Tractor buying advice

Hi all, new to the forum and new to tractors. My wife and I are under contract for our dream property which is ~50 acres total. We've been looking for a long time and are excited to get out there.

We know we will need a tractor, and I have started doing some research and posted a question on a more 'modern' tractor forum but wanted to get a view from the older side as well. I have a '66 Ford F100 so I am not a stranger to old machines.

The breakdown of the land is thus:

~22ac wooded
~ 3ac ponds
~ 7ac fenced pasture with barn and run-in sheds
~ 15ac of grass, but definitely pasture/meadow-like and not lawn
~.5ac lawn in front of house with several old oaks to mow around

I originally thought maybe I could get away with a modern subcompact, but I think that is not likely as our list of things to do over the years is long. We will need to be able to accomplish the following:


[list:e1acd4c45d]keep the open acreage under control with mowing a few times a year
planting a modest orchard
general landscaping around the property
slowly clearing some of the wooded area over a few years
digging holes for fence posts
removing tree stumps
tilling new garden
trails through the woods
prepping foundation for outbuildings[/list:u:e1acd4c45d]


I do not know the best tool for the mowing. I have friends with only bushhogs or finish mowers and they say they wish they had a mid-mount mower, but a much smaller property and trickier navigation.

I appreciate your guidance as far as where to focus my research, ex. hp range, weight, whether a compact is sufficient. I figure I will be well-served by having an FEL, bushhog/rotary cutter, auger, box blade, grappler. I do not need all of that up front, but the ability to add it on as needed. For digging the orchard, I don't know if having a backhoe makes sense or just rent a mini excavator when the time comes.

We plan to have lots of chickens (have some now, love them, want more), a few sheep, goats maybe one day a horse, if my daughter has her way...

Thanks very much folks!

PapaRoo. First of all let me say I may be bias, I have been a KUBOTA dealer for 30+ years. Here is what I see. Probably see 4 or 5 folks a year just like you bought property want a tractor. They move in an buy that shinny old (say 35 fergerson) tractor some one has painted on the street corner . First of all they paid too much but get it home something small maybe needs a battery ($65.00) then month latter radiator leaks ,another $150.00. Then as time goes on some more small expense then all of a sudden it needs a clutch or engine work, serious dollars $ 1500.00 or so. Then the tractor still does not have power steering or four wheel drive. They come into the dealership wanting to trade and get what they needed to begin with. They think they have a 6500.00 trade in because that is what they have in it now. Fact is they have a two thousand dollar at best tractor. Now when they go on and bite the bullet and buy that new 4 wheel drive 35 hp KUBOTA with a loader they come back and say "I WISH I HAD DONE THAT TO BEGIN WITH. Just my experience and this is an OLD TRACTOR board do not want to pour water on that and yes some folks get by with old tractors but be aware lots of folks do not. Take what you are going to spend put it down on a new one with low rate finance and be happy.

This is my fleet. Cub for mowing.
Fords bushhog,boxblade,
plow,disk,drag limbs ,haul
firewood trailer........got about
$4000. In all of it. Opinions will
vary but we love the old tractors.
We are fairly new owners , bought
all these in last 2 years. Hunting
for old tractors is the best part.
Keep us posted and don't be afraid
to ask questions here. Kevin in
Central AL

Jim your play-by-play sounds like my truck... Which I don't mind, but I don't need the truck to be working all the time. This is different and I appreciate your advice. I love the look of the old 50s tractors but don't think I'd want to go that far back. Maybe 70s at most.

But your point is well taken. My wife has already told me this.

Well,
How much do you want to spend on this tractor?
Knowing that will help the good folks here be
able to give you some meaningful advice.

Those Fords are beautiful Grandpa love! I think no matter what I get to do a lot of the work, I will end up with 2N/8N/9N if for nothing else just to drive around on and pull things.

Did you go with an ORC for those? We will have so many critters running around and three small children that the transmission driven PTO would concern me. My dad drove a tractor into a creek when he was 11. He didn't tell me how that happened but now that I am researching tractors, I get it.

I think JM has the best option. IF your budget will afford it though, my opinion is go up to a 45-50ish hp tractor. Then get a small disposable box store lawnmower to mow around the house.

Everyone has a different idea. But my thoughts are you don't plan to be a collector, so I would look at a new used tractor around 50hp, and a new used skid steer loader all with the attachment's you need and can afford.

I'm a collector, I have 9 tractors(that run) and a dozer, all old, but they do their tasks. I like using one tractor for a unique jobs I have on my 20 acre farm. Part of fun

Here is a few of mine.

Great question and sounds like lots of fun in your future! I farm about 30 acres and I have 8 tractors, only because they are
mostly very old and low cost. But I do use them all for something. But I have to admit that probably more than half of the work
gets done with the one tractor I bought new, a New Holland TC48DA with loader and front wheel assist. The only jobs it is not good
at are the primary tillage or heavy pto work such as round baling. So for plowing and disking and baling, I use the big John
Deeres such as 3020 and 4020. But I did recently pick up a Ford 3600 diesel, because it was going to sell for less than $4,000
until I started bidding. And I really like that tractor for odd jobs. It is heavy and powerful enough that if I only could keep
one tractor, I could probably get by with it. But I always have a long list of fixing to do on the tractors at any given time, so
I agree with the others that you should look at a nearly new one that will give you several years of trouble free use. You can
always pick up an antique along the way to add to the fleet if you want one to pull the manure spreader while you load it with the
other.

I love and use older tractors that said I think jm gave you some excellent advice,as no older tractor will do what one 4WD modern compact will do for you and your varied jobs.If you
have the money a nice new or newer low hr tractor w/loader from a dealer/brand of your choice would be the way go.Now if you can only spend a couple thousand then that's a different deal.
Also buy the tractor with the loader don't add one later that'll cost you way more to add it on.The other equipment can be picked up off CL or auctions as needed.Then you can find a neat old tractor to do odd jobs with.Forget buying a backhoe just rent what you need or really most times you can hire a machine with the operator that knows how to run it as cheap as renting.

I think the million dollar question is - are you mechanically inclined (or willing to learn) and are you the type of person who enjoys doing their own work?

If you are comfortable working on it in your spare time a bit, an old tractor is a great way to go, just do your research and make sure you get a model with decent parts availability. For the most part, they are simple to work on, just require a decent set of tools and time with grease on your hands.

If you would be trailering it into the dealership for any work done, get a new or newer tractor.

A .5 acre lawn is not much, so I would just find a 'normal' riding mower for it - if you don't have turf tires on a 'real' tractor, it can lead to excess soil compaction which isn't great for your lawn, plus mowing with Ag tires when the ground is wet makes a mess.

Past that, you could get by with anything from a small 30hp Massey 35 up to a 60hp tractor for most of the work you've listed out. A larger tractor with a larger brush mower will cut that 22 acres of 'not pasture' much quicker, but a smaller tractor is more manoeuvrable.

Are you going to want a loader on the tractor?

If you have the budget, buy a newer tractor, and don?t get sucked into the cult of kubota, there are many other reputable manufacturers like
Case IH, New Holland, Kioti, Massey, John Deere, etc. Kubota is not the be all and end all when it comes to smaller tractors ( and I am not
biased against them, I own one). You can find a nice utility tractor with loader from the 70?s/80?s for a decent price if you treat your search the
same as you would any other vehicle, lots of research and shopping around pays off. You have a pretty big to do list and it is better to have
something bigger than a sub compact as they are limited in many ways due to hp and weight. Implements for what you are doing are going to
be readily available used for good prices for a bigger tractor rather than the sub compact variety which are more of a niche and cost more
accordingly. The main thing is get a tractor you will be happy with that you can spend hours using and still walk away at the end of the day
without dread about using it next time. Good luck in your search.

I would get a modern compact 35-50 HP, with front wheel assist and a loader.

Just much more versatile than an older one.

You have enough to do; buy a new Kubota in the 40
hp range with a fel. Enjoy the land, the work and
the tractor. Determine need for equip on as needed
basis. For sure, a box blade and rotary mower.
Word of caution; a fel is not a back hoe. Save
older tractor for enjoyment later.

I would also add that digging and pulling stumps is something better left to a backhoe, it is just dangerous and can cause a lot mechanical damage.

As much as I really like my classic Farmalls, if I needed a machine that is dependable and will get the job done without having to fuss over it, I would definitely be looking at a Kubota.

The only thing the OP didn't list that I have is 1/2 mile mostly dirt drive way. 3 years ago purchased a used TC33 New Holland came with in the crate 5' mid mount mower, 5' brush hog, FEL quick connect w/bucket and forks and a full frame backhoe. Steal of a deal for all only had 400 hrs on tractor 10yrs old and I knew the previous owner. He traded for a larger new Kubota. I saw it as it showed up at the dealer. Told dealer not to unload it just drop it by my place on his way home that night. He lives on the same road. He let me try it for a few days and went back to him and made a deal and brought the other pieces home. He had a large used inventory at the time. Kubota credit was offering lower interest rates for used non Kubota equipment. He sold it to me at better price than I could have expected. Especially knowing the tractor's history. My cousin had purchased the comparable Kubota model Heated cab FEL and midmount mower 34k I paid 1/2 that. I was there actually looking for a Kubota.
Deals are out there right place right time! Not the best tractor I had ever run but for the right price it fit perfect. The only complaint I had with it was that the bracketry for the mid mount mower had to be completely removed and install the bracketry for the bh. I have to plan for mower season get all of my bh work done so I can put the mower for the summer. Large steep front yard can't be mowed with out 4wd. Has been all around very good multi purpose piece. Also have a Ford 8n trailer queen and an 860 that does the raking backblading, sicklebar 3pt wood splitter. And we use them all.
Don't get me wrong I love the old tractors and enjoy tinkering with them. But if I'm working on a tractor I'm not working the property. I takes 7 hrs to mow our yard and that hydrostat and comfortable seat go a long for way me.
Good Luck

you can always get two tractors I have a 2000 new Holland tn75f cab loader air heat 4 wheel drive I also have a 47 2n ford I use a lot

I will just ad one thing you should consider having and that is for when you get some livestalk and that is a small manure spreader and they make some that can be pulled with a garden tractor or ATV. Big enough for what livestalk you plan.You will not want to be hauling the manure to the garden on a wheelbarrow.

It didn't take long to turn into another free add for a foreign tractor named Kubota---Tee

I agree, but are there any tractors under 70 HP still built in the USA?

OP, I was in your shoes about 8 years ago. I bought 40ac of mostly scrub. It came with a Ford 8N. I still have the 8N, and it does a moderately decent job with utility work. Having said that, it's low on power, not very comfortable, and it's rather finicky to get jobs done. To be expected, it's 60 YO technology, and you have to put up with it. On the up-side, in the years I've had it the only thing that's gone wrong has been the gen went bad - and that was my fault for getting it sunk. Everything else dried out and worked fine but the gen had to be replaced. It is stone-dead reliable.

A few years ago, I bought a mid-60s JD 2010 for peanuts. It's more comfy, has plenty of power, safer, and the times I would NEED 4WD were times I had no desire or business being out in the acreage. If you have to go out in the muck, and you have to get things done NOW, then maybe you'll need 4WD. Not for me, I just have good tires and chains if I need to be in snow.

So, my suggestion is to go ahead and get one of the old MF, or Ford vintage units. Then, after a year or so of struggle while you shop, get something from the late 60s or mid 70s. My next tractor will be a Ford 3000 diesel with split 4 trans or 10sp, and a FEL. I already know what I want, and just going to wait until the right one shows up. I'm going to pay $5-7000 for it, and take care of it like it will last the rest of my life.

Two things I forgot. Stump removal is not the work for utility tractor. Either have it done, or rent the right tool, or get a removable backhoe. If you do get a 8N or TO-20, absolutely get a new, working ORC. Do not try to use the PTO without one, it will only end up in misery. Best $49 I've spent on the machine.

List ones that are made here.

good morning paparoo, ARE YOU CONFUSED YET? :lol: now my 2 cents worth, I would not buy new and I will tell you why, #1 buying a new tractor is like buying a new car, when you drive it off the lot and get it home it has already depreciated by 25%, #2 every year the new equipment has more and more computer technoledgy added to it, I M O a computer belongs on your desk not in a piece of equipment. (newest I would be looking at is 1995) before they went crazy with the "latest technoledgy". let the other guy take the huge hit on depreciation, going buy the needs and wants you have listed, I would look for at least 50 hp, 3 pt hitch, 2 hyd. remotes, FEL, ( depending on your climate cab with either heat or ac or both), who is the closest dealer to you? go check them out, tour the dealership, and talk to them, you will get a good feel for how your going to be treated and what your after sales service will be like. talk to your neighbors, what are they driving? what do they have to say about the local dealers? if you buy that brand new kabota and the nearest dealer is 100 or 200 miles away your looking at some serious down time when it quits! and trust me murphys law do's apply to farming!! new or used. it will crash just when you need it most :lol: john

The question you raised is a good question and you are likely to get as varied of answers from every one who responds. I grew up on a farm and have been around farm equipment my entire life. I still farm part time, but the farm where I crop farm is about half an hour from where I live. I do live on a rural farmstead and need a tractor for my place. I have no idea as to what you are looking to spend. When I bought my place, I didn't have a great deal to spend, but needed something for snow removal. I bought an older 656 Farmall with an older style loader. The loader was not heavy duty, but it worked decently for 10 years and it didn't cost me a lot of money to perform repairs and maintenance on that tractor. I was able to perform all the service and repair work on that tractor in the ten years I had it. I traded it in on a tractor which was 15 years newer, comparable in horsepower and size, had a hydrostatic drive, diesel engine (needs block heater plugged in to start in cold weather), and a much heavier built front end loader. I opted to buy a snow blower for snow removal on this tractor, which has made my winters much more painless after storms. I am also on my second lawn and garden tractor for mowing duty, which is a superior model over what I had to start with, too. I started out with a "lower budget" to make these purchases, but have upgraded substantially in the past 4 or 5 years. The current tractor and lawn/garden tractor were not "in my budget" when I first started. So, with that, I am not sure what your position is with respect to your budget. For some people I have seen, the availability/access to money to spend is not a big concern. For me, a skid loader would be nice at times, but I cannot justify the investment for the amount of time I would use it on my acreage, my front end loader will take care of most of what a skid loader would or could do, and if I did need a skid loader for a given task, I could rent one or hire a neighbor to come over and help me with that task. I have only needed a skid loader on one occasion for about 20 hours of use in 15 years.

Being more on the "fiscally challenged" side, and looking at the chores/tasks you have cited, and I was in your position, I would certainly look for a tractor of 50 to 70 horsepower in size with a well built front end loader. I would want that loader to be easily detachable. Mine I can remove in about 10 minutes or less, and likewise, I can put it back on in about the same time. There are certain tasks where having the front end loader makes this tractor kind of clumsy and awkward. I have a grapple fork attachment for picking up brush when I cut down trees. For mowing in "rough areas," I would look at some sort of a rough cut mower, which most people refer to Bush Hog and some call it a Brush Hog. Bush Hog, as I recall, was a brand of product known for these types of mowers. For the lawn, I prefer to have a dedicated mower. I prefer the tractor style, while others may prefer a zero turn. My wife likes to mow the lawn, and something like this is easy for her to use. She spends about 4 to cut all of our lawn at one time. We generally put 70 to 90 hours per year on our current machine. Ours has all wheel steer, power steering, hydrostatic drive, liquid cooled engine with 20 horsepower, 54 inch mower deck, and can have an assortment of attachments put on it. We have a garden cart, pull type sprayer, and a 5 foot wide spike tooth harrow (drag) we use behind it. It is capable of attaching a rear mount roto tiller, but for our small garden, I have a walk behind Troy Built, which my wife can handle with relative ease. I also have a 3 point mounted grader style blade on the rear of the tractor, which can be used for leveling aggregate or soil around the place in landscaping needs. For installing posts, a rear 3 point mounted post hole auger would be nice, and it could be used to auger holes in the ground for planting new trees for an orchard, too. Removal of stumps, well I leave that to those who have stump grinders to come and do that every few years when I need them ground down. If you are thinking you are going to use a backhoe attachment to do this, I have a friend of mine who thought the same thing. He actually had a backhoe tractor and spent nearly $20,000 repairing it after he used it to remove an old grove of trees. One of those "backhoe attachments" isn't even of the same caliber of a true construction duty backhoe and tractor. Prepping foundations for buildings? I suspect you are looking to build only a few buildings, which is what I have done or will continue to do. I have left that to professionals to dig out for foundations. Small buildings such as a yard shed, I will probably do either slab on grade or pole type construction. I didn't start out with all the equipment and attachments I have today. I have filled those needs and wants as time passed, along with replenishing the bank account between my purchases. I started 15 years ago with the tractor and front end loader, along with a lawn and garden tractor with 18 horsepower engine.

I shared my thoughts, based upon what you cited, and how I would fulfill my needs, and this is just how I would start out and have eventually fulfilled my needs and wants. I first prioritized the needs and how I could best fulfill those needs based upon what I could spend at that time. Once those were fulfilled, I then started to move on to the wants and improved my lineup. I now have a very well kept and maintained lawn and garden tractor, which is 20 years old, and a tractor which is 40 years old. I am in no rush or need to replace either, and they should continue to last a long time with normal maintenance and upkeep. I don't have a fortune sunk into all this, and when the time comes I decide to upgrade again, what I have will not diminish in value much either, whereas new equipment will diminish rather quickly in those first few years. Again, this is my opinion, and you may opt for a lineup which is newer.

Get a tractor with power steering, 3 point hitch, and a loader. If the loader is beat to death so is
the tractor.

(quoted from post at 07:32:44 03/21/18) I agree, but are there any tractors under 70 HP still built in the USA?

Click to expand...

NO. There are not. Yes, some are assembled here, but the parts and components are all imported.

The sad thing is the little Kubota's are the only ones made here.I hate to say it but the Deere compacts are not near as good.

Putting the wheels on is not what I consider "Made in the USA". The shipping crates Loren the Case guy uses to build his projects were not used to ship Cases.--No offence Loren--Watched the video of the Kubota plant in Georgia and they were bragging they employ a whopping 37 people to "make" 50 to 60 tractors a day.---Tee

-jm
This is actually some really good advice for the right people.
If you want a "tool" piece of "equipment" for getting work done: buy a good one that will do the job.
Old tractors are fun but limited. Sometimes you're working to get the tool/equipment working before you can actually "work". That's fine if you have time and don't mind it. Also: you'd need a fleet of old tractors that are specialized and set up for each tasks versus the new ones that are much easier to "plug & play" between tasks.

I'd still go for the old tractor myself, but that's cuz I don't have a big enough piggy bank.

It helps to know your budget and how much time you have available for property maintenance. If you are retired, in good health and have 100 hours per week available to putter around you can get by with smaller older equipment than if you have a full time off farm job and maybe one hour at a time available twice a week.

Consider adding a sickle mower and a sprayer to your equipment list. For me, power steering, live hydraulics, live PTO, factory 3 point hitch all improve my comfort and productivity. A quick attach/remove front end loader doubles the usefulness of a loader tractor if you only have one tractor. With ponds and wet areas you may occasionally get a tractor stuck in mud. A second tractor and driver come in handy when that happens.

Some of your tasks are too much for most farm tractors and farm equipment:

slowly clearing some of the wooded area over a few years

removing tree stumps

trails through the woods

prepping foundation for outbuildings

Construction equipment or hiring out the heavy work may be faster and lower cost in the long run. It has been done with farm tractors, but expect low capacity, slow progress and many more breakdowns if you use a farm tractor and loader. Do you have experience running a small bulldozer?

Good luck and have fun on your new place.

WOW!

You guys are great and have provided a ton of advice already and have made me think about several things. Many of you have asked clarifying questions and here are my answers.

[list:243552cb1e]*FEL - definitely want one, preferably quick to remove and attach as was suggested
*Given the comments, forget the stump removal. The most likely need for me in clearing some of the woods would be in mowing down the small saplings and moving the wood around. I have a buddy who has been cutting down trees since he was a kid AND my new neighbor is owns a Tree Service, so I will be able to get help taking down big trees and with stump grinding.
*Foundations - i mainly meant smoothing out some areas for potential buildings, chicken coops, etc
*Maintenance - I am fine doing my own regular maintenance, but won't want to be constantly having to fix things like I do on my truck.
*Time - I am not retired.
[/list:u:243552cb1e][ I will work full-time off the property and have three kids 8-and-under to boot. All our hobby time will revolve around this farm as my wife is into gardening, herbs and the chickens, so I will be able to devote a few evenings and most weekends to work that needs to be done, but I am def more towards the a few hours a week end of the spectrum.
*BUDGET - This is somewhat fluid. I want to spend enough to get something that can do what I need, but buying something like a new utility Kubota with 50+ hp in the 30-40k+ range is more than I want to spend. I could live with $20k but I would really like it to be in the $8-12k range, up to $15k.

One question: when you guys say "modern" what does that mean? How far back is modern? 80s-90s Fords, JDs, etc? I tend to lean towards what carvel minne farmer suggested, something with the modern technical features but without too many electronics.

My wife will be all right with me spending a bit more as she loves the look of the '66 truck, but she won't ride in it and doesn't trust it to get me home when I take it out.

Once again, THANK YOU to everyone. Fantastic advice and responses on here.[/list]

If I were you I'd be putting my money into a John Deere 3020D or even a 4020D. Either will serve your needs admirably and will appreciate in
value rather than going the other way.Either can be found with a loader and if not there are plenty of good loaders around to be had.
About the only thing a Ford N series tractor is good for is a yard ornament.
As far as stump removal I would be hiring someone to grind them out.
Just my personal opinion based on 67 years of living.
Good luck.

WGM ....... so if a guy buys either of those JD models, he can expect their value to increase over time? Never heard of a claim quite like that before. What would be the reason for that happening as opposed to other brands and models?

There are two tractors different neighbors have with modern features that won't break the bank either can usually had for around 10K with a loader.John Deere 955 and Ford 1920 I've run both and they are handy and nice to operate of course there are dozens of other models/brands.

I would think long and hard before buying any Deere 3020 or 4020. They do not sell like they use to. Prices are dropping where I live. The younger farmers do not want a tractor that is older than they are. They are selling off dad and grandpa's 4020 and buying 40 and 50 series tractors for their loaders.

There is a guy here running around buying 3020/4020's and taking them to Mexico. Along with 6600-7720 combines.

If I was buying a tractor made in the sixties. I would look for an Oliver 1650-1850.

Orc on the Ford 640 (wide front).
960 has 2 stage clutch. If you get
a Ford step up just a bit from a N
and get a 600. My wife loves her
640.

IMHO, modern would be 1964 or newer: 2000 psi or higher hydraulics, category 1 or 2 three point hitch, improved ergonomics, more gear selections, more standard features, parts support, mechanics still know how to work on them, etc.

They are not gaining in value from what I have seen either. They used to at least hold their value, but anymore I'm not so sure ? Saw a 4020 diesel advertised for $ 6,000 ! in Ohio the other day.
That's what gas ones used to sell for .

Well, definitely some interesting opinions. A 8-9000Lb 2WD tractor for utility use on 40ac? Well, ok. Rising in value? Uh - again, well ok.

Jobs I've done recently with my 8N(at 7000' elevation: bore 26 holes for plane hangar, lift 7 300Lb steel beams, brush hog 1.2ac, box grade 1ac, rake and clear 1ac, finish mow 1ac. Is it fast? Not really. does it get the work done? Yes. don't understand the haterade for the Ford N. It is what it is.

I agree that the best advice is what jm said! Older tractors, the only good thing is you can probably buy a fleet of them to do all the chores but hope nothing goes wrong with any one when you need it ---- plus a shop to
house them all in and the tools to tinker away at them to keep them going. They'll be leaking all over the new floor too.

I like a bit of a bigger tractor than you think you need. 2 would be best. I don't know much about IH 806 and the like, but 1070, 970 case i know a bit. I have a 4230 with loader. Great tractor for almost all you want to do. Only bad side is for garden work. I paid $12000 for it. Garden tractor with tiller stays in the garden and mows the lawn.

A tractor with 3 point and 60-90 hp in the 1970 - 1985 or so will be your best bet in my opinion. You just have to drive all to see which one is the nicer to see for loader work. I would go with 2750 JD open station, front assist if I had to chose 1 tractor only. I drove one for 11 years at work and I loved it. any tractor brand in that era would work. make sure parts are available in your location.

I would never buy a 2-8-9 n ford. I have hauled over 3000 of those things to the scrap yard in the past 30+
years. Look on the n ford part of this program and see all the starting problems they have. The majority of
the ones I have hauled to the scrap do not run. The people that gave them to me are tired of spending money
on them trying to get them to run or just keeping them running. If you want something that looks similar find
a 2000 or 3000 ford with good tires and live PTO. The hydraulics on n are a real pain on most of them, it is
a giant waste if time to put a loader on the front of 1. If you ask anyone that owns 1 with a loader on it and
they are truthfull with you they will admit it. For A few dollars more than a n ford will get you a whole lot
more tractor.

I have 2 foreign made tractors one is a Kubota and the other a John Deere. I will take the Kubota over the Deere anytime.

If dealer or other support shop is available, you might consider looking at a Ford/New Holland 3930, especially one with shuttle forward/reverse shift.
3 cyl diesel engine, 3PH, live PTO, hydrostatic steering, capable of handling FEL, built in the 1990's. Very happy with mine for haying.

I prefer the four legged solar powered harvesters for doing my mowing, so if it were me I'd try and get some fence around the other 15 acres of
grass. For building the fence, and the other fossil fuel powered jobs, an Oliver 550 would be my choice. For your budget, you could get two of
em. Strong little tractor, simple design, decent hydraulics for its vintage, and if your real lucky you'll find one with power steering! For your
critters, all I can say is baaaa! Gets some hair sheep. Easy keepers and far easier to handle than cows or horses. The wife and kids will love
all the little lambies to boot!

I have 25hp Kubota 4x4. Very old. 1976. Dad bought it new, I purchased from his estate 15 yrs ago. I put water pump ($125) on it 3 yrs ago and split tractor to replace reverse gear ($75) last year. Only repairs of major costs. Kubotas run long time if taken care of. Mine not heavy enough for work you plan on doing. Kubota worth the extra cost for its longer use. Also have older 930 case diesel. (1967) 85hp. Very useful older tractor. One of most fuel efficient tractors built. Since you plan to use a loader, power steering will be a must have item.

That is really interesting. You call something 50 + years old modern.. I am just wondering what would you call an old tractor.? LOL I really hated to even answer this question and after "What is the best engine oil" who makes the best battery and the chev vs ford pick up this tractor thing is next. Really some good answers but the guy that told him that 4020 jd would go up in value, and folks suggesting he get a 80 hp tractor really have me wondering. Guess that is why I love this site, Can,t be much wrong with a guy that thinks a 50 year old tractor is modern after all I am just 74 so I am almost modern... LOL

i my self have a 1250mf compact 4x4 loader it my go to tractor now i mow my yard lot witha B414 diesel paid 600 for out a barn with tornado damage and the guy needing to get his wife a gift not sure what for it pulls as 7ft finishing mower any way it need main bearing rod bearing. it also need lot other things but it does what i need it to do. i also have backhoe half dozen other tractor but if i could only keep one it be the 1250mf now dont get me wrong i repair farm equipment and all those old family tractor dam good for my retirement plan like tims said get a good compact tractor 4x4 loader make sure what ever brand you get it come with a dealer