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Please, I need help in picking a tractor

1248 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Groo
Hello to all my Tractor Forum buddies ,
I have purchased my fair share of wrong tractors and have almost killed myself driving them. If I don't die while using the tractor, my wife will kill me anyway.
Please help me with some suggestions. I have 28 acres on the side of a mountain in upper New York State and there is very little level ground (17% grade in spots). I have about a 1,500 feet of driveway composed of #2 and #3 stone overlayed with millings. I do a lot of fixing of that driveway, ditching, moving trees and occasionally trying to haul a 3,000 pound loaded trailer up the driveway.
I first purchased a John Deere (I think it was a 5540N at auction. I didn't know what I was buying, but it looked pretty with low hours and great price. I didn't know the N stood for Narrow. I found out that I could kill myself with it being so unstable on hillsides, so I got rid of that and made a few bucks. I then read that a Zetor was a real workhorse and a bargain for all the tractor power for the money. It is nice and wide, very stable, a powerhouse rated at 65 HP, but handles like it has 100 HP. Being that it is a manual shift (I believe 8 forward and 8 back). I have really almost killed myself on this one since it has brakes that totally suck. If I am pushing stone on my driveway and I stall out or need to back up on a steep slope, this tractor loves to roll. When I say roll I mean I almost have to stand on the brakes with all my might to get it shifted or started. I almost lost it trying to go up a hill with lumber on my 16' trailer. The tractor stalled and started picking up speed backwards. I went about 100' before stopping and was ready to try and jump off. Its a very reliable tractor and starts every time, but it is good only for level ground or semi level farming.
I think I need a used tractor with a bucket that can lift 2,000-2,500 pounds, Maybe from 30 to 50 HP?, Hydrostatic Transmission and possibly a cab with A/C and Heat. A backhoe would be a plus, but not if it would be difficult to change from a backhoe to a brush hog, Post hole digger, Log splitter or other three point implement. Having extra remotes would be nice. I do like Kubota and John Deere, but I have looked at Kioti, Mahindra and a few others.
I do have a small excavator, but it would be nice to have a back hoe on the tractor if I should need it. I don't needier want to buy new, 5 to 15 years old with reasonable hours and in good shape is what I expect.
Please help me with your wisdom and OZ powers to steer me in the right direction. Please let me know your best recommendations and what I should look at paying. I do not use a tractor very much. I maybe use it 20-30 hours a year so paying a lot for something that sits for weeks or months at a time is not good for the budget. If you can, Please copy your suggestions to my Email ar [email protected] since I may not always get to see them on this forum or know when my question has been answered. .
Thank You, Richard
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Hello Richard,
If you can fly down a steep driveway backwards with a 16' trailer on the back, and live to tell about it, why would you want a new tractor?!?:D You are a pretty handy lad! I can't back up a trailer ten feet without getting it jackknifed! ;) To start with, I'd work from the top of the driveway with the bucket down to do any maintenance. If the unit gets away on you, you can always drop the boom and roll the bucket if you have to, to get stopped. Same goes for towing. I've seen lads on here that weld a 2" receiver to their bucket and tow a trailer with the front end loader. Could be something you might want to do so you don't get killed, by the tractor or the wife, before you decide on which additional tractor you would like to buy.
Sounds like you need an industrial Deere or Case backhoe with hydrostatic drive.
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