Looking to start a small beef farm- need tractor advice.

[Turbo5upra]

I bought a L4350 several years ago and it’s been a great tractor other than being afraid of its own shadow on wet ground. People suggested I buy a bigger tractor and I find they were correct- it’s served it purpose but plans are changing…

I have 140 acres- 50-60 wooded… 20 or so tillable at the moment and 30-40 I plan to dry up soon to be able to use. So I plan on having 30 to 40 for hay and such and then 30-40 for pasture. some moderately steep but not very long hills to work with.

I’m looking to raise 20ish head of beef- I plan to use smaller round bales and think I need something in the 100hp range- I’m thinking green because there is a nearby dealer that seems rather reasonable. I’ve had bad luck with the local blue dealer or I’d be looking at them.

My question is this- I also have a 30hp 2wd gas case for smaller tasks- a cab would be nice for most tasks- I prefer to wrench on stuff myself when possible…

Do I buy a 1970’s or 80’s open station something or other for the mowing and round bailing for 10-20k and then buy a nicer 75ish hp loader/ cab tractor for chores or do I try to get something like a 2000’s 6 series’s Deere with cab and loader…

My budget would be somewhere around 60k for either one or two tractors…

Thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

[JJT]

You are near me, go with a cab. That's my only tractor regret, not buying the cab. I'd also get just one tractor, unless you really like to work on older stuff.

 

[TimberFarm]

Way off topic...Turbo5upra...What gen?
On topic...Get a cab, especially in upstate NY for the winter.

 

[Turbo5upra]

Way off topic...Turbo5upra...What gen?
On topic...Get a cab, especially in upstate NY for the winter.

Lol- I’ve owned several mk3’s and now have a sc300.

I plan on buying a cab tractor either way- it’s a matter of do I buy a one size fits all tractor or do I buy a large hunk of iron for field work and a smaller take me to town tractor.

 

[oldnslo]

I would purchase two tractors. Main one for heavier field work and smaller one for chores. Other wise you are constantly hooking and unhooking equipment to do the chores that always pop up. My two cents make sure both tractors can move your bales without struggling.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

You are near me, go with a cab. That's my only tractor regret, not buying the cab. I'd also get just one tractor, unless you really like to work on older stuff.

Get a new one with def and you can work on it or haul it back and forth to a shop. Got 4 from the 80's and hardly ever work on them things. I mean bale thousands of round bales each year.

 

[mo1]

I bought a L4350 several years ago and it’s been a great tractor other than being afraid of its own shadow on wet ground. People suggested I buy a bigger tractor and I find they were correct- it’s served it purpose but plans are changing…

I have 140 acres- 50-60 wooded… 20 or so tillable at the moment and 30-40 I plan to dry up soon to be able to use. So I plan on having 30 to 40 for hay and such and then 30-40 for pasture. some moderately steep but not very long hills to work with.

I’m looking to raise 20ish head of beef- I plan to use smaller round bales and think I need something in the 100hp range- I’m thinking green because there is a nearby dealer that seems rather reasonable. I’ve had bad luck with the local blue dealer or I’d be looking at them.

My question is this- I also have a 30hp 2wd gas case for smaller tasks- a cab would be nice for most tasks- I prefer to wrench on stuff myself when possible…

Do I buy a 1970’s or 80’s open station something or other for the mowing and round bailing for 10-20k and then buy a nicer 75ish hp loader/ cab tractor for chores or do I try to get something like a 2000’s 6 series’s Deere with cab and loader…

My budget would be somewhere around 60k for either one or two tractors…

Thoughts are greatly appreciated!

I would probably just go with one tractor with a loader to run the mower and baler, you can either rake with that as well or pull the rake with the old Case, rakes don't take much to run. How much tractor you need largely depends on if you use a disc mower conditioner versus some other type of mower. A 4x5 dry hay round baler can be run on a 75 HP tractor. A disc mower up to about 8 discs/10 1/2' can be run on one as well. Any kind of sickle cutter like a Haybine takes very little power, your Case would probably even be able to run one of those. I would not would want to run a typical 10 1/2' or larger disc mower conditioner on a 75 HP tractor. I have a tractor that size and run a 10 1/2' plain disc mower. It runs it well, but it does know the mower is back there when going at a good clip. However, I don't know if you need a 6 series machine, either. I have run a 10 1/2' disc mower conditioner with a tractor of similar power to a 6 series (just under 110 PTO HP) and it was more than plenty to run the mower. I can't run 10 MPH here due to terrain but at 7 MPH it didn't know the mower was back there at all. I'd guesstimate 100 engine HP would be fine for it. I'd base your decision for what mower to use on how well your hay dries and if you have thick stemmy stuff like sorghum/sudan or not.

I'd keep in mind the hay equipment cost in the cost equation as well, it's not cheap. Figure about $15k for an okayish used 10 1/2' disc mower-conditioner and a little over $30k for a new one. 3 point disc mowers are about half that much, trailed disc mowers or a 3 point unit on a caddy is about 2/3 of that. A new sickle Haybine is about $20k, used ones are generally a few thousand dollars. A drum mower is about $5k new, but about half the size most disc mowers you will find used. A 4x5 baler will run about what a disc mower-conditioner does, although you can generally find older balers that are less expensive and still serviceable as compared to any kind of disc-cutter mower. Rakes vary from bar rakes in usable condition at $1-2k to a 10 wheel disc rake (assuming a 10' cutter) at about $4-6k used and $8-10k new.

 

[Turbo5upra]

Mo1 Excellent advice- thank you…

I know the 6 series is a touch overkill for most anything I’d need however I thought the weight would be nice on the hills with the bailer.

Money is part of the equation however I’m looking to break even since I already mow it 6’ at a time… I figure if I can pay the property tax and pay for the toys it’s a hefty payday/ savings so I’d like to reinvest what it makes into further clearing and draining the property and on better equipment.

I think if I’m buying a one shot solution that I should be looking in the late 90’s early 2000’s to avoid emissions yet get the most creature comforts.

What do you guys feel are the most reliable 100ish hp cab MFWD with hydraulic reverser out there?

 

[rScotty]

I would purchase two tractors. Main one for heavier field work and smaller one for chores. Other wise you are constantly hooking and unhooking equipment to do the chores that always pop up. My two cents make sure both tractors can move your bales without struggling.

That would be my advice too. But it doesn't matter if you start out with two tractors, just realize that you'll most probably end up there.

So the question is really which one to get first. I'd start out looking for the older, larger, cabbed tractor first. But take the right one when it comes along.

Most brands with names you recognize from about 1975 to 2005 are worth considering. Go for good condition over good price, and be prepared to pay a premium for a very nice used one.

At this stage you mostly want to stay away from average or worse deals. Those deals are always out there. But you will come to absolutely rely on that big tractor. It's your partner. On cold and sloppy winter mornings, you will not care one bit just how much extra it cost to get that special tractor.

rScotty

 

[mo1]

Mo1 Excellent advice- thank you…

I know the 6 series is a touch overkill for most anything I’d need however I thought the weight would be nice on the hills with the bailer.

Money is part of the equation however I’m looking to break even since I already mow it 6’ at a time… I figure if I can pay the property tax and pay for the toys it’s a hefty payday/ savings so I’d like to reinvest what it makes into further clearing and draining the property and on better equipment.

I think if I’m buying a one shot solution that I should be looking in the late 90’s early 2000’s to avoid emissions yet get the most creature comforts.

What do you guys feel are the most reliable 100ish hp cab MFWD with hydraulic reverser out there?

The rule of thumb is that a tractor is supposed to weigh at least as much as the baler. A 4x4 or 4x5 dry hay round baler generally weighs less than 5000 pounds with a full bale in the chamber. A smaller cabbed MFWD utility tractor with a loader is going to weigh at least 8500 pounds, and properly ballasted will weigh about five tons. That is more than enough weight.

If you are looking at a cabbed MFWD tractor with a hydraulic reverser, you are pretty much limited to units made since the early to mid 1990s and newer. If you are looking at green tractors, the 5500, 5510, 5520, 5525, 5093E/5101E would fit the size and feature requirements. I've run the "fuel turned down one notch but otherwise identical" versions of the 5510 and 5093E/5101E and they were nice units. If you are looking at pre-Tier 4 units, you want to get one made before 2014- all of the models I listed were pre-Tier 4.

I went the one-tractor route with a 75 HP 2WD open station unit to hay about twice as much ground as you intend on haying someday. I make small squares for myself and sell some, and roll up the remainder in round bales which I load when I sell. I can't say I ever thought I needed a second tractor, as it's just me working and I can't drive two tractors at once and this one is good sized for what I do. All of my hay equipment is drawn so it's easy to drop one piece of equipment and hook up another, it's not like I have a 3 point mounted disc mower that's "fun" to hook and unhook.