How much PTO HP do I need

   / How much PTO HP do I need #1  

twhman

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Aug 26, 2002
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I am looking a buying a used tractor for a small farm about 34 acres. I will use the tractor for bushhogging (like a 6-7'), maintaining the gravel road and removing snow (7' or 8' rear blade, running a auger for fence post holes, and moving some hay rounds on a fel for our horses (probably 1000-1300 lbs.) I was looking at tractors with 4 wheel drive and sychro shuttle in the 45 pto range - like a ford 3930, agco 5650, mf 243. I don't want to buy a larger tractor than I need since the shed for the tractor is small and I will not be using it for any real heavy work. But by the same token I don't want to overwork one that is to small. I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

After reading the comments on the site about rear blades I will probably get a Monroe. For the bush hog I am looking at the Bushhog 270 series or a Medium duty Woods. Any comments related to these choices would be appreciated.
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #2  
My friend does well on his 20 acre farm with an MF 65 gas. He runs a small square baler, side delivery rake, 7' snowblower, and a 6' rear blade. It has an MF loader. He maintains a 1500' driveway and collects the odd round bale from neighbors up the street when required.

With that said, he is looking to upgrade to something like a MF 165. I think with 65 hp, there wouldn't be too much you couldn't do on a small farm. Another thing, the older used tractors in this size don't really require 4WD because of their weight.
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #3  
The back blade may be the contolling implement. Find out how much hp you'll need to effectively use an 8' blade. Keep in mind to rotate the blade 180 deg the back blade will hang behind the tractor 4+ feet which means you'll need enough tractor and possibly counterweights to handle that much weight. Just from the size, the forces working on 8' of blade will mean it will have to be built much more hefty than a 5 or 6'. That means a lot more weight hung off the back of the tractor.

The 9' blade I have extends almost six and a half feet behind the ends of the tractor lift arms. You'll need not only the hp but also enough weight in the tractor itself to counterweight possibly over a thousand lbs. way behind the tractor.
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #4  
45 pto should do all you asked for and then some. 8 foot blade should also not be a problem. I use a 7 foot on my 27 hp (24 pto) 4wd kubota and wouldn't want anything smaller. You usually have it angled anyway so you 8 footer effectivelt becomes a 7 footer or less if you max the angle. Hit an immovable object when balding (rock) and you spin the tires, no problem, kind of a built in slip clutch /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #5  
The big thing I'd worry about is the 1300lb bale hanging off the loader,you might need a bale on the back for stability. A 50 pto hp or so mfd tractor should be adequate for your needs,and size constraints

I'd say take a look at either the new "A" series from Valtra USA

Or the new 6000 from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mahindrausa.com/>Mahindra</A> is another very good candidate.

You'll be surprised by the price of both of these tractors new vs. the major brands used
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #6  
<font color=blue>…bushhogging (like a 6-7')…</font color=blue>- 50-60 PTO HP Utility size with lots of torque
<font color=blue>…maintaining the gravel road and removing snow (7' or 8' rear blade,…</font color=blue>- 25> HP snow, 35> HP gravel
<font color=blue>…running a auger for fence post holes…</font color=blue>- 20>HP
<font color=blue>…moving some hay rounds on a fel for our horses (probably 1000-1300 lbs…</font color=blue>-45>hp Utility size preferred

<font color=blue>…For the bush hog I am looking at the Bushhog 270 series or a Medium duty Woods…</font color=blue> Also check out Rhino and Brown rotary cutters…
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #7  
I suggest you check out the Mahindra 5500 or 6000. I should be all you need but you better check the height of your building and the height of the tractor. However, unless you want a canopy, they come with folding ROPS if you don't mind the hassel of lowering when you put it away. As mentioned, you will be supprised at the price, quality, and how heavy duty the tractors are built.
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #8  
i agree with the Mahindra sugestions, look at the 4500, 5500 and 6000 all now avalible in 4wd and 2wd, all very heavy built and good quality. and priced alot less than you would think. You might actually spen less for new or atleast the same price range and get 3 year warranty and 3 year 0% financing.
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #9  
I use a WOODS 6' medium duty rotary cutter with a L3710 HST Kubota (engine - 38 HP, PTO -30 HP). Have cleared 10 acres of thick brush and saplings up to 2" . The tractor and mower performed well but I did go slower in the thicker stuff. The 72" WOODs is rated for 30 to 65 Tractor HP (? not sure if they mean tractor or PTO Hp in their brochure.) The WOODS cutter is well-built and I have been very pleased with it. The loader on the tractor is rated for around 1300+ pounds lifting capacity and may be able to handle a round bale. The newly redesigned Grande L kubota is supposed to have even more lift capacity. You could also use a rear spear for the round bale as the 3710 has about 2200# rear lift capacity.
 
   / How much PTO HP do I need #10  
Why is it that many members feel the need to promote a particular brand (usually Chinese or Korean) whenever someone asks a question? I have no particular problem with any brand of tractor, but why is it that when someone asks a question regarding the availability of a tiller or box blade, someone always has to chime in with just how well a particular brand of tractor would pull that implement? I hope that this post does not offend anyone, but I really do not understand why so many of the owners of these fine tractors feel the need to post about how wonderful they are on EVERY SINGLE THREAD, whether they have anything to do with a particular brand of tractor or not.
 
 
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