Need a tractor: buy vs renting

[outdoorman]

I've been struggling with the idea of buying vs renting a small tractor . I've never owned or operated one before.
I purchased < 50 acres of wooded rural land about 2 hrs from my residence to hunt/hangout and I need to bush hog a few acres to keep open areas clear of grasses & brush as well as about 1/2 mile of firebreaks and electrical powerline.

My options are to rent from the local rental place that would drop off to my property their tractor with bush hog and bucket for about $350 for 8hrs use over weekend or
buy a used tractor with bush hog from fb or craigslist. or
hire someone local with a tractor to come out 3-4x/ year to do it for me

Would buying the tractor be a solid investment vs renting??
Any suggestions or thoughts appreciated.

 

[Nicodemus]

I`m fixing to buy a small tractor with a front end loader, pto driven tiller, and finishing mower, just to tend my small homestead and for my vegetable garden. I don`t like to borrow or rent things, and I`m getting too old and broke down to keep walking behind a manual tiller.

 

[Milkman]

I would suggest renting first just to be sure you like and feel safe using a tractor.
I suspect you will probably be like most of us and love it.

 

[Flash]

If you bought, do you have a place to keep it? I wouldn't leave it at the land. If you buy they have/had some package deals where you could get tractor, FEL, bushhog and/or whatever and trailer with %.

@Nicodemus Mind telling us what tractor you're going to get?

 

[Nicodemus]

If you bought, do you have a place to keep it? I wouldn't leave it at the land. If you buy they have/had some package deals where you could get tractor, FEL, bushhog and/or whatever and trailer with %.

@Nicodemus Mind telling us what tractor you're going to get?

It was a toss up between a John Deere 3032E and a Kubota L2501. I`ve decided on the Deere.

 

[patsam]

Get a 4 wheel drive too. It will outdo the 2 wheel. Bought a Kubota L2501 a year ago , and it's a beast!

 

[patsam]

I got mine from Southside Equipment in Milledgeville and got a great price.

 

[bilgerat]

I contemplated the same thig a few years ago to work around My small acreage piece of land, I rented one for a weekend and decided I had to have one of My own. I ended up buying a new 26hp Kubota 4x4 with a loader, They had a 0 down, 0 interest and no payments for 90days deal going on. I have since bought a bush hog, 12 disc harrow, and box scraper used off the interwebs. Ive used it quite a bit and Other than towing it 2 hrs each way to the land I have really enjoyed it.

 

[Nicodemus]

Get a 4 wheel drive too. It will outdo the 2 wheel. Bought a Kubota L2501 a year ago , and it's a beast!

Yessir. Both were 4wd.

 

[Lilly001]

I would weigh the good v bad.
How often do you think you will use it? (You will use one of your own more often than a rental)
Do you have a place to store it securely? (Tractors are often stolen when left unattended on rural land)
Do you have a trailer truck to transport it? (Or do you have a secure shed on your property?)
I would think that for just 3-4 mowings a year the rental or local provider would make sense.
I’ve got two. A Green and an orange one. If you buy consider how close that brands dealer is near you,

 

[Nicodemus]

In my situation there`s about 3 plantations between my home and the dealers, and the two dealers are only about a mile from each other.

 

[TomC]

Kubota just updated the L2501 to the L2502. Better seats, armrests and some other stuff. May seem like minor updates but your rear end and your arms will appreciate particularly if you spend a lot of time mowing. The L series Kubota's are no frills but proven work horses. Do a lot of research on the smaller JD's before buying. I'd go orange without question given a choice between the two in a smaller tractor! If you own more than a few acres a tractor is just about a necessity. Mine gets a couple hundred hours a year on just a little 22 acres homestead!

 

[Lilly001]

In my situation there`s about 3 plantations between my home and the dealers, and the two dealers are only about a mile from each other.

That’s a good situation to be in.
My green dealer is 20 miles and the orange one is about 60.
(we do have an orange closer but he’s just a mower UTV dealer)

 

[Nicodemus]

Kubota just updated the L2501 to the L2502. Better seats, armrests and some other stuff. May seem like minor updates but your rear end and your arms will appreciate particularly if you spend a lot of time mowing. The L series Kubota's are no frills but proven work horses. Do a lot of research on the smaller JD's before buying. I'd go orange without question given a choice between the two in a smaller tractor! If you own more than a few acres a tractor is just about a necessity. Mine gets a couple hundred hours a year on just a little 22 acres homestead!

Now you`ve got me to thinking more on the subject. I will do a little more research on the two.

Thanks.

 

[kmckinnie]

I would buy a package deal with trailer. Got to have a truck too.

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

Deere may have it as well but the zero percent financing Kubota offers is great.

 

[smoothie]

If you are going to use it 2 to 4 times per year I would rent one. You would not have to maintain it, store it etc.

 

[sghoghunter]

I’ve had a small Japanese brand tractor for about five years and just bought me a new one the first of the year. After looking around and numerous YouTube videos I decided on a Kubota L2501DT. It has plenty of power in a smaller package and a plus that I already have a trailer and a truck that will pull it around local

 

[outdoorman]

If you bought, do you have a place to keep it? I wouldn't leave it at the land. If you buy they have/had some package deals where you could get tractor, FEL, bushhog and/or whatever and trailer with %.

@Nicodemus Mind telling us what tractor you're going to get?

I will leave it at the property. My property is surrounded by private property on 3 sides and the drive entrance is in front visible by my neighbors across the road. I have been thinking of either getting a covered metal carport to chain it to or buying a 20 ft shipping container to use for storage (although I'm not sure if storing in the heat of the summer would be a good idea, even if I added additional ventalation.)

 

[outdoorman]

I got mine from Southside Equipment in Milledgeville and got a great price.

I'm not too far away (Twiggs County); I want to get a great price also but want used, not new for that reason.
Thanks for the suggestion, I check them out.