Compact tractors

[doobin]

As you mainly want to lift, it's no contest, get a loader. Tractor loaders are just a total pain, and unless your work was more like 75% field work and 25% loader duties, I wouldn't even consider a compact tractor for garden tree work, especially one that kind of size. Turning circles are rubbish too.

 

That said, I don't buy all the arguments for running a variety of attachments that could go behind a tractor on a loader either. Double the price for each attachement, and all the losses of hydraulic drive rather than straight PTO. There's even flail collectors for loaders- a total gimmick and incredibly overpriced.

 

Buy the loader first, then use the profits to get yourself a nice hydrostatic compact tractor. Or, you could always get yourself a cheap International or something to run a processor and help out with the odd fieldwork job.

Edited January 20, 2022 by doobin

[Baldbloke]

I bought a small 20/25 ish secondhand horsepower 4WD Shibaura tractor for our small holding. It came with a topper and a plough, and I bought a hole boring auger thinking it could be useful. However, the front wheels chewed up the ground, the lack of power steering was a pain, and I rarely used it, or its implements. Sold it a couple of years ago. Instead it’s my digger that’s the daily go to for digging in fence strainers, pulling the trailer around the place, dragging trunks up a dragline or for easing awkward trees over. Much more versatile except not much cop for road use.

 

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

Thanks Dan - are you talking about Stuart’s 26hp solis? 
 
im personally looking at something a bit bigger , new Holland boomer 55 will lift 900kg load so loading trailers etc no problem.
 
but if I could get away with a smaller machine I’d be all ears 

Yes, probably - don't know exactly the capacity of the Solis but when I worked on a tomato nursery as a teenager they had a little compact Yanmar. That could lift basically until the front wheels got light on the ground, you obviously have a lot more capacity on any tractor putting the weight down through the rear wheels than on the front through the steering.

[spuddog0507]

12 hours ago, Liam54 said:

good evening all. 
 

i am looking at buying a machine to make life easier for my business which is typically domestic tree removal , and firewood. 
 

Right now the machine winning the race is a compact tractor (boomer 55). I’ve thought of avant, ditch witch etc, but the reason I like the idea of the compact tractor is that I can get it road registered, will drive it to local jobs to assist with work where it can (Most of my work is in a small village ) , the boomer is compact enough for my yard, wouldn’t need a second vehicle and trailer unlike with an avant/ditch witch, however it is only 2ton so could be towed to a job further away should I need that. 
 

what I’m posting this up for is to hear of anyone else running a similar tractor and to hear any negatives / reasons to reconsider a avant/ditch witch/ multione etc… 

i also hope that whatever it is I end up buying will increase the services I offer. 
 

lastly I am aware that a compact tractor won’t fit through a domestic gate, but neither will an avant upwards of the 420 which I wouldn’t want anyway as I’d prefer a larger model. I’m aware the tractor won’t be able to be used for every job. 
 

thanks all 

 

Liam 

 

I have read the above posts and get what you want as u went through this about 10/12yrs ago and to be honest it was a nightmare making the decision, I looked at new Siromer, Shire and Kioto tractors and i could see faults with all of them with regards to working with timber, I did my homework and came up with a few problems regarding the spare parts avilabilaty, some quoted 4-6 wks for the likes of a starter motor or hydraulic pump and that aint no good to any one, the spares is a massive problem with the Asian built tractors as compared to the Japanese built tractors that have been here in the UK since the 70s, 

Asian v Japanese I have worked with the Japanese tractors since the early 80s and i cant remember any thing really going wrong with them that could not be fixed in a hour or 2, one company i did a bit of subbying to had a fleet of about 20 compact tractors most where Kubota with a few Yanmars and Isekis, most of them had either deck mowers on or flails on them along with many other implements for grounds care, the company in question got a good deal on 5 Ford 1920s ok at the time a very nice tractor and good to drive but unfortunatly they didnt have them for that long and moved them on, 

When i was looking i narrowed it down to 2 Kubota and Iseki as Yanmar didnt do one that suited our needs, in the end i made my mind up and plumbed for a Kubota, several reasons for this 1, was the time i spent driving one back in the 80s with no issues and it was not nursed at all, 2, Kubota have stood the test of time and are known for there reliabiaty and being robust, 3, full UK net work of dealers and a good parts back up, 

 In the end i went and bought a Kubota L3250 40hp 4WD  it came off a golf course with about 2500 hrs so it had not worked hard at all, i have had it 10/12 years now and its been used and abused but has been trouble free and now has 5500 hrs on it, It starts first flick of the key in all weathers no matter how cold it is, we work it in forestry work which is about the hardest enviroment to put machinery in to but it has stood up to it well, we run a forwarding trailer behind it and a 4.2 tonne winch on it, it is cheap to run and might use about 4/5 gallon of diesel doing a 12hr shift extracting timber, and so far there has been no issues at all with it,

So my advise to you would be think very careful about what you buy and dont listen to the bull the salesman is telling you as you have to remember he will be getting a cut out of what he sells you!! Resale value is another thing to think off as well, a tractor is a very versatile piece of machinery that you can add many implaments do and broaden your work scope, one guy i know does tree work all winter and a lot of grass cutting during the summer months with 2 kubota,s,  and the best thing i can say is you need to remember is, buy cheap buy twice as i am sure the Siromer i looked at was nice, new and shinny but i am sure it would of not been with us know !!,

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by spuddog0507
spelling

[william127]

6 hours ago, doobin said:

As you mainly want to lift, it's no contest, get a loader. Tractor loaders are just a total pain, and unless your work was more like 75% field work and 25% loader duties, I wouldn't even consider a compact tractor for garden tree work, especially one that kind of size. Turning circles are rubbish too.

 

That said, I don't buy all the arguments for running a variety of attachments that could go behind a tractor on a loader either. Double the price for each attachement, and all the losses of hydraulic drive rather than straight PTO. There's even flail collectors for loaders- a total gimmick and incredibly overpriced.

 

Buy the loader first, then use the profits to get yourself a nice hydrostatic compact tractor. Or, you could always get yourself a cheap International or something to run a processor and help out with the odd fieldwork job.

That's what I'd do, the best loader you can afford for site work, cheap old tractor for logs and fields👍 

If you buy a cheap old tractor for your own use you'll struggle to loose money on it if you needed to sell/upgrade in a year or so.  The money you spend buying it you'd probably save from being able to buy cheap used implements,  rather than new, expensive, machine specific loader attachments....

[gmgm]

I have a near-40hp Kubota, and while it will happily lift a full IBC 8ft up with the loader, it's scary as can be even on a hard flat surface.  Even with a very heavy counter-weight, small tractors simply aren't as stable as loaders (hint: the front axle tilts).  Nor is it a practical option for driving any distance on the road.  Also, the Boomer 55 loader is very long, which will be tricky in woodland or turning anywhere.

 

If you're using a loader most of the time, get a loader.  (Maybe also look at one of the older smaller JCB 2CX?).   Then get a little 20hp tractor for pulling things.

[difflock]

Having used an Avant 640, and failing to buy a lovely wee Kubota swivel-steer loader.

 I bought the 50HP Kioti, 2nd hand, complete with factory fitted Kioti loader which will lift a full grab of blocks.

Which is a fair comprismise, even when used, as I do, as a dedicated loader, but then with the hydraulic linkbox on the back I can "fill both ends" before transporting, say 1" graded for the lane. I intend to buy 3pt mounted forklift toes for the same double ended transport solution, with forks also on the loader.

The Kioti has a very tight turning circle which helps. But shitty hard bastard industrial crossply tyres.

However a Multione/Avant/Giant would eat the arse of it for solely handling stuff.