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Compact Tractor

Buckkillr

Member
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Athens
Ok. I am in the market for a compact tractor to use at camp. Here are my requirements.

1. 4wd (this one I may bend on as I could probably get by with 2WD
2. 3pt hitch
3. Big enough to run a 4' brush hog
4. Must weigh in at under 2,000 lb so that I can haul it on my single axle trailer.
5. Budget is under $3,000

I know a bigger tractor I can get more work done. I have a 65 HP tractor at home. Issue is that I don't have enough truck and trailer to take it to camp. With the loader and everything on it I have got to be north of 7,000lb. The other issue is at camp is I am doing alot of small areas and even if I took that tractor down, it would be a pain to use as it is simply too big.

Currently I am using a weed whacker to mow things and it works out alright, but the other thing with a tractor is I would also like to get a 3pt tiller so that I could till up the food plots once the stumps get rotted out.

I have been looking for a few weeks and I have been seeing alot of Fords and Kubotas of course, but I have also been seeing Yanmar, Satoh, and Mitsubishi tractors. Anyone have any recommendations.

PS. A trail mower behind a UTV isn't an option either. With the areas I would need to back it up a fair amount and also need to lift the mower up to go over some rough rocky terrain/stumps. Plus I want to be able to put a tiller on the back.
 

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Well I got all my parts and servicing stuff done on the tractor. Didn't find any real surprises when doing the servicing and work which is a good thing. The new style rear hubs really tightened up the rear wheels. I got $400 in it plus the $1600 I paid for it so right now I am at $2,000 in the tractor. Well under my budget and still makes the tractor a good deal.

Only thing else I need to do is replace the front tires as the one is cracked pretty good and both the tread is about wore out. Not sure if I will replace myself or get the local tire shop to do it. I know sometimes replacing yourself can be a bugger without really the proper tools.

Next thing on the agenda too is finding a brush hog. Want to get a tiller as well, but that isn't as pressing and I will wait for the right deal.
 
Decided to get the local tire shop to put on the tires. Will drop them off on Monday to get put on. Probably for the best as those small tires can sometimes be a PITA to mount.

Started the tractor yesterday in the cold and it fired right up. Pretty happy about that as some diesels can be a bugger in cold weather.

Been calling around about some bush hogs. Can get a brand new one for a little less than a $1,000. Been looking at used ones as well, but haven't found any good deals. Not really the best time of the year to find them. Usually see the new one's on sale in the Spring too.
 
Well, I believe the tractor is ready to go. I ended up having to fix the one back tire as it had a slight leak and the calcium fluid was starting to rust the rim. I took it off and cleaned up and painted the rim. Fortunately I caught it in time so the damage isn't that bad and there was still alot of metal there. I put a tube in it as I don't think the rim would ever seal good at the bead where it was leaking. Instead of putting calcium back in I bought a wheel weight for that side. I think I might do the same this summer with the other side as it has calcium in it too. For those that don't have tractors they used to use calcium fluid alot for weight ballast. The downside is when it leaks it can really rust a rim fast. Now they typically use beet juice. I bought the wheel weight for what it would have cost me to get it filled. A little less weight but makes it easy to repair the tire.

Other things I did was bought a seat cushion for my ass, fixed the sway chains, put an over-running clutch on the PTO since it isn't a "live" pto, new rear hubs, serviced it, and put new tires on the front. Really the only thing that doesn't work on it is the lights, but I really don't think I will ever need them. Bought it for $1600 and I have put in another $800 (most of that was the new style rear hubs that fixed the issue of it coming loose on the axle and new front tires). Pretty happy as my budget was $3,000 when I started looking and I think now that this machine that is in really good shape.

Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr
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[/url]Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr

Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr

Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr

Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr
 
Bumping this back up as I am still in the market for a 4' brush hog. Saw a nice one at a good price on Friday evening as we were getting ready to head to camp. Unfortunately when I got home today it was already sold. Emailed on another one today that didn't have a price listed. If I don't find something used before too long I am just going to buy a new one.
 
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Well, I finally bought a brush hog. Been looking for used and just didn't find what I was looking for, so I bought a new one. I liked this King Kutter as I can easily adjust the height of the back wheels, so I can use it around the cabin as well as out in the food plots and trails. It also doesn't stick back as far as some of the others so it should be easier to maneuver in tight quarters. This may me shy away from some of the other ones. Switchhitter on here had a good price on one, but my gut told me I should get this one. I picked up a small box blade for it a couple of weeks ago that was a good deal, so that I can maintain our driveway at camp.

Untitled by cspot12, on Flickr
 
Well I am now looking to sell my Kubota. I have decided to either buy a new or almost new sub compact tractor with a 5' belly mower since we are now mowing several yards with a couple of family members having health issues. This should speed up that process and also will allow me to use the tiller, brush hog etc with it. I have been using a Craftsman Garden Tractor with a 46" cut. More importantly this will take me from 2 engines to maintain to 1. Been looking at a JD 1025R.
 
Not enough tractor for the attachments?
4' brush hog and a 4' tiller. The JD has more HP and about the same weight as my B7100. You think not enough? Will also add that the tiller and brush hog will see limited usage in comparison to the grass mowing. Only need to brush hog about 2 acres at camp. At home I have a 65 HP tractor for brush hogging and actual work. Tiller just does our small garden and some food plots.