New here...greetings. I presently have 12 acres and hope to be adding another 5A cropland, 5A pasture and 10A woods. Of my present area, about 6A is hay/pasture, 2-3A in produce tillage, 1A orchard and the remaining 3A in lawn/landscaping (probably too much of the latter). It's a subsistence farm with a little commercial potential for niche farming. And, goodness knows there is fierce competition for finite cash resources.
I own a 17HP JD garden tractor that has cost me too much in maintenance each of the last few years. It is presently dead and likely needing a few hundred $ of attention.
I also have a 1947 Ford 2N that cost me $2500 about 12 years ago (with a snowplow), and I have since put in a few thousand $ in upkeep/improvements. Despite that and all the work these machines have done over the years, I can't work it hard without overheating. My mechanic insists the cooling system is OK. There are other issues, and I'm tired of babying it, and being cheap can actually be expensive, SO....
I'm seriously considering a compact tractor system. I say system, because I have a number of implements for the Ford (single plow, York rake, rear blade, rear scoop, 3 pt disk) that I will continue to use in addition to getting a FEL and probably a backhoe unit as well as a rear tiller. I'd like this same new machine to use for grass-cutting.
I've always borrowed a bigger tractor for haymaking with my bailer, rake and wagon. That's getting old, too.
I have 3 needs...lawn work, utility/market gardening and field work (haymaking with the possibility of soon planting some grain crops with more acreage). My thought is a 30-35HP compact and an older 60-75HP diesel IH or the like.
The compact may be a litle big for some of the yard work, but if I dowsize too much it will be short on utility and gardening ability. A compact will clearly be too big to mow in an orchard of dwarf and s/d trees, so I may have to fence that with geese for grass management and give up mowing it. A cute, little compact is a useless expense with a too-small loader or hoe. The bigger models seems substantial, though.
I don't think there is any escaping a larger field tractor for size, weight and capacity. I am haying on some hilly terrain. I'd really like NOT to have to buy/maintain 3 machines (including a smaller yard tractor). Frankly, I'd rather get closer to horse/ox/human power. Oil is going downhill in availability and uphill in cost, but who really knows the timetable we are on.
If there's anyone out there with time on their hands to ponder this or who have faced a similar dilemma, I'd like to hear opinions. I'm sure to be missing some piece of the puzzle. Do I buy new/used? Do I repair and not buy at all? Do I focus on REAL horsepower?
I have looked at JD, Kubota and Kioti. They are all foreign, but with varied location on assembly points. JD seems overpriced and under-featured; I do belive their parts are overpriced. Kubota sure is popular. Kioti seems to be a superior-made underdog. Both of the latter have attarctive financing with 0%, so a person would be foolish paying cash.
OK...thoughts?? Many thanks in advance.
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