City girl needs help choosing tractor

   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #1  

Peppy

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
2
Hi--I am new to this forum so my questions may have already been answered, but I need help. I own a 40-acre horse farm and I think I need a tractor, bush-hog, loader, and box blade to maintain my pasture and road. We live in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, and the property was previously farmed (cotton) and is terraced; however, they left some areas "wild" because of rock outcroppings. I do not know how big a tractor I need to do the following tasks. There are some trees that I need to take out to reclaim some pasture (up to 10-12" trunks). I need to be able to dig out some rocks that stick up just enough to ruin a mower (they do not stick up more than 6" and they may be like icebergs for all I know). I need to be able to push enough dirt to fill in some holes made when larger trees were pulled from the ground. I need to maintain my road (about 1/2 mile gravel). And I need to haul manure from the barn to the garden. A John Deere dealer and 2 Kuboda dealers are close by, which is a prime consideration because we have no idea how to maintain such equipment and will need help and reassurance. How much tractor do I need? Should I pay more attention to the HP or the PTO power? What other specifications do I need to be paying attention to? Thanks for your input.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #2  
Hi--I am new to this forum so my questions may have already been answered, but I need help.

Welcome to the Forum!! There will be many willing to help you spend your money. You're wise to choose a tractor with local dealer support.

Should I pay more attention to the HP or the PTO power?
The two shouldn't be too far off. The PTO horsepower is what your implements will be rated for. I.e. a bushhog that needs 25 hp needs PTO hp, not gross hp.
What other specifications do I need to be paying attention to?

Frame size and tractor weight are important when you start talking about pushing dirt, etc. Horsepower won't help you if you don't have the traction to use it.

The question of how big is a bit of a personal decision. You can do almost anything with a small tractor that you can do with a larger tractor, it just takes longer. There are a few tasks that you can't do with a larger tractor. You can't clean your barn (if you have one) if your tractor won't fit down the aisle. Size is a bit of a balancing act. Keep in mind, too, that one time tasks like clearing and leveling land may be best accomplished by hiring a larger machine and operator. If you're willing to hire a large dozer or something to get your land how you want it, you'll be able to get by with a much smaller tractor.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #3  
Welcome to TBN!

You might want to hire someone to take out the trees, rocks and other big jobs with large equipment. It's basically a one-time thing and doesn't make sense to buy for that. Then, you could buy a tractor to maintain the pasture, drive and barn cleaning that wouldn't need to be so big.
Dave.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #4  
Welcome to the forum
Take a look at the 40 engine Hp tractors at your local dealers, and get some seat time on several models in that range. (I'm swayed to the mid-size frame of the Deere (models now are 3320 -3720) but the frame sizes go below that (overgrown lawn tractors) as well as above that (more HP and more weight).
I'd suggest the convenience of the HST (hydra static transmission), an iMatch on the 3 ph, a heavy duty bucket on the FEL (Front end loader), and forks for ease of moving things around (and I find digging out rocks and trees one of the tasks they work well for).
Agree with the post about having the heavy duty work hired out. :D

Check out the dealers and even talk to others who own the different brands. Don't think you can go wrong with either the Deere or Kubota. Can't really go wrong with many others either, but those dealers you say are close by. That is most important.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #5  
Welcome!
I have a 30 acre horse farm and bought a 50hp machine. I use every bit of power that it has. This is not to say that you could not do what you need with a 35 - 40 hp machine. Smaller than around 50 hp your going to end up a little light in the loafers to move big round bales and the loader capacity might not be up to the task.

Have fun!
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #6  
Hi--I am new to this forum so my questions may have already been answered, but I need help. I own a 40-acre horse farm and I think I need a tractor, bush-hog, loader, and box blade to maintain my pasture and road. We live in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, and the property was previously farmed (cotton) and is terraced; however, they left some areas "wild" because of rock outcroppings. I do not know how big a tractor I need to do the following tasks. There are some trees that I need to take out to reclaim some pasture (up to 10-12" trunks). I need to be able to dig out some rocks that stick up just enough to ruin a mower (they do not stick up more than 6" and they may be like icebergs for all I know). I need to be able to push enough dirt to fill in some holes made when larger trees were pulled from the ground. I need to maintain my road (about 1/2 mile gravel). And I need to haul manure from the barn to the garden. A John Deere dealer and 2 Kuboda dealers are close by, which is a prime consideration because we have no idea how to maintain such equipment and will need help and reassurance. How much tractor do I need? Should I pay more attention to the HP or the PTO power? What other specifications do I need to be paying attention to? Thanks for your input.

What's your budget for the tractor? For implements?
Larger tractor can handle larger implements, but the prices of both tractor and implements go up.
On my 10-acre place (flat pasture) I use a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny, power steering) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft height). Cost: about $18K. My bush hog is a 6-ft Hawkline ($1150).

DSCF0051 (Small).JPG

I traded the 2005 Kubota B7510 HST (on the left in this photo--21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, hydrostatic tranny, 4WD, power steering) with the LA302 FEL (4-ft bucket, 800 lb lift to about 7 ft).

DSCF0061 (Small).JPG

I had the dealer install triple hydraulic remotes ($750- highly recommend at least double remotes)

DSCF0067 (Small).JPG

You'll want to have the dealer weld chain hooks onto your FEL bucket (my dealer welded on these hooks that I supplied). There are many variations that you can find by searching TBN.

DSCF0064 (Small).JPG

I also recommend a skid-steer-type quick attach option for your FEL. This one cost about $900.

DSCF0110 (Small).JPG

I'm not saying that the 5525 is the tractor for you, but you can see some of the features you want to be aware of during your shopping effort.

Good luck and welcome to TBN--a friendly forum for tractor nuts and those hoping to become such.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #7  
Approximately 50HP, Widest tires that you can get as it will aid in traction and also will reduce compaction of the soil. FEL seems to be a must. HD implements (don't skimp here). Unless you're well versed in using a gear shift go with the HST. 4wd is nice and helps quite abit but could be pricey and the same jobs can be done with 2wd just with care and forethought. Either as someone said hire out the massive jobs (rocks and trees) or rent a backhoe unless you're planning on changing the terrain. If you do go for the optional backhoe attachment make sure it's frame mounted.

Welcome and good luck.
Richard.

[edited] Don't forget the trailer to transport it:) unless your dealer will do farm calls without charging an arm and a leg.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #8  
Very good advice so far. I personally will never buy anything with a FEL without 4WD as we had one and traded it back in after about three months of "use".

I also recommend HST.

Since you are new to this don't spend the money on a backhoe; might not even recommend one anyway as we find it easier to rent one when needed rather than to store it.

By all means, especially since you will be in the learning phase for some time, hire the heavy clearing out, we did and I have been running tractors for over fifty years. As mentioned this will also allow you to get a smaller more economical tractor best suited for daily tasks/maintenance.

Since you are on hilly ground pay attention to tread width, tractor height and things that will enhance or detract from stability.
 
Last edited:
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #9  
With 40 acres to maintain, I'd suggest a 4720 Deere (or equivalent) minimum..preferably gear (they're stronger and easy to learn...you'll want a reverser transmission to be precise) or a 5xxx series machine (also Deere).
It's really going to depend on how much money you can budget...it's not going to be cheap if you buy new. Going used is an option, but you'll still want 50 PTO HP or more.
Any 50 PTO HP tractor will lift a ton (or more) on the 3ph and the loader will do close to that (especially when it's low).
The downside of a tractor to do the bigger tasks is you probably cannot use it to clean stalls...many farms have more then one tractor to do various tasks.
Your comment "we have no idea how to maintain such equipment and will need help and reassurance" suggests you may be better off hiring a local farmer to do some of your work. It's also suggested you thoroughly read the Safety forum on TBN and as much about tractor safety as you can.
As far as the rocks and such...it'll be cheaper to hire someone with a backhoe to remove those obstacles. A backhoe attachment will cost you several thousand ($5K plus) to add to the tractor price...for a device you may only use infrequently.
So, think thoroughly...especially about the dollars...before you commit yourself to a machine you can't afford.
 
   / City girl needs help choosing tractor #10  
What is available to rent in your area? Maybe pick out a few jobs, rent a tractor and that will give you a good idea of that size tractor performs those types of jobs.
 
 
Top