Thread: Smaller Tractors....

Pando
Mate As long as you can get parts for it and the attachments, Kubotas etc are fine.
We have a 30hp Yanmar with a similar set up and all is good.
As long as you service it regulary, wash it down and keep it out of the sun (storage wise) it will serve you well.

You'll get every man and his dog telling you to buy this and that. You'll be pretty safe staying with a Japanese unit.

Dont forget to reverse the rear wheels for wide track if doing steep country.

Also a detachable loader would be the go (I wish I had spent the extra).
Rear mount PTO log splitters are fantastic.

Justin

I used to have a Kubota 4WD 17HP in my 27 acres farm @ Childers.
They are an awesome machine!!!

Make sure the machine was originally sold in Austalia as kubota shout very loudly that they don't support grey imports with parts. (see their website) Other than that, I have a 40hp 4wd Kubota and it's fantastic. Good luck with it all. Don

[QUOTE=pando;1208862]The kubota seems to be the only one in the size I want with all the attachments I'm after (mid and rear PTO, 3 point, loader and backhoe), 4wd (got some steepish bits) and cost second hand seems not to far out there.[QUOTE]

Seems to me you just answered your own question.

My personal choice would be to go slightly bigger, but it all depends on exactly what jobs it has to do. The backhoe / loader is a great choice .... you wouldn't believe the versatility that these two items can be press-ganged into, although, being so small does start to limit their ability.
It all comes down to horses for courses.

The other handy impliment would be a slasher, which might not be needed, depending on the amount of stock you will run. That is the one item I am missing in my arsenal, that I occasionally regret not having. You can't always have the correct amount of stock to keep the grass down and long dry grass is a fire hazard in summer. Just remembered....... if you get a chance to get one with a 4 in 1 bucket, get it. It's not essential, but it sure will make some jobs easier / shorter.

My situation on NW Tassie, is a 6.5 tonne Ford 550 backhoe / loader and a little grey Fergie with a carry-all / spray unit and two ploughs, on 13 acres.

Hope this helps.


Daz.

Thanks Guys,

Pretty much the info I was after, my research is limited to whats available second hand at the moment hence the question about other makes.

Noted about the grey import, will pay special attention when I go looking.

Also noted about the size, most of the work I'm planning to do is on a small scale, just lots of it, centered around re-forresting some of the property and developing the garden around the house. As well as clearing away the old rubbish/debris/ramshackle sheds (that are only good for growing blackberries at the moment), a fair wack of new fencing, irrigation and power trenches and the ground works for a new shed. I'm a long way off being able to place any stock just yet, so a slasher is going to be on the cards also.

For my own info, is there much difference in the abilities between 2 and 4wd? Do things have to get pretty hairy before the 2wd gets into trouble? A bloke at the pub reckons 2wd will do anything 4wd can do but another fella at the nippers school said any sort of slope and you need 4wd?

Can't see it as being as big a difference as it is with road going transport, just wondering really?

Yanmar E2400 looks about the right size for your needs.

If you have a bucket, def. 4wd. Also gives you 4 wheel braking/retardation.

Not a tractor - but I bought a Kubota lawnmower when I bought this house in '91. Still going strong - the only things I've ever done to it is oil changes and the occasional new spark plug.

Way more solid and reliable than anything I've ever had before (including Honda).