New Tractor, 75HP Range

[lead_dog]

Hi all,

I've been reading here a bit, but this is my first post. Bought a farm this year (72 acres; 45 pasture, remainder hardwoods) and now it's time for the tractor. I'd sure appreciate some opinions.

I will use it for:

• clearing portions of woods
• bush hogging
• loading soil/backfill
• loading and hauling stones from pasture
• grading/maintaining 3,000' driveway

I believe I need an approximately 75HP tractor, 4WD and obviously with a loader. I won't be cutting any hay. Last weekend, I borrowed a JD 5205 (56HP), which was very nice. They have a similar model that is 81HP, and I just believe I should go up, as it's better to have more HP than less.

I'm open to Kubota, Deere, Mahindra, Ford/NH, etc. What are the comparable ones in the range I'm looking for? Any strong feelings on one over the other, or should I just price shop my area (east Georgia)? Lots of Deere, Kubota and NH around there.

Thanks for your help!

 

[LoneCowboy]

I just bought a NH TN75DA and I like it a lot
power, comfort, small enough to move, big enough to ride good.

 

[Dargo]

They have a similar model that is 81HP, and I just believe I should go up, as it's better to have more HP than less.

I have a JD 5425 and it is rated at 81 engine hp. It would do what you want just fine. I had to change tires on mine to shed a little weight though. My tires were loaded and I weighed just over 12k field ready if I left my FEL and bucket on with my 7' bush hog. With R1's I was just making too many ruts. I picked up a 2nd set of wheels and tires in R4's that aren't loaded. Now I feel as if I have the best of both with the tractor. I can be pretty much a beast all weighted down or I can come in at just 5 tons and be nice and light with my R4's.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

You do have a big chunk of land, the more you plan on maintaining it, the more tractor you will need.

It sounds like you've done your homework. It was a great opportunity to get to use the 5205. I think they use the same front end drive system as our tractor. Please shop your dealers they will make or break your experience.


We have a 2002 JD 5420, MFWD, FEL, open station isolated platform. It is a workhorse. No major problems except for a new fuel line and battery after almost 5 years. It has a power reverser tranny which is really handy for FEL work. If you have any muddy areas, ponds or slopes I recommend MFWD.

BTW, it shares duties with the little 4310 which I basically use as a weedeater around and under the trees...

Good luck on your search, If it were me, I'd look for a clean 2-5 year old machine to try and save some money. I wish I had a cab. If you want a new one, take a serious look at the 5603.

 

[wallace]

Check out the Mahindra 7520...

 

[Z-Michigan]

• clearing portions of woods
• bush hogging
• loading soil/backfill
• loading and hauling stones from pasture
• grading/maintaining 3,000' driveway

I believe I need an approximately 75HP tractor, 4WD and obviously with a loader. I won't be cutting any hay. Last weekend, I borrowed a JD 5205 (56HP), which was very nice. They have a similar model that is 81HP, and I just believe I should go up, as it's better to have more HP than less.

Congrats on getting the farm.

I think you may not need quite as big a tractor as you're looking at. It depends on more details of your tasks - how often will you be mowing and will it be all 45 acres? How many stones are you hauling from pastures? How much soil do you need to move?

I have a JD 5105 for similar tasks on 20 acres and it is definitely as big as I need. Sure, even bigger would be a bit faster for some tasks, but it would also be very clumsy for other tasks (like in the woods). I have only a 6' mower and I think the 5105 would power an 8' easily, maybe even a 10' cutter. That would make reasonably short work of mowing even 45 acres if it's only 4-6 times a year.

If you'll be mowing a lot or doing anything else when it's hot and sunny, a cab would be REALLY nice if your budget permits. In fact I think you would be better off with a smaller cab tractor than a 80hp ROPS tractor. Only disadvantages of the cab are cost and bumping into tree limbs - which is being extensively discussed on another active thread right now.

The JD stuff is very nice; I'm happy with it. I don't think you would go wrong with a NH TN, a Kubota Mxx40 series or maybe a Kioti DK55/65. The CASE IH JX series would also be worth a look, though they are quite big and heavy for their hp ratings. All of these are available in cab and ROPS models.

The two things I miss on my 5105, other than a cab, are a hydroshuttle type transmission (called power-reverser by Deere and electrohydraulic shuttle shift by NH; completely different from hydrostatic, FYI) and more gears than the 8 I have. If budget permits, something like a JD 5325 setup with the 12x12 would be really nice. The TN can be setup pretty much identically. The Kubota M series doesn't give you 12 gears until you step up to the M8540 which, IMHO, is bigger than what you really need.

 

[KrumpsBrother]

I've been very pleased with my Farmtrac 675dtc (72hp). Check out the 775dtc's also.

Don't skimp on a 7' shredder, go 10' at least, been there made that mistake.

Good Luck, KB

 

[LoneCowboy]

i agree, I have a 8' on my TN because I have to transport all the time (and I don't watn to deal with the whole oversize load thing) and it's barely working on that eight footer
Get a 10' at least.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

If price is not a big concern, then I would set on as many models as I could, because they are not all the same. One might feel great and everything is in the right place and another brand will be a little different and might not be as comfortable. This will vary from person to person. Just because I happen to like the way my machine is does not mean that you will. You really need to set in the seat yourself.

If price is a major factor, then start pricing and hope that you like the one that you can afford. If they end up close in price, then go back to the comfort thing. Be sure that you price apples to apples, otherwise it won't be a correct comparison.

After you think that you have a machine or two that your interested in, then come back here for more help and opinions.

Good luck

 

[lead_dog]

Thanks for all the replies. I don't anticipate doing a lot of cutting, as we'll be intensively rotating cattle for a grass fed beef operation. But there's always some bush hogging, and there's woods to clear, a creek on the property, a new pond, etc.

If I was to do some price shopping, what are the most comparable models to price against, for example, a JD 5205?

Kubota -
Mahindra -
NH -
Farmtrac -