Tractor Sizing Tractor for 80 acre Ranch

[fieldman12]

Get a full size utility tractor 55hp is the least I would go for smaller hay equipment. If you plan on a batwing you need a 70hp+ tractor. Compact tractors are nice but don't have the weight and size to them. I would also stick with a name brand like Case IH,New Holland, Kubota, Massey Ferguson that will be around after the sale. I dont know how many times I have met people that bought a brand that is not heard of very much and later regreted it cause they cant get anything for it when they sell it and cant get parts.

[foreman Etexas]

Get all the brochures and prices on the ones you like and set down and look see what one you like the best. There is alot that will fit the bill,just comes down to what options you like or wont to have,then start weeding them out. Cab features like case and NH have some bare features except in the powerstar and c,they have really nice cabs,unless you get the U's or higher Hp. Kubota is so,so on the cabs they are nice but not the best,tractors are little light"could be good thing or bad",they have made some changes to the 60 series.I find the mahindra 8560 cab pretty nice and tractors have some weight to them,the ones on here that have them have talked good about them. The M series JD are really good"of course they cost alittle more",the 5083 is good also. Dont know much about the LS or TYM. So many things that you have to figure out what matter to you,and the dealer service,being only 8miles from a dealer,may not be the best as to say 20miles thats not what matters to me its the support after the sale. The Case dealer may have some of the last years 85/95hp they may be pushing to move,just check with each brand and see whats offering never hurts. I run Kubota 7040's for years,feed cows for a guy that has A new JD 5083e could say goods and bads about both but it would be little things that really might not matter to someone else both are very good tractors and would own either. I have only test drove all the others mentioned and im not going to buy used "main tractor"if I have the money for new thats just me,would take the new 5083e for 47,000 over a 3year old 50,000+ 5085M,some may think different. I run alittle more land but I could have a 100+HP but one doesnt work for me,thats why I have two mid.HP tractors.

[flusher]

Check out the 70+ hp Mahindra ag tractors. They have cabs and you get a lot of value for your money.

[jenkinsph]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. There is a used 2010 JD 5085M with 3 remotes, loader, hay spear, 100 hrs. Asking upper 50's. Don't know if that is too high or not. There is a Case I-H dealer 8 miles from the property. All the other dealers are probably 15-20 miles away. I was also looking into the TYMs but the dealer is 100+ miles away.

A 5085M is the right size imo, price depends on condition. I recommend you look at all the tractors available of similar size and hp. I really like the 5085M but feel you are best off doing the reseach on all of your choices.

[Jerry/MT]

I am new to TBN as of today. We just purchased an 80 acre ranch and I have been researching tractors. This will be my first tractor as well as land and I am now confused on what HP tractor to purchase. The property has 3 separate fenced light pastures with 5 acres of Homestead in one of the fenced areas. All of the property is flat with two of the pastures having roughly 100 pecan trees spaced out. I will be putting some cattle on it soon and horses in the future. All the dealers keep telling me I need at least 75HP, but I have been considering the 60+ range ie Kubota L5740 and JD 4720 each with a rhino TS12 batwing. I am also considering Case I-H 75C, JD 5083e, LS tractor P7010C, and Branson in the 70 HP range. The tractor will have a cab. The current owner does not produce hay on the property. He has it delivered. He keeps it all mowed with a 15' JD batwing. I will entertain the idea of producing my own hay in the future so I want to buy the right tractor now. Any opinions and guidance is much appreciated.

Thanks!

What kind of bales so you want to put up? If it's big rounds( 5ft and 6 ft ), you'll need tractor with 70-80 pto hp for the larger bales. A small square baler doen't take as much Hp and a 4 ft round baler will reduce your power requirements. Having said that, stay away from the SCUT and CUT sized tractors. With 80 acres you need a real ag tractor. Cab Tractors and trees do not get along very well so since you have trees in the pasture, that's something to consider. I'm not anti-cab It's just something to think about. I think you're looking in the correct hp range andbigger is genrally better for real ag work. Are you considering FWD? If you're doing loader work it's something to consider. It's a heavier axle and in muddy conditions it can make a difference with a big bale on a FEL spear.
Why do you want to have a 15 ft batwing if you are going to stock your place with some cows? They'll do a better job than the batwing, fertilize the ground, and and turn forage in to edible protein! Put that batwing money into cattle handling facilities and buy a 6 -7 ft rotary cutter to do any trimming in the non-pasture areas.

We have a small cow-calf operation on irrigated acreage and our ground is rolling prairie. We have someone custom our hay and buy the rest because having our own hay equipment doesn't pencil out for us. As I get older, haying maybe an option that will allow me to still keep my hand in ranching and that's one reason why I bought a NH TD95D. I'd convert some present pasture into hay ground and cut back to fewer cows. The TD95D would allow me to hay big bales or small and handle large bales and a bale wagon so I would be able to to have several options.
As far as brands, JD, NH, Case-IH Kubota make pretty solid machines and a good dealer network. The newcomers from Korea, etc have a lot of features but they don't have the parts support, at least around here. I looked at TYM but the they don't have a solid dealer network for getting parts and while they are full of nice features, their reliability to me seemed spotty. Around here, they've had several dealer that don't seem to last more than 6 months.

Buying a tractor is a big decision and you are wise to seek advise here before you commit to purchase. You will get a lot of points of view and all that info will help you make the decision that is right for you.

[verdanthills]

People have provided good advice here already. I think you are in the right direction with 70+ hp at the PTO. I have similar acreage and was in similar decision point a few weeks ago.

I was initially looking at the JD 5083E and Kubota M7040HDC. Fortunately for me, I had trouble locating the M7040 and realized that I should look at more powerful and heavier tractors. From everyone's advice here, I learned that you can't go wrong with more powerful and heavier tractors.

I then started looking at the Kubota M8560, JD 5093E and Case Farmall 95. I finally ordered the Case and it should arrive in another week. In the end, I was looking for a basic cab 4wd tractor with enough weight and the Case was a good fit. I also wanted a tractor that would be easy to maintain and without tier 4 emissions. Pricing on the Case Farmall 95 was also very enticing too!

[jjswag]

Yes.....I am getting some great advice. About a month ago I was able to sit down at the Case dealership and wouldn't hesitate to purchase from them. I have been leaning towards the Farmall C series with cab because they are a low profile which will help around my trees. I think I will concentrate more on the 85+HP range as I will probably be moving larger round bales in the future. We will move onto the property in about 5 weeks so I still have some time to research and learn from this site.

[Edward. S]

I found some dealer listings on machinefinder for you, these machines are farther away than you mentioned about 200 miles. Just wondering, do you need 4wd? Just wondering because texas is pretty hot, I definitely recommend a cab for the summer heat. I'm not a dealer/salesman just trying to give you a hand. By the way, these tractors are used but much cheaper than new.

2002 , 5520 1007 Hours Cab, Loader, 75 PTO HP, 2WD $28,900
2002 John deere 5520 Tractors - Utility (40-100hp) - John Deere MachineFinder
2007 6215 3808 Hours, 72 PTO HP, 4WD, Cab, Loader, $38,495
2007 John Deere 6215 Cab Tractors - Utility (40-100hp) - John Deere MachineFinder
2007, 5625, 2162 Hours, 82 PTO HP, 4WD, Cab, Loader, $39,500
2007 John Deere 5625 Tractors - Utility (40-100hp) - John Deere MachineFinder

I think the 5625 would be the best, but it costs the most out of these three tractors, it has more power than you need and capable of moving big bales. But its very far away in Louisiana, you can probably get it hauled to your place under a few hundred dollars probably.

[verdanthills]

Yes.....I am getting some great advice. About a month ago I was able to sit down at the Case dealership and wouldn't hesitate to purchase from them. I have been leaning towards the Farmall C series with cab because they are a low profile which will help around my trees. I think I will concentrate more on the 85+HP range as I will probably be moving larger round bales in the future. We will move onto the property in about 5 weeks so I still have some time to research and learn from this site.

I hear you. We are moving to the property full time in May. But I couldn't wait since Case discontinued the basic Farmall 95 (90 hp overall and 80 hp at PTO). I was able to get one of the remaining tractors shipped to me from across the country. I was lucky to find a great dealer with a good reputation for fair pricing and excellent customer service.

The 95C is a nice tractor which lucky for you isn't discontinued. I don't have obstacles like trees so I opted for a full height model and wanted the full 7300 pounds before the loader. I also wasn't interested in the powered/electronic options.

[PMA]

The main item to look at is the dealership. I have a John deere 5325 and a Case International 85U for baling around 100 acres. Nothing wrong with John Deere but I will never buy anything from my local dealership. I travel an extra 25 miles to buy blades for my disc mower from another dealership in my area. Purchased the CI because of local JD dealership. CI dealership has been great and purchased a new CI 454 baler from them.