Farm Pro GPM sufficient?

[KRK]

The specs for the FarmPro 2425 claim hydraulic flow of 3 gpm. I see greater flow requirements for brush hogs and finish mowers (5 and 6' sizes) so am wondering, if I buy one, would this tractor be up to the job of handling such attachments or if I am limited to "light duty" such as, perhaps, Farm Pro's own attachment line, which I understand is not as well made as the tractor itself.

 

[Wayne_Freeman]

My tractor is about the same as the 2425 and I certainly would not call it light duty. From my old Kioti 20hp this Jinma is a brute. I run a 5' bush hog and finish mower as well as a Koyker 160 loader and it does the job superbly. Of course if you get into some real heavy cutting it will load up and you may have to slow down or make two passes a different heights. To answer your question I would say you should have no problem.

 

[Harrygoodwrench]

Dumb question on my part. Why are you worried about hydraulic GPM for a brush hog or finish mower? Most mowers are PTO shaft driven and the unit you are refering to will easily handle a 5' hog or 6' finish mower. In my opine that is.

 

[KRK]

Dumb question for the experienced, perhaps, but not so dumb to new folks such as I am. Anyway, learning as we go, which is why some folks join such a Forum as this, and ask polite questions, the Farm Pro 2425 would be purchased with a Koyker 160 loader, and the specs for that attachment say it has an 8gpm hydraulic flow so possibly what I am really asking is whether or not the 3gpm Farm Pro is suitable even though the dealer is selling it as a combination.

 

[bmartin]

If you are worried about being able to lift the heavy mower, no problem. I have a 2425 and it pulls a 5' Howes bush hog with no trouble. My place is in the mountains, so its either up hill or down and it mows like a champ.
I had a 8n Ford that I had for 18 years, it was rebuilt and in really good shape for a 55 year old tractor but let me say this, that 2425 will drag an 8n up hill backwards. No joke its one strong little machine!
Billy

 

[Bob_Skurka]

KRK, to try to explain this in fairly simplistic terms, the flow rate of the hydraulic system is going to affect the speed of the hydraulic components. Now the question is what are the hydraulic components? Probably the steering. Probably the front end loader.

Loaders will cycle (lift up, lower down) at different speeds between different brands of tractors and different brands of loaders based on the cylinder size and the gpm flow rate. So looking at Brand X and seeing a flow rate of 8gpm does not mean it is either slower or faster to cycle the FEL (front end loader) than Brand Y with 9gpm flow rate because the to make a valid comparision you'd also have to have hydraulic cylinders that are of equal diameter and stroke.

Also, some tractors have 2 flow rates because they will have one pump for the tractor and another for auxilary hydraulics (like a FEL). But many times, even with 2 pumps, they simply list a TOTAL flow of the 2 pumps combined. Others have 1 large pump to handle both systems.

Generally more hydraulic flow is better than less, but I would not really get hung up on the details of the specs.

From what I've seen with these small tractors that we play with, the 3pt lift capacity is typcially greater than any of these tractors can actually lift because the front end will lift off the ground long before that 3pt capacity is reached.

From what I've seen the hydraulic flow rates are good enough on every tractor that has a loader that is properly size for the tractor.

From what I've seen, the weights of most of these tractors are heavier than many people actually need, especially for anyone who is mowing.

From what I've seen, even the heaviest tractors still need counter weight to effectively & safely use a properly sized Front End Loader.

From what I've seen, a Jinma (Homier, Farm Pro, etc) will do the same job as a John Deere/Kubota/New Holland, but it won't have the same level of fit & finish or features.

From what I've seen, a STANDARD gear tractor will do the same job as a SYNCRO GEAR, which will do the same job as a SYNCRO SHUTTLE GEAR, which will do the same job as a HYDROSTATIC transmission. Each successive step up will very likely speed up the work being performed by most of us but each comes with some added cost.

 

[Harrygoodwrench]

Maybe I'm missing something with the specs for the Farm Pro hydraulic flow. Farm Pro is a Jinma, and I have a Jinma 224 which is pretty much the same but thought the GPM was about 9 GPM. Are they using different RPM's for flow specs??? I have a Koyker 160 also and it works perfect.
I'm missing something in Farm Pros site specs but somehow think its a misprint or different RPM used.

Edit here:
KRK I didn't mean it was a dumb question, I thought at first you were talking about a hydraulic motor type mower. I do apologize for the inference on my part.
Welcome to the group. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[bluechip]

Honestly I do not thingk the 3gpm is correct, it may have been in the early days. In the past, the pump tag has been missing on some units. I have not seen a difference between the flow on Farm Pro and other Jinmas I have delt with. I would bet that the 3gpm was with the 306 pump but bigger pumps are now being supplied.