Tractor Sizing what's too big

[QRTRHRS]

It's 40 acres woods and 20 acres combined house barn lawn pasture hayfield pond etc. Would it be too crazy to go through the woods with a brush hog and clean up some old trails or even try to create new trails. Would that just beat up the tractor too bad?

Not if you don't mind some scratches and maybe a dent. You would also want at least four point Ropes with a hard roof to stem getting swatted hard with branches.

Tracked skid steer with a front mounted rotary would work better.

 

[No1umfan]

All of the candidates have 4wd, FEL, and HST.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I can mow the trails through my woods with a brush hog mower behind my Kioti DK45, but the saplings invading from the edges are more difficult to control cause I can't reach them with the mower without running the cab into overhanging branches. Since I can't afford an offset mower or flail, I now cut the saplings along the trails (tediously) by hand.

If you are going to be moving heavy things like round bales or logs or lots of dirt, consider the larger tractor, otherwise the smaller ones would probably do the job for you and be somewhat more fuel-efficient and maneuverable.
[Be aware that once you have a tractor, you will find lots of additional jobs to do, some of which will require more HP than you have; this will even be true if you buy a 50hp tractor!]

BOB

 

[flyingcow]

I'd lean towards the bigger unit. 400 hours is just broke in. Any warranty left on the 5040?

 

[flusher]

It's 40 acres woods and 20 acres combined house barn lawn pasture hayfield pond etc. Would it be too crazy to go through the woods with a brush hog and clean up some old trails or even try to create new trails. Would that just beat up the tractor too bad?

For work in the woods, I'd use a flail mower--more compact than a brush hog so easier to manuever in the woods. We have a lot of orchards around here (man made woods) and the preferred mower by far is the flail. These tend to be fairly large--8 to 10 ft wide.

If you're on a budget, you can find 6-ft flails for $1500-2000 new

68? Flail Mower EFG175 - Value Leader Implements

47 CARONI FLAIL MOWER TL1200FSC - Agri Supply

I bought a 68" wide Value Leader flail last year to mow the stubble in my 6-acre hayfield. Cost: $1350 picked up at the vendor's place, $1700 delivered. So far it's been OK. And there are quite a few TBNers who own Caroni's.

You can run a 6-ft flail with 30 hp (pto) but I'd feel more comfortable with 40-50 hp pto. I run my flail with a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering).

 

[ZDB]

5040 will be a nice machine should you decide to do any haying or crop production on small acreage. Also nice for pulling tools you might use to renovate pasture land.

 

[texasjohn]

I purchased a 5030HSTC.... the prior model....with couple hundred hours on it.... best thing I ever did...I believe that it would be an excellent choice for your chores... anything smaller will struggle with your toughest tasks...and it is those that you really NEED done on your place...

My net... it's just the right size for your needs.

 

[jenkinsph]

I would go for the 5040 over the smaller tractors, it would make a big difference in what you can do on the larger projects. I would get a lawnmower for the lawn.

 

[US American]

I have 10 acres of rolling hay pasture that I mow and harrow. I also have an outdoor arena to work. I used to have a 3000 lb 26hp Deere hydrostatic 4200. It was way too underpowered for my uses. I have since upgraded to the 48hp 4320 reverser and it is perfect in size.

I would recommend looking at the deere 4x20 series or similarly sized/powered competitors. I think that size and power combination might be what you are looking for. my .02. :thumbsup:

 

[pitt_md]

It's 40 acres woods and 20 acres combined house barn lawn pasture hayfield pond etc. Would it be too crazy to go through the woods with a brush hog and clean up some old trails or even try to create new trails. Would that just beat up the tractor too bad?

I also have horses and use large bales.
The trails on my 30 acres were a bit to small for my MX5000 which is about the same size as the 5040. I used my trusty stihl chainsaw and the grapple to solve the problem. Took about a day to cut down and remove offending trees. Problem solved. You should go with the 5040 IMHO.