Buying Advice What size?

[airbiscuit]

I looked at an online loan calculator $16,000 @ 5% interest for 5 years - $301/mo

 

[Phillip w]

Why dont you think it will handle it.

I mow 250-300 acres per year commercially. And bits of everything. Ankle high grass from accounts that get mowed monthly to lots that havent been touched in 10+ years and everything in between. Did that for 5+ years with a L3400 kubota and a 6' Bushhog 306. Handled it just fine.

So I have a very hard time believing a 1531 wont handle even a 5' cutter.

How fast are you trying to mow? Because until you run out of power in your lowest gear....claiming that "it wont handle it" is a load of bull. SLOW DOWN.

Hear it on hear all the time and it gets pretty old. Why people seem to think that IF a tractor cant pull a bushhog through untouched 5-year old CRP ground at 5 MPH, then it "cant handle it".......thats nonsense. Learn how to utilize the equipment properly.

Well well well. The little massey can't handle slew grass, Johnson grass or cat tails. It was always over heating and not because the screen was plugged. Have seen threads of other guys having over heating troubles will mowing heavy stuff. Power, what power, that tractor is a gutless wonder. Not even built strong enough to shear the factory shear pin on a 5 ft king litter brush hog. Had to have pto rebuilt twice. Don't even want to get into the loader and front axle issues. A 1531 massey ferguson tractor on a farm is basically a disposable throw away tractor. Finally have totally gave up on this little hunk of junk and bought a bigger brush hog and put behind my 70-80 hp allis Chalmers. I don't worry about that tractor. It is old and beefy. It can handle a lot. It is just built solid even when you stack up against modern tractors of similar size. All your axles, housings, draw bar, 3 pt arms etc are so much more beefy. Of course that tractor will tip the scale at 10000 lbs or so. I'll take the extra weight in exchange for something beefy that won't fall apart.

 

[LD1]

Ok. It's clear you didn't like your 1531. Maybe you got a piece of crap???? Maybe the whole model line is junk? Or maybe there are valid reasons? Like plugged radiator even though the screen was clean... . Because the screen don't get it all. Gotta blow out the radiator. And not enough power to shear the pin....power isn't what shears it, it's impact/shock loading. And perhaps it wasn't a proper grade 2 bolt??

Not gonna speculate further. You didn't like your Massey? Fine. But touting that a 30hp tractor is too small for a 5' mower is TERRIBLE info. Info like that is what I am trying to dispell.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Bigger than what you need but .... (Fayetteville CL)
View attachment 522388

That is a scam for sure. Note the price $16,004!!! The scammers always have an oddball number at the end, No way is a $50K tractor with 414 hours going to sell for $16K.

 

[bspeedy]

Well well well. The little massey can't handle slew grass, Johnson grass or cat tails. It was always over heating and not because the screen was plugged. Have seen threads of other guys having over heating troubles will mowing heavy stuff. Power, what power, that tractor is a gutless wonder. Not even built strong enough to shear the factory shear pin on a 5 ft king litter brush hog. Had to have pto rebuilt twice. Don't even want to get into the loader and front axle issues. A 1531 massey ferguson tractor on a farm is basically a disposable throw away tractor. Finally have totally gave up on this little hunk of junk and bought a bigger brush hog and put behind my 70-80 hp allis Chalmers. I don't worry about that tractor. It is old and beefy. It can handle a lot. It is just built solid even when you stack up against modern tractors of similar size. All your axles, housings, draw bar, 3 pt arms etc are so much more beefy. Of course that tractor will tip the scale at 10000 lbs or so. I'll take the extra weight in exchange for something beefy that won't fall apart.

Hi, Philip. I don't know you, so please don't take this personally. I've been on several threads where you make it clear you don't like your 1531 and that it's a piece of crap with no power and the bucket fell apart, etc. In one thread, you showed a picture of the bucket which is rusted out and ruined. Please post some pictures of your 1531 from head to toe. I'd like to see the looks of this tractor that hasn't met your expectations. Is it in nice shape, well cared for, greased, kept inside? My guess - and it's just a guess - is that this thing will look like it's been beat to death.

No dog in this fight for me. I'm not a Massey fanboy - although I did have a 1533 that was really nice. I'm not trying to convice anyone about anything. I just don't think it's reasonable that you keep giving people advice based upon your 1531. Other 30 hp tractors can be more than adequate for lots of work.

 

[LukeDuke30]

Why dont you think it will handle it.

I mow 250-300 acres per year commercially. And bits of everything. Ankle high grass from accounts that get mowed monthly to lots that havent been touched in 10+ years and everything in between. Did that for 5+ years with a L3400 kubota and a 6' Bushhog 306. Handled it just fine.

So I have a very hard time believing a 1531 wont handle even a 5' cutter.

How fast are you trying to mow? Because until you run out of power in your lowest gear....claiming that "it wont handle it" is a load of bull. SLOW DOWN.

Hear it on hear all the time and it gets pretty old. Why people seem to think that IF a tractor cant pull a bushhog through untouched 5-year old CRP ground at 5 MPH, then it "cant handle it".......thats nonsense. Learn how to utilize the equipment properly.

Agreed - I have a Massey 1734e and run a Woods RC6 with it. It has no problems, even with thick grass/weeds that are 4 ft tall.

 

[LD1]

Giving advise, good or bad, based on ones experience I don't have an issue with.

Giving BAD advise, because one don't know how to operate equipment causing them to have machine issues......THAT is what I have a problem with

 

[Phillip w]

Well, maybe I drew a lemon , but it is what it is. Like I've said before, this little tractor maybe great on 5-10 acres but use it nearly daily on 250 acres and it won't stand up. Dad had a Kubota about 25 five years ago and was having problems and traded it for a John Deere. He has been a John Deere every sense. I'm in the heart of the farm belt. If all the tractors are so good, how come none of these farmers have one. In the northern half of the county, I don't know anyone that owns a modern massey ferguson, kubota, mahindra, kioti and so forth. I do know a couple guys with new Holland tractors. Now it you get closer to the city, say Wichita, kansas city, topeka, etc, you start seeing these 30 hp tractors that are not John Deere or case-ih. However, you are back to guys with 5-10 acres plots. As far as operating eqipment, I have been around tractors and all types of implement and machinery all my life. How come I'm not having trouble out of my other tractors and machinery? I don't foresee any of the neighbors that farm buying a massey ferguson, kubota, mahindra, kioti,etc any time soon. Imagine that.

 

[Streetcar]

I had a friend who had a small Kubota b tractor. He used it to move rock every day. The tractor was dead at 1000 hours because he beat the tractor hard. He needed small tractor for clearance. Do not judge all tractors based on the life of one tractor

 

[timswi]

Well, maybe I drew a lemon , but it is what it is. Like I've said before, this little tractor maybe great on 5-10 acres but use it nearly daily on 250 acres and it won't stand up. Dad had a Kubota about 25 five years ago and was having problems and traded it for a John Deere. He has been a John Deere every sense. I'm in the heart of the farm belt. If all the tractors are so good, how come none of these farmers have one. In the northern half of the county, I don't know anyone that owns a modern massey ferguson, kubota, mahindra, kioti and so forth. I do know a couple guys with new Holland tractors. Now it you get closer to the city, say Wichita, kansas city, topeka, etc, you start seeing these 30 hp tractors that are not John Deere or case-ih. However, you are back to guys with 5-10 acres plots. As far as operating eqipment, I have been around tractors and all types of implement and machinery all my life. How come I'm not having trouble out of my other tractors and machinery? I don't foresee any of the neighbors that farm buying a massey ferguson, kubota, mahindra, kioti,etc any time soon. Imagine that.

I see more red and orange tractors on farms around here than green nowadays..Too many generalizations in your comments. No offense, just sayin.