Tractor Sizing Sizing help for 7 acres

[anewuser]

I'm just beginning to look. I've been on my 7 acres for 15 years, but only mow the front 2 with a 50"-cut rider. The other 5 consists of about 3 acres of horse pasture with two horses, and 2 acres of wooded boundaries and an overgrown, wooded lot. Most of it is pretty flat.

The three acres of pasture are too much to mow with my Cub rider, especially when it gets tall and weedy; I haven't had the time to keep the front 2 cut and keep the pasture short enough at the same time. We use square bales, not round, so I don't need a heavy loader, though I do definitely need a FEL for picking up logs, hauling manure and such. Not sure what other implements I'd need - except maybe something to turn the pasture over about every 3 to 5 years. We're not in a snow area, and don't have much driveway to maintain.

Kubota and JD are the only local dealers. New Holland and Mahindra are about 75 miles away. I've been reading some of the posts asking about help with size and don't understand the 26 HP threshold. Something to do with emissions?

Also deciding to buy new or find something used with more power is another decision I need to make.

Thanks for the chance to ask...

 

[TheMan419]

Yes over 25 hp you get into all kinds of tier IV emission control issues.

I have 18 acres and 4 horses. We have a New Holland Boomer 24. It delivers 24 horse power.

I move manure, bush hog pastures, move dirt, clear snow and till ground with it. It has done everything I have thrown at it.

Would a higher hp tractor done those jobs faster? Of course. However cost of tractor would have gone up dramatically.

You will be able to run a 5 foot bush hog behind one with no problems for pasture. It can even take down small trees.

As for kubota v deer..... Pick the dealer that appears to give better support. I looked at both of those and in my area both dealers just did not make me feel good. Not trashing either brand just bad feeling about the dealers.

Once you have a tractor you will wonder how you cared for the horses without it.

 

[anewuser]

Thanks, 429. When you say it delivers 24 HP, that's at the PTO? Or is that the engine HP?

If I were to buy used, how old would a tractor have to be to pre-Tier 4 emissions?

 

[Creamer]

I would certainly prefer a little more Hp. Mine is 28 engine Hp and I would certainly prefer to go something like 35 for bushhogging with a 5' or moving logs. I tend to use the 3 pt forks to move logs because the loader is not strong enough for the size of logs I move but the 3 pt works well for most things. It never hurts to have a few more horses than you absolutely need and you only need to go back a few years to get something that is non-Tier IV. I wouldn't hesitate on something like a Ford 1920 though. One of the bigger things to check is hydraulic flow because that is the speed of you loader and 3 pt and makes a big difference in that type of work.

 

[sea2summit]

I would think about two things to help with the decision.

First, what is the heaviest thing you want to lift and do you want to drive with it in the bucket. A lot of times you can lift to the max capacity of the FEL but driving around with a full load may not be a safe idea so if you want to drive around with that load think about that weight being 60-75% of the max lift.

Next is time. A 25HP tractor will do all the work a 100HP tractor will do but it will take much much longer to do it. So do you want to take two hours to mow the pasture or 45 min? That's probably approximately the difference between a 25HP sub compact with a 4' brush hog and a mid 30HP with a 5' or 6' hog. Wheel size also often changes so if your ground is rough larger wheels also help you tear up your body and tractor less.

 

[Turbys_1700]

I maintained about that amount with a 28 HP New Holland 1720. I later added a FEL to it. IMHO that size tractor was perfect for 10 to 20 acres. 65" wheelbase, 3300# with loaded rears, and a FEL with 1000# lift capacity.

Anything in the 30 HP range from Kubota or Deere will serve you well if you feel comfortable with your dealers. I have a friend that purchased an L 3301 HST upon my recommendation and he is very pleased with the unit.

The emissions have to do with Tier 4. The L2501 does not have regeneration ie a DPF (diesel particulate filter). The L3301 and above does. Some folks have had issues with it. My friend has not.

 

[Milo]

I recently moved up from a B7500 with 21/17 hp to a B2650 which has a few more hp and a stronger loader and equipped like mine I think it could do do everything you're wanting.

I ordered it with the optional third function hydraulic in the front in order to operate a grapple, mower deck, FEL with QA bucket, and EA grapple (great implement). I kept the rear ballast box from my old tractor.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I would think about two things to help with the decision.

First, what is the heaviest thing you want to lift and do you want to drive with it in the bucket. A lot of times you can lift to the max capacity of the FEL but driving around with a full load may not be a safe idea so if you want to drive around with that load think about that weight being 60-75% of the max lift.

Next is time. A 25HP tractor will do all the work a 100HP tractor will do but it will take much much longer to do it. So do you want to take two hours to mow the pasture or 45 min? That's probably approximately the difference between a 25HP sub compact with a 4' brush hog and a mid 30HP with a 5' or 6' hog. Wheel size also often changes so if your ground is rough larger wheels also help you tear up your body and tractor less.

This is pretty good right here. The other thing to think through is what is the biggest hp draw implement you plan on using? Brush hog? Finish mower? Square baler? Wood chipper or stump grinder? What size pto driven implements do you need to get your work done in an acceptable (to you) time period, and how much hp will it take to drive that implement?

The tractor is just the power source, it's the implements that do the work.

 

[Tractorable]

For what it's worth, I have an eight acre property very similar to yours and after a ton of research I'm considering either a Kubota L3901 or a Yanmar YT235 to do everything on my property.

 

[flusher]

"Also deciding to buy new or find something used with more power is another decision I need to make.

Thanks for the chance to ask..."

Yep. I'd look at the used tractor market before spending $$$ on a new tractor that might not turn out to have enough hp. Something 5-10 years old with 30-40 hp and an FEL should be all you need for just 7 acres. This way you could avoid the DPF problems.

Good luck