We’re In Search of a Tractor π
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Hey folks. As a few of you may know already, We're In Search of a Tractor. We did put the call out on social media last week & had a great response, Thanks Folks.
Please check out the channels, videos & sites mentioned in the video below to learn more about the tractor we're thinking of buying.
Hope you are all having a fantastic week.
Rob, B & Jack. πΎπΎ
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Don’t forget to check out the tractor video links in the description.
Cheers all & have a top one.
Yeah I can see that you guys had some setbacks. I hope that with time everything works out the right way for you both. And I also hope that you can make a nice deal with the dealership. Older tractors are nice if you have a complete workshop with all the tools and when you have some mechanical experience and when you like tinkering on machines. When you need to get a job done a new machine is much more reliable. And it will most likely have AC and other features that makes the tractor much more practical in use.
A number of folks have warned us against older tractors unless we can find a gem. We have one in mind where the owner would gladly help us out with knowledge & parts after we buy it but it’s a bit small for all the jobs we need a tractor for.
Cheers mate. ππ
@@RobsAquaponics I hope that you find the one that fits your purpose. By the way, I made a big upgrade on my aquaponics system. My upgrades are not fully done yet, but now it looks like a true gem. Yesterday I uploaded a video. Hopefully it will inspire other people.
I wouldn’t risk one cent buying a new cheap Chinese tractor from a company that is only 6 years old. Spend a few extra dollars and go for a Korean or Japanese brand that has a been around decades, offers a few years warranty and who has parts available.
Time is an issue for us & the council inspection is in just over 4 weeks time & I don’t feel like robbing a bank.π We have looked at other brands & buying new & just can’t afford it. Have mates that swear by both mahindra & kubota & would happily buy either is we had the time to save for them.
Normally we would save up but we just don’t have that option as the council will be inspecting our place in around a months time.
I’ve asked a few folks that have owned them & all have been happy. A few have had small issues but they were all taken care of with no hassle by UHI.
Our tractor had the option for a backhoe with the bucket. Our biggest mistake was not getting the backhoe in the beginning.
B has suggested that we buy one that has a backhoe. I’m thinking it will be useful as we’re not to sure what the old owners have done with the power & irrigation lines. We might have to re do them to fit in with our plans.
yeah, you definitely want a front end loader, if it were me, I’d make sure it’s a skidd steer quick tach on the bucket, makes it easer to swap out pallet forks or hay spear etc. If you can, get the loader with a 3rd function, makes it easer to get a grapple in the future, rear remotes on the hydraulics help too. For the rear 3 point, try to get extendable links on the lower arms, makes swapping between brush hog, box blade or other 3point so much easier. Granted, all that costs money, but if you’re having to finance, it shouldn’t balloon the cost too much over the course of the note . So, looking at your place, 45 or 55 HP would be the smallest I’d go based on the size of your land. Good luck, and be safe.
Another thing to think about for your grass is a weed torch. burn it out. It would take time, and you’d have to be careful to make sure not to start a fire.
just to add my 2 cents, if you’re buying used from a person you take what they have, but if you’re having to finance, adding options like 3rd function, ear remotes and extendable links should only raise your note a few bucks over the life of the loan.
My suggestions:
If youβre going to be using the bucket with any kind of weight, you need 4 wheel drive. As soon as you load up the front end with more than a few hundred kilos the rear tires lose almost all traction.
Also, get a bigger tractor than you think you need. Itβs a βbuy once, cry onceβ situation.
“Also, get a bigger tractor than you think you need.”
That’s a lesson I learned young from my dad. π
4WD would be great but if we only end up with a cheap 2WD we’ll just be using it for slashing & post hole digging then save up for a tractor with a bucket.
Cheers Dave.
I feel the unexpected expense, in my case it was a loss of my income stream that was helping me tick off my to do/buy list
Yep, there’s always something Jennifer. If YT & google didn’t change their algorithms last year we would be in a much better place.
π€ we’ll both get what we need in a timely fashion.
I got a Massey 1835M a couple of years ago with bucket and backhoe. A bucket is a must, backhoe sure is nice. You don’t realize how handy it is. π It took a long time to save up to get it! π°
We’re good at the saving part generally (well, until we bought a farm). We have just over a months (I think) to get the weed issue sorted or the council will come in do the work then charge us. I’m sure well find something suitable & get it sorted.
Cheers Rob.
We have a Landini 5860 with a 4-way bucket. It was never maintained but works OK. Once it dies I will be getting a UHI.
Have you had a look at a UHI Mini? Would like to get as many opinions as possible. π
Cheers mate.
@RobsAquaponicsΒ I’ve seen them, and they are cheap. They will not last as long as a tractor three times the price, and if you use it hard, it will break before the more established brands. I would make sure it’s kept under cover, they rust very easily, and always check every nut and bolt before first use, and keep it very well maintained.
For my use case, it’s worth the fragility as I won’t be using it roughly. They seem to honour warranty, so if after 3 years I’m not happy, I’ll sell it and cut my loses.
I think it’s worth a go. They are very cheap. But what’s the alternative? Buy some one else’s old tractor which you don’t know the history. At least the new one is warranted.
As a side note, have a look on greys auctions. There are some ok deals,there.
Tarp the red things. Makes great for composting.
Yep. We do the same to road kill we’ve found outside our house in Ipswich. π
I found a mentor on aquaponics on Facebook. His plants are enormous, and heβs super charging them for sure. He is a firm believer in a special blend of sand blasting sand as media, a flooded bed, and a 30 minute timer, on and off with water from a swirl or radial flow filter. Rob, if you would have seen the pictures I sawβ¦. Itβs worth looking for information about the concept. I was instructed to get rid of my hundreds and hundreds of dollars of hydroten, which Iβll do. Iβm a believer, now for sure.
Their name is????
That would be iAVS & I’m familiar with it. I also know folks that have had issues with it. What’s this chaps name so I can suss it out?
Try Bundaberg Auctions for your tractor Rob.
Thanks MeNoName. They’re already on our list. ππ
All of my family members have heavy tractors. They purchased theirs from equipment rental places. It’s a great way to find semi older models that have had their maintenance routinely done, and generally rental places only purchase brands that are reliable and easily source parts from.
That being said, Quick attach with skid-steer is massive, you can get rock buckets, diggers, stump busters, pallet forks, or basically any skid-steer attachment for relatively cheep either new or second hand! However, most Skid-steer hydraulic attachments will not be compatible due to flow rates.
If you’re comfortable doing all your tractor maintenance and repairs on site, great. Otherwise, make sure you have a way to move it around. I’m the only one in my family which can actually move their tractor off their property without hiring someone for the day or paying hundreds of dollars extra to have someone come out if something major goes wrong.
Good luck with the tractor. If it was 6 years ago, and you were in SA, we were selling my Opa’s one. Can’t remember the brand, but had bucket, scoop, grader/ shredder, etc. He tried to teach me to drive on it eons ago. A bit hard when it’s up a VERY steep hill. π
Have you looked into fox/ wild dog baiting options? Not too sure how safe they’d be around Jack though. Most local governments and councils have info, and sometimes freebies, for that sort of thing. We have foxes in our area, but thankfully only ever had one in the yard (touch wood) in the 20 years we’ve been here. But our large yard on the edge of suburbia surrounded by farmland is now a large yard surrounded by new build ticky tacky houses, so more trouble with irresponsible people’s cats than foxes these days. Cat laws and curfew totally ignored. π All the best – Janis the craftily recycler.πβ€
See about getting a person with a caterpillar D9 for hire
$75 an acre + transport has been the cheapest quote we have. That works out to be around $3-3Β½K which would buy us a cheap 2nd hand or be a decent deposit on a new one. I just got into Bissy so will be looking at a few places tomorrow.
G’Day Rob, I hope that you have no more incidents with the foxes. Good luck on finding a tractor π
Same here Garry. Need to work out a better system for night time shooting. as the setup we have isn’t working too well.
Cheers & have a top one mate.
If you go and buy a cheap spanner to do a job, you will buy a cheap spanner every time you need to do a job. I work for a company with nearly 100 tractors. It’s the shitty old ones that cost the most money. I understand money constraints and whatever else, but your farm will live and die by the quality of your equipment. It will be cheaper in the long run to pay someone to slash your property while you save up for a proper piece of kit.
Yep, generally we buy the quality but at the moment the tractor is a must as we don’t have the finances or time. We have spoken to a few that have said theirs UHI have worked perfectly for them but have also read some reviews of unsatisfied folks.
The bottom line is that council inspection is in just over 4 weeks time.
The cost of getting a contractor to do the work is more than we have seen some cheap 2nd hand tractors go for. At $100 an acre we’re looking at $4K. Did get a quote for $75 but that didn’t included transport from about an hour away.
Cheers mate
π€π
Poor old chook chook. Saw the short she had more luck than our old chook. Hope you can get a good deal on the tractor.
sorry no help but recommend a used Ford 8N….manageable size and bullet proof.