Category
Tractors & Tools
Compact tractors, attachments, and the small engines that do the heavy work.
I spent two decades in equipment trade publishing, on the business side of a magazine read by people who buy machines by the fleet. Almost none of what gets said at that scale transfers cleanly to somebody buying one tractor for twelve acres, and the part that does transfer is mostly about attachments and maintenance.
Here is what matters at this scale, and what the horsepower argument gets wrong.
Start here
How to not overbuy
In order. The first decision constrains the second, and the third is where most people start shopping.
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Buy for the loader work, not the mowing.
Most small-acreage owners are surprised how much time the loader gets and how little the extra horsepower matters. Size the machine to what you lift and drag, not to a number in the brochure.
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Budget attachments before you stretch for a bigger machine.
Attachments outlast tractors and get used more. Three good ones on a modest tractor beat a bare machine you overpaid for.
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Treat maintenance gear as cheap insurance.
Filters, grease, a torque wrench, and a dry place to work. This is the least exciting money on the property and the highest return.
What I cover here
Articles land under these headings as they publish.
Compact tractor attachments
Buckets, forks, box blades, grapples, and mowers.
Chainsaws and splitters
Sizing, bars and chains, safety gear, and sharpening.
Mowers and brush cutters
Finish, rotary, and walk-behind for rough ground.
Generators
Sizing, fuel type, and connecting them safely.
Shop and repair tools
The set that covers ninety percent of small-engine work.
Maintenance and storage
Fluids, filters, batteries, and winter layup.
Other sections
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