Buying Advice Need advice on what tractor to buy for 120 acres

[TMR]

Foggy...where is your land in MN? I have 120 acres in northern MN...two locations. 80 acres at our home between Duluth and Two Harbors and we recently bought 40 acres near our cabin in Brimson MN. Our life is "complicated" by also having a townhouse in Eden Prairie.

I hope to add a tractor to my Polaris 800XP (side by side) that is a pretty good work vehicle as well as lots of fun. Your series of JD appears to be just big enough to do the job...but like you said...small enough to move around without go very large on trailer and tow vehicle. Like your "collection" of attachments.

Tom R currently in Eden Prairie...

Just to provide some "counter-point" to tractor size stated......

I have about the same amount of land as you. Mine is all wooded and no crops are grown.....or planned to be grown other than for deer. I put in about 6 acres of food plots and keep lots of trails free of timber, and planted in clover. I suppose we have a couple miles of trails all told.

I see lots of folks recommend big tractors and I always wonder why? I can till an acre in about an hour or so with my 5' KK tiller. I have mostly pine trees (and a some aspen and oaks) so I can pick up almost any size tree with my loader and grapple. My rig is pretty nimble in the woods. Five foot implements are affordable and seem "big enough" for most chores (although sometimes I could wish for a bigger mower).

Also, I operate a disc harrow, rotary cutter, cone spreader, landscape rake, box blade, stump grinder, ripper, tiller, and I own a plow (that I don't use).

Clearing my trails for the first time was hard on my tractor (and me). It would have been hard on a cab too....but now that I have opened my land, I think a cab would be fine. I just don't need a cab....or really want one as I like being out in the fresh air....and I don't do winter chores or work in bad weather. (I do see them as adding safety however.....and have been smacked in the face with a limb.)

I think your likely getting good advice on the 5000 series Deere for your purposes.....I am just reciting my needs on my land. Their are lots of thoughts on tractor sizes. I'm happy with my tractor choice.

Also, a big factor for me is hauling. I need to occasional haul my tractor and an implement to help out my kids or for repairs if needed, etc. A bigger tractor could not be hauled by my vehicle and trailers.

As said on budgets......my budget was about 25k for tractor and implements. For me its all about deer hunting and managing my land. And I like my implements. :thumbsup:

Good luck on your decision.

 

[bigbull338]

for the work your wanting todo id get a 50 pto hp tractor with 4x4 an FEL.an that should be all the tractor youd ever want.

 

[foggy1111]

TMR - I live in South Central MN and my hunting land is 200 miles north of here, near the lakes area and close to Crosslake.

My tractor (with fluid in the tires and an implement) is about the heaviest weight I care to tow behind my SUV. Like you, I spend time in different locations depending on the season. I'd like to be "up north" today....but the weather has us hunkered down at home through the New Year.

 

[AKfish]

I can offer some advice... likely save you real dolllars on a tractor purchase - sell the row crop acres to your farmer tenent and sell me your deer hunting acres!! :thumbsup:

Heck, you could get a real nice side-by-side JD diesel gator and help me haul my next deer outta the woods!

AKfish

(IMO; for the acres you're gonna be working and the kinds of work planned - you won't hardly have to go much above idle with a 50hp tractor.)

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I was quoted last week $40 for a 5083E.

I'll take it! :laughing:

 

[blueriver]

I will be running right at 300 acres in 2011 ... 200 of that is hay ground thus hay equipment ... the rest is pasture with fall discing and planting of wheat and grass... spraying, fertilizing and the basic's .... Biggest Tractor is 55hp.

 

[jenkinsph]

I will be running right at 300 acres in 2011 ... 200 of that is hay ground thus hay equipment ... the rest is pasture with fall discing and planting of wheat and grass... spraying, fertilizing and the basic's .... Biggest Tractor is 55hp.

That is fine if you have all week to do the work but if you only have the weekends and have a good income for it the exchange of a little more money for the larger tractor works.

 

[Jon Chanoski]

That is fine if you have all week to do the work but if you only have the weekends and have a good income for it the exchange of a little more money for the larger tractor works.

If I understand the origonal post he is only going to be maintaining a gravel road and a few 1 to5 acre food plots for deer. If it were me I would go with a 35hp or so tractor for more manuverability in the woods and still have plenty of power to maintain the road and bushhog the edges. Let the farmer farm the 50 acres. Take atvantage of that good paying job and burn some vacation on the farm.

 

[098673]

I have a 4320 tractor that I use full time in a variety of situations from grading around new construction to property management, hunt club management, etc. The 4720 will be perfect for you what you want to do. It will easily handle a six foot tiller which will be sufficient for the food plots, a heavy duty (woods or better) 6 foot box blade that will maintain the roads, and a six to seven foot bush hog which will put you cutting at around 2-3 acres per hour. I would definitely recommend that tractor along with a four in one and e hydro. I thought I would hate the e hydro, and now I would not trade it for anything.

 

[F250DSLPWR]

I have an M5040 4WD 50hp tractor for our 400 acre ranch and it works great. I put in food plots, disk, till, brush hog, run a tiller, blade, cut brush and clear cedar trees, move the brush (grapple bucket) and also move round bales etc..., basically all the ranch chores. A couple times I thought a few more hp might be nice, but in reality I have not needed it. The tractor has been able to do everything I have asked of it easily. I do use the 4 wheel drive quite a bit and highly recommend it. One thing to consider is the price of implements. The more hp a tractor has the heavier duty the implements need to be and the more they cost. I also trailer my tractor quite a bit, so the M5040 is about as large as I could go and still fairly easily trailer it. My buddy has a smaller 30hp Kubota for his hunting ranch it it works well for everything he does such as food plots, maintaining the roads, brush hogging etc..