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 | paulsura
Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2 San Martin, CA, Horse country south of San Jose 
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2005-04-03 109348
I am a novice tractor owner in need of a bit of advice on a purchase of a tractor.
In the last year, my wife and I purchased 2+ acres just south of San Jose, CA. The area is mainly horse country with other live stock as well. The house sits on the front half acre and there are horse facilities on the back acre-and-a-half including an arena of an acre. The lot is essentially flat with a drainage ditch running the length of one side of the lot.
With the purchase of the house, we did get what I believe to be a 1952 Ferguson TO30 with loader. (see pics) It currently has Ford fenders so I am not sure. We also have a drag behind harrow. The tractor needs more TLC than I have time to give so I have come to the conclusion that I need to get something.
Maintenance of the property is the first area of need that I have. This would include finish mowing of lawns weekly, brush mowing every other month and semiannual tilling.
The second need that I have is landscaping. The front half acre will need a fair amount of landscape work that I would like a new tractor to be able to do. This will include soil removal, leveling, concrete removal once or twice, delivery of landscape materials like stone or mulch and potential fence replacements.
The other need that I have is the support of future livestock. We do not have horses but, if the wife gets her way, we will likely have some soon. We do have two goats, however, as my daughter’s 4H project. This would include hauling feed and materials from the front of the lot to the rear, harrowing, and other waste management tasks.
I have been leaning towards a sub-compact or compact Kubota. Am I on the right track?
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 | harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY 
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2005-04-04 109365
Your old tractor has quite a bit of value either to a restoration project or to a parts dealer. DO NOT get taken by a crafty dealer on a trade. The loader itself is a treasure to many, check out ebay for pricing of your stuff.
If your drag is a 3ph it is also quite valuable.
A sub cut will work as long as you have the time. 2 acres all manicured is lots of maintenence. ....
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 | jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-04-04 109368
A BX2230 would be a PERFECT match for your needs. For mowing get the 60" mmm and a 48" bush hog. You'll need the FEL for landscaping, a 3PT tiller for tilling, and a 4' box blade for leveling, grading and ballast (can also be done with the FEL but is more difficult). If you get into horses and need to haul bulk material get a hydraulic dump trailer. You can load it the the FEL then hitch up and go. A B-series is a slightly larger alternative, but probably not neccessary and nominally less manuverable. ....
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 | JDDoug
Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 16 Merced, CA
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2005-04-04 109387
a SUB-COMPACT SOUND LIKE IT WOULD FIT YOUR NEEDS, BUT I WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT A MID MOUNT MOWER FOR CA. OUR LAWNS JUST ARE JUST TO SMALL. THE ONLY THING YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE YOU DO IS GET ENOUGH TRACTOR TO PULL A GEARMORE ARENA-VATOR. THEY ARE THE PERFECT TOOL TO MAINTAIN THE HORES AREANA. ALSO, PRICING IN CA IS A BIT HIGHER THAN THE REST OF THE CONTRY, SO DON'T EXPECT TO GET THE SAME DEAL AS A GUY IN MICHIGAN. DEALERS BACK THERE GIVE TRACTORS AWAY. ....
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| JDDoug
Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 16 Merced, CA
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2005-04-04 109388
ALSO, ON THE OLD TRACTOR. SELL IT ON YOUR OWN. NO DEALER IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD TOUCH THAT THING FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH. SELL IT ON YOU OWN. YOU'LL GET MORE OUT OF IT. ....
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| paulsura
Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 2 San Martin, CA, Horse country south of San Jose
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2005-04-04 109403
Thanks for the recommendations. I stopped by Noble Tractor in San Jose over lunch and talked to the sales manager, Warren Nelson. He was upfront and stated I should put the Ferguson for sale in the paper or on eBay for at least $3000. I will likely run with that.
From the recommendations posted, I asked about the BX2230 of which they had 2 on their lot. He asked what I needed to do with it and quickly steered me away from the MMM as it would cost $1800-$2000 by itself. I asked for $ on a package of BX2230, FEL, 42" Bush Hog, and 42" box scraper. For that, he stated $13,500. Then Warren suggested I look at the B7510. He stated that the B7510 would be $15,000 with a FEL, 48" Bush Hog, and 48" box scraper.
Given my situation, is the BX2230 or the B7510 a better way to go? Since the MMM is the cost of a Deere L111, why would I not go get that or just a big walk behind mower for no more than 0.5 acre of finish mowing?
Again, thanks for the inputs!
....
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| jarndt
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 351 Northern Virginia
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2005-04-05 109436
I didn't catch the part about only having a 1/2 acre of finish mowing. You're right, a simple rider (or walk behind for that matter) would be a good alternative to the MMM and probably produce a better quality of cut, although a bit slower. The biggest advantages of the 7510 are ground clearance and a full Cat.1 hitch. Traction will be better with the larger tires and being slightly heavier, but engine power is almost the same. Try them both and see which one you like better. If the 7510 will fit into the spaces you need it to go and the extra cost isn't an issue, then I'd go that route. ....
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