I have had 2 different farms in the past 20 years and believe it or not I have never owned a tractor!
At both farms I have been lucky enough to have neighbors who were happy to earn extra money with their tractors and do work for me.
Now my neighbor is moving so the time has come for me to buy a tractor.
The 3 dealers we have near us are Branson, Kubota,and John Deere.
Right now I am leaning towards the Kubota,but I am not sure about but not sure what size to get.
For those of you who have sub compacts, do you regret not getting a bigger tractor and why.
Please share your knowledge and experience!
There are at least two questions that come to me, one is how big is your farm I suspect would be a primary question and two would be just what are you intending to do with this machine. (or the questions could be inverted, but to me this would be my primary factors)
LOL, I knew I didn’t give enough info!
we have about 15 acres in pasture but I am not going to mow with the tractor,(we have an awesome zero turn,that we mow with)
The primary function of this tractor would be leveling my gently sloping pasture after big rains(once or twice a year neighbor has gone over it with a box blade and that seems to work)
The other area we have problems with are 2 more sharply sloping areas that get washed out with heavy rains, those are the biggest problems we have.
​​​​​​​Thanks!
now ask Jim in Pa or Gumtree which they would use as both have hands on experience with this
I do not believe the subcompact would be desirable as their intended use was in really tight places… a larger compact to smaller real tractor (under 50hp?) would be what would interest me
I went from a JD 4500 to a JD compact 1250 (when I relocated, I didn’t bring my tractor). I regret it. Besides bringing my tractor (which just wasn’t feasible)- I KNEW I should have gone up in size when I bought my new one. But the dealer was like “oh- you just need a smaller one”. I listened since I am not going to be here forever and I have smaller acreage. MISTAKE. I use mine for dumping manure, mowing, dragging the ring. Sigh. FYI- my neighbor has 5 acres and the same tractor. It is perfect for his landscaping needs (moving small piles of mulch, plants). He uses a zero turn, as well.
I also like Kubotas. My neighbor lets me use his big one for jobs my little one doesn’t have enough power for. Go as big as you can. JMO.
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I have a Kubota L3400 and it is just about perfect for my 10 acres and what I do. I bush hog and move large round bales with it mostly. Have put in a 8’ long,12" diameter (I think, maybe 16") cement pipe for water control. As long as I have a counter weight on the back I can lift pretty heavy things with the front end loader. Usually use a round bale on the back spear so I can spear and place the round bale with the front spear.
Bought it new in '09 and besides regular maintenance, so far all it’s needed was a new battery this winter.
We have a 20-acre farm that is sandy soil. I bought a sub-compact New Holland with a FEL right when we moved in. I really wish I’d gotten a bigger tractor, but it was in my price range and it has so far done what I need it to sufficiently. I can grade already-loose ground with it, but it is not big enough to dig up anything with a box blade or grading blade.
I have and love my BX-22 (sub-compact) but for your application I’d opt for at least the next step up so you have more digging power and weight handling. with the FEL. (And don’t buy a tractor without a loader) I’ve done some pretty amazing things with my BX-22, but I have to work it really hard for some tasks and only have 4 acres of non-farm property.
BTW, I personally love having the backhoe, not just for digging but for the weight it provides when using the FEL to both balance and increase traction.
I love my Kubota B2320 (compact). I have 9 acres and use it for snow clearing, mowing, dragging the arena, harrowing the field, spreading compost with a PTO-driven spreader, moving square bales into the barn, and moving round bales to the field with a rear-mounted bale spear. I’ve used it for light grading and stripping topsoil too. I haven’t once felt like I need a bigger or heavier tractor, but then again I’m not doing heavy earthwork.
Another vote for going bigger. I have a compact Kubota L2350 (no longer made). I really wish we had gone one size bigger, like the L3400 mentioned above. I mostly see the need during snow plowing, when my tractor just isn’t big and heavy enough for the job (gets moved sideways a little if there is heavy/wet snow under the blade), and when lifting heavy loads with the bucket. On that note, get a bucket, you won’t regret it.
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If you think you might ever need it to move a large round bale, a large square bale or a pallet of small squares/bedding/anything… size up to something that can lift 1,000+lbs.
FEL’s are great for lots of tasks, but it has been a lifesaver when we have found ourselves in a super soft spot that wasn’t apparent. We were able to work our way out of being incredibly stuck by using the bucket.
As others said a FEL is amazing and well worth the investment. I would also say that going with a 4in1 bucket can open up new options as well. Because we have the 4 in 1 bucket, we were able to use a grapple attachment to help move debris. Before we had managed with the 4 in 1, but the grapple is SOOOO much better. If we had just had a plain bucket, we wouldn’t have been able to use the grapple attachment.
On another note, if you can afford 4x4, that is another good upgrade.
Tractors are “classed” according to how big/small they are. The PTO and the hydraulic hook ups are sized to the class of tractor you have. If you know you will want to use implement “x” be sure that the tractor you buy will be able to connect and run that implement.
I have a CUT 30hp. It took a LOT of convincing to get the tractor - since the DW has convinced her friend that the Friend’s DH did in-fact NEED a tractor. You will be amazed at the uses you will find for the tractor.
I thought 30hp was going to be big enough. My eyes are set on a 55hp tractor that I intend to purchase in 2020. Too many times I am maxing out my little tractor.
Tractors are an investment. Unlike cars which depreciate about 45% when you drive them off the lot and then continue to depreciate rapidly, tractors only depreciate 10-15% when they come off the lot - and then based on hours, and care - they will continue to hold their value. The dealer that I purchased my tractor from five years ago offered me a trade-in price that was only 20% less than my purchase price. I’m certain that with patience I can sell it on my own for only a 15% hit over 5 years.
I don’t know how big your zero turn is - I used to mow my pasture with a Toro Groundsmaster with a 52" deck - it beat me up. I can mow in half the time and a lot more comfortably with a 72" finish mower behind my tractor.
Because of the tractor we were able to switch to round bales vs squares.
Because of the tractor I can aerate the manure/compost, load it and spread it.
Snow removal, post hole digging, sprayer for the pasture, moving coral panels, carrying all of the fence supplies as you mend, moving the DW’s flower pots, tree, shrub and post pulling, hauling away tree debris.
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Go bigger!
We have about 12 hilly acres and live in snow country. For years, we’ve made do with our '61 MF 30hp 2wd tractor and used it for everything from pulling a fertilizer wagon, to mowing to clearing snow. Finally, this winter I found the perfect used tractor with a FEL and a cab. I had to stop dh from listening to the local dealership and buying a compact, but when he saw that the one I found weighed twice what the new JD and Kubotas weighed, he was sold. We bought a 55hp Case and absolutely love it. Bonus is that it is only has 500hrs on it even though it’s like 10 years old!!! It came with quick detach FEL and a box scraper AND all the attachments we have for our old MF fit it too. 
Moral of the story…Look for good used farm tractor with 4wd, FEL and low hours and heavy weight so that it can bull its way through stuff.
Thanks everybody, loved hearing all your suggestions,
We decided to go with the Kubota L 2501.
We live in South Carolina( no snow),and sandy soil, so I am pretty sure this tractor will meet our needs.
I live in an equestrian development, so it kind of like a farm, but not really!
Thanks again it was a lot of help.
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My old barn had a Kubota that was used and abused. That thing kept going!
The subcompact tractors are a joke- I had one get bogged down just dragging the arena.
Got a 10 acre horse farm about a year ago unfortunately in the middle of a flood plain. Bought a used Farm Pro 25HP Diesel 4X4 with front loader bucket for $7500. Rural King sells newer versions of these under their brand name. Has been great especially for going into runs. Its not too large to use that. I would suggest that if you have a smaller farm. I also have a 60" finish mower that I pull behind and going up the hills worries me a bit but usually does OK in low gear.
We started using round bales and have a 3 point PTO hay spear. Only issue with this is we cant lift it very high. I have a hay fork for the front bucket but need to figure out how to get it hooked up…
Have a 500 CC Massimo UTV 4X4 that we use for moving stuff around too with a Winch. Both of these have been of huge help and couldnt do without. Went about 5 months before we got the tractor and still have leftover muck piles we have to move and now cant believe we lived without for that long.
Always keep in mind that any and all machinery will need servicing and repairs, sooner or later.
Whatever you get, can’t be repeated enough, be sure you have reliable customer service and a good mechanic shop that can find parts for it and get it fixed.
Yes like Bluey said - find a good mechanic/ tractor fixit shop and buy accordingly.
I bought a 22 HP subcompact tractor because I got a great deal on it and I had never driven a tractor before. I felt comfortable driving it. But now - I sometimes buy the big bales of hay ( 3x3x8) and I don’t think my front end loader will handle them. I also buy bundled bales. Ditto. I wish I could just take the bale/ bundle and just set the hay in the barn instead of handling stuff manually in pieces. I am getting too old for that plus it is a huge use of my time. Live and learn!
I think you’re going to love your Bota. I’m glad to see you went bigger, we have a compact on 3 ac, any more than that, I’d want bigger. Overall, our kubota has been a great tractor and their service department has been top knotch!
