I'm again looking at getting a tractor for my land I have 10 acres of south west Texas land lot of rocks and cactus. I'm wanting a tractor because I have lived here 5 years and most of my major plans have been hindered because of time, money and man power! You know the old saying you have the time but you don't have the money! When you have the money you don't have the time! My land is not an active ranch or farm at this time and I only have 50% of the land that has a fence or barbwire because of my neighbor. Other then the mower I'm wanting a post hole digger and a grader to level the driveway would be nice but I also want a backhoe. I'm not the 20+ year old Marine that I was back over 20+ years ago. I need to think smarter not work harder! I can't spend a lot on this tractor my rib was okay with up to $25k. One major problem is that I don't have a trailer or a truck to pull it also. But let's not place the cart before the horse!
I have a 24hp MF with loader bucket, a 4' disc harrow, a backhoe, and a front-mounted pto driven snowblower. It has been very helpful in doing chores around here. I wish it had higher clearance at times. Sometimes I wish it had more hp, but I know that regardless of the hp number you will find some tasks will seem to be too big. Take a break, have a cup of coffee and you will think of a way to accomplish the same task with the smaller hp.
My most used and irreplaceable tractor/everything machine is my Grey market Mitsubishi Bs3F Wide Track front end loader/grapple dozer, makes around 55 HP but it's all 100% Hydrostatic, so power is relative! This little bugger is super trick, it can quick change front end components, converting from grapple bucket, to loader bucket, to dozer, to brush mulcher in under 15 min, THAT'S unbeatable! You can find these little Mitsu's super cheap on the used market, plan to rebuild and replace all the hydro lines, but it's FAR cheaper then buying a new rig! Tracked Dozer type rigs are FAR more useful then any wheeled rig!
L3901 Kubota here I like it, No backhoe attachment I figured if I needed one I'll just do the weekend rental thing. Most tractor dealers will deliver and pick-up if needed. Security, Tractors are an easy target, Figure out a battery disconnect for starters.
We bought a new 30 hp Kabota (L3010) in 2001, with a bucket and a backhoe. We have not had any repairs on it outher than normal maintaince. A great tractor line.
definitely find your local workable brand of tractor first - then think about HP linked to the attachments .....
I believe you stated your land is full of rocks and I suspect hard/dry soil. Some advice about that auger. It may not get enough bite to be able to get going if it's a rear PTO mounted model. If you get a front mounted you use the bucket arms to assist in pushing it down into that soil and it will get a lot more grab. The front mount is more expensive but should be an easy decision based on what the other folks around you have to say.
@Blackgrub0331 I was in the same situation as you a few years ago. I have a bit over 5 acres in North Idaho and with totally wooded with Lodge Pole pine, what they call here the 'weeds of the forest.' The damn things grow very fast but their roots don't go deep so they go, fast and straight and since they are thin the wind knocks them over easy. Plus, they take all the sunlight from the Red and White fir and Pondarosa pine I have. We had a serious windstorm, and I ended up with a real mess with over 50 trees down, with one falling on and damaging the roof of one of the garages. A real mess. For 5 years I had tried to everything by hand, just me and the pickup, falling, turning it into firewood rounds, limbing, picking up the slash/rounds and loading it and unloading it via the truck, very time intensive and back breaking. The wife finally revolted and refuse to assist me so... I finally gave up and invested in a tractor + forks and boy-oh-boy I have never had a better friend. It is so useful that it was worth every penny I paid. Like you I didn't know how big of one to get. The absolute key to deciding is knowing exactly what you are going to use it for. It sounds like you are not farming and like me you will use it simply on the property: snow removal, stump removal, moving gravel and dirt, loading/unloading firewood or moving heavy things...moved the wife's compost container the other day, a heavy bugger. I damn near made a big mistake and bought a Grappler but thankfully one of the guys here talk me into simply trying my forks because plain old forks will move the slash and logs about as well. I bought a Kubota 2610 (LX2610HSD), no cab, it's about 26 hp (no emission requirements) which believe it or not is enough for what I do 95% of the time. The stats say it can lift 1000+ lbs. (if I remember correctly) and only one time it has failed to have enough poop to lift something, a pallet of wood pellets, which was at a weird angle. Hp really is necessary for plowing, but hell, I haven't even used my 3-point hitch yet in 4 years so I will stick my neck out and say you require HP of 25 to 40. In Kubota terms that would mean a 2610 or a 3901, certainly nothing bigger. One of the things you should look at is the lifting capacity of the frontend loader of each - very important! That's my 2 bits. I truly understand what you are going through as it is a lot of money, and you want to pay for what you need. BTW I tried a skidsteer, you certainly have better visibility, and it can lift more but most sit too low to the ground and didn't work well on the property, left huge ruts everywhere, plowing my gravel driveway was a nightmare even with the blade in float as took up as much gravel as snow. I loved the lift capacity but... I sold it for a loss. The tractor is not perfect, as it is a Swiss knife for folks like me but it really is the best solution...unless you got $80K for a new skidsteer that sits 14-inch high off ground, has really wide tracks so doesn't tear up the ground... EDIT: Also, if you have good neighbors, see what they are using and what attachments they have, what works and what doesn't. They can tell you also about parts availability in the area and if the vendor has decent maintenance personnel.
With 10 acres of land, you don't need a huge tractor, maybe 35-40 hp. Also, you don't need to shell out a lot of green for a new tractor when you can find so many good (and bad) used tractors for sale. A good place to check is a website called TractorHouse, they have tractors (gas and diesel) from the 1930s to present, and equipment too. You need to figure out what it is you want to do and size your equipment to your tractor. Too much tractor or too much equipment is not a good thing, and neither is too little. Also, question if you really need that back-hoe attachment or front-end loader, as they really add to the cost. I grew up on a cotton farm in Alabama and we never had either, they might have proved useful a few times but not enough to justify the cost and time of installation involved. Another thing to consider is what make of tractor is most common in your area, around here it's John Deere, other places it might be Ford, MF, International, Case, etc. (and a few folks get teary eyed over Olivers). Going with a commonly owned and accepted tractor brand will make repairs easier, you won't be considered strange by your neighbors, and a good local market if you ever decide to sell. I recommend used tractors because of the lower purchase price, the savings on used equipment, the ease of repairs, and the availability of spare parts (this can vary according to model and make). Just be sure to ignore the shiny paint job on the hood, rims, and fenders, instead look at the engine compartment and the rear-end of the tractor to get an idea as to it's true condition. Stay away from anything less than $2500, unless you're a mechanic looking for a new project. Also, don't hesitate to have a mechanic look the tractor over before you buy, it will be money well spent. I, myself, have a John Deere 830 tractor (35 hp diesel) that belonged to my late Father, it was built in West Germany in 1973, and a complete set of equipment. I live on 9 acres in NW Alabama and use mine mostly for gardening and yard work. However, it is part of my preps and could be used in a farming operation after SHTF.
Another source that you might want to check out is Facebook Market Place. I found a damn good Ford 6' disc-harrow there (it's now a lovely John Deere Green) and it should be around for another 60 years or more.
I had a really slick tracked skid steer, like bandit posted above, it was more trouble then it was worth. I need a mulcher, and the skid steer would handle that with ease, but the rest of the work need were all a compromise at best, lifting was what it did really well, everything else sucked! With my mighty mite mini Mitsubishi, I can now do everything, and it does it really well, so good in fact, that several neighbors have asked to borrow it and then went on to search for their own, the only downside is the steel tracks do chew up the drive way and I have to put down rubber mats to bring it up to the shop, but other then that, a damn handy little rig that is super inexpensive to run and easy to repair, and I can haul it around behind my pickup easy!
