2 Tractors or 1 Tractor? What do you own??

[Dagwood55]

I have a small hobby farm. 25 acres of pasture (no livestock) that I keep bush hogged pretty short. 2 large gardens that I tiller up before planting. Gravel drive and parking area that I maintain.
A couple of foodplots in the fall. No hay, no crops but a little of this and a little of that.

I currently have a JD 870, 2 wheel drive, no FEL, 5' bush hog. I only use this tractor for bush hogging. Takes a while to BH my little place at 4' a circle. This tractor is around 20 years old and has around 6 or 700 hours. Maybe worth $5000 or so.

I also have a JD 4200 Hydro with a FEL and 4wd. I also have a 60" mid mower for it but havnt used it in years. It also has a 5' bush hog which I don't use. I use this tractor for spreading gravel or soil, cleaning up and such. Maybe worth $8000 or so with the mower. Both little JD's are in great shape.

I've been Jonesing for a 60 or 70 hp, 4wd, JD with FEL and a 12' batwing bush hog to cut down on my mowing time. I probably mow once a month or more. I can afford a JD 5075e and a batwing, so thats not a big issue. I'm just wondering if I even need to keep either of the smaller JD"s. I know I don't need 3 tractors, but should I keep one, and which one??. What will the littler tractors do that a 70 hp won't do?? Will I miss the one of the little tractors if I only have a larger on my hobby farm??

Sorry to ramble, just thinking out loud I .....

Any thoughts??

 

[Wolfy]

Oh the more the merrier :laughing:

 

[newbury]

One per implement would be best

 

[Jstpssng]

You will never sell what you have for what they are worth to you. Even if the new one will do everything you want there will be times when you want to do a quick job and not want to swap attachments. There are also times when you might want something with a lighter footprint than a 70 HP.

 

[KYErik]

I agree that it is good to have a small maneuverable tractor for a small job and a big tractor for a big job. Its always good to have a spare in case you need to get a job done and one tractor goes down (flat tire or something more serious).

 

[tmcj]

I only own 1 - Mahindra Max26XL - but my Dad still has his FarmAll M and he is next door. I can use it anytime I need it for anything bigger than what the Max will handle. If they each have a purpose then the more the merrier. Even if the purpose is.......just because. :thumbsup:

 

[lpigott]

I currently have 3 tractors, but the BXs main job has always mowing grass 98% of the time. I now pay my buddy that has a grass cutting service to do that which has been a great time saver for me and helps my wife while I am away at work by not having to worry with it. I will likely trade the BX for more implements for the larger tractors since the BX still has good value and I don't have much need for it any longer.

 

[bdog]

You don’t seem like a novice to tractors. You own two and know what you do with them on your property. Are there any tasks that you do now with your tractors that you couldn’t do with a larger one? If not sell them and either buy more implements for the bigger tractor or buy something cool like a mini-ex or a skid steer.

 

[Redlands Okie]

I agree that it is good to have a small maneuverable tractor for a small job and a big tractor for a big job. Its always good to have a spare in case you need to get a job done and one tractor goes down (flat tire or something more serious).

 

[Grandad4]

I agree that it is good to have a small maneuverable tractor for a small job and a big tractor for a big job. Its always good to have a spare in case you need to get a job done and one tractor goes down (flat tire or something more serious).

+1 Tag teaming with both large and small equipment made many projects much easier for me. While it's more of an extra than a necessity, a small unit can be amazingly handy, particularly for owners with 10, 20 or 30 acres. If you're doing crops, livestock or serious forestry chores, a baby tractor probably doesn't help very much.