Compact 4x4 tractor advice?

[rockrat]

I second that part about checking on support for what you might buy. My JD dealer is primo on work on my tractors (the few times I have needed it), but my Sister could hardly ever get her JD people to do squat and when they did, she was never happy with their work. Good used tractors are few and far between around here. I almost bought a Kubota with belly mower for my wife to use, but by the time I talked to her about it and got her to go with me to see it, it was gone.

[jmort]

My JD dealer is first rate
Makes sense to get the brand with the best service and support that is close to you

[WebMonkey]

b7600 hydro drive for ten years now.
bought it used along with a new kubota 3pt backhoe.

other than a little weak in the font loader department, i've been nothing but happy.

clamp on pallet forks are my most used implement.

[woody1]

IMO based on what you've said about what you need it to do, I don't think you need a 30 HP tractor. I certainly wouldn't think you'd need anything bigger than the JD you mentioned. You'd pro'bly do fine with something from there down to mebe even 24HP. Unless of course you get a screaming deal you can't pass up.

[Elkins45]

"The JD small tractors are rebadged Indian or Korean imports"

No, they are Yanmars or at the very least powered by Yanmar engines which are superb
I have a 2017 2032

"Assembled in the US from globally sourced components and sub-assemblies. Engine is obviously Yanmar, which is a great thing because they are bulletproof engines."

Hmmm...five years ago when I was tractor shopping a Deere salesman told me they were either Indian or Korean. Either they have changed since then or that guy didn’t know his product very well. I didn't bother to check out what he said because his quote for an equivalent JD tractor was $5K higher that the Kubota quote, so I knew I wasn’t going with a Deere.

I thought the Cub Cadets were the rebadged but otherwise complete Yanmar units, so if Deere is selling complete Yanmars and not just engines then it might be worth looking at a Case and doing a little comparison bargaining.

I agree that Yanmar makes a great engine, and support should be easy to find. I’m just glad I bought mine before all the computerized emissions controls were required.

[Handloader109]

For all the small tractors under about 50hp, they are all imports. None of them are made in the US.. JD, Case, Massey, all the of US manufacturers are imported Korean and Indian builds. The better have Yanmar engine. LS, TYM, MAHINDRA are all roughly the same. Kubota not really any different, just the largest importer in the US. Pick one, check as best you can the service and cross your fingers.

[Elkins45]

For all the small tractors under about 50hp, they are all imports. None of them are made in the US.. JD, Case, Massey, all the of US manufacturers are imported Korean and Indian builds. The better have Yanmar engine. LS, TYM, MAHINDRA are all roughly the same. Kubota not really any different, just the largest importer in the US. Pick one, check as best you can the service and cross your fingers.

WHERE they are imported from makes a difference to me. All else being equal I would prefer a Japanese product over a Korean or Indian one.

Kubota has a factory in Georgia, but I don’t know if they make compact tractors there.

[BD]

Part Of what I'm looking at is digging depth and reach on the backhoe. I'm in northern Maine, my footings and water lines are all 7' or deeper. The JD 8B will go 8'6" down and reach about 11'. To match, or better that, in a used Kubota I'd be looking at an L35. I see L35s around still working, and I'd love to own one, but they go for 25% more than the JD 870s for machines with twice the hours. I'm also a little leary of the basic strength of all of the newer machines, (most of the brands after 2004 or so), looking under them there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of structure down the length of the machine. Similar capacity backhoes seem to come with full length subframes that really limit the ground clearance of the whole rig. It seems to me that a subframe that only extends to the middle of the machine would allow you to get out of a hangup using the hoe. A subframe that extends all the way to the front axle seems like it could get a guy real hung up. I should also mention that while I have very little experience with small tractors, I have thousands of hours on skid steers, track loaders and large telehandlers, and hundreds of hours on bulldozers and excavators. When I look at compact tractors, all of it looks a little delicate.

[MyFlatline]

Sounds like you need bigger than compact then. That or consider renting a mini ex for the big dig and use the compact for everything else...I know that don't make sense but ya gotta look at the financial options also..
Best of luck which ever way you go, sure is fun to run good equipment. I wish I could justify a little dozer just
because, lots of hours on em..

[BD]

This is something for me to mess around with in my retirement years. if I need to dig a foundation, I'll borrow a 200 for a day or two. I just want something to do all those little jobs and "tune ups" that didn't really become apparent until I'd lived with the major work for a year or two. I need to be able to go outside and get something done, even if it's not much, it might be enough that I won't get sucked inside the house "redecorating".

[Ateam]

I have a kubota L2900, awesome machine. Changed the bucket to quick attach a few years ago, and it wears forks most of the time now. Mainly moves logs, and unloads steel at the shop.

I looked into running a log splitter of the hydraulics, and on my bota at least, the gpm was way too slow. It would take forever to split any amount of wood.

Father in law has a Newholland of comparable power, and it is a gutless piece of garbage, wont do half the work the bota will, especially like climbing a hill and mowing simultaneously.

[BD]

I bought the JD 870. 980 hrs on the clock, everything works as it should, no leaks, no smoke. It's not new by any means but it's been well kept up, and it's been kept painted, and the rear tires are new. I paid 1,000 less than asking as he never used the 3 pt and didn't have all the 3 pt links. I'm happy with it so far. My only issue is that the backhoe controls are opposite to everything I've ever run, and there's no switch under the seat to swap them to Cat. But on the plus side, there's no computer either. Now to find a good 60" tiller.

[starmac]

I am curious, when they standardized the backhoe controls excavators went to cat controls and rubber tired hoes went to john deere patterns, are you used to tracked cat controls or rubber tired?

[BD]

At this point I'm used to CAT, I don't think I've had a rubber tired hoe on a job since the '80's. I haven't spent much time at work on equipment in the last 10 years, but it's been 30 years since I've been on anything with JD controls. Feels a little awkward, but I'll get used to it. A lot less pump flow than an excavator as well. Using the dipper stick and boom simultaneously really slows it down. Even curling the bucket slows the boom down a little.

[Three44s]

The strap on backhoes on any tractor is questionable, but on a small tractor I would think they on a par with a pooper scooper.

I would buy/rent a real machine for your real work and then buy the “pooper scooper” to dress up the edges.

Best regards

Three44s

[jmort]

You want a frame mounted backhoe
Not a 3 Point mounted hoe
That is a fine looking tractor you got there

[BD]

It's a sub frame 8b hoe. I'll need to be a little gentle with it as I watched one break it's own dipper stick cylinder on a 1050 back in 1995 when the guy on it worked the dipper against the boom trying to wiggle loose a stump from under the edge of a building. To get a hoe that will reach that deep these days you'd need a 35-40 HP tractor. A 790, (1990-1999) has more engine HP but less PTO HP, and less hydraulic pressure and flow. Seems like the new stuff gives up a lot to hydrostatic drive.

[Elkins45]

I know there are 100 good reasons to go with a hydro, but I went gear (shuttle shift) with no regrets. If I were just doing loader work I might have considered hydro, but I want every available ounce of power going to the PTO when I’m tilling or mowing.

[lightman]

Thats a nice looking tractor! Its always an adjustment to get off of a large machine and onto a compact one. I have to constantly remind myself that its faster than doing the work by hand.

[Maineboy]

I bought the JD 870. 980 hrs on the clock, everything works as it should, no leaks, no smoke. It's not new by any means but it's been well kept up, and it's been kept painted, and the rear tires are new. I paid 1,000 less than asking as he never used the 3 pt and didn't have all the 3 pt links. I'm happy with it so far. My only issue is that the backhoe controls are opposite to everything I've ever run, and there's no switch under the seat to swap them to Cat. But on the plus side, there's no computer either. Now to find a good 60" tiller.

BD, no snow at Moosehead this year? Nice tractor for sure. I'm starting to look around for one mainly for snow removal and bush hogging