Learn me: Sub compact utility tractors

Anyone got much experience or input on small utility tractors? Ive been wanting one for a while. Dont really need it based on my property size of .68 acre, but it would certainly help me  get some stuff done since my back is pretty wrecked. Also when we move from here it will involve more property so it will be needed. And cause tractors are cool. 

My go to was a used kubota BX, but they generally go for almost new prices. 

Really liked the rural king RK 24 as it out-specs most in its class. But they dont move on prices apparently and the financing is pretty sucky at 6%(around 800 credit score, 6% seems silly).

the LS mt125 would fit nice as well. 

basically a 20-25 hp diesel with a front end loader and preferably a back hoe. The mid mount mower would be nice to have but its not necessary. 

Also ive never used or driven a loader or backhoe. 

I've rented a Kubota BX25d from HD and loved it. Very capable for a lot of jobs around our house, we spread 40 yards of topsoil the first day, dug about 300' of trench to bury some downspouts, and then my FIL used it for the remainder of the week digging a huge trench for a drain line.

I'd love to own one, but the cost is prohibitive. The good news is that once you buy one, they seem to hold their value. 

I think the HD rental rate is something like $1000 for the week, but I think the daily rate is $300 or so. Might make sense to rent one and see if it's what you're looking for.

If you are set on buying a brand new tractor, you can’t go wrong with Kubota. Although I haven’t heard anything bad about the LS tractors. The question is, will they be around in 10+ years when you need to find parts/service? I have an even larger fear about the RK tractors since they are relatively new and basically from a big box store. With Kubota you hopefully reduce that risk. 

Along those same lines, the tractors from orphaned brands (usually built in Japan) from 10-20 years ago or more can sometimes be a steal. There were Cub Cadet Yanmar tractors available in the early to mid 2000, they alway seem to be asking less (like $10k for 27 hp with loader and backhoe) than anything else from the same era or hours. 

Also, if you have to buy the backhoe (which I question you really need to), I’ve noticed they don’t hold there value like the only loader tractors. The used tractors with backhoes are usually are less than $2000 more (new they are about $5000 option) than one without it. I would consider used for a tractor with backhoe. Also, usually you can rent a mini excavator (which digs faster and deeper) for a few weeks for the $3000 or more you will lose on the backhoe. I would only get a backhoe if you are planning to use it all the time.

As another counter point, I have a ~40 year old Yanmar, that I bought for less than challenge money. It doesn’t have a loader, but a dirt scoop can move at least a couple wheel barrows worth of dirt faster than I can shovel. 

I have a Northern Tools Nortrac, which is a Chinese made Jinma, that I bought used about 8 years ago with under 200 hours for @$8k. It's about as orphaned as you can get and getting parts has never really been the issue, instead the issue is the downtime waiting for the parts. Case in point, last winter the water pump failed. New pump was on its way within the hour.  By the time the pump got here it was the classic standoff with UPS: they wouldn't deliver because of the snow in the driveway, I couldn't move the snow until they delivered. 

As a result of that and the amount of winter weather we had I just bought a new LS tractor with a cab; haven't even picked it up yet. Right now they are kinda the sweet spot for features vs. price, and the model I bought uses most of the same important parts as the LS tractors that my local New Holland dealer sold as Boomers and the local Case dealer sold as Farmalls. That gives me some piece of mind that I have 3 dealerships within 30 minutes that should be able to get my next water pump for example. 

One thing to look at on the off brand tractors is the technology being used.  My Jinma has a two stage clutch, the first part of the pedal disengages the wheels and the last part disengages the pto. That's better than my 40's Farmall H, but still a far cry from the real live pto that pretty much became standard in the 50s.

Just a thought. We came close to buying a subcompact Kubota with a mid mount mower but came to our senses. For what you want to do a full sized 40hp range older tractor will set you back less than half what a used subcompact is selling for.  An old Ford, Massey, IH etc can be had with all attachments for under $3000 if you’re patient. 

I have a 3025 LS and it's made by Mitsubishi on the same line as the New Holland. As a matter of fact they are identical

Mid Mount sounds neat , but gets in the way of things and since it's not a zero turn (which is what you really need for mowing) you will have to dig out the lawn mower after you are through using the tractor.

Kubota's are cheap.  Their blades & accessories are much thinner than the LS.  Big selling point on the LS is that it takes standard skid steer accessories.  That's also the weak point with JD.  You have to use special, expensive accessories.  I had a JD first.

If you are patient and can jump on a deal when you see one you might be able to find one relatively cheap.

Id agree with the advise that finding one with the proprietary implements you want up front if smarter than piecing it together on the back end.   

I bought a mid 2000s John Deere 2210 (comparable to their current 1 series) for about $3k IIRC that needed tires one rim and the deck had rusted out.  It came with a loader and box blade the guy never used but had sat outside for 10 years. It needed some love but is solid.  Just a nice used deck cost an additional $800 and John Deere is certainly proud of their parts when I was going through some of the hydraulics which aren't exactly standard fittings. If it didn't come with a loader it would have been another $2k or so for a used one. Comparable ones are in the $6k-$10k range depending on condition and it they have the loader or not. 

The quick release for the loader is nice, but realistically i cant see putting anything else on it outisde of forkilft legs and those would go on the bucket. If i have QR, cool, but not a deal breaker. 

I kinda feel like without the backhoe its not worth it. I really shouldnt be digging by hand. Id hate to buy a tractor and still have to dig and risk waking up my back injuries. 

Oljopelguy, did you get the bigger ls, not the mt1? 

I’ll probably read thres thread a bit more and realize i shouldnt buy one. 

I’ll give you a different take on my tractor experiences. I bought one and promptly sold it. 

We have 6 acres and when I found a smoking deal on a John Deere 4300(33hp) tractor. I figured we could use it and all of the included attachments to do just about anything that would come up around the property. It came with a full Curtis cabs/heater & fan, 420 front-end loader, 3-point weight box, 72" belly mower, 50" front mount snowblower, 503 rotary pull-behind mower, power beyond kit, JD yard cart and a pull behind seed spreader!!! Great deal right? Well, I thought so until I began to use it. 

Our property has an 800’ long driveway that curves down to the parking area in front of the house. In the winter, we do get some ice build-up down there due to grading. I soon found out that even in 4wd, it doesn’t move on even the slightest bit of ice. After spending $400 on chains, I was able to get it to go up the driveway a few times when spring finally arrived. As soon as the yard began to dry out, it was time to explore the lifting and digging abilities of my new toy. The first thing that I found on my unit is all of the functions of the bucket or backhoe went through a SCV(single control valve). I’ve run small construction equipment in the past with some decent success and just couldn’t figure out why running the JD was so slow. Turns out SVC only functions one single valve at a time hence “single control”. There is no driving up to a pile of dirt and plunging in, lifting up and curling in one smooth motion. It required 3 separate and SLOW motions. Not what I was used to and happy about the function. Same with the backhoe function, slow, jerky and generally inefficient.

Next issue was using the belly or PTO brush hog. I soon found out that the elevations in our back yard, angels/slopes are not at all friendly to a tall and narrow tractor. It’s a huge “pucker-factor” the first time you are on even a  5° slope! Not fun! I’m sure the smaller tractors don’t have this issue since they are considerably shorter.

So, the condensed version is that a tractor just did not do for me what I thought it would do. Luckily, I was able to quickly sell the entire package and even made a few $$$ in the transaction.

Fast forward and I ended up getting two new toys to replace the JD. First is a Husqvarna commercial zero-turn mower to take care of all the grass and scrub we have. A total of 2 acres +/- and it works flawlessly, is 4x’s quicker and I don’t feel like I’m going to die driving it around. Second is a John Deere 270 skidsteer. This has become my “go-to” machine for most of my property maintenance. It moves boulders, topsoil, gravel, modified, pallets of field stone, mulch, pulls stumps and of course digs. When I got it, there was only a smooth edge bucket included. Over the next year, I bought pallet forks, a stump bucket, a rock rake and a bolt-on tooth bucket edge. I don’t think that I can ever live without a skidsteer again. Luckily, a neighbor has a much smaller New Holland skidsteer as well as a backhoe attachment, so the few times I’ve needed to dig a ditch, I can go grab his attachment, throw it on my machine and get working.

We have 6 acres right now, but if we ever move, it will be to a property with more acreage and both of these machines will go with me. I will always own a skidsteer, it’s my choice for a yard machine.

My experience and .02¢

I have a grey market Yanmar thing. Means I bought it chep. 

But there are almost zero parts available for it. The 4wd feature is on its way out. I bought the last 2 spider gears the one remaining distributor had. When it goes, it goes, and then it's a 2wd tractor I rekkin. 

In reply to TJL :

I bought an LS XR3140hc, so bigger chassis, 40hp, hydrostatic transmission, with a cab. I was planning on 35hp, but with the hydrostatic apparently the power is down enough that there are a lot of complaints so it seemed worth the $800 difference.

I got a new LS MT125 dropped off yesterday. 

New toy, EXCELLENT!!!!!!!