# compact tractor noob here want advice



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

been kicking around idea of getting a compact diesel 4x4 tractor. i think itd be really nice to have around and could find alot of uses for it. i dont know alot about them and was looking for some advice. is there a preferred brand? ive heard good about deere and new holland. what about kubota and cub cadet or massey ferguson? its dutys would be mulch/dirt/stone moving. sometimes snow probably? brush hogging, stump grinding, wood splitting. dont have a use for backhoe attachment as of now but would like to have it as an option in the future if i want to. the only tractors ive used are old school manual transmission types. the hydrostatics seem like theyd be alot more convenient to use is thar safe to assume? what horsepower range should i be looking at?


----------



## rob_cook2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

Just curious, why a compact tractor and not a skid???


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

honestly never really thought about it


----------



## rob_cook2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

I am a farmer, so I LOVE tractors. But for stuff like what your doing a skid might be a better choice. Plus you can rent about any attachment you can think of. And they kick ass in The snow.


----------



## RJ lindblom (Sep 21, 2006)

The major players in the compact tractor market are John Deere and Kubota. New Holland is another strong contender.

With a compact tractor you have a loader and a 3 point hitch. 3 point hitches allow use of an implement without being brand specific. (Universal) On a compact tractor, have a blade, pusher, or bucket up front and a spreader on the back. Or a 3 point snow blower, what you can't push you back into it with the blower and get it out.

Be it a skid or a tractor it boils down to what would see the most use, IMO. A compact tractor won't have the weight. And some of the attachments for a loader do the same things as a skid. Quick attach bucket, pallet forks, grapple etc. I've seen a few loaders with the same mounting plate as a skid loader.

Also it boils down to cost.

attachments for both a skid steer and ctl are both rentable, so you can have a good platform and use what you need when you need with a wise equipment investment.


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

idk if this is accurate it or not but i kinda feel a tractor is more for the money. a skid in the price range im thinking will have lotsss of hours and ive seen tractors about what id want with very little hours under 15k


----------



## RJ lindblom (Sep 21, 2006)

You might have better luck with a tractor. But a new compact tractor can easily run 20K plus. But a decent skid would start about 30K or so.

A tractor under 40 HP can be easily found for the price you're looking. It might be on the lighter side of loader work. if you need something with some more horse power, to meet the price you might have to find a machine with more hours. Which, if well maintained isn't that big a deal IMO.


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

what would you recomend for horsepower range?


----------



## rob_cook2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

It all depends on your plans for the tractor, in my opinion 40 HP is the smallest tractor I would ever recommend someone to get. Do you plan on lifting pallets? Or loading a dump truck?? I would stick with a name brand, deere, nh, massey or kubota. Also make sure to get a tractor with a rear hydraulic remote.


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

thoughts on this tractor http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-New-Ho.../400321660201?pt=Tractors&hash=item5d3507c529
im thinking about calling and asking if theyd consider a truck trade in


----------



## RJ lindblom (Sep 21, 2006)

randomb0b123;1517502 said:


> thoughts on this tractor http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-New-Ho.../400321660201?pt=Tractors&hash=item5d3507c529
> im thinking about calling and asking if theyd consider a truck trade in


It would be worth a try. Nice looking machine. I did some blading on some gravel roads with NH along those lines... Not sure which model. Might have been a tc45. It was pulling an 8 foot box blade. It handled the load just tine. My only nit was the hydraulics were a bit sluggish at the rear remote. I didn't spend enough time figuring out why.


----------



## Piston (Nov 17, 2012)

randomb0b123;1517208 said:


> been kicking around idea of getting a compact diesel 4x4 tractor. i think itd be really nice to have around and could find alot of uses for it. i dont know alot about them and was looking for some advice. is there a preferred brand? ive heard good about deere and new holland. what about kubota and cub cadet or massey ferguson? its dutys would be mulch/dirt/stone moving. sometimes snow probably? brush hogging, stump grinding, wood splitting. dont have a use for backhoe attachment as of now but would like to have it as an option in the future if i want to. the only tractors ive used are old school manual transmission types. the hydrostatics seem like theyd be alot more convenient to use is thar safe to assume? what horsepower range should i be looking at?


What size implements would you want to use? For instance, if you want to run a heavy duty 6' rotary cutter, I would not recommend the tractor you posted.

A lot of "choosing the right tractor" has to do with what you will want to do, and how fast you'll want it done.

I've done a lot of what you are thinking about with a 40hp (PTO) tractor, and it is about the smallest I want for the heavy duty implements. I have a stumpgrinder rated at 35-100hp and my tractor has all it can do to run it (however, they make smaller ones as well).

If you want it for around the house, running a small 4 or 5' brush hog, moving mulch and just doing home chores, then a 30-40hp should do everything you want.

The main drawback of going with a smaller tractor in my opinion, is the amount you can lift (or rather, lack of) in the front end loader.

As far as manufacturers, this really matters if your planning on buying brand new, otherwise, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference. I wouldn't hesitate to go with any of the ones you mentioned, in addition Kioti is making some nice tractors these days.

If you want HST, Kubota is the leader in the smaller tractors with the HST+ option, but that is a pretty penny


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

mulch dirt stone moving would probably be its most frequent use. 4 or 5 ft brush hog about what i was thinking also. stump grinding wood splitting would be occasional. also any experience with the pto chippers?


----------



## Mike NY (Feb 2, 2009)

I just went from a 30 hp to a 50 hp. 
The 30hp was too small for most things that I needed to do, but was very handy on small jobs. Its main limitations were it's lift and reach capacities and power.
45hp-50hp seems to be the sweet spot for power where you can run more productive implements and have enough reach for a small dump truck, although lift is still lacking. It will not lift a pallet of sod or block. 
Anything larger, transportation can become an issue due to its weight and length. Unless you have a CDL and supporting trucks and trailers.


----------



## DieselSlug (Nov 30, 2009)

We have a 755 John Deere. Bought it used in 96'. Has a belly deck, front loader, tiller, post hole digger. We used to use it all the time because of our 10 acre land. Now we live at a place with 2 acres and it takes under an hour to mow if your moving. Plows snow great with chains (only has old turf tread). Pulls out stuck vehicles. Has a Yanmar 25 horse 3-cyl diesel. Had to rebuild the trans once so far, and the engine due to my mom overheating it. My dad was on fire that day lol


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

Mike NY;1518389 said:


> I just went from a 30 hp to a 50 hp.
> The 30hp was too small for most things that I needed to do, but was very handy on small jobs. Its main limitations were it's lift and reach capacities and power.
> 45hp-50hp seems to be the sweet spot for power where you can run more productive implements and have enough reach for a small dump truck, although lift is still lacking. It will not lift a pallet of sod or block.
> Anything larger, transportation can become an issue due to its weight and length. Unless you have a CDL and supporting trucks and trailers.


have a 10kgvw trailer and 3/4 ton flatbed diesel so theres my limits for transport.will they be able to load/unload onto that bed?


----------



## Piston (Nov 17, 2012)

Yes I do have a chipper as well, and with 40pto hp it runs it very well as long as I'm not putting 6" hardwoods in it one right after the other. It has a 6" capacity and is hydro feed. If you only wanted 4" capacity you could go with something like a wallenstein bx42 or similar that doesnt need as much power If you wanted 6" I wouldn't want less than what I have now. 

I tow my tractor with the same size trailer you mentioned with no problems. You'd be fine with any hp tractor with a frame size up to or equal to an L series kubota or 4000 series Deere. 

In fact any CUT would be easily handled with your truck/trailer. 

The best thing to do is find out what size/type implements you want, then look up the specs for the hp required and figure out how many PTO HP you need (not engine hp). Also be sure the 3pt lift capacity will handle any type of attachment (weight) that you may want. 

Then look at the loader capacity and make sure it will handle what you need. Keep in mind the larger you go the less your gonna want to drive the tractor on the lawn if that is a consideration. 

It's best to choose the implements, then size the tractor for them, rather than the other way around.


----------



## oldmankent (Mar 2, 2001)

I agree with sizes. I have a 1720 Ford. 28 hp. It is too small to do anything efficient. It runs a bush hog fine, but loader and backhoe (8') is too slow and small. I would say you want a tractor that weighs at least 7500 lbs. A 10K gvwr trailer might be a little light if you include implements. I have a 14K trailer and I run out of space before weight capacity.


----------



## cj7plowing (Feb 7, 2009)

just posted my 4310 for sale here, might fit your requirements and its heated with a full hard cab!

http://www.plowsite.com/showthread.php?t=140721


----------



## Mike NY (Feb 2, 2009)

A 10K gvwr trailer might be a little light if you include implements. I have a 14K trailer and I run out of space before weight capacity. 

This puts you in CDL category, Class 1, Yes?


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

i have cdl but i wont be into those weights my truck aint that heavy?


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

lets say 20 ton wood splitter.. whats better a pto shaft driven or the hydro style? brush hog probably a 6ft.
5-6 inch chipper, bigger than that ill just firewood chippers just for brush really. my thought on stump grinders is thats probably very dependent on the operator. ive used stump grinders and i know that if you take a big deep bite youll stall it. i assume the same applys with a tractor? bigger stump just work your way into it and take your time? is this information helping give ideas for what horsepower range i should be looking at?


----------



## Mike NY (Feb 2, 2009)

i have cdl but i wont be into those weights my truck aint that heavy? 
14k trailer puts you into CDL, Yes?


----------



## randomb0b123 (Jul 14, 2010)

whats going on here my trailers 10k gvw sorry did i misunderstand something?


----------



## Mike NY (Feb 2, 2009)

Sorry, I was quoting oldmankent.


----------



## cretebaby (Aug 23, 2008)

Mike NY;1519481 said:


> 14k trailer puts you into CDL, Yes?


Why?


----------



## Mike NY (Feb 2, 2009)

Crete (anyone)- Does a 14k trailer put you into CDL or not?
Dont want to change the subject, but this is relevent if you buy a tractor over about 7500 lbs and need more than a 10k trailer.


----------



## cretebaby (Aug 23, 2008)

Mike NY;1519900 said:


> Crete (anyone)- Does a 14k trailer put you into CDL or not?
> Dont want to change the subject, but this is relevent if you buy a tractor over about 7500 lbs and need more than a 10k trailer.


14k trailer alone never puts you into CDL.


----------

