Small Tractor

[Dakling]

Anyone know what is the smallest 4wd tractor available that has a 3 point hitch and a PTO? Basically I want a small utility tractor that I can put a tiny push blade on the front and run a small grass/brush cutter on the back, maybe do some harrowing but that would be about it. Something small enough to be easily trailored behind my pickup. I don't have any experience with tractors other than a largish 60 hp 4wd Kubota that we had on the farm back in Canada. Any suggestions?

[pigeonjake]

kobuta do a 14 H/P belt triven, not sure if it has PTO,

ive got an old L200 it does for what i need it for, just about the same as you want,

i do a bit of roto tilling between our trees and the spare land,

[farmerjo]

You would not want to go any smaller than the kubota 24hp if occasionally using a blade on front.

Just out of nongkhai i saw about 5 of these,kubota max warranty.

170,000 baht plus you would spend another 30-40 to have the blade fitted.

[KhunBENQ]

BTW Kubota Thailand has a fairly detailed English language website:

http://www.siamkubota.co.th/en/product/tractor

The specification PDFs are in Thai only.

But as I understand, even the small "B series" is 4 wheel drive.

[weegee]

Yanmar YS20E....everything you want to do those jobs, and will ever need...

you will find what you need for sale in Bangkok, under Tractor Auctions....JSSR Auctions, i think is the name of the big one...

[weegee]

kobuta do a 14 H/P belt triven, not sure if it has PTO,

ive got an old L200 it does for what i need it for, just about the same as you want,

i do a bit of roto tilling between our trees and the spare land,

Hi jake....those belt driven ones are total Crap.......heaps of nearly new ones for sale....overpriced, and under achievers as well.

Wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding...

Edited November 17, 2014 by weegee

[pigeonjake]

kobuta do a 14 H/P belt triven, not sure if it has PTO,

ive got an old L200 it does for what i need it for, just about the same as you want,

i do a bit of roto tilling between our trees and the spare land,

Hi jake....those belt driven ones are total Crap.......heaps of nearly new ones for sale....overpriced, and under achievers as well.

Wouldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding...

thats why i didnt get one,,lol

but he did ask what was the smallest tractor around,, and they are the smallest ive seen,, my old betty id bang on,,

[Dakling]

Thanks all, gives me a place to start.

[NeverSure]

I can vouch for the Kubota B6100. It's 16 hp, gear drive with high/low range, 4X4, and it seems to be indestructible. Yes you have to size the implements but it will pull a single bottom 16" plow, clean barn stalls, spray fields, mow, disc, harrow...

We don't get on a bigger tractor until serious work is needed in big fields.

Edit. I forgot to say that it has a 3 point hitch with live PTO.

Edited November 17, 2014 by NeverSure

[spiritrace]

_{I have a BX 1860 (looks like the same size as B6100. I move a lot of ice and snow and other heavy loads. Couldn't be more happy with it. Even the cowboys here like the Kubota. And this is Deere country.}

[NeverSure]

I have a gripe with some Kubotas and that's that they are tall and top heavy. I'd go with a Yanmar or Deere up to 50 HP. I've mentioned before that Yanmar makes all Deeres up to 50 HP. You can look under the hood of such a Deere and see Yanmar on the engine.

But this little B6100 has a low center of gravity and is the go-to utility tractor any time we want maneuverability. I didn't mention that it also has a drawbar for a trailer hitch.

[NeverSure]

_{I have a BX 1860 (looks like the same size as B6100. I move a lot of ice and snow and other heavy loads. Couldn't be more happy with it. Even the cowboys here like the Kubota. And this is Deere country.}

That might be a newer version. I think the B6100 was 80's and 90's and maybe longer. It was built to last I can tell you.

[wayned]

The B6100 was produced from 1978-1984

[NeverSure]

The B6100 was produced from 1978-1984

I don't think so, Wayned. I'm sure we bought ours closer to the year 2000. Here's one for sale that claims to be a 1998. LINK

I do notice that I must be wrong and the HP is 14. HP doesn't mean a lot when you need torque and gearing and this has both.

I would think a front blade or loader would be imperative to balance rear implements on any small tractor. We had a neighbor who had one with no loader and he had problems with the rear weight of a 4' mower. We use a 5' mower without issue.

BTW the 3 point and PTO are standard category 1. It's really a workhorse and not to be underestimated.

[wayned]

Got the info from this website: http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/2/6/1269-kubota-b6100.html

We have a Kubota 1500, an Iseki 1410? and Fords, 6600(front Loader), 6610 and 8210 and John Deere Corn and Bean Harvesters JD 6620 and JD 9500

[farmerjo]

Got the info from this website: http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/2/6/1269-kubota-b6100.html

We have a Kubota 1500, an Iseki 1410? and Fords, 6600(front Loader), 6610 and 8210 and John Deere Corn and Bean Harvesters JD 6620 and JD 9500

My brother has a couple in aus.

Good old machine and price wise could have bought 5 secondhand ones)(not including breaking down.shipping and reassembly) compared to a kubota dc-70g.

I needed tracks so went with the kubota dc-70g.

[weegee]

Got the info from this website: http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/2/6/1269-kubota-b6100.html

We have a Kubota 1500, an Iseki 1410? and Fords, 6600(front Loader), 6610 and 8210 and John Deere Corn and Bean Harvesters JD 6620 and JD 9500

Holy hell mate....you sound more like dealer....lol

That Yanmar i was talking about was the best little tractor i have ever owned.

[weegee]

Just a quick point to all you tractor lovers.....

I believe from good authority that the ISEKI tractor engines are Isuzu motors, and parts are readily available at any Isuzu dealer...

[wayned]

Got the info from this website: http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/2/6/1269-kubota-b6100.html

We have a Kubota 1500, an Iseki 1410? and Fords, 6600(front Loader), 6610 and 8210 and John Deere Corn and Bean Harvesters JD 6620 and JD 9500

photo-2.JPG

My brother has a couple in aus.

Good old machine and price wise could have bought 5 secondhand ones)(not including breaking down.shipping and reassembly) compared to a kubota dc-70g.

I needed tracks so went with the kubota dc-70g.

We could have used one with tracks the past couple of weeks. We're in the process of harvesting corn on a 1000 rai of reclaimed rice paddies in Uthai Thani Province about 125 kilometers from where I live. The corn was planted due to the rice fiasco, drought and the government's announcement about not releasing water. It's all low land and wouldn't you know that it has rained just enough over the past two weeks to make the harvest quite tricky without getting bogged down and both combines are not 4WD.

Edited November 19, 2014 by wayned

[farmerjo]

Got the info from this website: http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/001/2/6/1269-kubota-b6100.html

We have a Kubota 1500, an Iseki 1410? and Fords, 6600(front Loader), 6610 and 8210 and John Deere Corn and Bean Harvesters JD 6620 and JD 9500

Holy hell mate....you sound more like dealer....lol

That Yanmar i was talking about was the best little tractor i have ever owned.

I do also have a yanmar 14hp engine crank job.

Its one of those things that you use gear in your own country and learn the good and bad points of it.

But when you move to a different country and it may not be avalible you have to start again and research whats here,make wise,models,parts,etc.

Before i just purchased a kubota dc-70g harvester i spent 100 hours or more researching what was avalible,new and secondhand

I drove 1000kms looking around.Came down to 3 in the new department.Secondhand are a can of worms with so many moving parts.

It came down to john deere,claas and kubota.

John deere made in china,good engine,good layout but finished off chinese,nearly chucked you out of the seat when started with vibration,welding crap etc.

Claas,good concept layout,great tracks but indian engine,rotor faced east west and not maintenance friendly and price over the top.

Kubota was the only one finished to western standards even thou made in thailand,presented well with every weld checked off,every nut and bolt checked 3 times and maintenance friendly for dyi people.

Tractors also need research and thats why its good so many on here are giving their opinions of what they have had experience with.

Nothing worse than buying something you think is right only to not have enough money set aside to fix it after a short period of time.

Edited November 19, 2014 by farmerjo

[wayned]

The "we" in my post is actually a small LTd. Thai Company with me and four farmers. The equipment that I mentioned is in the company's name - I have no idea where the tractors came from - and "we" also have a long list of equipment and also two tandem trucks. The farmers also have a assortment of their own equipment that is shared. The 9500 was bought here in Thailand, well overpriced, and I bought the 6620 "site unseen" in Minnesota and had it disassembled and shipped here (another thread). I do the buying, parts searching and advise on maintenance but only rarely operate the equipment and if I do usually only the combines. They are complicated beasts, I lost count at 21 belts and 7 chains. Both combines and corn heads have been modified. The 643 heads are now 4 row on the 6620 and 5 row on the 9500 with the angle on the deck plates changed to allow lower cutting by raising the gatherer points. We also buy, store and sell chicken house sweepings as fertilizer. Actually we will do any farming job for a price, but I have to really keep an eye on what the Thai's do, especially for "friends". It's just part of their culture to put some of the money in their pockets!

We not only harvest our own crops but also those of others, for a price, usually 550 -600 baht/rai depending on location. Transport to the buyer, if required, is extra . That's why both combines are in another province harvesting now. This is the first year that I have not seen any corn harvested by hand. The harvesting of the corn in Uthai Thanni is leding to a follow-on contract to replant the corn and also convert another 1000 rai from rice to corn since the government won't be opening the dam gates this year.Once they are finished they will be used to harvest the sunflowers that are now growing in the harvested fields.

We should now be harvesting sugar cane but due to the drought the harvest is late this year and the mills are not even opening until 1 December. The cane is still burnt and harvested by hand( black lung time in 2 weeks). There are a couple of harvesters around but are not used much since the farmers think that they loose money if they use them. I was looking at importing a JD 3510 but the project has been put on hold as I think that the ROI will be too low until the pricing structure for machine harvested cane changes.

[Jaidii]

I'm happy with my mini (garden) tractor buy. It's an old, maybe 35 years old, refurbished Yanmar 1500 fitted with a roto-tiller. Had a new hydraulic front blade fitted cost 18,000 baht and now thinking to get some hook-on forks fabricated for carrying light loads around our vast 4 rai

[BSJ]

The wife and I have a Kubota B2420 which now has 270 hours in the 2 years we've had it. We bought it on the 50% down with 3 payments over 3 years. The warrantee is 3 years and we have had to call out Kubota a few times. Starter motor packed it in about 8 months ago. Two weeks ago it wouldn't start. We took the battery out of the 36 and it wouldn't jump start with the leads but we got it to start by putting iron bars over the terminals! Kubota came out and said it was the fuel injectors! ! They must have an electronic sensor in the fuel system that blocks the starter circuit somehow.

When it's going we use the slasher in the orchard or the airbus or the trailer with 1000L water tank but we have never used a plow with it.

I would recommend it as any machine can have a few problems.....just hope we don't have any more for a few years at least!

PS: We took the ROPS off as it was to wide and kept damaging branches and fruit and we changed the wheels left to right to get a wider track as I had read the standard set-up is tippy!

PPS: I will be fitting a mono pole behind the drivers seat as a minimum safety precaution and to mount work lights

Edited December 3, 2014 by BSJ

[slapout]

Why would the kill switch be connected to injectors as bsj mentioned most are connected to the operators seat of a vehicle to prevent accidents? I have seen this latter system shut down start up and if intermintent can be a real problem to locate/solve. You can verify that it is on operators seat by standing up while tractor is running. The engine will shut down when pressure is reduced on the3 seat.

[Dakling]

PS: We took the ROPS off as it was to wide and kept damaging branches and fruit and we changed the wheels left to right to get a wider track as I had read the standard set-up is tippy!

PPS: I will be fitting a mono pole behind the drivers seat as a minimum safety precaution and to mount work lights.

Be careful operating without ROPS, had a neighbor killed about 10 years ago on a similar small tractor. He was cutting grass on his property and rolled into a drainage ditch, game over instantly.

[weegee]

Why would the kill switch be connected to injectors as bsj mentioned most are connected to the operators seat of a vehicle to prevent accidents? I have seen this latter system shut down start up and if intermintent can be a real problem to locate/solve. You can verify that it is on operators seat by standing up while tractor is running. The engine will shut down when pressure is reduced on the3 seat.

Thats what i thought....if I was BSJ, i would start disconnecting those kill switches. Electrical nightmare to me....