Homesteading

Tractor advice!


I have a bit of land and it’s starting to get overgrown. I’m thinking about financing a compact tractor but don’t know too much about them.

The white one is a 2021 bobcat with mower and loader. $13K 100 hrs

The green is a 2018 John Deere 1023E with mower and loader. $14.5K 150+hrs

Should I go bigger? Are these too expensive? What should I consider?

I want to be able to do multiple jobs including mulching without having to hire expensive contractors since I have no machinery currently. I appreciate your advice!

by AskCeline

26 Comments

  1. Pristine-Dirt729

    Just want to put a different brand out there for your consideration. https://www.kubotausa.com/ Kubota is roughly comparable to John Deere, only without the repair bullshit.

    Idk what you need, and probably not the best to advise you on which to get, just wanted to put their name out there. John Deere annoys me.

  2. weaverlorelei

    Just IMHO, but I second the Kubota referral. We have had many brands, they mostly do the same thing. Now our decision making process goes along the lines of “which one can we work on the easiest”? JD and New Holland are a royal pain, full stop, end of statement.

  3. Healfarms

    TYM makes excellent tractors as well and if you have a dealer close by even better. However Kubota seems to be a favorite or many and they make excellent products and motors.

  4. 808CntrlAltDlt

    Jd is way over priced and the quality is terrible on the sub compact tractor lines. Kubota is $$ but it’s good. We love our bobcat tractor. Beautiful, finishes are nice and have had zero issues. Big consideration is bobcat has full dealerships with well established maintenance shops that will come out on site. They are use to servicing industrial customers on job sites. I don’t know of another brand that will do that. We also got 0% financing 0 down, 5 year warranty

  5. John Deere has zero% down and zero% interest on new models.

    Hard to beat that if cost is a factor. You’ll spend more it it’s less up front.

  6. Bobcat has a great service and parts network. They are made by Kioti with a few custom things. Friend has a Bobcat like that and likes it but wishes he got a bigger one. I have the bigger version and it works well for what I do. Kubota was my next thought. JD seems to have pricier repairs.

  7. waltbr549

    Go big and older. Diesel engines in tractors last an incredibly long time. Little tractors like that are more dangerous than they are usable.

  8. WompWompIt

    Bobcat or Kubota. I live in a very rural area and you rarely see a green tractor unless it’s an old one. Known for breaking often and being difficult to repair.

  9. I run a John Deere 1025r and have been nothing but happy with it. 270 hours maintaining our gravel driveway, mowing grass, tilling food plots, grading and moving dirt…with no issues. Bought with 0% financing a five years ago. Others experiences may vary, but I haven’t regretted getting it over other brands once.

  10. No_Experience8495

    Kubota is better. Parts are easy to find and cheap. Built good. Bobcat is ok. John deere wont let you buy parts.

    It depends on what youre using it for. Those tractors are smalllll and cant hold much weight in the loaders at all. But if you have a small yard, itll be super handy

  11. Unfair_Builder4967

    No one ever said “I wish I bought a smaller tractor”.

    Weight is the biggest thing to look at besides brand reliability and dealer support. If the tractor is too light you’ll spin tires before reaching full power. But you haven’t said anything about your land. How many acres do you need to mow? How often? Hills or flat? What other tasks do you need to do?

  12. forgeblast

    Join tractor by net .com great place to research companies.
    Bobcat has not had a lot of positive reviews there, long wait times for parts etc.

  13. GemsquaD42069

    I love my bobcat CT2025. Waited for the end of the year and got a great deal on a new unit.

  14. takeoff_power_set

    Have you considered an older diesel tractor?

    I got my Massey 135 for under 3500usd and it came with a snowblower and a front end loader. 45ish HP is more than enough for my 4 acres. Mine came with a nifty independent PTO and a rare “pressure control” option that gives it traction almost like a 4×4 tractor has.

    You can get old farmalls for a similar price. These machines are dead simple to work on and parts are cheap and plentiful because people are still using them 60+ years on. They just work. They are unquestionably built better than new machines, and most were designed with a mindset that they may need fixing at the farm, not a dealer.

    An older 40-55hp tractor will let you go wild with a bush hog and you’ll be less worried about hurting it by driving it through rough brush..just a thought.

    If you are going to get a new machine, go with Kubota.

  15. bartelby9

    I have a 30 acre ranch and trout farm in the mountains. A few years ago I went to look at a 1025 and came home with a 2038r and some attachments. I love it, it’s been a very capable machine and only very occasionally leaves me wanting more. The 1025 wouldn’t have been nearly enough.

    The financing deal is pretty sweet for first generation farmers like myself who don’t inherit any land or equipment.

  16. ImTryingGuysOk

    Is this just to mow? If so you could save some money and get a fast zero turn mower. We have almost five acres that’s hilly and we zoom through it on our mower, it’s actually kinda fun lol

  17. Scott_on_the_rox

    Tractors are like chicken coops and gun safes.
    Figure out what size you need, double it, then buy one a little bigger than that.

  18. EqualOrganization726

    I think you be surprised what you can accomplish with a 4 wheeler with a brush hog attachment…at a fraction of the price

  19. molyhoses11

    Yeah, but bobcat is definitely the coolest. I’d buy bobcat for that reason alone.

  20. Runningonfancy

    We started with a 70 HP older beast of a massey Ferguson. It has needed a few repairs over the years and the air doesn’t work, but it moves big things easily. I prefer our 30 HP Mahindra for bushogging our small pasture as it fits under branches and into corner easier.

  21. randimort

    The bobcat one with mower and loader would be good entry level start and excellent for $13k you may not need a loader but extremely handy to have for moving earth around soils and sand. Gravel etc. Bobcat very good brand reliable with kubota motor. 100 hrs is like new.

  22. I-am-a-river

    I love my Bobcat CT2035 but I don’t have a lot to compare it to.

  23. Total_Librarian1

    I would stay away from John deer because of the “right to repair” issues.

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