Help, tractors, dont know what to do......

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YummyHorses

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Hi, I am looking to buy a tractor to help around the yard etc (including setting it all up in the first place). Things that I am thinking of using it for include topping the paddocks, hedgerow cutting, harrowing, manege levelling plus generally moving stuff around. I have a very overgrown 3 acre garden and have much heavy pruning to do so want to be able to hitch up a trailer and tow large loads of cuttings off to a bonfire etc.

Am very confused by the choices available, have been advised to buy something like a Massey Ferguson but on my budget (£5k) these all look very old. Alternatives seem to be imported secondhand Japanese compacts – Kubota, Iseki, Yanmar etc. but all look much smaller and am worried about possibly buying something too small and light.

Know absolutely nothing about tractors so any advice really welcome – what size, make to buy and what attachments are really useful and which are just nice to have. Thanks.
 
Wouldn't have thought you want anything too big, prob 55 - 60hp, a loader is really useful, you don't realise how much so until you have a tractor without one! Power steering is good but not essential as is 4wd (unless your ground is steep or wet) I wouldn't worry about having an older tractor they are often easier to repair as they have less electrics.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/International...K_BOI_FarmingEquipment_RL&hash=item45f37d80ef
Something like that could be useful
 
I'm no help really but wanted to say don't worry too much about the older british tractors, at the moment I mostly use an International that I actually learned to drive on when I was about 10 - nearly 40 years ago! My brother has even older tractors thet go perfectly well and in many ways are easier to maintain than the newer ones.
 
We have a 1964 Massey 65, that was about £1K 12 years ago, OH has restored it quite nicely, and bought from farm sales, ebay etc all the equipment - topper, grass cutter, loaders, diggers, trailers, hay rake, tedder, baler, roller, fertiliser spreader, plough etc that he could ever need. I would say the 65 is probably too 'old' these days in that they're in high demand to be restored and the price now would be too high, ditto a grey Fergie, so I'd look for something more recent but 'less in demand' by the collectors or for the export market (£ exchange rate doesn't help, as it makes our tractors cheaper abroad), something from the 70s perhaps.
So long as it's sound and running, these tractors are built to carry on - and if not, spares are very easily acquired. I would suggest ask about locally and see if there's a tractor nut about to help you find a suitable one - OH often gets asked for things or to do little jobs for people, as folk know he has tractors and can fix them etc
 
We have a grey import small kubota which is ancient. Fab though and we love it. Paid 2k for it and it starts well and does the job wonderfully. I wouldn't worry about how old a tractor is as the good makes go on forever!
 
Have old tractor, which absolutely love, but does take some upkeep - ie fine if you have someone who enjoys a bit of mechanics etc.

If i was buying again would go for something small and new - unless you have any particular needs (ie moving large haylage bales, towing heavy field shelters, etc) would probably do everything you need.
 
International 275b, 60's, came with front end loader and fork. Great tool, not too big, easy maintenance (OH does it but v basic). I have had tractors before with previous OH (fanatic, hated horses!!) so knew a bit but not mechanically, when I bought it I thought, OK suppose I was looking at a horse: I asked to see it start from cold, see it drive about in a field and up and down the road, up a bank and saw how the hyraulics worked with tools, took his word that pto was OK, had a go on it myself and paid him. It's fine (I'm quite attached to it really). Good luck and pm me if you want any advice from now quite knowledgeable OH.
 
We have 9 tractors and a JCB on the farm. All of our tractors are Fords (with the exception of our shiny new monster tractor that's a New Holland - which is actually a Ford really....it's their new name).

All of our tractors have a use. The smaller ones doing the easier tasks, the larger ones towing the slurry guzzler, muck spreader and hedge cutter etc.

I would think a small tractor might not be up to carrying a hedge cutter (although ours might just be a big hedge cutter as we have blooming miles of hedges to cut!)

Our oldes tractor is old P reg, so I'm assuming that's 1970's? Runs fab. All of ours are stored under cover though and well maintained.

Around here David Brown's seem quite popular amongst the small holders. No personal experience of them though.
 
Love our 40yr old International 454! we have a loader with bucket, a back box, topper, sprayer and harrow :) she even started first time when it was -13!! did have our first breakdown in the 3 years of ownership last week :mad: front tyre completely fell to bits :eek: tyre man thought it may have been the original so i cant really complain :p
 
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