Comparison Best 4wd Tractor fro 150 acres??

[ILUVOZ]

Thanks for that .. Great advice..
Now I just need to get ' partner no 3' ( bloody female! ) to understand we NEED the tractor.. as she thinks all i want to do is play!..

So far I reckon 55 to 75 hp.. 4 WD.. and a few impliments.. i dont think they will allow me the extra $5 to 8K for an aircon cab.. ( Bloody females! )

A starting to think something like the Mahindra. ( no electronics to go wrong) is more up my alley ..( dumb n dumber)

We had a cyclone up on the farm 7 weeks ago , and it Blew away the equipment bay shed.. OOps.. getting a fella in with a tractor to clear and tidy ( including the 20 odd trees that blew down as well) cost $ 1650! .. I understand that everyone has to be paid for theiur time and equipment , but that money coulda gone to the TRACTOR fund!!

Does anyone out there know what is a fair price for a tractor in my range of wish list ??

 

[Grandad4]

Well, it seems like I'm straying a bit off the plantation, but I've got a "partner" comment instead of a tractor comment. Take it to heart at your own peril. It's just this: In previous generations, many farmers were well on the way toward becoming old men by the time they hit 50. One enormous reason: Everything, absolutely everything they did was a struggle. Today we have an endless range of devices to speed things along, including our tractors. While farming is still very difficult, it does not have to be endless days of backbreaking manual labor.

Having bought your little piece of ground, it's now your turn to make something of it, a process that will be either heaven or he** on earth for you depending on how you go about it. If you end up doing it all the hard way, by the time you've whipped it into shape, what's left of you won't be in any condition to enjoy it! Ask your sweetie if she's thought about that whilst obsessing about how much everything costs and whether that's what she really wants.

Good luck with that and with the tractor shopping!

 

[Gary Fowler]

Easiest way to get some motorized equipment is to make the dissenting partner get off there A## and do some of the work, like digging a ditch with a shovel rather than a tractor with back blade or backhoe. Cutting down trees with axe rather than a chainsaw and digging out the stump with shovel and pickaxe, cutting the weed with as hand held scythe or sling blade or other hand implement rather than a bush hog (slasher) and tractor and other menial chores that folks HAD to do by hand 100 years ago but we a fortunate enough to have equipment to do it with now.
If that doesn't get their permission, perhaps you need to get some new partners or sell your interest in the project and move on to something else.

 

[D7E]

For me i would want to keep 2 or 3 tractors if cutting back to 150 acres . neighbour to the east has 160 acres with JD 4240,JD 4020,JD 3020 and neighbour on other side has 200 acres with Steiger wildcat , Kubota 100hp ,JD 4020 and a Cat D4 .

 

[MBTRAC]

Thanks for that .. Great advice..
Now I just need to get ' partner no 3' ( bloody female! ) to understand we NEED the tractor.. as she thinks all i want to do is play!..

So far I reckon 55 to 75 hp.. 4 WD.. and a few impliments.. i dont think they will allow me the extra $5 to 8K for an aircon cab.. ( Bloody females! )

A starting to think something like the Mahindra. ( no electronics to go wrong) is more up my alley ..( dumb n dumber)

We had a cyclone up on the farm 7 weeks ago , and it Blew away the equipment bay shed.. OOps.. getting a fella in with a tractor to clear and tidy ( including the 20 odd trees that blew down as well) cost $ 1650! .. I understand that everyone has to be paid for theiur time and equipment , but that money coulda gone to the TRACTOR fund!!

Does anyone out there know what is a fair price for a tractor in my range of wish list ??

IMO for your first tractor I'd go for something s/h, built solid & simple - if you intend working on hills FWA (Front Wheel Assist), a lower centre of gravity & a stable wide track is a must. Why S/H? Because the "shine" will be wiped off anything new fairly quickly & by the sounds of your price range low priced new machines (like Mahindra, TYM, Agrison..etc) suffer massive depreciation in the Oz market, & more critically there are far more robust s/h machines available which are probably better suited to your operator learning curve & intended use.
Search for suitable local s/h tractors on http://www.gumtree.com.au/ or Farm Machinery & Equipment - Irrigation, Pumps & Tractors - farmmachinerysales.com.au or Farm Online Machinery : New & Used Farm Machinery

As initial suggestions of brands to consider (on balance for value, cheaper cost of repair, strength, longevity, ease of maintenance/operation & suitable for as I understand your intended use) & outside the usual Fords, MFs, JD's assuming a purchase price of c.$10-20K:-

-Fiat (e.g on "face value" this ad seems ok & @c.6000hrs with good maintenance it should be good for c.9000+hrs 1983 Fiat 70-90 Tractors in VIC - farmmachinerysales.com.au
- Deutz (e.g on "face value" this ad seems ok & @c.3000hrs with good maintenance it should be good for c.9000hrs Deutz 6206 Tractors in QLD - farmmachinerysales.com.au
- an older up to early 80's Zetor ( this could be a bargain or not ? Zetor 7245 4WD | Heavy, Farming & Agriculture Equipment | Gumtree Australia Kempsey Area - Collombatti
- David Brown whilst usually only 2wd, their relatively long wheelbase & track makes them reasonable in dulating coutry (but they are not "mountain goats" )
Or of you want to step up the hp
a "good" Mercedes, caution only purchase one that's perfect (again on "face value"@ 130hp this is a lot of hp/capabilty for the $ & with diff locks frt/rear & creeper gears will climb Everest Mercedes-Benz 1300 Tractors in VIC - farmmachinerysales.com.au

If you don't feel confident inspecting a s/h machine, pay for a independent mechanic to inspect.

 

[vtsnowedin]

Not knowing anything about NSW farming or ranching I'm about as Green Acres as you are. I would take a look at what the previous owner had and what he did with it. Did he make a living doing that. You wouldn't want to buy his thirty year old tractor he has worn out but the modern version with the same capabilities plus some modern amenities like an AC cab and an extra set of rear hydraulic lines might be what you really need. Next I would take a good look at what the neighbors with working property have on their land for tractors. If everybody within twenty miles has the same color tractor there is probably a good reason for it, usually the quality of service from one local dealer. Most probably their is a mix as dealers and factory offerings change over time and what was true fifteen years age when neighbor C bought his (purple tractor) may not be true today but you might see a clear majority for one brand and dealer both new and old and that's where I would shop.
Good luck!! you will need it as this is a big undertaking you a jumping into with both feet.

 

[MBTRAC]

ILUVOZ - Saw this come up Ebay today & thought of you - the old Italian Same's (pronouced SARMEE) are as tough as old boots. & this one looks like it's had an easy life.
The mid-late 1970's Same Minitaro's are @c.60hp (though probably at the bottom of end of the hp you require) with long wheel base/low centre of gravity FWA tractors which excel in hill country + as bonuses are easy on fuel & being an air cooled diesel there's a whole lot less to go wrong.
(I used to run the next model up a Corsaro 70hp & you couldn't kill it, sold it at 12,000hrs hard hours & regret the day I did - I'd buy another one tomorrow but they just can't found anymore & any Same built post c.1985 just ain't the "Same".....)
Consider the machine with the over axle blade + root rake + slasher + good tyres & if it's had reasonable maintenance it's seems a real good buy under $10K - the only downside is parts support is now a little hard to come by but nowhere near impossble as there's quite a few running around the North Coast, NSW Highlands & Qld

SAME MINITAURO TRACTOR FRONT WHEEL ASSIST | eBay

 

[Beltman60]

I agree with Gary. Have your partner help for about 6 months with the work that is going to need to be done on that many arcres
She will give in and welcome the new tractor to the point I've actually heard her say "How did we ever get by for a year without that tractor"
maybe talk her into taking that $1650 and putting it on a tractor and you do the clean up work