The perfect car for you is....
That's why there is no single perfect tractor. Some folks love a two
stage foot clutch, some love having a hand operated pto clutch. Neither
is wrong.
I don't know what you're thinking about price wise, or what your bent
is with regards to equipment.
You could successfully work your place with an ancient 8N tractor. I
know lots of folks who do. Wouldn't recommend it though. Lack of live
hydraulics and live pto make old tractors quite obnoxious. You also
can't lock the differential and the old machines don't have 4wd or power
steering. That stinks also.
Power is often overrated, and people tend to buy far more then they
need.
A 5' brush/bush hog can be very well driven with a sub-30 hp tractor.
Sure, you can use a bigger tractor to power it, but you're basically
wasting fuel. A 100 hp tractor can also spin an 18' batwing mower.
That big batwing is nifty, but costs a fortune and you can't maneuver it
worth a darn.
You mention wanting to move round bales around during the winter. In
that case, I'd recommend you at least consider 4wd, a front end loader,
and power steering. Yes, you can move a round bale with a 3 point
hitch, but it stinks when compared to a front end loader with a spike.
If you've ever operated a front end loader tractor without power
steering, you'll never want to do that again.
Consider carefully the availability of parts and service in your area.
A Long tractor may well be cheap, but if the nearest parts dealer that
carries that manufacturer is 300 miles away, that's not so neat. That's
the biggest single problem with many of the Chinese tractors, they are
good machines, but parts are a disaster.
Be aware that companies like Kubota make a truly dandy machine, but
they handle parts inventory like an automobile manufacturer. After
about 8 years, good luck at getting them. Companies like Deere, Case,
Ford and such carry parts from well over half a century ago.
Tricycle: These are the three wheelers, also called row croppers.
They are unstable and prone to tipping.
Utility: 4 wheels like a car, low slung. Your general purpose
tractor. Far more stable, can have occasional clearance problems,
especially working crops like corn.
PTO: Power take off. You want this to be live. As in powered
directly by the engine. Older tractors had them driven via the
transmission, meaning you press in the clutch and the pto stops.
Anything built in the last 20 years will have a live PTO.
3 point hitch: You want this. It's the #1 impalement attachment
method. Really old tractors have different designs, making equipment
mounting very difficult. They come in various sizes. Category I is the
basic. Category II is for big equipment (60 hp and up as I recall),
category III is huge. About 95% of the equipment sold is category I.
There is a category 0 which is for lawn tractor toys with a tiny 3 point
hitch.
ROPS: Roll over protection system. Not worth a darn if you refuse to
wear the seat belt. #1 safety impalement on tractors for years now.
But, they screw you up for snaking under things. Orchard tractors often
have them removed so they can get under the trees.
Tires: Turf vs field. Field tires are the classic tractor tire you
see with the paddle wheel tread. Turf tires are what is on a riding
mower. Turf tires are great for lawn mowing and such. You don't
compact the soil much and don't leave ruts. Turf tires don't have the
traction of a field tire. A field tire will leave ruts in the lawn
though, and tears the sod apart when they slip. If you plow, you need
field tires, if you just mow, turf tires would be better.
Diesel vs gas: Diesel is harder to start on a cold winter morning.
Diesel also has interesting quirks and problems with algae growing in
the fuel and such. However, diesel is the hands down winner when it
comes to making grunting noises. A gasoline engine is zippier, but will
never keep up with a diesel when it comes to plowing and such.
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