Warcat,
I have a 3525, for my 7 acres, plus my sister in law's 95+ acres of woods and fields. I don't farm with it, but I do keep everything bushhogged down with my tractor... so I would say that your needs are very close to mine, from what you stated in your first post.
I find that my 3525 is PLENTY of tractor, and really more than I need to get things done. With my 5' brush hog, the tractor doesn't hardly know that it's even back there. A 6' hog would be perfect for it, but the 5' hog is nice when back in the woods maintaining the 4wheeler trails and paths... makes it a bit easier to maneuver between trees and such.
There's a LOT of "BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER!!" sentiment here on this website... and I'll be the FIRST to tell you that that simply isn't true. What good is 45-50 hp to get the job done, if you can't get the machine into the areas you need to work, with room to maneuver? As far as maintaining your roads, with the 3525 or the 5525, you're still going to go the same speed... you're likely going to have the same 6' hog with your 5525 as with your 3525... so where is the gain there? The 5525 will pull a disk that's 1, maybe 2 feet wider than what the 3525 will... so with the 3525, you might make 1 or 2 extra passes. Are those 2 or 3 or even 20 extra passes that you "might" have to make with the 3525 worth the extra you'll spend on the 5525?
With the amount of ground that you're taking care of, and "occasionally" seeding food plots, I think the 3525 will be PLENTY of tractor for you... I know that it is for me... really it's overkill for what I need, and I think you will come to the same conclusion if you think realistically about it. From your first post, I believe the 5525 will be WAY overkill for you. Remember, you're planning on working only 12 acres. If I were you, I'd leave the other 60 acres to the farmer to work... If you're thinking that you won't have the time to do your chores with the 3525 vs. the 5525, then you CERTAINLY don't have the time to work 60 acres of hay with ANY tractor.
See if your dealer will bring the 3525 out to your place for you to demo for a day or so, and see what 35hp can really do... I think you'll be impressed. But in the end, it's your money
