Small Tractors

[Pond Life]

I know this topic has been covered a bit before, but I cant find the info im looking for.

Im interested in a small tractor that can take a front loader, mower & tiller.

Kubota seem to have what Im looking for in the 24-30 HP range, but Siam Kubota's site seems to have all the Thailand information in Thai.

Does anyone know if theres a Kubota dealer in Chiang Mai or can someone that can read Thai get the address from the Siam Kubota website for me.

Alternatively any info on other new or used tractor dealers in Chiang Mai area would be appreciated.

Thanks

[pallasaide]

Why Chang Mai?

You are likely to save yourself somewhere around B30 000 - B40 000 buying in Bangkok.

The centre for small and medium tractor dealing in Thailand is the main road leading out of Bangkok going up to the North East. Starting about 1mile after the end of the raised freeway going past the old airport, for about 10 miles all the way to the Carlsberg factory on the right hand side of the road, is tractor dealer after tractor, some with as many as 50-100 examples of 2nd hand imported Kubota and Iseki tractors. Many of them with plumbed hydraulics and front end buckets on them, and it is roto-tiller heaven.

However, in Chang Mai you can contact:

Metro Machinary 053-210233 or 053-260629 or 053-260628

You may also wish to consider Yanmar in Kon Kaen 043-245179

For Tim

D.V.

[Pond Life]

Well, I was thinking surely not everyone goes all the way to BKK to buy their tractors, but I guess if the saving is 30-40 k then its worth it !

Would be nice to get a look at some in CNX while I think about it tho' (much closer to home) , so thanks for the info DV & Tim.

Random Chances, could you pin this info in the farm machinery link. Thanks.

[RamdomChances]

Random Chances, could you pin this info in the farm machinery link. Thanks.

Done mate

[Pond Life]

Ta

[macb]

I am considering getting hold of a 2nd hand Ford 6610?

If I bought a new Kubota what size should I buy Around my village are they are using the small one think its 3310 something like that but and good in the wet season?

[RamdomChances]

I am considering getting hold of a 2nd hand Ford 6610?

If I bought a new Kubota what size should I buy Around my village are they are using the small one think its 3310 something like that but and good in the wet season?

I all really depends on what you want to use the tractor for. For serious ploughing you would need a ford or simular large tractor, if you just want a general "workhorse", pulling a trailer, cutter, spraying then a small one will do. Are you going to contract the tractor out ? I estimated that I would need at least 100 rai to make getting a large tractor worthwhile, less than that and it's cheaper just to rent one in for the heavy work.

Give us some idea of what you intend to grrw and use it for and we could give you a better idea. I do think if buying a small tractor then its worth the extra for 4wd, mine tends to get bogged down in wet season.

[Pond Life]

What RC says makes sence to me.

From Siam Kubota I think the price of a new L2808 4WD (28hp) is 343,000 B, but as I cant read Thai I might have the wrong end of the stick.

Can anyone give me an idea of what the same or similar second hand (from Japan, not local) in good condition go for ?

[RamdomChances]

Can anyone give me an idea of what the same or similar second hand (from Japan, not local) in good condition go for ?

I think I paid about 130,000 for mine 24?? (24 hp) with a front bucket (referbished) , just sold it for 100,000 5 years later after a very hard life I'd go for second hand if I was you they are'nt expensive to fix and labour is cheap

[macb]

RC:

Thanks mate;

Well the wife and I have got 13 Rai at the moment and mama papa have got 25 Rai, hope to purchase more this year:

At the moment its just growing rice once a year I did buy the sister-in-law a new tractor/cultivator and this year we used them to plough the fields, I keep running ideas through my head on what else to do, A second hand Ford seems good idea, maybe I am playing at being a small holder I dont know mis-spent-youth.

[RamdomChances]

At the moment its just growing rice once a year I did buy the sister-in-law a new tractor/cultivator and this year we used them to plough the fields, I keep running ideas through my head on what else to do, A second hand Ford seems good idea, maybe I am playing at being a small holder I dont know mis-spent-youth.

I've never seen anyone use a ford for rice, although we don't really grow it around here, I would of thought it's probaly a bit big for your needs unless you intend to hire it out. Mabye one of our "rice experts" could throw a bit more light on the subject

[Pond Life]

Im definatly leaning toward small second hand, my land doesnt justify 340k B.

RC where did you buy yours ?

Does anyone have any experience with mowers on these small tractors, would you recomend centre mount or rear mount, im not looking for a bowling green finish, just the same as I get with a weed wacker.

Grass is under mango tree's.

Would either of these mowers leave the grass in a fit state for use as hay or will they just shred it ?

A Ford sounds a bit big for rice fields, but I guess that depends on the size of your fields, in my area theyre barely big enough for a walk behind to turn around.

[RamdomChances]

There's a big dealer in my closest town, I think they have gone up a bit since then, but theres deallers all over the place, they import them from Japan (I think) re-furbish them and sell them on

[macb]

Im definatly leaning toward small second hand, my land doesnt justify 340k B.

RC where did you buy yours ?

Does anyone have any experience with mowers on these small tractors, would you recomend centre mount or rear mount, im not looking for a bowling green finish, just the same as I get with a weed wacker.

Grass is under mango tree's.

Would either of these mowers leave the grass in a fit state for use as hay or will they just shred it ?

A Ford sounds a bit big for rice fields, but I guess that depends on the size of your fields, in my area theyre barely big enough for a walk behind to turn around.

I've got a 4 Stroke Strimmer which I use to keep the grass short and also use it to keep the grass short round the trees we got about 60 of different varieties; But during the dry season as now I dont cut the grass round the trees much because the grass keeps the fill cool round the base of the trees (Is this what you call a weed Whacker)

[macb]

At the moment its just growing rice once a year I did buy the sister-in-law a new tractor/cultivator and this year we used them to plough the fields, I keep running ideas through my head on what else to do, A second hand Ford seems good idea, maybe I am playing at being a small holder I dont know mis-spent-youth.

I've never seen anyone use a ford for rice, although we don't really grow it around here, I would of thought it's probaly a bit big for your needs unless you intend to hire it out. Mabye one of our "rice experts" could throw a bit more light on the subject

THere seems to be a lot of these Fords around here all second hand and used by Thai's, they use them for level fill and rebuilding the banks round your fields to hold the water during growing season also used for levelling fill i.e ready for new houses to be built on, having said that there are a few Kubotas appearing on the scene now

[chownah]

I think the last 6610 was made over 20 years ago so there are no new ones anywhere.

Chownah

[RamdomChances]

THere seems to be a lot of these Fords around here all second hand and used by Thai's, they use them for level fill and rebuilding the banks round your fields to hold the water during growing season also used for levelling fill i.e ready for new houses to be built on, having said that there are a few Kubotas appearing on the scene now

Yep if you want to do that sort of work then the ford is ideal, you'd have to be doing a lot of work with it to make it worthwhile though. Chownah is right you can't get new ones anymore they arew all re-conditioned/re-ferbished or just second hand

Here a link to a company thet sell them with some info and spec's

Mit Alai Tractor Co., Ltd

[pnustedt]

I bought the Kubota M5000 at the end of last year and have been pleased with it. It is quite manouverable around the rice fields near Sisaket but has enough power to plough in difficult conditions quite effortlessly and we made about 30,000 bales with it in December with no problems.

We looked at the Ford (now called New Holland) and John Deere machines but they are 2WD and pretty ancient technology, I recall that the Kubota also won on price.

The smaller tractors are harder work, we use ours for contract farming so they would not be suitable, but I understand the Kubota and Yanhmar machines are the best. If you want to save money there are the Thai and Chinese made machines but their quality seems a bit suspect.

[macb]

THere seems to be a lot of these Fords around here all second hand and used by Thai's, they use them for level fill and rebuilding the banks round your fields to hold the water during growing season also used for levelling fill i.e ready for new houses to be built on, having said that there are a few Kubotas appearing on the scene now

Yep if you want to do that sort of work then the ford is ideal, you'd have to be doing a lot of work with it to make it worthwhile though. Chownah is right you can't get new ones anymore they arew all re-conditioned/re-ferbished or just second hand

Here a link to a company thet sell them with some info and spec's

Mit Alai Tractor Co., Ltd

Got that RC thanks will have a look

[lannarebirth]

I've got a Kubota L2602DT. It's a nice tractor (about 31hp) but it's a little light and I'd like better traction. Does anyone know where in Thailand, I can get a tire valve adaptor for filling the tires up with water? It's something like this:

http://www.gemplers.com/tiressupplies/liqu...llast/AQF1.html

[Pond Life]

What a simple idea, why didnt I think of that ?

Is your Kubota 4WD ?

I forget who was asking about what a weed whacker is, yes its the same as you call a strimmer but I'd use that to describe the dinky electric Black & Decker things that spin a bit of plastic string around.

The rip snorting, petrol driven, spin a big sharp plate of metal chop your leg off type of thing, I call a weed whacker,Thai name krue-ung Tud Yaa.

So has no one got a grass cutting attachment or mower for their tractor ?

[Gary A]

I'd be VERY afraid to buy a second hand Ford here. I never had much respect for Ford tractors in the US but after seeing the abuse they take here, I have developed a healthy respect for them. I have never seen machinery abused the way those tractors are treated here in Thailand. On the other hand a small second hand Kubota or Yanmar may be OK because they are too light to take out tree stumps.

[lannarebirth]

What a simple idea, why didnt I think of that ?

Is your Kubota 4WD ?

I forget who was asking about what a weed whacker is, yes its the same as you call a strimmer but I'd use that to describe the dinky electric Black & Decker things that spin a bit of plastic string around.

The rip snorting, petrol driven, spin a big sharp plate of metal chop your leg off type of thing, I call a weed whacker,Thai name krue-ung Tud Yaa.

So has no one got a grass cutting attachment or mower for their tractor ?

Yes, it's a 4WD and looks like the attached picture (though not nearly so pristine). Yes, I have a brushcutter/blade/disc that I use with it. Mainly for unruly brush and road making. I'd get a different implement if cutting for lawn/grass, as mine mostly knocks down and shreds.

Kubota_L2602DT_M.bmp

[pallasaide]

The Ford 6610 and 7610 have proved themselves to be solid, relaible and economical tractors. The fact that they take so much abuse and generally are not well maintained in Thailand but keep going, proves the point.

The argument for them in Thailand (and for that matter any of the old blue fords so common in Thailand) is a number of reasons.

Most of the parts are interchanagable, what fits on a 6XXX wil fit on a 7XXX

They are simple mechanics to work on, no complicated electronics.

Spare parts avaliability is excellent in Thailand and there is absolutely nothing you can't get a replacement for in 24hrs.

They can be turbo charged up to around 200hp giving a torque rise of as much as 200%, and retain mechanical reliability.

The rear diff or gearbox are so over engineered that that the same design was used right up to and throughout the production of the Series II.

They are still in production in Brazil.

Just one problem: if you do buy a 4 wheel drive (and do if you can afford to, they offer so much more pulling power for draght work), try your best to get one with a Carraro front axle and not a ZF front axle. Other than that, there is nothing wrong in buying a 6XXX or 7XXX. And even if you buy cheap, all the parts to put it into an almost as good as new mechanical condition in Thailand are avalible off the shelf.

It is an excellent choice for any average sized Thai farm, just ask 10 000 Thai farmers.

I'd be VERY afraid to buy a second hand Ford here. I never had much respect for Ford tractors in the US but after seeing the abuse they take here, I have developed a healthy respect for them. I have never seen machinery abused the way those tractors are treated here in Thailand. On the other hand a small second hand Kubota or Yanmar may be OK because they are too light to take out tree stumps.

[kenk3z]

Not sure about specific models, but I believe several of the smaller Ford tractors are actually made by a Japanese manufacturer. I think it is Iseki.

If you are mechanically inclined and have a source of parts, perhaps your best bet is to scout the used-tractor yards north of Bangkok for a Yanmar just off the boat from Japan. It should be cheaper than one that has gone through Thai refurbishment, and you may be able to perform the refurbishment better if you know it is going to be your tractor.

I have a Yanmar 2-cylinder model 1700 in the US and think the world of it for small farming and grounds keeping.

Also, do not put pure water in tractor tires. I believe what you should use is some kind of chemical mixture, like calcium of some sort. An Internet search should find out what to use. Most Japanese tractors can get by with wheel weights and for grounds keeping don't even need that.

The smaller John Deere tractors are built by Yanmar, either the total tractor, or in later models only the drive train.

kenk3z

[Pond Life]

Lanna. Your tractor looks similar to what Im after but I can probably get away with something a bit smaller, but Im buggered if I can get my head around Kubota's numbering system. I would have thought a 2602 would be 26 hp !

Do you have a pic of you're brushcutter/blade/disc ?

Does it look like a shallow box that hangs off the back mount ?

Im not to bothered about the finish but it would be nice to be able to use the grass for hay & I figure shedded is not good.

Can anyone suggest something that would be better for this purpose.

Do locals feed their cattle hay ?

[lannarebirth]

Lanna. Your tractor looks similar to what Im after but I can probably get away with something a bit smaller, but Im buggered if I can get my head around Kubota's numbering system. I would have thought a 2602 would be 26 hp !

Do you have a pic of you're brushcutter/blade/disc ?

Does it look like a shallow box that hangs off the back mount ?

Im not to bothered about the finish but it would be nice to be able to use the grass for hay & I figure shedded is not good.

Can anyone suggest something that would be better for this purpose.

Do locals feed their cattle hay ?

Yes, My brushcutter/mower is a shallow box that hangs off the 3 point hitch and is powered by PTO. I do not think it is suitable for cutting hay. The forage cutter you see in Teletiger's post on this thread is probably what you want for harvesting hay (if you've very much):

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=100081

My dozer blade is mounted to the front and has additional hydraulic lines and pump to operate. My disc is 6 bladed and offset to tear up the top few inches of soil.

Here is website you can check various Kubota tractor specs at:

http://www.midwaysales.com.au/ecommerce.php

There is a new Kubota dealer in Chiang mai, as well as an importer of used Kubotas. The largest used Kubota I've seen there is the L2202 I think. The also sell the associated implements. I do not know their price ranges.

Edited January 25, 2007 by lannarebirth

[pallasaide]

Pond Life, here is how it works.

Kubotas old numbering system (first 2 digits) is based on horsepower produced at peak torque rpm according to you know who. This is the best rpm to be operating these small/medium sized tractors, given the best efficiency. However, the quoted max horsepower is achived at a higher rpm than that at which the max pulling power or torque is achieved.

In simple terms the horsepower rating at max torque is a more realistic and accurate relfection of the tractors capability, than is the max horsepower, which always occurs somewhere above the max torque rpm., and Kubota belive it is more accurate to reflect the horsepower at max torque and therefore at the max capability of the tractor, than it is to "mislead" people using the peak horsepower. This is why the first 2 digits in the model number are below the max horsepower rating.

Kubota max horsepower for the small tractors will be somewhere between 3-9 hp above the first 2 digits in the 4 digit model number. This rule also applies to any of the B, L and Z series, and in the case of tractor models with a series of letters before and after a 3 digit number, the true horsepower figure (i.e. at max torque) is usualy given by the last 2 digits.

Contary to popular belief, their is no relationship between 2wheel drive and 4wheel drive Kubota B. L and Z series tractors model numbers that end in 02 or 04 wheel drive B,L and Z Kubota series.

For what it worth Tim is both a Kubota and Ford tractor dealer and imports 2nd hand Fords from Holland and 2nd hand Kubota and Iseki from Japan, for resale on the Thai market.

Lanna. Your tractor looks similar to what Im after but I can probably get away with something a bit smaller, but Im buggered if I can get my head around Kubota's numbering system. I would have thought a 2602 would be 26 hp !

Do you have a pic of you're brushcutter/blade/disc ?

Does it look like a shallow box that hangs off the back mount ?

Im not to bothered about the finish but it would be nice to be able to use the grass for hay & I figure shedded is not good.

Can anyone suggest something that would be better for this purpose.

Do locals feed their cattle hay ?

[Pond Life]

Ok DV, I'll be sure to check his stocks before I part with my money.

Wont be for a few months yet.