Tractor Sizing Power requirements for . . .

   / Power requirements for . . . #1  

lantxinNETX

Bronze Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
83
Location
NE Texas
Tractor
Mahindra 4035 HST, Bradco 485 Backhoe
Working to narrow down the choices for our upcoming purchase. We have about 30 acres, about 20-24 are wooded. Wife wants to have a 1 acre garden and plant a fruit tree orchard. And we have about 1000 feet of fence to install, a 1 acre home site to clear in the middle of the woods and several other projects to complete as well. And we have about 1 mile of 'roads' that could use some serious attention.

Our plans are to buy a tractor with a FEL, Box Blade and Post Hole Digger (for the fence work and some other construction projects.) Down the road we might add a power tiller/cultivator. We have some Cat 0 implements that fit a 3 Pt Hitch on our Utility vehicle that I think I should be able to get some use out of with the proper bushings, etc.

We have been thinking that we are going to want 25HP PTO at a minimum, so that seems to dictate at least a 30HP tractor. Does that sound reasonable?

While our immediate needs might not warrant such a large CUT, we don't want to be coming back in 2-3 years needing to trade up, so we want to buy one that will take care of us now and for the foreseeable future.

I look forward your input.

Thanks

Martin
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #2  
Sounds like you need a 30 to 40 PTO HP machine.
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #3  
I would not want to go any smaller than something like a Kubota L3240 Or John deere 3320 as a minimum which are all low 30 ish hp. With the kind of property your talking its possible to outgrow a tractor that size but it would do a lot. A kubota MX4700 HST is also a lot of bang for the buck. If your talking about clearing a home site in the woods probably better to get a bulldozer and or an excavator for a couple of days. New Holland and MF all have nice offerings to.. Kioti has is at a cheaper price point but with some nice features included. The kioti dealer near me switched to branson after about 10 years not sure why for this reason i excluded the brand as a consideration when buying a tractor.
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #4  
What's your budget?
For 30 acres, I'd prefer something like my 2008 Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, partially synced tranny 8F/2R, power steering) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft, skid steer quick attach), triple hydraulic remotes. Cost: about $19K new.

All the tractor manufacturers have tractors in this hp range. Get to your nearby dealers and log some seat time via test drives.

Good luck.
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #5  
All of the previous post are right on. Is all of this flat land or any steep hills you might need to mow up and down? If so you may want weight on the wheels or the ability to spread the wheels out further. You would do best in my humble opinion with 30hp or so. If you are going to mow between trees in the orchard plant them far enough apart to get the tractor between them. Test driving would be a good idea. Look at what implements you might want to add on as you go. Maybe even a machine you can put a backhoe attachment if you are going to dig trenches or something. Also where is the tractor going to sleep at night?
 
   / Power requirements for . . .
  • Thread Starter
#6  
This would be well within my budget. In the Mahindra line I was looking at the 4035 and 5035. No seat time yet - that is coming as soon as this weekend.
 
   / Power requirements for . . .
  • Thread Starter
#7  
About 95% of it would be considered flat. We have a 15hp Brush Hog type tow behind mower that we have been pulling with our TW650 utility vehicle. Will either continue to use the utility vehicle for the mowing or pull it behind the new CUT.

Yes, a backhoe might be in the future. We are probably going to erect a car-port type structure for storing the CUT. Should give it pretty good protection from the sun and the rain. That's the best we can do right now - perhaps a proper barn for it at a later date.
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #8  
If your budget allows, try to stay closer to the 40HP PTO range, I think you are going to need it. I'm looking at your 6 to 10 acres of cleared area to care for, and the 1 mile of road to maintain.
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #9  
Like a lot of other people already posted, I think somewhere around 30hp at the pto should be good (with 4x4 & loader) . You'll be set up nicely for a (2) bottom plow, 60" tiller, 7'-8' disc and almost whatever else you could want. As for the clearing, I'd rent a big Excavator or big dozer(with rippers) for the weekend to do all the clearing. Then do the cleaning with your machine. As for the BH for trenches and what not, I'd rent a trencher or rent a machine from Home Depot when you need it. I sold my Woods 3pt BH after checking on prices, $220/day for a little Kubota with the loader, BH and trailer. You could do a whole lot of renting for the $5k its going to cost you to buy new with a sub-frame.
 
   / Power requirements for . . . #10  
Check out the LS brand of tractors. They have a lot of bang for the buck and are the " Kubota of the 1970s " on the block IMO. They are just starting to market(about 3 years now) under their own brand but have made for rebadging under many names and continue to make some of the NH and CaseIH models and possibly others as well. You do get more options for less money than buying the same model with a NH name or CaseIH brand. More and more dealers are handling them now than when I bought mine. I think they are going to put the big 5 under a lot of pressure to improve their lot and offer better warranties. LS gives 5 years powertrain and 2 years bumper to bumper which is better than most brands now.
As for size 40 hp is about a frame size breaking point. Most brands make a series that will go from around 30-39 HP and then they shift to a larger frame size at 40-50 HP with a significant price jump at the shift margin. With the acreage you have and the wants that you listed I would get the series 4xxx in what ever brand you decide on with 45+ engine HP.
 
 
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