Buying Advice Advice on tractor for farm/construction use

   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #1  

jstephenjonesj

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Dec 21, 2009
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outside clarkston, michigan
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I'm new here. I've read a lot but need opinions on the following. My wife & I have 20 acres of her family farm in SE michigan. We have about 7 acres of apple trees (orchard) and 7 acres of pasture. Her dad has a JD 5300 tractor left, but it is just too big with the cab for the orchard area.

We want a tractor/loader/backhoe to do the following:
(I've been looking at a John Deere 110 TLB, but need to know what other brands are outhere to do same) As far a size goes, the 110 is 'right sized' for our orchard row spacing. Please let me know what one piece of equipment any of you would use for the following:

* Mow (including trimmed branches)between tree rows
*Operate orchard sprayer
*use backhoe to pull dwarf trees (14-18') out of ground in spring when ground is soaked
*Rototilling about an acre
*pull a 2 bottom plow, disks & harrow on a 2 acre truck garden area
* Mow, rake and bale hay on 7 acre pasture
*auger holes for fence
*Grade driveway smooth when needed
*Snowblower for driveway & farm paths

**all above things done every year

- 1,000' of trenching (4-5' depth) to finish irrigation project
- dig basement for house
- load, move piles of big rock
- using loader bucket with tooth bar, dig out septic field area


I want to use this TLB & with proper maintenance get a good 20 years life out of it.
Thanks for your time.
Steve
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #2  
My opinion, you need a skid steer with a boat load of attachments.
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #3  
I would vote for the 110tlb with the extra hydraulics and top n tilt hitch. I went thru your list and other than the spray equipment ( not sure what you need there) the 110 does all of the above.

I have the 673 Deere tiller which works about 7" depth, and would use it to handle all of the tilling instead of the disk. The MX6 rotary cutter works well as does the skidsteer front end. All of the attachments work with my 110.
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Thanks to those who responded. Please, anyone else add comments.I guess I really want to here from anyone who has a 110tlb. Would it do all things I'm asking of it?
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #6  
Thanks to those who responded. Please, anyone else add comments.I guess I really want to here from anyone who has a 110tlb. Would it do all things I'm asking of it?


I thought I answered that. If the spray equipment is either cat 1 3pt hitch or skidsteer mounted you should be good to go.

Here is a recent picture of my 110 and 4520.
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #7  
I've got a 110tlb and use it to work on the 20 acre "Frigid Horse North Farm" :D with my wife and 2 sons. I bought every available option for the 110 except the rubber pads for the hoe. Using the JD "build it yourself" website feature, the current MSRP is around $55,800! :eek:

It will do all the work you've listed with relative ease -- with the possible exception of -- mowing and baling hay.

That job will depend greatly upon the mower and baler you plan to use. The 110 is heavier than the 4000 series; but with less hp at the pto. So, you would be committed to a small (old) square baler and a 6' or smaller disc or sickle mower.

The loader and the hoe on the 110 is way more heavy duty than the 4000 series FEL and backhoe - IMO. But.... if you will only need to use those attachments for small jobs and really plan to mow, disc, rototill, and pull a plow more of the time than digging holes --- you might want to reconsider and take a hard, long look at a "tricked out" 4000 series machine.

You can buy a whole bunch of options for the 4000 tractor for what it would cost to buy a 110 -- and still have money left over. And; for ground engagement work and pto use - the 4024T engine in the 4000 series tractors is much better suited than the sweet, little Yanny in the 110. :)

Best of luck in your decision.

AKfish
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #8  
For a seven acre field I can't see using more than a square baler for that, I would think that hay equipment for this area would be better with custom baling service.

If you were to bale this yourself the 110 would handle the smaller haying equipment.
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #9  
One more thing I might add, it has been my experience that the 110 starts up much more quickly than the 4520. The 110 always starts with just a bump of the starter, the 4520 requires waiting on glow plugs in cold weather.
 
   / Advice on tractor for farm/construction use #10  
the Jd 110 is a great unit if you have the $ if not i might look to the 5000 for "farm size" use CUTs are great for gettign into tight space but will not last as long as a full size tractor for use every day.
 
 
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