Utility and subcompact Tractors
On our small 3 acre homestead we invested in a Kobuta BX2360 23hp tractor. The bucket on the front sees hours of moving wood chips to establish our gardens in the clay or help manage poop. When other big things need to move, I sometimes get creative. The creativity is magnified with our move to a new 10 acre homestead and added equipment! I constantly am using the little tractor to move large things.
Balance
Sub compact tractors have a narrow wheel base and can easily start to tip if weight is not evenly distributed or locked in place. Raising the load up on forks or in the bucket can cause the weight to shift and further push the tractor off its back wheels. Compound the weight distribution with uneven ground and you have a recipe for tipping.
The tractor alone can become unbalanced when lifting buckets of mulch or dirt. I only lift the bucket up higher when emptying the load, otherwise maintain close to the ground and keep your ROPS up. I unfortunately have to bring mine down to park in the garage (learned that the hard way).
To assist with balancing and improve the tractor use, a counter weight on the rear is effective. Initially the carry all attached on the rear three-point fit this function. That carry all stayed on the tractor for a couple years until we invested in a box blade. Now if I move something near the limits of the tractor I will quick hitch the box blade to counter at least 500lbs.
I say all of this because I lifted uneven loads of dirt and started to tip to one side. When a rear wheel starts to lift off the ground it is unnerving. Be proficient in the bucket controls and drop the bucket to the ground immediately. For engineering types, it lowers your center of gravity and stabilizes the whole rig.
Ratchet Straps
Before we purchased attachable bucket forks, good old ratchet straps saved the day.
I will write about the carry all later as that was our first implement for the tractor and greatly extended the tractors use. The bucket alone provided many options in homestead use and fortunately most new tractors come with one.
A couple good ratchet straps allow for attaching all sorts of odd items to the bucket and being moved. The first such odd items is our broken dryer which I moved up the long driveway. My options were, load the back of the truck, strap to a dolly, or move with the tractor. Why not use the tractor!
Tractor Bucket
The lift capacity of your tractor will make a difference. On a homestead the cost of feed makes a difference and bulk generally get you a better deal. I tried to lift a pallet with multiple bags of feed on it from the bed of my truck…was not able to. Our tractor can do about 600lbs with the bucket at most but more around 400lbs is what I generally carry. I have large feed barrels that we get filled now. Each weight around 300-400lbs. Rolling the barrel off my tailgate and into the bucket which the tractor easily can carry over to the chicken run.
Holding something heavy in place takes energy. So why not let the tractor do it for you. I replaced the main beam on the play set, which the replacement wood was not as light as the original. There is no way I could hold a 10ft 4×6 in the air to bolt in place, but my tractor can!
Tractor Bucket Forks
This was a 100 dollar investment that spends loads of time on the tractor. They attach to the bucket, do watch the weight as the bucket could get bent depending on the leverage you place on the forks. These forks do expand the tractor uses to new heights. I moved small coops, animals on pallets, yard sale stuff up the drive way, fence post and fencing, brush and trimmings, small hay round bales (250lbs), and parts of a swing set!
The price has since increased. Click here to see the ones I ordered on Amazon. Currently no affiliation or kick back, this is just what I use.
Carry All
Our first “implement” for the tractor and one that assisted in extra carrying capacity. The carry all was not an expensive investment compared to most 3 point attachments but is constantly finding use.
Employment with our carry all takes two forms. First I will throw a pallet onto it and get a good base which then can have countless items thrown on top and strapped in place.
The second option still uses the pallet but also repurposes our old brooder stock tank. A pallet is key in which I can lower it on the ground and drive away. If I am moving something a further distance and wish to make less trips I will load the stock tank with the tractor bucket. It can hold a few bucketfuls along with my bucket for the trip back. Efficiency at its best with time savings!
Is A Subcompact Tractor worth it?
Every use the tractor fills and saves time is helping to pay off the investment. I tried to mentally scale the investment compared to the cost of renting the same tractor from Home Depot. At 260 dollars an hour I need to use my tractor for approximately 200hrs to pay it off.
I am over 70 hrs currently with 3 years of infrequent use. 200 hour pay off is not completely correct as the project I preform may only last 30 min a week. The projects do not build up to be accomplished all at once so the convince of not going to town and rent the tractor is not included. Investments in extra attachments working more jobs on homestead saved more time than the 70 hours currently on the tractor.
Overall, yes. If you have more than a couple acres and tend to move stuff around with not a bunch of extra time, the tractor investment will pay for itself over future years. The sub compact tractors are harder to find used as most do not go back to the market after purchased since they last so long. Value of these tractors keeps well and sometimes the financing options make the whole process into a payment plan vice a loan that collect interest. Keep your eyes open for the best deal for your need!