Tractor boards and forums

[Doug1]

I'm in the market for a compact tractor with a cab. I know just enough kung-fu to get my **** kicked when picking a tractor but I learn quickly. lol Are there any sites / boards / forums that you guys use to shop for this sort of equipment?

Secondly, are there any guides that are kept up to date for equipment value like a "tractor blue book" or something similar to the NADA book on cars? I'm all new to the farm equipment purchase arena. I build cars and for fun so this is a whole new adventure.

I've been looking for months on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. What I have found there is the Facebook Marketplace doesn't have a lot of variety for this particular need. I'm trying to find a used compact tractor with a cab, front end loader, 4wd with between 30-40 hp and low hours.

Craigslist is pretty useless since it is full of scammers. Over half the ads have ridiculously low prices and want you to buy sight unseen, though they tell you it will be guaranteed through "Ebay shipping". They all have the same story of the tractor being at the shipping site already and not available for inspection. Which is complete BS and nothing but a scam with links to sites that are made to look like Ebay but are not EBay if you trace the address back. Why Craigslist can't block these I have no idea. They are taking up most of the space for tractor sales.

But I digress.. lol Any recommendations are welcome.

 

[lloyd 401]

Try www.mytractorforum.com

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[tom-ky]

tractorbynet.com is one forum.

You can go to fastline.com to compare prices.

 

[McFarmer]

Tractorhouse.com for prices.

 

[JerryC]

I've never used a tractor in my life....
However, I've found the YouTube channel "Tractor time with Tim" informative. His videos are mostly of JD 1000 and 2000 series and the attachments for them but he does look at other brands and has a multipart series of Kubota vs JD subcompact.

 

[cvairwerks]

30-40 hp with a full cab is going to be hard to find used. Probably going to have to step up to a 40-50 hp and buy new to get a cab. There are companies that make soft cabs, but they are like the rain sides on golf carts.

 

[tallfreak]

I just bought my first tractor a few months ago. I went with a new Kioti CK3510. I did a lot of research. Tractorbynet forum is extremely helpful and the people on it have been great.

I searched for months for a used tractor almost exactly what you want except the cab. I couldn't find a used tractor with low hours for a price worth forking over cash for. All of the tractor brands have good financing deals so I decided it was better to purchase new.

In my experience that is going to be a difficult tractor to find, and if you find one they will likely be asking within $2000 of new.

I hope you find the deal you are looking for, they are certainly out there, but you might have to look a while.

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[PCustoms]

I just bought my first tractor a few months ago. I went with a new Kioti CK3510. I did a lot of research. Tractorbynet forum is extremely helpful and the people on it have been great.

I searched for months for a used tractor almost exactly what you want except the cab. I couldn't find a used tractor with low hours for a price worth forking over cash for. All of the tractor brands have good financing deals so I decided it was better to purchase new.

In my experience that is going to be a difficult tractor to find, and if you find one they will likely be asking within $2000 of new.

I hope you find the deal you are looking for, they are certainly out there, but you might have to look a while.

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This post is spot on. With the way these hold value and the finance offers and warranty on new units used doesn't make sense (if you can even find one). I looked at a lot of clapped out tractors for $12k-$18k, the ones I could pay cash for were beat to hell and financing to get a newer used didn't make sense when dealers offered 0%. In March I took delivery of my Kioti CK3510SE, just did the 50hr service today after spreading 18 yards of gravel.

 

[finn]

Not worth getting used, they don’t depreciate much.

I ended up buying new, a Kioti ck4010, which fits your description quite well.

 

[HenryAZ]

tractorbynet.com is one forum.

And I think it is the best. We were planning to build in AZ in 2002, so I started researching CUTs at tractorbynet.com in the late 1990s. The wealth of information there is astounding, including forums for most brands, forums for implements, etc. The members are all active CUT owners/users, and they also offer a lot of mods you can do, especially if you can weld. One simple one I did, suggested many times on the forum, is to weld a pair of grab hooks to the top edge of my FEL bucket. This opens up lots of uses for working with chain. By the time 2002 rolled around I already knew pretty much what I wanted in a CUT. The single most important thing is the dealer. Brands and size are second on the list.

 

[moab11]

I agree with the others, that is one of the most sought after tractors, and as such demands high prices if you can even find one for sale. We have a Kubota B3350 with factory cab and it is awesome, FEL, Backhoe, front mount snowblower, etc. Still small enough to pull behind a half ton, but can do quite a bit of work.

 

[Doug1]

Thank you all. This gives me much better ideas of where to start. I had a buddy who picked up a 2006 Kubota 3350 with a cab, with 100 hours for 17K. It took the dealer about a year to run across that deal though. lol

I like the idea of a pre emissions tractor but it would have to have low hours and a cab. Sort of a unicorn these days as many have mentioned.

I'll likely just buy new. For the last year I worked with a buddy's 2019 Massey Ferguson 26 hp manual shift . That experience gave me 3 things to look for that it didn't have.

1. The bucket would often not lift enough weight at times. I'd stick it in a truckload of wet dirt and it wouldn't budge. I'd have to work it out. So closer to 40 HP would be better for me.

2. Moving dirt while having to clutch constantly would leave my leg pretty sore on really long days. So Hydrostatic or synchronized shuttle are my two choices in order of preference.

3. The lack of a cab made eating dust all day a common occurrence since I move a lot of dirt right now. The summers here are hot with really high humidity. It's not uncommon to have a 110-115 degree heat index this far in the South and being on the ocean. The cab would be worth the extra money for me just for the AC. ha! So the cab thing is something I really want even though it really jacks up the price.

 

[PCustoms]

1. The bucket would often not lift enough weight at times. I'd stick it in a truckload of wet dirt and it wouldn't budge. I'd have to work it out. So closer to 40 HP would be better for me.

HP is not a true indication of loader capacity, it is more of a sign about running implements and ground engagement. It is somewhat linked to larger tractors, and that is what gets you your capacity.

You have to look at the loader specs (carefully, each brand uses different terminology) to understand what you can lift.

As a general rule buy the heaviest tractor you can.

That said, what you described seems normal, as you go into a pile you should be curling back on the bucket to get a full scoop. I did this yesterday and was moving heaped buckets of 1" gravel. It's not just plow straight in and then lift, plus wet material is HEAVY!

 

[gearhead1]

I also use tractordata.com to understand HP and model numbers.

Deere, Yanmar, Kubota, Kioti, Mahindra, LS, New Holland, Massey, TYM are some of the names out there. But for small tractors, I think the ‘American’ companies are just putting their name on something else. The big Deere tractors are US made but the small ones used to be made by Yanmar. My 4110 Mahindra which is an Indian company was made by TYM which is South Korean.

I’ve had no issues with my 41HP Mahindra, but maybe you would save money buying new if you bought a TYM. I think I read somewhere, that Mahindra did that to fill gaps in their product line and some are made by Mahindra which started from the International plant in India when International sold off the tractor business.

Said all that to say this: it’s tangled web in the small tractors, most are made in Japan, South Korea, and India.

Even China makes them, Jinma.

 

[Doug1]

HP is not a true indication of loader capacity, it is more of a sign about running implements and ground engagement. It is somewhat linked to larger tractors, and that is what gets you your capacity.

You have to look at the loader specs (carefully, each brand uses different terminology) to understand what you can lift.

As a general rule buy the heaviest tractor you can.

That said, what you described seems normal, as you go into a pile you should be curling back on the bucket to get a full scoop. I did this yesterday and was moving heaped buckets of 1" gravel. It's not just plow straight in and then lift, plus wet material is HEAVY!

I curl back with it but it often doesn't want to lift until I get less of a load or climb the tractor way up to the top of the pile. It will lift a full bucket as long as it doesn't have to push anything above it out the way. But using a 40HP made a considerable difference. It would go in a grab it and lift with no issues. Of course it is a heavier machine. The 26 was just not quite strong enough or heavy enough. Close but not quite.

 

[tallfreak]

I curl back with it but it often doesn't want to lift until I get less of a load or climb the tractor way up to the top of the pile. It will lift a full bucket as long as it doesn't have to push anything above it out the way. But using a 40HP made a considerable difference. It would go in a grab it and lift with no issues. Of course it is a heavier machine. The 26 was just not quite strong enough or heavy enough. Close but not quite.

It was because it was a bigger machine with a more capable loader. You wouldn't happen to know the model numbers of the tractors would you?

Hp is more important when using 3 point attachments especially when using pto. Generally all models in the sam series have the same loader capabilities. For example I bought a ck3510, but the 2610 and the 4010 would have the same loader with 26 and 40 hp respectively.

Like others have said, go with the biggest tractor you can afford or fit through gates/ trails needed.

What all are you planning on doing with the tractor?

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[Doug1]

It was because it was a bigger machine with a more capable loader.

What all are you planning on doing with the tractor?

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Moving a lot of dirt for the immediate future (probably another year). Later I’ll use for more general stuff like bushoging, maintaining a long driveway, cutting grass, moving some cut up trees, etc.

 

[tallfreak]

Moving a lot of dirt for the immediate future (probably another year). Later I’ll use for more general stuff like bushoging, maintaining a long driveway, cutting grass, moving some cut up trees, etc.

Thats pretty much my exact situation except I won't be mowing. I'm partial to kioti because I liked the warranty and it has the best loader capability in its class, but do some research on tractorbynet and see what suits you. Lots of good info on that site.

This is a pic of my tractor testing the lift capacity of my loader. I was impressed. Keep in mind that grapple is at least 450lbs. I wasnt able to lift higher than about 3ft and no way would I load it like this while working. Too dangerous and hard on the front axle.

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[moab11]

Bucket size also comes into play on the small tractors. We have the larger bucket on a B3350, and it is meant for "light Material use" It will struggle to straight grab from a pile of gravel, and also needs rear ballast if you do get a full bucket of material.
I'm sure the smaller standard bucket would have no issues in the same situation.

Something to think of in the days of quick attach buckets, is if the machine is rated for the bucket that is on it.

If mowing is a future need, not all tractors offer a mid PTO for a mower deck. Our front mount snowblower also used the mid PTO and it is worlds better than having a rear blower. Might not apply to you, but something to keep in mind.

 

[Doug1]

Found the specs on the Massey site for their loaders. They had "break out force" and weight as well. The 35 HP tractor could do almost double the load and had a 700lb higher break out force. That 26HP loader was just too small but it was the biggest one to fit that tractor.

 

[moab11]

Found the specs on the Massey site for their loaders. They had "break out force" and weight as well. The 35 HP tractor could do almost double the load and had a 700lb higher break out force. That 26HP loader was just too small but it was the biggest one to fit that tractor.

Were those specs for the same tractor size/series? Often tractors in the same chassis have similar specs regardless of the engine size.

Changing the tractor chassis size will very much change the capabilities, even with the same HP engine. Engine HP is not a good factor to look at when comparing tractors, like others have said, buy the size tractor that fits your needs the best, then determine the engine HP for that tractor. More HP is usually only noticeable on PTO equipment, but also tends to bring in more emissions equipment.

 

[tallfreak]

Were those specs for the same tractor size/series? Often tractors in the same chassis have similar specs regardless of the engine size.



Changing the tractor chassis size will very much change the capabilities, even with the same HP engine. Engine HP is not a good factor to look at when comparing tractors, like others have said, buy the size tractor that fits your needs the best, then determine the engine HP for that tractor. More HP is usually only noticeable on PTO equipment, but also tends to bring in more emissions equipment.

As long as you only have a diesel particulate filter and not an scr system you are fine. I think scr doesn't get mandated until 45 hp. DPF will regen every 30 hours or so but its no big deal. Just keep working and let it run.

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[Danglerb]

Tractors, I thought this site was dangerous to my wallet just talking about ratchets.

 

[jayemm]

Try 'yesterdays tractors' ---- yesterdaystractors.com. Used to be "ytmag.com" or something.Check out the archives for older posts.

 

[HenryAZ]

1. The bucket would often not lift enough weight at times. I'd stick it in a truckload of wet dirt and it wouldn't budge. I'd have to work it out. So closer to 40 HP would be better for me.

I have a 30HP Kubota, and the FEL's weight lift capacity is about 750lbs, back at the pivot point. You definitely need some sort of rear counterweight to offset the FEL's load. Some people fill their rear tires for extra weight, but I always thought that's going to be a mess sometime down the road. I built my own counterweight using a blue barrel and concrete. It attaches to the 3 point hitch. I added some large ABS pipe into it before the concrete set, and that provides a handy way to carry along some yard tools. (That idea came from tractorbynet.com)

So far, I've been able to carry a full bucket of gravel or sand, sometimes partly wet sand. The MF you used may have an oversized FEL bucket. There was one available for my tractor when I bought it, but I stuck with the standard size. And hydrostatic is definitely the way to go.

 

[nmk_61802]

30-40 hp with a full cab is going to be hard to find used. Probably going to have to step up to a 40-50 hp and buy new to get a cab. There are companies that make soft cabs, but they are like the rain sides on golf carts.

Kubota's B or BX series offers full cabs down to the 20HP range. I am not as familiar with the DEER line up, but I think the 1025 series offers Cabs in similar HP ranges

 

[Minnesota Steve]

Honestly I think a great youtube channel for understanding the options and how they work is Neil Messick. He's a Kubota/CNH dealer, but he has some really good videos explaining features and options. He has some good ones explaining loader specs.

My personal advice is find something with good local dealer support. So check local dealers and see which ones you like and see what they have.

 

[Keelhauled]

As long as you only have a diesel particulate filter and not an scr system you are fine. I think scr doesn't get mandated until 45 hp. DPF will regen every 30 hours or so but its no big deal. Just keep working and let it run.

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I don't think SCR is mandated, just for some reason smaller engines seem to be able to get away with DOC/DFP only. Deere goes up to 75 hp without SCR.

 

[tallfreak]

I don't think SCR is mandated, just for some reason smaller engines seem to be able to get away with DOC/DFP only. Deere goes up to 75 hp without SCR.

Its not necessarily that scr is mandated, its that engines below a certain hp rating don't have as strict of emissions standards. The manufacturer can do whatever they want as long as they meet the requirements, but scr seems to be the only cost effective way. VW tried without scr and look what happened to them.

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