many acres are you going to mow? On one job site right around 10ac
> what size properties? Mostly be used on 1ac up to 20acseeding how? Brillion Seeder
> with a no till? I want to till, grade then seed
> how far away are you going to plow? 10+ lane miles, 2 vehicles wide w/no shoulders, private roadsif you are going to use it for snow I assume you want a cab, add about 6 grand to your pricing. I was figuring 4K would have been ball park, whats another 2K....
> ...


you want to see 50hp I think.
that's the top of a compact line or the bottom of a utility.
a utility is MUCH cheaper to run long term. (longer maintenance intervals, stronger 3 point (by a lot), etc, etc). the stronger 3 point matters a lot. My extreme duty Woods 6' mower weighs @1700lbs. My NH TC45 barely lifts it. Remember, you also lose 5hp running A/C and another 5hp running a HST pump. a 50hp tractor with cab and HST isn't as powerful as you think. once you decide on the size tractor, get the most horsepower in that size tractor. nobody ever wished for less hp.

In Orange IMHO you want a L5740 / L5240 http://kubota.com/product/L40/L40.aspx

utility tractor (cat 2 hitch) but pretty small for maneuverability, and you can get it with HST if you want.
About 42 grand with cab

this will let you run 6' implements with no real problem. 6' implements are the heavy duty, they are a LOT more expensive than 5' homeowner grades, but if you are using it commercially, you can either buy the 5' one 5 times or the 6' one once.

6' bushhog style mower: @$2500
6' tiller: @ 3 to 4 grand
6' seeder: (dunno, but I'd bet 4 to 5 grand)

Plowing with a tractor isn't all that great IMO. if you have small tight areas that are close together, it's unbeatable, but for long roads, I'd rather use a truck. Faster, way faster. Plus it's REALLY easy to bend loader arms on Ag tractors.

HTH


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## cole22 (Feb 14, 2010)

If I where you, Id buy a bigger used tractor,cause when pushing snow you'll run out of traction before power. By the looks of it you can haul a good sized tractor with your GET-R-DONE Truck, There not like buy cars and trucks no matter what make and model. I bleed red or blue in makes but anything will get the job done.


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## cole22 (Feb 14, 2010)

Oh FYI I can get you a hell of a deal on a Kubota Message me and I'll give you his contact info.


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## cole22 (Feb 14, 2010)

Ok since quite a few people have messaged me about this Kubota Tractor deal The guys Name is Al Schram ( not sure on how to spell his last name) At Arnold Eq. of Kimball 320-398-3800. Tell him that Cole Anderson sent you have a good one.


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## millsaps118 (Aug 13, 2006)

LoneCowboy;1130660 said:


> you want to see 50hp I think.
> that's the top of a compact line or the bottom of a utility.
> a utility is MUCH cheaper to run long term. (longer maintenance intervals, stronger 3 point (by a lot), etc, etc). the stronger 3 point matters a lot. My extreme duty Woods 6' mower weighs @1700lbs. My NH TC45 barely lifts it. Remember, you also lose 5hp running A/C and another 5hp running a HST pump. a 50hp tractor with cab and HST isn't as powerful as you think. once you decide on the size tractor, get the most horsepower in that size tractor. nobody ever wished for less hp.
> 
> ...


That helps a bunch! I was talking to a guy today that just picked up a used 5740 w/enclosed cab w/heat and only 800 hrs. He got the tiller, loader bucket and back blade for 10K!!!!!! It was owned by a small local TWP that sold it and upgraded.



cole22;1131059 said:


> Ok since quite a few people have messaged me about this Kubota Tractor deal The guys Name is Al Schram ( not sure on how to spell his last name) At Arnold Eq. of Kimball 320-398-3800. Tell him that Cole Anderson sent you have a good one.


Thanks Cole


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## JB1 (Dec 29, 2006)

one good thing about Kubota right now is you can get 0% for 60 months.


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## Chipper (Mar 30, 2008)

Couple things that made me buy a NH TC40D Supersteer 4wd with loader. 
The controls are laid out much nicer than the others. Easier to use. Increase productivity means more money in my pocket. 
On the John Deere's that I looked at they run the hydraulic hoses UNDER the frame. First thing to get ripped off or damaged. When you can compare the NH "side by side" with the JD you can see that someone took the time to lay out the controls and made it easier to maintain. Not just make it easy to manufacture. Besides ugly ass green and no supersteer option. Price.
Kubota I just walked by after looking at the NH. Pretty much saw the same thing as the JD. No supersteer and once again the price was far better with the NH. 
I'm sure you can see I really like the Supersteer on my NH. If you don't know what I'm talking about make sure you look into this BEFORE you buy. Or you will be like my neighbors and very disappoint with your JD, Kubota or NH with out it. Make sure to demo one....


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## Hysert (Dec 16, 2009)

Hello I'v been running Kubota for over 15 years now, had a small B21 and bought my L39 new in 06 loaded it no cab but with Aux front and back I run forks, 4 in 1 bucket, augar, brush mower, thumb, Backhoe removes in 5 mins the quick couplers are standard... it will load a tri axle dump truck, Digs about 11' deep and It hauls around easy!! Mine has shuttle shift with GST trans however the L45 is HST.... I almost bought the deere 110 TLB but I found the Kubota a nicer machine what sold me was the swivel seat verses the step over that deere has, tilt steering and personally I like shuttle shift over HST... The machine has been flawless nothing but oil changes.... If you need to move dirt fast then skidsteers are the way to go, then you'll need a excavator too... The TLBs do everything two machines do just alittle slower... To me versatility is key


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