Talk to me about compact tractors!
Discussion
Our family has a 1970's MF 165. Not sure if I'm sad or happy to say my Father bought it new in 1971, (and is the same age as my younger brother), and has been an incredibly useful machine. It has a FE loader, and will just about lift a tonne (tonne bags of sand and chippings are useful to be able to move about, and apart from a knackered battery that requires charging to start it, it's been awesome.
Some years ago we also purchased a backhoe to go on it, and while we've done some work with it, actually, its' very limited, and does not have the power of a 'proper' mini digger. If I had £20k to spend, it would be 8k on a MF 165 with loader, 5k of a 1t digger, and a bit on a trailer. And still have enough left over for a mower.
My pa spent the lockdown painting the 165, and it looks gorgeous now. New cab, new paintwork and everything. Great job.
Some years ago we also purchased a backhoe to go on it, and while we've done some work with it, actually, its' very limited, and does not have the power of a 'proper' mini digger. If I had £20k to spend, it would be 8k on a MF 165 with loader, 5k of a 1t digger, and a bit on a trailer. And still have enough left over for a mower.
My pa spent the lockdown painting the 165, and it looks gorgeous now. New cab, new paintwork and everything. Great job.
Turf tyres will cut up your ground less than open ones but at the expense of traction in the muddy stuff. Open ones would be fine if you’re using it when dry.
It could be that I was being wound up/misinformed, but I’ve been told that one of the cheaper brands has the PTO run the opposite direction to the rest making it hard to get accessories. All of the new ones we and friends have bought recently have ended up being New Holland’s (boomer series) but the Kubotas seem to have a strong following. Was originally going to go for a MF but got bored of waiting for the dealer to come up with a final price. The one we have now is a lot more civilised that the old David Brown!
When looking around have a think about where you can get them serviced. Handy to have someone locally with parts easily available.
ETA: Some of the classics referenced are awesome bits of kit and what I would choose if MrsLT didn’t also need to drive (not sure what it is about them but always fancied a 135). Be careful about getting any machine that is too large as there’s often a trade off between power and manoeuvrability.
It could be that I was being wound up/misinformed, but I’ve been told that one of the cheaper brands has the PTO run the opposite direction to the rest making it hard to get accessories. All of the new ones we and friends have bought recently have ended up being New Holland’s (boomer series) but the Kubotas seem to have a strong following. Was originally going to go for a MF but got bored of waiting for the dealer to come up with a final price. The one we have now is a lot more civilised that the old David Brown!
When looking around have a think about where you can get them serviced. Handy to have someone locally with parts easily available.
ETA: Some of the classics referenced are awesome bits of kit and what I would choose if MrsLT didn’t also need to drive (not sure what it is about them but always fancied a 135). Be careful about getting any machine that is too large as there’s often a trade off between power and manoeuvrability.
Edited by LooneyTunes on Sunday 28th February 08:28
astroarcadia said:
Can someone list a general hierarchy of quality compact tractor Brands?
So much out there - MF Ford John Deere Kubota Solis Yanmar Iseki Kiot Solis NewH?
Here's a starting point, but everyone will have a different view. Many of those brands don't actually make their own compacts. And some outsource some of their range to India/Chinese manufacturers. Fine if that's what you want, but you'd be disappointed if you bought a John Deere 3036e (made in India) expecting it to be the same as a normal John Deere compact. Same for a Kubota L3408.So much out there - MF Ford John Deere Kubota Solis Yanmar Iseki Kiot Solis NewH?
- Kubota is probably the most popular compact manufacturer, and holds its value the most. Close behind it (many Americans would argue equal/better) would be John Deere.
- Then you have the Isekis and New Hollands. Kioti is probably in this group now.
- Then Yanmar/MF/Case/Ford.
- Some way behind you have the Solis/Bransons/Siromer etc. Much cheaper than the tractors above, but many users like theirs.
Hi Folks
After almost a year since I started this thread I've looked at various tractors & still not got anything. I'm off to look at a Kubota this weekend, it's an L series with a loader so is a wee bit bigger than I was initially looking at but it ticks all the boxes. Seems in very good condition but does anyone have any pointers on key stuff to check - it's from a seemingly reputable dealer with some good stock so hopefully the description is honest but any pointers would be great.
Cheers
James
After almost a year since I started this thread I've looked at various tractors & still not got anything. I'm off to look at a Kubota this weekend, it's an L series with a loader so is a wee bit bigger than I was initially looking at but it ticks all the boxes. Seems in very good condition but does anyone have any pointers on key stuff to check - it's from a seemingly reputable dealer with some good stock so hopefully the description is honest but any pointers would be great.
Cheers
James
I wasn't very impressed with the build quality of the Solis I saw on a job earlier this year. I can see quite a few bolts snapping if you tried to take it apart to work on it.
Kubotas are quite lightweight but have a proven track record for longevity, as do many other Japanese built tractors. I'd go with one of those.
I used to like the old Massey Ferguson 1010 a badge engineered Hinomoto built in the 1980s, it was a fantastic machine, I'm pretty sure the place I used to work still has theirs. They were pretty heavy duty, we had a 2wd one which was used for gang mowing and topping on the estate and ploughing in the walled gardens. We also had a 4wd one with a front loader for materials handling.
My Landrover still has two marks in the back body where the loader forks had impaled it, we'd bogged the little Fergie next to the muck heap and used the Landie to tow it out, the tractor driver gave it the beans and couldn't stop in time once he'd regained traction.
Kubotas are quite lightweight but have a proven track record for longevity, as do many other Japanese built tractors. I'd go with one of those.
I used to like the old Massey Ferguson 1010 a badge engineered Hinomoto built in the 1980s, it was a fantastic machine, I'm pretty sure the place I used to work still has theirs. They were pretty heavy duty, we had a 2wd one which was used for gang mowing and topping on the estate and ploughing in the walled gardens. We also had a 4wd one with a front loader for materials handling.
My Landrover still has two marks in the back body where the loader forks had impaled it, we'd bogged the little Fergie next to the muck heap and used the Landie to tow it out, the tractor driver gave it the beans and couldn't stop in time once he'd regained traction.
I think being very clear on what you need to use it for is important. We have a large Ford 4600 for rolling, harrowing and a new rear bale spike will help us move the 300kg bales around. Its also used to move other things around. We also have a topper but it does not do the job of a flail
We have a 1974 Bolens mini tractor to drag and roll the manège and it's worth about £50 but just keeps going. I have used it for spraying.
We also have an old Countax with cutting deck removed which drags a petrol flail.(1.2M) width for a couple of paddocks where the topper is not really the right tool (Again this is worth about £50)
What I really need is a front loader but thats a future purchase
Keeping the job separate means limited playing around with changing the tools over
List of tools we think we need for a 15 acre place of mainly flat grass on heavy clay
- Topper
- Flail
- Bale spike
- Harrow
- Drag
- Sprayer
- Roller (We have a Cambridge but would like a flat roller)
- Mini roller for manège
- Front loader
- Yard brush (sits on the countax and was £50) and is useful around the stables)
Dream list:
- Pallet forks for 3 point linkage
- fence post tool for PTO
- log splitter (maybe PTO)
We have a 1974 Bolens mini tractor to drag and roll the manège and it's worth about £50 but just keeps going. I have used it for spraying.
We also have an old Countax with cutting deck removed which drags a petrol flail.(1.2M) width for a couple of paddocks where the topper is not really the right tool (Again this is worth about £50)
What I really need is a front loader but thats a future purchase
Keeping the job separate means limited playing around with changing the tools over
List of tools we think we need for a 15 acre place of mainly flat grass on heavy clay
- Topper
- Flail
- Bale spike
- Harrow
- Drag
- Sprayer
- Roller (We have a Cambridge but would like a flat roller)
- Mini roller for manège
- Front loader
- Yard brush (sits on the countax and was £50) and is useful around the stables)
Dream list:
- Pallet forks for 3 point linkage
- fence post tool for PTO
- log splitter (maybe PTO)
The jiffle king said:
I think being very clear on what you need to use it for is important. We have a large Ford 4600 for rolling, harrowing and a new rear bale spike will help us move the 300kg bales around. Its also used to move other things around. We also have a topper but it does not do the job of a flail
We have a 1974 Bolens mini tractor to drag and roll the manège and it's worth about £50 but just keeps going. I have used it for spraying.
We also have an old Countax with cutting deck removed which drags a petrol flail.(1.2M) width for a couple of paddocks where the topper is not really the right tool (Again this is worth about £50)
What I really need is a front loader but thats a future purchase
Keeping the job separate means limited playing around with changing the tools over
List of tools we think we need for a 15 acre place of mainly flat grass on heavy clay
- Topper
- Flail
- Bale spike
- Harrow
- Drag
- Sprayer
- Roller (We have a Cambridge but would like a flat roller)
- Mini roller for manège
- Front loader
- Yard brush (sits on the countax and was £50) and is useful around the stables)
Dream list:
- Pallet forks for 3 point linkage
- fence post tool for PTO
- log splitter (maybe PTO)
This....We have a 1974 Bolens mini tractor to drag and roll the manège and it's worth about £50 but just keeps going. I have used it for spraying.
We also have an old Countax with cutting deck removed which drags a petrol flail.(1.2M) width for a couple of paddocks where the topper is not really the right tool (Again this is worth about £50)
What I really need is a front loader but thats a future purchase
Keeping the job separate means limited playing around with changing the tools over
List of tools we think we need for a 15 acre place of mainly flat grass on heavy clay
- Topper
- Flail
- Bale spike
- Harrow
- Drag
- Sprayer
- Roller (We have a Cambridge but would like a flat roller)
- Mini roller for manège
- Front loader
- Yard brush (sits on the countax and was £50) and is useful around the stables)
Dream list:
- Pallet forks for 3 point linkage
- fence post tool for PTO
- log splitter (maybe PTO)
I had a small ride on mower with a neat little trailer paired with an immaculate 1968 International Harvester 523 that I picked up for £600 after purchasing more paddock that the ride on couldn't cope with. Great fun!
Farm machinery auctions are your friend for all the bits... Not the big modern machinery sales - the little local ones are a real treat.
Hi Folks
I thought I'd bring the thread to a conclusion a year after I started it!
In between Christmas & New Year I went down and got this
It's a mid 90's Kubota L series. Less than 3000 hours & well looked after.
It's a little bit bigger than I was initially looking at but it means it's got a pretty decent lifting capacity on the loader. The grass tires leave hardly any damage on even wet grass & having a cab is a bonus (even has heating & a stereo!). Not used it in anger yet, just a quick whizz around the paddock. Had a mess about using the loader which is actually harder than it looks! Not like using a mini digger where you can see your bucket. With this you've no idea what's in the bucket when you lift it so the first few times I ended up moving nothing!
All in pretty happy with it
I thought I'd bring the thread to a conclusion a year after I started it!
In between Christmas & New Year I went down and got this
It's a mid 90's Kubota L series. Less than 3000 hours & well looked after.
It's a little bit bigger than I was initially looking at but it means it's got a pretty decent lifting capacity on the loader. The grass tires leave hardly any damage on even wet grass & having a cab is a bonus (even has heating & a stereo!). Not used it in anger yet, just a quick whizz around the paddock. Had a mess about using the loader which is actually harder than it looks! Not like using a mini digger where you can see your bucket. With this you've no idea what's in the bucket when you lift it so the first few times I ended up moving nothing!
All in pretty happy with it
Excellent thread update, looks like a proper piece of kit, and the grass tyres are likely well suited to your application.
What are the loader controls, joystick, or levels?
There is a bit of technique in it, to crowd back at the right point as you enter the pile, but also to lower the arms as you crowd back as well. I was told you are aiming to rotate about the toe plate rather than pivots if that makes sense. Obviously different if getting the last bit out and sliding along the floor. The top edge of the bucket is parallel to the bottom edge, which helps aid the right 'return to dig' approach angle as you go back into the pile.
If loading a trailer, and if you can, arrange the trailer so you have a nice 'Y' shape between the trailer and the pile.
For clarity, I am not an operator or expert. But 6 years working at JCB as a design engineer netted me some internal training on shovels and telihanders.
What are the loader controls, joystick, or levels?
There is a bit of technique in it, to crowd back at the right point as you enter the pile, but also to lower the arms as you crowd back as well. I was told you are aiming to rotate about the toe plate rather than pivots if that makes sense. Obviously different if getting the last bit out and sliding along the floor. The top edge of the bucket is parallel to the bottom edge, which helps aid the right 'return to dig' approach angle as you go back into the pile.
If loading a trailer, and if you can, arrange the trailer so you have a nice 'Y' shape between the trailer and the pile.
For clarity, I am not an operator or expert. But 6 years working at JCB as a design engineer netted me some internal training on shovels and telihanders.
Condi said:
The jiffle king said:
Very nice Tractor and the loader has lots of capacity. Appreciate the thread update as many times these things get left
He'll post in a week's time when he takes out his first gatepost with the loader. We've all been there. 
Condi said:
The jiffle king said:
Very nice Tractor and the loader has lots of capacity. Appreciate the thread update as many times these things get left
He'll post in a week's time when he takes out his first gatepost with the loader. We've all been there. 
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