Which compact tractor should you buy? A guide by situation: hobby garden, horse farm, country estate and orchard

Which compact tractor you should buy depends on four things: the area, the implements you want to use, whether you need a front loader and whether you have to go on the public road. Roughly: for a hobby garden or vegetable garden up to 1 hectare, 15 to 26 hp and 500 to 800 kg is enough. A horse farm calls for 25 to 40 hp with four-wheel drive and a front loader. A country estate of 3 to 20 hectares calls for 35 to 60 hp, often with a cab and 30 km/h or more. In an orchard or on slopes, a narrow articulated tractor under 1.2 metres wide is often the best choice.

In this buying guide we list the hp class, weight, hydraulics and suitable models for each situation, with an honest comparison between new, nearly new and Japanese grey import. For each situation we point you to a more detailed article, such as the compact tractor for the horse farm and the front loader on a compact tractor. Still unsure between types? Then first read the difference between an articulated tractor, a reversible tractor and a compact tractor.

Which compact tractor to buy: first the questions that decide

Don’t choose on brand or price first. Answer these six questions first.

• Area. Up to 1 hectare a light tractor is enough. Above 3 hectares, operating hours, comfort and travel speed start to count.
• Soil type. On wet clay four-wheel drive is useful. On sand a light machine will do.
• Implements. The implement determines the power you need. Work with PTO hp: roughly 80 to 85 percent of engine power (Kubota B2301: 20.9 hp engine, 17.5 hp at the PTO). A finishing mower needs roughly 13 hp per metre of working width, a pasture topper 16 to 17 and a light rotary tiller 15 to 20 (indicative).
• Road distance. A Japanese import does 12 to 15 km/h, a European compact tractor 25 to 32 km/h (indicative). If you go on the public road, even just to cross it, the RDW (Dutch vehicle authority) requires the tractor to be registered and, since 1 January 2025, to carry a number plate, and according to Rijksoverheid (the Dutch government) you need a category T driving licence (last checked on 24 September 2026; check the current rules with the RDW).
• Budget. New up to 35 hp costs about €11,850 to €24,000 excl. VAT, a Japanese import of 15 to 23 hp from about €4,350 excl. VAT (2025-2026 prices, indicative).
• Doing your own repairs. Older Japanese tractors are simple, but the manufacturer doesn’t support them. You’ll find the parts for maintenance with us.

The guide values per situation below are practical figures, not factory specifications (indicative).

Compact tractor for the hobby garden and vegetable garden up to 1 hectare

For a large garden, a vegetable garden or a small paddock up to 1 hectare, 15 to 26 hp and 500 to 800 kg is enough. A hydrostatic transmission is pleasant for mowing: stepless driving and changing direction without using the clutch. A manual gearbox is cheaper and gives finer control when tilling. A pump of 13 to 25 l/min is plenty for the linkage and a tipping trailer.

Note: most brands measure lift capacity at the ball ends, John Deere 61 cm behind them. That makes a difference of 30 to 50 percent or more (indicative).

Second-hand, this class is mostly Japanese imports: Kubota B6000, B7001, B1600 and B1750, Iseki TX1510 and TU1700, Mitsubishi MT180 and Yanmar KE-4 and YM1510. Often with the original paddy-field tiller included. That works fine in a vegetable garden on sand or light soil, but struggles with wet clay and grassland; see rotary tiller or power harrow for your compact tractor. For mowing, a flail mower of 90 to 110 cm on 15 hp is realistic (indicative); see finishing mower, pasture topper or flail mower.

Tractor for the horse farm: 25 to 40 hp with front loader

On a horse farm you harrow and top the pasture, clear manure and move bales. Count on 25 to 40 hp and 750 to 1,400 kg, with four-wheel drive and a front loader. Never fit a loader to a compact tractor with rear-wheel drive only: the steering knuckles and the front axle aren’t designed for that load, and with a full bucket you have no grip when reversing. A hydrostatic transmission is the best choice for a lot of loader work.

For a bale clamp you need a third function and a pump of 20 to 40 l/min. A round bale of hay weighs roughly 300 to 600 kg, a bale of haylage or silage 400 to 700 kg or more (indicative). So look at the lift capacity 500 mm in front of the loader’s pivot point, not at the pivot point figure. A bale spike on the three-point linkage can handle up to about 1,100 kg and costs around €300 (indicative).

New models in this class are the Kubota B2261 and B2311, Iseki TM3267 and TLE3410, Yanmar YT235, New Holland Boomer 35, Kioti CK3530 and Solis 26 HST. An Iseki TM3267 or TLE3410 with a front loader and third function lifts about 700 kg (indicative). Second-hand, the Kubota B2150 and B2410, Hinomoto E2304 and Yanmar FX235 are interesting. More in compact tractor for the horse farm and front loader on a compact tractor.

Compact tractor for a country estate of 3 to 20 hectares

A country estate means long distances and lots of operating hours. Choose 35 to 60 hp and 1,100 to 2,000 kg, with four-wheel drive and a front loader. On long days a cab is not a luxury: heating, comfort and less noise. A top speed of 30 km/h or more saves a lot of time between plots. The pump should deliver 30 to 60 l/min for a tipping trailer, wood chipper or grab.

New models: Kubota L1-382, Iseki TLE4550, TG6370 and TH4365, Yanmar YT235 and YT359, John Deere 3038E and 4052M, New Holland Boomer 35 and Massey Ferguson 1700 M. Second-hand you’ll see, for example, a 2012 John Deere 1026R with 1,415 hours for about €12,500 excl. VAT or a Kubota STV40 for about €19,500 (indicative). In detail in compact tractor for a country estate.

Orchard, nursery and slopes: narrow, low and manoeuvrable

Between fruit trees, in a nursery or on an embankment, width and centre of gravity matter more than hp. Choose an articulated tractor or a tractor with equal-size wheels, narrower than 1.2 metres. The Antonio Carraro TTR 4400 is 1.198 m wide, has a 38 hp Yanmar 3TNV88 and a 33 l/min pump. The Carraro SN 5800 V has a minimum width of 104 cm. The BCS Invictus K300 and K400 (Kubota D1105 with 26 hp or V1505 with 35.6 hp) lift 1,050 kg. All three do 30 km/h.

With wider rows an ordinary compact tractor also fits: an Iseki TM3267 is about 1.11 m wide. Read more in the most popular articulated tractors and implements and front loader on an articulated tractor.

Landscaper, municipality and woodland

A landscaper or municipality uses a tractor as an implement carrier: 25 to 50 hp, hydrostatic transmission, front linkage, mid PTO, registration and often a cab. Common choices are the Kubota BX, B2 and L1, the Iseki TG, the John Deere 2032R and 3038E and the New Holland Boomer 25 and 35. A sweeper or wood chipper needs a lot of oil flow. The mid PTO on a Kubota runs at 2,500 rpm, the rear one at 540. A 540 implement won’t fit there without a reduction gearbox.

In the woods the winch sets the standard. The Tajfun EGV 35 A needs 15 to 35 hp, the EGV 45 A 20 to 50 hp (330 kg, Cat 1 or 2) and the EGV 55 35 to 70 hp. Count on 30 to 50 hp and at least 1,300 kg. A log splitter or grab needs 30 l/min or more. Second-hand, the Hinomoto E2304 and the Yanmar YM2210 (949 to 1,000 kg, PTO 540 and 1,000) are solid choices.

Brands and classes: Kubota, Iseki, Yanmar, John Deere and the rest

There is less variety under the bonnet than the paintwork suggests. John Deere uses Yanmar engines in its compact tractors, Massey Ferguson uses an Iseki engine in the GC1725M, and New Holland and Solis fit Mitsubishi engines. The BCS Invictus runs on Kubota, the Carraro TTR 4400 on Yanmar. So filters and engine parts often overlap. Reference models above the hobby class, factory data unless stated otherwise:

Watch the pump output: a Yanmar YT235 delivers 41.8 l/min, a Kubota L1-382 30.6. You notice that straight away in loader work.

New, nearly new or Japanese grey import?

A grey import is a Japanese tractor originally built for the Japanese market, without EU type approval. Cheap and simple, but often without a ROPS frame and with no lighting or incomplete lighting. The linkage is a Japanese JIS0, JIS1 or 2-point linkage; for European implements you need an adapter to category 1. Also: low pump output, 12 to 15 km/h, often a paddy-field tiller and tyres with tall lugs. The manufacturer doesn’t support these machines; parts come through specialists.

Third-party data (indicative): a Kubota B7001 has 13.8 hp, weighs 476 kg and does 13 km/h. Watch out with the Kubota B6000: the PTO turns anticlockwise, so many European implements won’t fit without a reversing gearbox. The Yanmar KE-4 only has a 2-point linkage, intended for the Japanese tiller.

For road use, the RDW also inspects the brakes and lighting on a grey import; according to Rijksoverheid, registration starts at about €140. More in compact tractor on the public road.

When a wheel loader or mini excavator is handier than a tractor with front loader

If you mainly do loading work, a yard loader or articulated loader is often the better machine. A 25 hp Weidemann Hoftrac 1160 has a tipping load of 1,070 to 1,450 kg (with a bucket it may lift about half of that) and lifts up to 2.74 to 2.95 m, while a front loader on a 40 hp compact tractor manages about 700 kg. A Schäffer 2445-2 with a 50 hp Kubota D1803 has 1,900 kg of lifting force. The Avant 500 series (22 to 26 hp) lifts up to 2.8 m with a telescopic boom and has more than 150 attachments. The Giant G1200 to G2500 have a Kubota D1105 or V1505 in many models. A wheel loader is manoeuvrable and stacks bales higher, but has no three-point linkage, no 540 PTO (except Avant with hydraulic attachments) and is slow on the road.

A mini excavator is the machine for trenches, drainage, tree stumps and ponds. A Kubota U10-5 weighs about 1,125 kg and digs 1.80 m deep, a Yanmar ViO17 1,740 kg and 2.20 m, a Takeuchi TB225 2,265 kg and 2.58 m. It travels at about 4 km/h and can’t mow, harrow or haul. For a few days of work, hiring is smarter; you can hire a mini articulated loader for about €70 to €150 per day (indicative).

Already have a wheel loader or mini excavator? We supply parts for the engines, such as the in-frame overhaul kit Kubota D1105/D1305 for Giant and Schäffer, the engine overhaul kit Mitsubishi K3D for Weidemann and the crankshaft kit Yanmar 3TNV70 for Takeuchi.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about parts for your model? Get in touch with the make and model, and we’ll look up the right part.