Buying Advice G'day what tractor to buy??

[Wannabe Aussie Farmer]

Just wondering for suggestions on what type of tractor to buy? I will be setting up a farm from scratch so heaps of fencing, plowing, and shifting dirt/sand from the river bank.
The cook has given a limited budget so big brands seem to be out, so just wondering if any of the Chinese brands can get the job done without falling to bits.
Any help would be great, cheers.

 

[stoyan79]

I'd buy used "Big Brand" before new Chinese.

 

[Piston]

Are you going to be farming 1 acre, or a 1,000 acres? It will make a big difference.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

What is your favorite color??

It would help if you stated budget, acres and size of implements. The guys on here will figure out great ways to spend your money.

David Kb7uns

 

[zonta223]

Just wondering for suggestions on what type of tractor to buy? I will be setting up a farm from scratch so heaps of fencing, plowing, and shifting dirt/sand from the river bank.
The cook has given a limited budget so big brands seem to be out, so just wondering if any of the Chinese brands can get the job done without falling to bits.
Any help would be great, cheers.

Welcome to TBN.
Lots of good people on here
Well lots of people have a phobia about Chinese Tractors and quote horror stories from some sisters boyfriend, aunties, cousin, brothers best friend.
I own one......saved over 30% on a JD price...and I am very happy with it. Choose one of the first tier makers and most importantly buy it from a good dealer with a parts and labour warranty not a parts only warranty and you should be ok.

 

[Wannabe Aussie Farmer]

The only problem i have come across is, How many machine hours is too many or how many hours would be a good average per year. Since this is my first tractor of my own im not sure of the things to look for ie. Check for wear in linkages or dont bother with something that has 5000 hrs?

 

[Wannabe Aussie Farmer]

Budget= approx 30K, 100 acres and so far no implements but for future i would like to be able to harvest lucerne and/or feed, do fencing, and maintain livestock. As this is my first tractor im not even sure what would be the best HP but was thinking 50-100hp so later on i would have the capacity to do what i wanted and not overload it.

 

[NEKVT]

That's a good budget. I am new too, only got a tractor this summer. But I would suggest getting a used tractor for about a third of your budget to start, that way you can get a feel for what you need, and then trade it in for not much loss. I would walk into the Service counters of some local tractor dealers, and find one that you can work with, then buy a used tractor of that brand.

 

[Gary Fowler]

For 100 acres and only one tractor, I would say a 85 and above PTO HP tractor is needed depending on how fast you want to travel. For that much acreage to till for planting you would need a 14 foot disk minimum, basically 4 row equipment. You can get some good used equipment, tractor, disc, planters, etc for your budget at least here in the states that is. 5000 hours for a big ag tractor is not many hours. During spring ground prep and planting, they can get 100 hours per week on them easily. We sometimes ran day and nights to get everything in, weather permitting. They will go for 10,000 or more hours with proper maintenance prior to needing overhaul. All of the old iron had removable sleeves so they could be completely reconditioned pretty easily at least motor wise. If hydraulics and other parts are in good shape, engine hours arent a big deal.

 

[MBTRAC]

So looking for your 1st tractor & lots to think about....best advice is don't rush in & buy a tractor, there's plenty around in Aust so take you time to work out your needs (rather than wants) e.g. what's the priorty a FEL, 4WD or a an A/C Cab .CUT or full size ??? ...etc

For $30K you've a limited budget, you'll be looking at used, as a start up allow c.$22K for the tractor & c.$8k from the implements - forget the Chinese Tractors over here, apart from the build quality risk, support is problematic as dealers/brands/distributors change all the time, the biggest concern is resale as they're worth nothing s/h & they won't stand up to much more than light hobby farm work/prone to overheating in our climate..maybe fine for short running a slasher/tiller but cultivating our hard ground tests any tractor.
The Korean Kioti / Daedong's have proven generally to be ok & may offer a viable option in used/low houred.

In used, assuming you wll be cultivating 20 or more acres (of the 100) look around the 70hp+c.85hp range (below 70hp you be limited to a lot smaller gear/working the tractor longer/harder & you'll also be competing for overpriced units with weekend hobby farmer who chase the smaller gear ) fitted with Cat2 3pl,a 540/1000RPM PTO + swinging drawbar.
As to brands JD's & MF, IMO usually bring an unrealistic premium in this HP range, so maybe CASE IH (885's), Landini, Kubota, Deutz, Ford (6610's) - avoid the newer Lamborghini's/Same's & New Hollands in your price range (overly complex & most cost a fortune to repair). In the much older gear (prior mid 80's) if located a good condition Chamberlain 4080, Same (Saturno/Corsaro) or Zetor (7045/8045) may serve you well (though Same/Zetor parts are getting a little scarce). Also consider it's a buyers market in this size gear so negotiate hard, 15-20% off listed price should be easy.
Remember hour meters mean nothing, a strong manintenance record/conditon of the unit is more critical, a well maintained 70hp+ unit should do 8000hrs or more, just be certain to thoroughly test all functions under heavy operating conditions for c.1 hr so full loads/temps are reached.

As for implements, as your in the Denman area there should be quite a few contractors around (haymaking & seeding are expensive equipment & acquired skills) so I'd be outsourcing these tasks & as you're budget's limited you may need to contract more; for example "Ballpark" estimates for used gear:-
Disc's - c.$2.8K+
Chisel Plough- c.$2.7+
Post Hole digger - c.$2K
Spreader/Broadcast seeder - c.$1K
Slasher c.$2.5K+
The other option is buy a cheaper used CUT for fencing/smaller tasks & contract or share crop all the larger operations if your land is viable....