Need help sizing tractor.

[tractordk]

Ok, the time has finally come to buy a tractor. I have been watching this site for a few years now and have asked a few questions here and there.

I currently do not have a tractor and desperately need one. I have about 350 total acres in eastern maine. Approximately 120 acres is hay field / pasture, the rest is ponds and woods. The land is relatively flat but does have some hills with moderate grades. Much of the land gets pretty soft for a good portion of the spring / summer.

We currently have someone hay the fields for us 1 time per summer. I don't have any intention of ever haying the fields myself. We do however have to maintain the fields, especially the perimeters with a bush hog.

I am interested in the following attachments immediately:
a moderately sized medium/heavy duty bush hog for field maintance
chipper for chipping 6 inch and smaller trees
FEL for moving dirt/rocks, etc
grapple for FEL for general pickup, digging up roots, etc
backhoe for planting trees, pulling stumps, digging drainage ditches, etc

Basically I need a general purpose tool to help me with everything around the yard from pullings stumps, maintaing roads and fields, etc.

I am tentatively looking at a JD 4720, 110 TLB or a 5025 series. The only tractor dealer that is relatively local (an hour drive) is JD.

I love the idea of having a cab, but don't need it.

I had a 110 TLB on our property for a couple weeks 2 years ago and loved the machine, it just seemed a bit small for working in the fields. It also seemed to get stuck more often than I would like. I have a HD pickup with a large winch so I can pull things out easily, but its a pain to have to do often.

I just rented a 4720 with FEL and 5' heavy duty bush hog for 2 days. I thought the machine was nice but seemed a bit "light duty" We moved some rocks and heavy clay with the FEL and the FEL seemed to flex an awful lot. Also with a load of clay the FEL's hydraulic strength seemed inadequate - i was unable to do 2 functions at once. I was also suprised it wasnt more powerful. It couldn't maintain speed in the C range when going up hills from one work site to another - even on paved road caring only the bush hog and empty loader. I have pretty much ruled out the 4720, it just seems like its not designed for the heavy duty work i have in mind.

My biggest concern is HP and transmissions. I love the hydro transmission, but it seems the only machine that is beafy enough to do the loader work i want to do that has hydro is the TLB. Unfortunately the TLB seems pretty small for field work. So I really don't know what to do.

Any thoughts/advice/etc would be very very much appreciated. Please feel free to ask questions if i can do anything to clarify my needs / terrain.

Thanks so much in advance,

Ben

 

[john_bud]

Ben,

It sure sounds like you have a little slice of heaven up there!

You may want to target a larger tractor. Something in the 70 hp range.

Get a medium duty 8' brush cutter if you are going to be cutting brush and small trees. A 15' bat wing mower if it's just going to be cutting field grass. Once you see the price of new large attachments, you may want to look at used.

You probably will want 4x4 to work in the muddy seasons. And go right for R1 tires. May want to get some real good ice chains too.

Kubota M8540 or M9540 would be good. The loader for it will lift 2700# These are cab tractors with heat an A/C.

The Kubota M95S or M105S are less fancy non-cab tractors. Loader will lift 2600#

In that class of tractor, you will find either straight gears or power-shift. Power shift is a good thing. Bullet proof and easy to use. Not as easy as a hydro, but you probably won't find a hydro in that size machine.


If you want to stick with green, look at the larger ones in the 5025 series or the 5600 if you want comfort of a cab.


I like ripe things, so leave the greene ones be and go for the orange (ripe) ones! LOL!

jb

 

[tractordk]

JB,

thanks for the reply!

Yeah i certainly love it up here, just can't wait to get a tractor so I can spend some time enjoying it!

At this point most of the cutting I would do is around the fields cutting alders and bushes, so it sounds like the 8' brush cutter is a go.

I definately agree on 4x4, i think that it's a necessity.

I am going to have to try the reverser/shuttle transmissions. That sounds like a good compromise.

I looked at the Kubotas you recomended and they look like great machines. The only issue may be dealer locations. It appears the closest dealer is 2 hours away. Ill have to call them and see what they have to say.


Thanks again,

Ben

 

[BigMccorm]

I'm thinking maybe something in the 200 hp range might suit you well..........lol!!!!!

 

[RollingsFarms]

i would think you could easily manage with say a 5105 or a 5205 4wd(50 & 56 hp).

 

[VABlue]

350 acres in Maine and you don't care about the cab? I could be wrong, but I don't think maintenance ends in the winter time. There's always something to do! IMHO, I wouldn't even look at tractors without a cab.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm NORMALLY one to temper "want" with reality, and stay with smaller, more efficient, lower priced tractors with the minimum of needed hp. But in your case, with a relatively large chunk of land, I'm going larger than those already suggested. My son and I just recently purchased a new Deere (6430) It's a dress up model, quite pricey. I'd have to say a bit overkill, but very nice to spend long hours in the cab. While we were shopping, I couldn't help but notice 2 other models I PROBABLY would have gravitated to had my son (who sees himself a future Donald *****) not been involved in the purchase.

Since you seem to be zeroing in on a Deere, I'll confine my reply to what I have learned with Deere products.

One is the model 5425. MFWD, 81 hp, available with all the bells and whistles. Cab or open station, more than adaquate for loader work, enough power to handle even a 15' batwing in some conditions, should you ever need to go that route.

But the one that REALLY had my attention is the model 5603. I don't want to quote a price since I don't remember exactly what it is, but Deere has a special offer on this tractor right now. It's 99hp, MFWD, with a cab, (available without, but special deal is the cab model) and a quick attach loader. Pricing was thousands under anything comparable from any major brand. It's what would be considered a "basic" tractor by todays standards, but more than adaquate for even a modern farm operation. The HP and the loader are in line with what a haying operation using big round bales would want. That much hp would allow you to use anything from a simple 7' 3-point bush hog to a 15' batwing in most any conditions. That would allow you to "grow" your operation as time went on, and NOT underpower your future needs.

I farmed just over 200 acres for 35 years. I did so with 60 to 70 HP tractors as my largest for MOST of that time. For 8 years, I did have a 110 hp rig (Deere 4250 mfwd) Most of my land was devoted to hay or pasture land. From experience, I can tell you 60 to 70 hp is the absolute minimum you'll want. Otherwise, you're limited to implements that will keep you out in the field for long hours, even if it is just mowing edges of fields. You've got a hefty chunk of ground. You need a hefty tractor IMHO.

 

[Dmace]

Kioti makes a DK65 64hp cabbed tractor with a FEL capacity of 3,500 lbs at the pivot pins. Independent rear PTO with 52hp and weighs about 6925 lbs with a cab and ag tires. It lists the weight with and without the cab, so you can probably get it without the cab to save some money. It is one beautiful tractor.

My dealer, Batchelder Sales in Lebanon, ME on Rte 202, has been great and I got my cabbed CK20 from them brand new 2 years ago. They included the 50 hr service where they came and picked up the tractor for me to do the service and they are even going to come to me to install the revised loader plate so I don't have to travel to them.

 

[john_bud]

One more point - you may be able to save 40-70% of the purchase price if you get a used tractor with 2500-5000 hours on it.

This thread

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/99802-100-hp-tractor-suggestions.html

has some good leads on tractors in that size range.

 

[RoyJackson]

Farmwithjunk is pointing you in the right direction, Ben...

And I'll add one thing...
You're looking into acquiring several expensive items. I don't know your financial status, but watch your debt. A buddy of mine at a Deere dealer (sold me my 670) told me about a guy who inherited the property, bought all new equipment and put himself out of business before he got a decent start...overloaded himself with debt.
Don't make this mistake.