Tractor recomendations and /or critiques

[SnappyBob]

Thanks for all of the replies. Feature wise we are looking for round bale moving capabilities front and rear for the cattle operation and FEL for mixing soils, compost management etc. Our property is in a very sandy area so we need to make sure whatever we get can handle sandy situations in overly wet or overly dry conditions. The old Alice Chalmers that we are replacing was used primarily for pulling hay wagons, round bale buggies and fertilizing pastures among other odd jobs. We never had to worry about the extra weight hanging on the front and/or back. We have been told that the narrow tires on the Mahindra might be a problem in the sand with extra weight on the front. Also rear wheel traction may be a problem in that situation so we are wanting to investigate all of the 4WD, RWD, All wheel drive, front assist drive etc. etc. etc. Right now we have a no wheel drive. We don't want to buy too much tractor but we certainly don't want to wind up with not enough tractor that's going to be more aggravation than it's worth. That's why I turn to you guys. You are out there using the products being offered in todays market. If you like them tell me about it. If you don't, tell me that too. Again, thanks for your replies.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Thanks for all of the replies. .... We have been told that the narrow tires on the Mahindra might be a problem in the sand with extra weight on the front. Also rear wheel traction may be a problem in that situation so we are wanting to investigate all of the 4WD, RWD, All wheel drive, front assist drive etc. etc. etc....

??The Mahindra that we are speaking off has 11.2 X 24 fronts and 16.9 X 28 rears..If you want/need an FEL you need to fill the rears on ANY unit you pick up...Again, "narrow tires"??
As far as any decision you make, you didn't give a round number as to your budget...unless thats not an issue for you....BobG in VA

 

[RollingsFarms]

I'll cast my vote for the John Deere 5003 series as well as the 500 series Massey Ferguson's. there's a good selection of tractors from all makes in this class though, so take the time and do your homework, drive all of them you can, kick the tires, ask questions, etc.

I can't speak for other makes of tractors in this class but I can speak on the John Deere 5003 series as I bought a brand new 5203(56 engine hp and 47 pto hp) with MFWD a few months ago. in 2007-2008 these models were upgraded with features such as MFWD, single rear remote, syncshuttle and syncreverser transmission(depending if you bought 2wd or 4wd), and all have turbo. I paid $19,500 for mine and also got 0% for 48months, awesome price for my trade-in ($1,000 less then the price of the tractor the day it was bought new in 1978). when all added up i just couldn't say no to the deal even though i wasn't planning o buying a tractor at the time. anyways, I was hesitant about the whole made in India thing but from research i learned that alot of people are being misslead. these tractors are made in India, BUT it's not like they're being contracted out by some other manufacturer, John Deere themselves are building these machines in a brand new plant in India. go look at one up close, you will see the quality in them. so rule the India thing out. they also come with a Dana front axle in the MFWD models and a Cararro axle in the 2wd version.

As for the Massey Ferguson, well the ONLY thing that made me not go with them was one simple reason. no dealer closer then 45 min to my farm. the JD is 15 min away. that was the only issue i could not get over. had there been a MF dealer closer, i would have bought a MF 543 or a 563. i was sold on them from the moment i sat on one and drove it around. VERY comfortable tractors!

 

[twigpig]

Well SnappyBob I see you found us from the tool shed at Gardenweb. Welcome. I don't know much about that size of tractor but I think if you are going to do much loader work a 4X4 is in order. Don't forget to have the dealer weld on some hooks on the top of the loader for chains. If you don't have them eventually you'll wish you did. There's always something that needs to be picked up and put in the bed of your pickup. They also make pulling old fence posts a breeze. I bought my tractor used from a guy that advertised it in the Little Nickle want adds. You probably have a similar want add paper in your area. Craigslist also has some tractors in there too if you are getting sticker shock from a new tractor. Your might want to look at Tractorhouse.com too. You'll have to be very handy with a wrench if you get a used one. On my tractor if there was a weak design flaw that part failed. Some of the parts were covered under warranty. I saved about $10,000 compared to a new tractor. I can turn a wrench for a long time for $10,000. You probably won't save very much when it comes to a used JD, Kubota or NH since they hold their value so well. If you do decide to go with a new tractor like I said over at the Tool Shed the dealer is more important then the tractor brand except for maybe Chinese tractors. Also, there is a good search function on this site that you can while away the hours with.

 

[Soundguy]

I checked your profile but couldn't find any info.. so...

What tractor are you replacing?

what's your land like?

what other tasks will it need to do?

soundguy

It's time to replace the old tractor. She's all wore out and just doesn't fit the bill feature wise anymore. I need to buy a tractor that can haul round bales from the front or rear and also have a front end loader capability. I want a full size tractor frame and somewhere around 50 HP. I've always found sites like this to be very educational when I am in need of buying big ticket items. So, does anybody have any anecdote's, praise or condemnations on anything that has been recently bought? Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[RWolf]

I'll go along with the 5xxx series and you can add the extra wide tires 16.9 (I think) for just a little more on the price tag. They have a very strong FEL, 3pt is smooth and the operators station is laid out well. I've got the 5103 with the shuttle shift and have fount it to be very easy to use and the clutch isn't as hard as I've seen on others. HST is good but I found that the amount of FEL work or bale moving didn't justify the added cost.

 

[CharlieTR]

I have a 52HP tractor and if I were going to do it over again I would get a 60 HP or maybe even 40 HP. Seems like implements are made for 40 or 60 HP but not 50 HP. Just my observation. I strongly feel you would need a 4 cylinder engine!!!! 60 HP or higher. Happy shopping!!

 

[greggh]

I have a 52HP tractor and if I were going to do it over again I would get a 60 HP or maybe even 40 HP. Seems like implements are made for 40 or 60 HP but not 50 HP. Just my observation. I strongly feel you would need a 4 cylinder engine!!!! 60 HP or higher. Happy shopping!!

I guess I don't undestand your issue. I have a 56 HP 5203 JD and I can utilize a Cat I or II implement without a problem. The 3 cylinder engine seems powerful enough to do the jobs that I require. I must be missing something???

 

[SnappyBob]

So many choices and they all have their good features. This would be so much easier if I could just go ahead and buy about three tractors. This time of year it's hard to do much actual tractor shopping. We all work full time and with Christmas, deer season and weekend chores that need to be done in daylight visits to tractor dealerships are hard to schedule. After the first of the year we will be able to hit it hard. I'm just thankful for the internet and sites like this to allow me to do my homework much more effectivley. From what I've heard so far, I'm leaning toward 4WD. I can't commit to a brand yet. I think that will take some saddle time.

 

[Soundguy]

Do a bunch of test driving before you make your choice. talk tot he dealer as well.. he will be doing your warranty work..

soundguy