How to Choose the Best Compact Tractor for Small Farm Use

Buying the best compact tractor for small farm use includes considerations for what tractor horsepower you need, tractor attachments, new versus used, and more.

By Bradley Rankin
Published on May 30, 2022
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Bradley Rankin

Buying a tractor for a farm, or an ATV and other equipment, is exciting, usually necessary, expensive, and not without risk. This post is for new farmers without much experience or knowledge and, while not a complete list of considerations, I hope the suggestions below will help you in your choices and approach to choosing the best tractor for small farm use.

Choosing the Best Tractor for Small Farm Use

  1. In general, more horsepower is better and safer – as is larger with a wider wheel base, depending on your application needs. My tractor is 46 horsepower. It didn’t take long for me to max out the lifting potential of my front-end loader, such as in lifting a large cultipacker. Second, it is not fun lifting stuff with your front-end loader and feeling your rear tires lift off the ground. With 46 horsepower, you will have more limitations compared to, say, 52 or 66 horsepower.
  2. Take into account your storage capabilities. The average number of purchased implements for tractors is three — most commonly a rotary cutter (i.e. a bush hog), a box blade, and a tiller. We were very lucky in that the size of a metal shed we had erected was large enough to accommodate my 3046R John Deere tractor with the bush hog behind it. However, the shed is too small for the next size up. That would have been good information to have had. Most other implements should be able to be safely stored outside your structure on pallets.
  3. I recommend buying a new versus used tractor. New tractor value holds and used ones do not save you much money. New tractors also have better payment options.
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