How heavy should a tractor be?

[Indian Territory]

I’m a hobby farmer. Flatland. Old school organic kinda deal. Possibly haying in the future. But mostly vegetable crops. Deep plowing. Tilling. Bed shaping. Seeding. No high hp commodity crops like corn or soybeans. I’m preparing to trade my NH Boomer 24, which is far too light to be useful. I’ve had a 75hp NH in the past at about 5,000 pounds, which felt pretty planted to the ground. The NH Powerstar 75 I’m currently considering weighs in at about 6,000 pounds. But the Massey Ferguson 4700’s are closing in on 9,000 pounds. Is 9,000 pounds going to translate to better performance in a mostly light-duty application like mine? Thanks for the advice!

 

[jeff9366]

Is 9,000 pounds going to translate to better performance in a mostly light-duty application like mine?

You will be able to pull wider implements, deeper through the ground.
Is this your goal? What general width implements work well for you?

How many acres of veggies do you grow?

How deep is "deep plowing" where you farm? How often do you deep plow?

What limits did you find with the 5,000 pound New Holland?

 

[Indian Territory]

We are currently at only 1 acre, but will be expanding to 10 acres in the future (or as large as the produce/flower markets will bear). The farm itself is 20 acres.

 

[jeff9366]

We are currently at only 1 acre, but will be expanding to 10 acres in the future (or as large as the produce/flower markets will bear). The farm itself is 20 acres.

For one acre consider a Keulavator.

The Keulavator | Agri Supply

What is a Keulavator ®? It is a category 1 cultivator frame, and we're here to tell you all about it.

www.agrisupply.com

For ten to twenty acres of vegetables few here will dispute a recommendation for a tractor of ~4,000 to ~5,000 pounds bare tractor weight.

4,000 pounds if a Category 1 TPH and implements are adequate. For veggies I would have air inflated tires or, at most, 50% liquid fill.

5,000 pounds if a Category 2 TPH and heavier, 30" wider implements are needed or if you need to regularly lift one ton or more with the FEL.

Consider a high clearance Tilmor cultivator as a second tractor.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tilmor+tractor

Comparison - Contemporary Cultivating Tractors inspired by Allis-Chalmers 'Model G'

1) TUFF-BILT - 1,280 pounds Tuff-bilt Tractor - Tuff-bilt Tractor Systems 2) OGGUN - 1,720 pounds Cleber, LLC | Oggun Tractor 3) TILMOR - 2,500 to 2,700 pounds Ventrac Tractor's parent corporation, Venture Products, is also parent of Tilmor Tractors. Tilmor - Tilmor Tractor

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[5030]

For longevity and down the road parts availability, I'd stick with NH.

 

[sea2summit]

Like 5030 said, MF is having some horrible parts availability right now due to where their supply chain going, it is a consideration.

I think that 7-9k area is a pretty good place to be for haying, can’t really speak to the other tasks though, sorry.

 

[HST4Me]

You'll have more permanent ruts than rows with a 3-4.5 ton 75+ hp tractor on one acre (or 10).

 

[Indian Territory]

One of the worst problems we have now is simply due to the lack of steering control and lateral shifting. 1,900 lbs is nowhere near enough. Of course nothing is more important than keeping things straight when you’re trying to set up rows for efficient cultivation later.

 

[Indian Territory]

We grow almost everything on raised beds (with plastic mulch.) In the past, my 75hp New Holland felt more than well-sized, even for smaller acreage than that. I’m certain that I want a +5,000 lb tractor; I’m just not sure if 9,000 lbs will deliver any appreciable performance boost in my application. Open to it, just not certain.

 

[jeff9366]

We grow almost everything on raised beds (with plastic mulch.) In the past, my 75hp New Holland felt more than well-sized, even for smaller acreage than that. I’m certain that I want a +5,000 lb tractor; I’m just not sure if 9,000 lbs will deliver any appreciable performance boost in my application. Open to it, just not certain.

A 9,000 pound tractor is adequate for 75 to 150 acres of commodity crops.

Much too heavy for vegetable land. Dial back.