Recommendations on tractor purchase?

[MNBobcat]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a home on 30 acres. I'm guessing I have somewhere around 15 acres that are open field. The problem is that the gophers are totally out of control. I fly an ultralight and I need to level the fields and then be able to mow the grass and maintain the fields to fly off of.

I'm in need of a tractor with a belly mower. Something powerful enough to pull a 2 bottom plow from time to time. It would also need to have a hydraulic 3-point hitch. I'll be pulling a machine that places poison gopher pellets in the ground and it needs a 3-point hitch that can apply down pressure and be height adjustable.

I know nothing about tractors. My brother in-law said that I would need something with at least 40 hp and that a 2 bottom plow would be about right.

I'm sure there are a lot of tractors that would potentially be perfect for my needs but without knowing model numbers, etc I have no idea of what to look for. I want something reasonably priced yet that will do the job.

Any recommendations?

 

[DmansPadge]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a home on 30 acres. I'm guessing I have somewhere around 15 acres that are open field. The problem is that the gophers are totally out of control. I fly an ultralight and I need to level the fields and then be able to mow the grass and maintain the fields to fly off of.

I'm in need of a tractor with a belly mower. Something powerful enough to pull a 2 bottom plow from time to time. It would also need to have a hydraulic 3-point hitch. I'll be pulling a machine that places poison gopher pellets in the ground and it needs a 3-point hitch that can apply down pressure and be height adjustable.

I know nothing about tractors. My brother in-law said that I would need something with at least 40 hp and that a 2 bottom plow would be about right.

I'm sure there are a lot of tractors that would potentially be perfect for my needs but without knowing model numbers, etc I have no idea of what to look for. I want something reasonably priced yet that will do the job.

Any recommendations?

A good start would be if you said where you are located and what brand dealers you have in your area. You are right... there are a lot of tractors that would work for you.

 

[MNBobcat]

I'm in Minnesota. I'm looking for a used tractor and its unlikely I'll be buying from a dealer. I'd even consider a repairable.

 

[polo1665]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a home on 30 acres. I'm guessing I have somewhere around 15 acres that are open field. The problem is that the gophers are totally out of control. I fly an ultralight and I need to level the fields and then be able to mow the grass and maintain the fields to fly off of.

I'm in need of a tractor with a belly mower. Something powerful enough to pull a 2 bottom plow from time to time. It would also need to have a hydraulic 3-point hitch. I'll be pulling a machine that places poison gopher pellets in the ground and it needs a 3-point hitch that can apply down pressure and be height adjustable.

I know nothing about tractors. My brother in-law said that I would need something with at least 40 hp and that a 2 bottom plow would be about right.

I'm sure there are a lot of tractors that would potentially be perfect for my needs but without knowing model numbers, etc I have no idea of what to look for. I want something reasonably priced yet that will do the job.

Any recommendations?

I think you are looking in the correct horse power range if you want to pull a two bottom plow. There has been quite a bit of info on this sight about newer utility type tractors having problems pulling a two bottom, but I would think that 35 or 40 horsepower in a good heavy tractor would do it. You will probably want a gear tractor for mowing and plow work as opposed an HST model. HST is good for loader work (constantly changing direction). Plowing and mowing don't require alot of direction or speed change. A gear tractor should also be cheaper.

I'm not sure about a belly mower. I guess you could find something in that horsepower range with a mid mount mower, but I would think a 3 point finish mower would be better for your application. With 40 HP you could easily pull a 5' or maybe 6' finish mower.

I also don't think that a 3 pt hitch will provide you any down pressure. The hitch will lift a great deal but the weight of the implement and gravity provide the only down pressure. Perhaps the implement you are using to poison the gophers has some hydraulic connection to insert the pellets. In this case you would need to make sure that the tractor you decide on has a rear remote hydraulic connection for your implement.

As far as deciding what brand to buy, you have certainly come to the right place. This is a great site filled with a bunch of great people who would just love to spend some of your money. My own advice would be to first research the dealers in your area. The dealership is the most important part of the decision in my opinion. There are many good reliable brands out there and you should keep an open mind. Ask around and check the dealers reputations with other tractor owners. A good tractor salesman is not at all like a car salesman in my opinion and if you get that feeling when you talk to one I would be cautious. Don't rush into your decision.
Read and heed, you are about to get alot of advice. I hope you can find what you want at a good price. Good luck

Mark

 

[JoeinTX]

Since you are open to older items or fixer-ups I would suggest a Ford 9n/8n/NAA. These tractors were built from the 1940s-60s but simple as all get out and more than capable of doing what you require. Simple gas engine.....if you understand your car, then you can work on one of them.....and tough as boot nails. Parts are not a problem either.

Here are some from your area on Craigs List:


Ford 9N Tractor W/Belly Mower

8N Ford Tractor

Ford 8N


While a couple of these are set up for MMM, it's not common to find that with one of these tractors. A rear mount finish mower can achieve the same cut as an MMM and require less in the way of attachment and maintenance at the same time. They were designed to pull a 2-12/2-14 double bottom moldboard from the outset and can handle a 5' tandem disc or 5 shank chisel as well so that's not a problem.

There's no reason for you to go out and spend $10-12-15,000 on a new CUT from the dealer when there are so many other cheaper and very capable tractors out there. As for tractors that apply downward pressure on the 3pt they don't really exist. The 3pt is designed to mount and lift implements for transport, etc. Three-point tools are designed to penetrate on their own based upon weight and the design of the cutting edges they employ. Think about it.......if you have to apply serious down pressure on an implement to get it to "dig in" then you are also forcing your rear tires up and reducing their traction in the process. I don't know anything about the gopher tool you mention but you won't be "forcing" it into the ground with any tractor you buy.......it will penetrate based upon its weight or ground conditions or it won't.......nothing the tractor can do about it.

 

[flusher]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased a home on 30 acres. I'm guessing I have somewhere around 15 acres that are open field. The problem is that the gophers are totally out of control. I fly an ultralight and I need to level the fields and then be able to mow the grass and maintain the fields to fly off of.

I'm in need of a tractor with a belly mower. Something powerful enough to pull a 2 bottom plow from time to time. It would also need to have a hydraulic 3-point hitch. I'll be pulling a machine that places poison gopher pellets in the ground and it needs a 3-point hitch that can apply down pressure and be height adjustable.

I know nothing about tractors. My brother in-law said that I would need something with at least 40 hp and that a 2 bottom plow would be about right.

I'm sure there are a lot of tractors that would potentially be perfect for my needs but without knowing model numbers, etc I have no idea of what to look for. I want something reasonably priced yet that will do the job.

Any recommendations?

So, are you pulling this gopher gizmo on the tractor's drawbar? Or carrying it on the 3pt hitch? You realize that you normally don't get hydraulic downforce from a 3pt hitch. You can add a double acting hydraulic cylinder to 3pt attachments like post hole diggers for downforce. You need a pair of hydraulic remotes on the rear of the tractor to handle a cylinder like that.

If you're building a runway for your ultralight and need to level the land, the minimum requirement would be a box blade or rear scraper blade maybe 5-6 ft wide. If you need to level more than a half acre or so, then some type of leveling float or a land plane is what you should be considering.

Double bottom plow? What are you planning to use this for? Such a plow really disturbs the soil a lot so you need other implements like disc harrows, drag harrows and cultipackers to bust up the big clods left by the plow and level out the ground.

Used or repairable tractors--there are lotsa choices here. A few years ago I bought a 1964 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel tractor (45 engine hp, 37 pto hp) in running condition for $3600 that would work for you. Check craigslist in your area. You'll find quite a few inexpensive pre-owned 30-50 hp tractors there that would do what you want.

Belly mowers generally are used for close-cutting landscape work. Field mowing normally is done by pto-driven rotary mowers (aka brush hogs, bush hogs, slashers) that generally attach to the 3pt hitch, although you can get pull-type hogs that attach to the drawbar. Are you trying to manicure your fields so they look like your front yard? Or are you interested in just mowing the natural pasture grasses (aka weeds) in your fields to 3-4 inch height?