Tractor Sizing How many HP

   / How many HP #1  

sandgrubber

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I've bought a vineyard and am trying to figure out what tractor is right. I have 8 acres of grapes and about one acre is pretty steep. Most of the work the tractor will do is pulling a sprayer around but there will be some mowing, etc.

The tractor dealers (I've talked with John Deere and Kubota) say I need something in the 35 HP range. The local guys think that's too small and want me to go to 40 to 70 hp.

How do I figure out who is right?
 
   / How many HP
  • Thread Starter
#3  
10 feet, but the trellis system carries two lines of grapes on a single broad Y-shaped post (sorry, still learning the jargon) with a spread of around four feet. So effectively, there's about six feet for the tractor to move around. No trouble with compacting roots . . . but a wide tractor will knock the vines about. Soil is heavy. I'm in Santa Cruz CA . . . moderate weather . . . main pest worry in fungus . . . biggest task is spraying.
 
   / How many HP #4  
Just guessing, it looks like about a 35 HP Compact Utility Tractor with 4 X4 would work well in that 6 ft area. You may be able to spread those smaller (low profile) tires for stability on the hills and still stay under the grape vines at the top. You may want a neighbor that is doing the same type project to come in and advise. Ken Sweet
 
   / How many HP #5  
I've bought a vineyard and am trying to figure out what tractor is right. I have 8 acres of grapes and about one acre is pretty steep. Most of the work the tractor will do is pulling a sprayer around but there will be some mowing, etc.

The tractor dealers (I've talked with John Deere and Kubota) say I need something in the 35 HP range. The local guys think that's too small and want me to go to 40 to 70 hp.

How do I figure out who is right?

Mowing in vineyards and orchards is usually done with a flail mower to cut clean to ground level. Six ft wide flails need around 30 pto hp. And you have a constraint on tractor width because of the way your trellises are designed. And ground clearance can cause problems in handling implements on the 3pt.

Read this thread--I think it'll point you in the right direction or at least give you some ideas to consider

Wine Berserkers • View topic - Vyd Tractor:Deere 20A Vineyard tractor (aka Goldoni Base 20)
 
   / How many HP #6  
How heavy is the spraying equipment you will be using and the hill you talked about, will you need to be going up that with the sprayer? From what I read I think an 'L' sized Kubota would fit you. A 'B' may work but it could be a little light. I'm not sure what JD models are the equals to the Kubota.

Personally I think too much HP will just burn extra fuel for no reason. Would an 8' foot mower give you one pass mowing between the vines? If so I think that would be what determines how my HP you need.
 
   / How many HP #7  
I would agree that you will probably end up with a flail and a FEL. With your size constraints I think that an L series Kubota would work well in the 30 to 40 HP range. I am most familiar with Kubota but a simular Deere, NH etc would work well as long as it met the 6' constraint between rows.
 
   / How many HP #8  
I suggest you get a three-point-hitch mounted sprayer as I think you'll get quickly frustrated with a tow-behind needing more room in tight places to maneuver. At 8.3-pounds per gallon of water, make sure the three-point-hitch can lift a fully loaded sprayer.
 
   / How many HP #9  
Don't they use blast sprayers for grapes? I'd be looking at the horsepower required for that as well as the flail mower you need to mow with.

To spray with a blast sprayer you would also want a cab.

I'm not aware of but you might find a neighbor to spray them for you when he is doing his!

Kubota does have the 8540 narrow for vineyard use which is narrow and with cab.
 
   / How many HP #10  
I've bought a vineyard and am trying to figure out what tractor is right. I have 8 acres of grapes and about one acre is pretty steep. Most of the work the tractor will do is pulling a sprayer around but there will be some mowing, etc.

The tractor dealers (I've talked with John Deere and Kubota) say I need something in the 35 HP range. The local guys think that's too small and want me to go to 40 to 70 hp.

How do I figure out who is right?

You didn't mention whether you're leaning toward a new or a pre-owned tractor.
If used, then I'd look for something that's set up for orchard and/or vineyard use. I bought this 1964 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel in 2006 for $3600. It has 16" dia rear rims instead of the usual 28" dia rims that you usually find on field tractors. The short front wheel spindles are used to lower the front end and keep the tractor level.

DSCF0023 (Small).JPG DSCF0016 (Small).JPG DSCF0017 (Small).JPG

Those 18" wide rears increase the wheel track to about 83 inches to produce a tractor with a very low center of gravity for safety when working on hills.

The previous owner used it to mow and spray his olive orchard.
I cleaned it up, repainted, rewired and rotated the exhaust system to the vertical orientation for use in my hayfield.
 
 
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