I am looking for opinions on best brands and options for a new or newer tractor. I am looking for something in the 50 to 70 hp range with loader and rotary mower. I have been looking at NH, MF, Kubota, Mahindra, JD, and the list goes on and on. I am not afraid of an open station, but as I get older I think a cab would be a nice luxury. Just looking for some pros and cons that I might not be thinking of. Thanks.
We have a 2013 Mahindra 6530. Injection pump started acting up around 150 hours, and it was like fighting an alligator with a tooth brush to get it fixed. It was mainly due to the dealer that my dad bought it from going out of business. They finally put a new injection pump on it and it’s been fine. It’s a little big size wise for the area we use it but we need the hp and weight for moving dirt.
Fletch, I believe that any of the big names are great tractors. I bought a NH 10 years ago and haven't had a problem that I didn't cause. At the time, after almost a year of research, the NH gave me the most bang for the buck. If I wasn't banging around in the woods so much I would love to have a cab. Maybe some day. As for HP, depending on intended use, bigger is better. My NH is 45 hp and was a great choice for what I do. If I were to do it all over again I'd go for at least 60 hp. What are your plans? Good luck
I have been looking at the Bobcat 55 series 5555 or 5558 they look really nice and don't have the JD price tag on them. I have a bobcat dealer right down the street for service, that's a big part of it too.
I have an NH also and have had zero issues and it's 2004. I had an issue with the mower deck caused by someone mowing the brush and stripping out the gear rod(not sure what it's called). They do not make the part anymore, so that's why I bought the zero-turn. I have a bucket and a blade on the back for snow removal. Mine is a 45 also.
I love My Kubota and the dealer is just down the road if I ever need any thing, the Mahindra I bought new was in the shop 7 months out of the 20 that I owned it on 4 different occasions. , Will never buy another one of their products
Personally, I've always been a fan of John Deere. However... that little Kubota L3400 we have with the front end loader gets it. 2010 model and we have only taken it in for a service issue once. Can't say enough good things about it. I don't think you can go wrong between JD and Kubota. The biggest mistake I've ever made though was buying a Branson Tractor. The front end on it was installed incorrectly and the issues just snowballed from there.
I had a NH TT60 that went with the farm I sold a couple years ago. It was always a great tractor and I would not be afraid to own another NH. I am looking for a tractor to blade a gravel lane, mow up to 30 or 40 acres and put in plots that could total up to around 15 acres. And, maintain about 30 acres of alfalfa. For that reason, I am leaning towards a 60 to 70 hp tractor. I currently have an older Foton 404 that came with an acreage and cabin that I bought. It is giving me some problems and I really just want to upgrade to something newer and a bit bigger.
Let me be upfront that I am an International fanboy!!!!! I have a 100hp International. I also have two Fords and a John Deere. None of them are cab tractors as I tend to get into places that cabs would be in the way. I do plan on getting a cab tractor very soon though as I am getting tired of the snow and wind of winter along with the heat of summer. The one thing about newer tractors that is an issue, besides all of the emissions issues, is that while being more fuel efficient and incredibly smooth and technical, they are also built with lightweight frames and almost all fiberglass/plastic fenders and hoods, etc. which gives them a disadvantage with the lack of weight for pulling, pushing and lifting. The place that I would start is with the best local dealer. While we all don't plan on buying a tractor that will need to be repaired "IF" (or more likely when) you need something, that dealer is the friend that you want to have. Good luck. Man do I love shopping for a new tractor!
I maintain a gravel easement along with more than a few driveways and parking lots. My main tools for the job are the landscape rake and the grading scraper. Don't let the relatively low cost of the rake fool you. It is my main go to implement for gravel if it isn't too full of pot holes. Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
Another thing that is huge with any equipment purchase is the service. Personally I wouldn't worry much on the brand, but the dealer. I ability to get your tractor fixed or get parts fast is number 1 to me. Most all name brand tractors will perform the way you need, but a great dealer will make a tractor the best one. Although I don't own a tractor, I do have a skidsteer and finding parts to get it back to work is golden. I have family and friends that have Kubota tractors and they all love them. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I am going to take a look at a Kubota MX5100 with loader that has about 300 hours on it. They are looking to see if they have a good used mower, or price me a new 6' rotary mower to go with it. It is just an open station, but I can deal with that for a few more years.
Granted all but 3 of ours are over 100hp, we run all John Deere except 1 50hp Case IH that we use for rock picking, raking hay and running augers. We were 100% red until about 12 years ago when their dealers starting closing around us as parts and service like mentioned above became almost obsolete when we have a JD dealer 10 miles away. For a smaller compact utility tractor, Kubota seems like a decent option, although really no cheaper than John Deere. My BIL works for the city and I think their New Holland loader is at the dealership getting worked on more than it is being used at the city. I'm sure it could just be a bad apple but having 2 NH dealerships within 35 miles of here, there are very few of them being used. Two biggest things I would recommend is getting something that has 2+ hydraulic ports and power reverser, especially if getting a loader. I would buy the highest HP tractor you can afford that isn't overkill. Would hate to see you limit yourself right off the bat if you plan on buying/using implements down the road that require the higher hp.
If you are going to be in the timber, think hard about open vs cab. I run into enough issues with clearing the roll bar with mine when working in the woods. And I’d think about a bigger mower than 6’, that machine should run more. I’m running a 6’ on my L3901 and it’s been great. I wouldn’t want to do more than 5-10 acres with mine though, with the amount of work you mention it will get old quick. I went Kubota a few years ago. Mine is much smaller than what you’re asking about but it’s been a great machine for food plots and general property work. I also did a ton of research and felt they had the best deal and features with good dealer support close to me.
Thanks for the input! Looks like that tractor could very easily handle a 7' mower or even bigger depending on how heavy duty. I really wont be mowing much for brush, just grass and weeds. So, a larger, lighter mower should work just fine for my needs.
So, was this overkill??? A buddy of mine let me borrow his Cat Challenger this weekend to tear up a 3 acre food plot. It might be a little more tractor than I needed, but man what a fun toy to tear things up with! I tried to buy a nice Kubota the other day, but the salesman I was talking to was not aware that it had just sold. Bummer. Still looking.........
Ha, this is my big tractor, I just bought the Shulte 18' wing mower a couple months ago. I had several hundred acres to mow though, lol. My advice is: 1: dealer support is tops 2: go as many HP as you can afford within reason 3. cab...if you're going to have to spend much time on it and in dust and weed pollen then hell yes go with a cab 4. if you have a decent dealer for them, my pick of those would be Case IH, Kubota, New Holland, John Deere in that order. The off brand tractors are too hit or miss. Dealers drop in and out way too often. We had/have a couple of LS tractors, traded one for a 75hp Case IH 75c with loader and getting ready to trade the second one.
