Lucas I went from a BX 1880 to a new B-2601 . Couldn’t be happier with the B-2601. I’m having a Heated Curtis cab put on it this fall as my Homestead is in the beautiful White Mountains of NH. It will be seeing much snow removal duty. I have a JD X-530 Zero turn which is a great machine too for quick mowing duties . I already added the following attachments . Landpride Brushhog, quick release loader bucket , pallet forks, weight box , 60” belly mower . I want a 3rd function valve and a grapple next year especially for the trees that fall time to time .
I started following you a while ago researching Sub compact tractors. Now you’re of my favorite channels. I feel like you are real, honest and most of all a godly man. I just ordered my Kioti 2520 Monday and now getting ready to order one of your decals to put on it. Thanks for all the great videos you do. Have a blessed day!
I research and looked for over a year at all the brands and kept coming back to Kioti. Your videos help me decide that a subcompact would do what I want to do. You use your tractor and push it to the limit just like I would. Good luck on your new tractor hunt and God Bless
Good topic.....We chose options for Kubota for small farms and conservation work sales and actually wrote the option orders for landowners. It would help to explain the uses and the "why" for the various machines so selection is focused. We recommended a 45 to 50 HP tractor with considerations of power and hydraulic uses on smaller farms and hobby farms. I recently created a one-page handout for our landowners on suggested options and what to order on the tractor or implements. Totally agree, an RTV or UTV is a really a must for working on the farm or hobby farm.
I love the conversation. My knowledge is limited and I’m learning as I go. That’s part of why I wanted to take that opportunity at Brad’s to get his perspective to share. That handout sounds like a great resource.
The best idea I was told by TTWT was to buy a big boy tool set. Large sockets and tools sized for the tractor and such. I could not maintain my tractor and other toys without those tools.
Good video! I enjoy watching Brad's videos as well. The one thing I disagree with, and it's not just you, but MANY people make their decision on buying a tractor based on how much land they have. I COMPLETELY disagree with that whole philosophy. If that works for you, good deal, I'm glad, but I just don't get it. To ME, the decision on which size tractor to buy (after budget of course) is "what tasks do you want to do with the tractor"? To me, that's what should motivate a person to buy whatever size tractor to get. But, that's just me, and you know what they say about opinions, right? 🙂
No, I completely get what you’re saying and really, you’re right…most people with 38 acres would recommend a much larger tractor than what I need, but the majority of my land is wooded and we use it for recreation. I don’t need a “38acre” tractor. However, I bought the tractor I needed for the activities I planned to do when I moved here. Now I’ve gotten into saw milling. That is what has really changed my needs. Good comment! 👊
I use my jeep xj and a $100 5x8 homemade utility trailer to haul stuff around my property. The side by side is so expensive... I'm still resisting ! Totally agree on the mower and sub compact tractor. At 5800 feet elevation 4wd is a must and snow removal attachments. Would love to have an excavator! $$$ whew
A good video explaining the options and decisions to be made. I’ve gone through this too. The main difference is we planted around 1000 macadamia trees on our little farm. Our first machine was an out front mower made by Iseki which is effectively a little tractor flipped around with the operator facing the rear which is the front. We used it to mow grass and tow a trailer to carry stuff. We then bought a Club Car CarryAll 295 which is a side by side. It has been good but needs some work to fix a few issues with it. We then bought a Kubota MX5200 with a loader and 4 in 1 bucket. This was new and was a big purchase. It’s a lovely tractor, quite strong and comfortable to operate. We then bought a big finish mower. This mower has not worked out as well as I would have hoped as the grass grows tall and thick. We’d also get in excavators and operators to dig holes for the trees and remove stumps of big trees we cut down. They’d charge $600 for the day and in a day they got a lot done. Recently I sold the Iseki mower and bought a flail mower for the tractor. I hope the flail mower will handle the long grass and cut it up. I’ll then use the finish mower to push the cut grass up to the trees to mulch them. In the near future I’ll be looking at buying nut harvesting implements to run off either the ClubCar CarryAll or the tractor. I hope this will lead to an interesting and productive retirement from life in the IT industry.
This is right up my alley. I service my acreage with a lifted clubcar and a 30” craftsman mower. Being from the city, they did the job there. Now in the country though, they have met their limits. Thanks guys. 🛠️
Good advice on gear, for myself i tailored my gear for my property which is not big it almost two acres i went with bx 2680 for property work and snow removal.I did not buy the belly mower i have a ride on mower i have the remotes on back for the snow blower and 3rd function on it for a stump bucket grapple i made for tearing out the alder trees on my property its a game changer.I build alot of the attachments and thats a big savings for me so far i built the stump bucket,skid plate,rear scrapper blade ,a hiller bedder attachment and next i'm starting the cab. I've spent to many years makin do this tractor is making life alot easier i wish i got one ten years ago and luckily i have access to a mini excavator.Keep up the good reveiws boys the wife is startin to restrict my access to youtube lol cause it gives me alot of ideas for future projects....
Great video guys. I agree. Tractor first. Sized for your needs and then some. Go a little bigger if you can. And have a dedicated mower for the lawn. Whether it be a zero turn or a lawn tractor or even a push mower. I made the mistake of getting a belly mower for my JD2025R. It does fine but now I want a zero turn. Great job guys.
100% agree on tractor first, and the size for anything more than a few acres. A subcompact with loader is good if you want a lawnmower that can also move soil and mulch and do a lot of little tasks, but it really isn’t heavy enough to efficiently get into ground engaging and pulling work that is often part of the equation on a homestead or larger property. As for a side-by-side, I see the usefulness… but on a budget, a tractor with a carryall will pretty much do the same thing. I have 54 acres and abut my Dad’s 200 acre woodlot, and I still can’t see justifying the expense of a side-by-side. Major trails are developed such that a pickup can go through, and the tractor can get everywhere else. It’s rare to be out in the woods where I don’t want/need the tractor to skid a log, smooth some ground, etc.
Great video guys! We currently have someone mowing our property and we will be looking for a tractor down the road so I can mow my own grass. We live in the mountains so there are some pretty good slopes. The guy that mows it currently uses a zero turn but has to be very careful. Looking at all the options i think we have decided on a sub compact tractor. We only have 1.6 acres of land (part wooded and part grass). With the 4x4 that sub compacts offer that will help me get up an down the hills but, it will also give me options to help clear some of the wooded/brush areas we'd like to open up. Hopefully down the road we will acquire more acreage as I'd love to have more property!
Don't discount the quality of mow using a rotary mower. I mow a half-mile gravel driveway edges, a pond perimeter and dam, and several acres of a powerline with my Bush Hog SQ160. I mow these areas regularly and install newly dressed blades every 50 hours, and you might be surprised at the results that would challenge a finish mower. As a new owner of a grapple, I don't know how I got along for 20 years without one!
