Your posts are confusing at best. In reference to your Kubota statement, I would like to offer a countering opinion. I have owned four Kubota tractors/front mowers over the last 12 years. I have put over 2000 hours on these machines. My current F2260 has 780 hours ( 8 years old) and my L3430 has 255 hours (3 years old). These machines have never been in the shop and have never required any service other than routine maintenance. My dealer could be 1000 miles away. Fortunately he is only 10 miles away with three other Kubota dealers within 40 miles.
Kubota commands more than 60% of the compact/sub-compact tractor market for a reason.
Although I am not a Honda fan, most would see the comparison as a compliment.
You have some good advice here so far. I have a 35 hp Century tractor. It's 4 wheel drive and I'd say that is mandatory. It's all about traction and pulling power with tractors, and if you had to sacrafice HP over 4 wheel drive, I would.
40 HP is an amazing amount of power. It will handle the large implements and have power to spare. Every HP you buy in a tractor will cost you. The trick is to determine what size implements you want to use and how much land you plan to manage. 12 acres isn't huge, but it's plenty big that I would consider 30 HP a minimum.
As for brands, there are allot of realy good ones out there. Kubota is top of the line. So are John Deere, New Holland and a few others. They are the name brands and you'd be hard pressed to figure out which is better than the other. What's really important is dealer support. It's not so much that they break down, but that you, the operator, will break it and need repairs.
I've taken out my fuel tank from running into a branch, and tore off by front lights the same way. My back lights are gone, my fuel lines have been pulled off and I lost my keys. I've busted sheer pins, lost locking pins and had a gear box on my shredder replaced.
What I would avoid are the grey market tractors. There are all sorts of so called deals out there for tractors made overseas that come here used. They don't have any dealer support other than the guy you buy it from. He buys a sea container full of them with a few parts. He gets them running and then it's up to you to keep it running. If you break a hard to find part, it might be months or more for you to find the parts you need.
Dealer support is truly the most important aspect in picking out a tractor. If you have several dealers in your area, go to all of them. Spend a few weekends test driving them and comparing prices.
Once you figure out what you like and who you like to deal with, then start thinking about impliments. You can get a huge discount on them when you buy your tractor compared to comeing back later. I got mine at my dealers cost. He sold them to me without a profit to move the tractor. From what I've read since then on tractorbynet, he really did sell them to me at his cost. No way can I get those prices any more, and I've tried. hahaha
You will want a bush hog/shredder for the rough stuff. It's a heavy duty mower that shreds the plants. Depending on how much power you have, it will cut up small trees. If I can run it over, I can shred it. I bought a 6 foot one so it's wider than my tires.
A post hole digger is about as useful as anything you can own. Mine has a 12 inch auger. I wouldn't ever buy anything smaller. Most people think thats way too big a hole for a post, but when you start trying to line up posts and hit roots, rocks and other burried stuff, you will realize that a 12 inch hole isn't large enough anyway. What's really important on a auger is the cutting teath. I made the mistake of buing one with just hardend steel cutting teeth. It's crap. Now I have carbide teeth on mine and it's a huge difference. A dull bit aint worth anything. Look at Lowe or Pengo for bit styles.
A front end loader is the most expesive addition you will buy for your tractor, and the most important. It's not just good for moving dirt, it's good for carying things, picking things up and smoothing out the dirt or roads. I recetly bolted the top of a cherry picking onto the side of mine to pick up a very heavy cylinder head off of my dozer. The uses for a front bucket are almost endless.
Lots of folks will recomend a box blade. I hate mine and have never gotten used to it, but to be honest, most everyone who has one, likes it.
The rest depends on what you need to do to your land. Disks are real nice for breaking up the ground, but on small tractors, you have to go over the ground over and over again for them to work. A finish mower does a better job of mowing the lawn, but it's only for grass. No brush or shrubs. A rake might be useful. I don't have one, but it's on my list of things to get.
You can also make your own attachements. My favorite and most used is a log drag. It's a heavy piece of oak with a section of cyclone fence wraped around it. I drag it around my trails and over my fields to smooth them out. It takes out the high spots and fills in the low ones.
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