Buying Advice Advice on purchasing new JD 4520 tractor and needed attachments - 50 acre hobby farm

[AKfish]

The cheapest thing you can buy is the land....don't try to do the equipment cheap.....Unless you want to be a "hobby mechanic" also.

He makes several good points.. However, land around me averages $8,000/acre!

If your budget is somewhat inflexible or your timeline to get things rolling along is short --

You shouldn't be looking at a newer or new 4520 - IMO.

Get a good condition, used utility tractor in the 50-60hp @ pto range. You should be able to find a tractor in that size, with 3-4000 hours and a loader for $12-14K.

A small, square baler in good working condition is gonna be in the neighborhood of $3K. A good sickle mower is gonna be around $750-1,000 (I know... take a look at the cost of a NEW sickle mower; crazy!)

Good rake (side delivery) is likely gonna run another $1,000 - $1,500.

Good, working condition riding lawn tractor - $2,500. (I agree with the previous post re: using a large frame CUT to mow your lawn is not a real good idea.)

If you've got tight weather windows during hay season - get a tedder. They can give you an added time margin that can make the difference between having bales in the barn or black straw in the windrows that you'll have to rake up and dump in a pit.

Last note: a new square baler - low end - from New Holland (565) or JD (328) is in the neighborhood of $18K. Unless you're operating commercially (real farming) or a custom operator - a new baler, rake, tedder, mower is not financially justifiable for the majority of folk's.

Sorry for the long post... but this is something I've been scratching my head over for nearly the past 3 years!

AKfish

 

[Mike120]

He makes several good points.. However, land around me averages $8,000/acre! AKfish

Sadly, land around me goes for a lot more than that. Every year I question my sanity of growing hay, but it's better than growing houses around my house. Plus I use pretty much all I grow. I got 5 cuttings last year and still had to buy over 1K bales.

I naturally agree with AKfish. A couple of questions and observations...Why do you want to grow hay, what are you planning to do with the hay, and what do you plan on planting?

I have friends in Ohio that do hay for a living. Their major complaint is the weather window up there. Depending on the crop you're planning you may need a mower/conditioner. The shorter the window, the faster you need it to dry. Square bales are rather unforgiving with moisture content.

If you are planning on selling it, I assume you are planning to produce "horse quality", otherwise why do square bales? If you are planning "horse quality" you'll also need a sprayer to get rid of the weeds (you should have one anyway). You'll also need a a barn to store them in. Stacking and tarping squares outside is not a solution. You'll also need a way to handle them. I retired my old NH stacker wagon last year and went to a Hoelscher accumulator/grapple. Something I should have done long ago. The alternative is to do cow rounds. Anything more than a 4X4 bale and you're going to need more HP. But, rounds are easier to handle, more forgiving with moisture content, and can be stored outside.

Crop is another issue....grass is usually easier than alfalfa, but you can't get much for it. Again it depends on "Why". There is a lot more to haying than most people realize. Good luck!

 

[radman1]

40 acres of hay! Do you really want to deal with the mowing, raking, baling and hauling the hay? That is a lot of work for a hobby farmer and probably little return for the work and maintenance required. Get the 4520 for your other tasks. Let someone else do the hay and you still make a little profit on it.