Buy right & buy once ?

[texasjohn]

Welcome to TBN....

I've got 200 acres, cattle... just over 50 hp works for me, but I don't do tillage anymore. If I were doing tillage, about 59 hp would be just right.

Even tho you are going to farm 30 acres, you won't spend that much time tilling... so HST slight inefficiency during tillage versus gear, IMHO, isn't a big consideration. However, HST for around the place chores is a dream.

I suggest you expand your list of attachments... a tractor is simply an engine..it is the attachments that get the work done. Think abut these:

tooth bar for FEL

how will you get extra weight on the rear when you are using FEL loaded down? (you WILL need it)

loaded tires

R4's are OK, IMHO, for general work, including loader and ground engagement. Tear up ground a bit less than R1's

carry-all or small trailer to carry stuff to a work site.

make a boom that fits on your bale spear..I have 3 lengths..can reach in and pick stuff up off a trailer/pickup

chain hooks on FEL, 3ph implements, bale spike boom

I have 3ph hay fork.... cuts hay trips in half...

at least two rear hydraulic ports... 3 would be luxury.

a hydraulic top link... sooooooooooo nice.

hydraulic tilt...... don't have one, wish I did.

agree with class II implements

consider Pat's system for your 3ph.

a cab is truly fine in hot weather, cold weather, rain, wind, dust and provides a wonderful place to mount extra front lights, rear lights, rear view mirrors, etc. I didn't realize, until I go them, how handy these are. makes me smile whenever I use them.

skid steer quick attach for FEL, I agree, is a MUST.

 

[Yer_Man]

Thanks for the inputs !
I logged in today thinking I might get 1 or 2 responses - this all this is great stuff and I value
the words of encouragement and caution equally.
And yes - I do love old iron but I dont want my heart to rule my head on what I hope is a long term investment.

Regarding uses:
My immediate uses are -
Regrade a driveway and barn floor (FEL, box blade work),
Repair fences and replace gates on the pasture (post holer, FEL)
Weed and feed the pasture
Pasture will be used to raise a few yearlings that I can sell to the big dairy operators close by.
Haul out some blowdown timber for firewood.

Id like to be able to do root vegtables (potatoes, carrots, parsnips etc) on the tillable acreas.
Renting out to a neighbour and keeping a couple of corners as test plots would allow me
cover the taxes while I find out what might work. (it was in corn & beans prior to CRP).

Regarding financing:
While even 0% financing costs a couple of $K over what you could get for cash my thinking was
current financing means Im not paying for spreading the pain out over 60 months and would allow
my to use some of what cash we have for other improvements or attachments rather than bury
it all in the tractor.

I havent really started to negotiate much with dealers yet - but as some of you pointed out - they
may easier to talk to on used machines than their list prices have lead me to believe.

Regarding Tractor Options:
Cab ? Some of the trees are Apple and so I was maybe swayed by not wanting to damage them.
That said - I havent seen too many posting like "I reget getting that cab". Hmmm !
Might end up a must have/ nice to have tradoff as bigger HP + CAB on top of FEL+ 4WD might be out of my budget.

Interesting to see success stories tilling with HST. Ditto for R4s. That gives me more options in used.

For the couple of days a year that Id truely need big horsepower I was thinking hiring it out.
While I have not priced it Im figuring that might not cost as much as 2 tractors and a divorce

 

[texasjohn]

HP for your tillage needs breaks down like this, IMHO.

59HP would be ideal... would let you run a little faster, use a little wider equipment, get done a little quicker, would use a little more fuel than absolutely necessary all the rest of the year for light work, wider equipment would cost a little more.

52hp will clearly get the job done, there is a lot of equipment around that well matches the horsepower, will take a little more time, maybe one additional pass on occasion, particularly initially, to get sufficiently deep tillage. This size tractor is absolutely ideal for me. Once a year I encounter a situation where another 7 hp and associated weight would be clearly helpful, but I simply gear down, use somewhat narrower equipment, take a little longer in the seat, and get the job done anyway... but, then, I'm "retired" so what is time to me

When I was shopping, I happened to find a used Kubota with about 250 hours on it. To me, that's a new tractor. However, the cab, HST, FEL, quick attach, heavy duty bucket and hay spike were all included... for the price of a new tractor without these add-ons. Those were all very significant attachments that I am sooooooo glad I have every time I climb into the tractor.

Right now, in my area, I've seen numerous really nice low hour tractors with many attachments for sale on Craig's List.... take a look for your area, might find something you can live with.

Again...I'd choose to get all the attachments I can foresee using at the start, and if this means a few less HP to keep the dollars in line, that's fine...just set a lower limit of at least 52 HP.

 

[wampum]

I see you are thinking about a tiller. My question is how much land are you going to be tilling. I garden 3 fairly large gardens. The gardens all amount to little over 1/2 acre. With a 3 point tiller,it is true you can till it quick. However,I can do it with my rear tined walk behind,a little slower but still get it done. After it is planted,because of mulch,stakes and short rows,a 3 point tiller is basically not usable. My walk behind once a week,or about 1 hour a week,takes care of all the weeds in the rows. I just have to pull the weeds I do not mulch or get the tiller near. You can pick up a used walk behind for less then a 3 point,and it costs less to use. If you have large acres to till,you can use a tiller or plow and disc. Just throwing a couple of ideas at you to consider.

 

[LRTX1]

As stated before, a 50-60 hp would fit your needs. As far as row crop implements are concerned, yes 4,6,8 row is hard if not impossible to find new because they are not profitable for the large market farmers. Although, all of those large market farmers once had said 4,6,8 row equipment. More than likely they still have and not in use. Before you pull the trigger on a tractor look for used row crop equipment in your area.

 

[flusher]

Thanks for the inputs !
I logged in today thinking I might get 1 or 2 responses - this all this is great stuff and I value
the words of encouragement and caution equally.
And yes - I do love old iron but I dont want my heart to rule my head on what I hope is a long term investment.

Regarding uses:
My immediate uses are -
Regrade a driveway and barn floor (FEL, box blade work),
Repair fences and replace gates on the pasture (post holer, FEL)
Weed and feed the pasture
Pasture will be used to raise a few yearlings that I can sell to the big dairy operators close by.
Haul out some blowdown timber for firewood.

Id like to be able to do root vegtables (potatoes, carrots, parsnips etc) on the tillable acreas.
Renting out to a neighbour and keeping a couple of corners as test plots would allow me
cover the taxes while I find out what might work. (it was in corn & beans prior to CRP).

Regarding financing:
While even 0% financing costs a couple of $K over what you could get for cash my thinking was
current financing means Im not paying for spreading the pain out over 60 months and would allow
my to use some of what cash we have for other improvements or attachments rather than bury
it all in the tractor.

I havent really started to negotiate much with dealers yet - but as some of you pointed out - they
may easier to talk to on used machines than their list prices have lead me to believe.

Regarding Tractor Options:
Cab ? Some of the trees are Apple and so I was maybe swayed by not wanting to damage them.
That said - I havent seen too many posting like "I reget getting that cab". Hmmm !
Might end up a must have/ nice to have tradoff as bigger HP + CAB on top of FEL+ 4WD might be out of my budget.

Interesting to see success stories tilling with HST. Ditto for R4s. That gives me more options in used.

For the couple of days a year that Id truely need big horsepower I was thinking hiring it out.
While I have not priced it Im figuring that might not cost as much as 2 tractors and a divorce

For row crops, consider something like my 1951 Farmall Super A which is the right size and has the implements for that kind of farming. Since you like old iron, this may be an attractive choice.









I found this one locally on craigslist. Price: $1300 including a 3pt hitch, back blade and a mid-mount 6-ft sicklebar mower.

 

[Yer_Man]

Based on your collective recommendations I started looking towards the top end of my original HP range and what Im finding is that within the same model series it can possible to increase the HP by 40% for about 10% of the total price. A dollar ia a dollar - but its interesting to look at it that way.

I think there is a niche here with Class II implements which are too big for the CUT guys and too small for the big operators. BUT - thats without me really going and inspcting closely - it could junk. Anyone wanna comment ?

Sweet Farmall Flusher ! You lucked out on that deal man.

 

[jenkinsph]

I have a few implements that are both Cat 1 and 2, and will work with all three tractors. For something the size of your place with what tilling I would anticipate the Cat 1 and Cat1+2 implements should be fine.

I think the 110 tlb if you need a backhoe would be a good choice or the 4520 for more power at 60 engiine hp. I am satisfied with all of them and would say that these are large enough to get some work done. I think the benefits of a cabbed 4520 and 4720 outweigh the benefits of the Cat 2 hitch and a lesser equipped larger tractor in your case.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I would first determine my budget and then go from there. If I was looking new I really like the 2600 series from Massey but that's just personal preference.