Which to buy, 10' tandem or 8' tandem?

[tmc_31]

Gary, not sure I would just run through the gate, but I get what you are saying. So far I haven't run across a gate that I couldn't get at least 10' equipment through. The thing that gave me pause and instigated this thread is that I am negotiating with a lady who wants an 8 acre horse pasture planted in Bermuda. The only access gate is 8' wide. Probably the best way to handle this will be to require her to provide me a means of access. If she doesn't want to do that, she always has the option of hiring someone with 6' equipment.

Tim

 

[Zebrafive]

In my state you can't haul over 8'6" wide without a permit. Maybe your state is different. As for two trailers, in my state the first HAS to be a fifth wheel. There is a total length too. I would not get the 3pt hitch disk. I would also not get the 10' disk if I plan to transport it. I would try and find an 8' drag style disk. That's what I wanted. I ended up with a 10' only because I inherited from my FIL two states away. I took it apart to the point is was legal to haul. They only had a skid steer to load it. The skid steer barely could pick it up. I had to back the trailer under it. My JD2030 was able to unload with ease.
Another reason I would get the 8' is you may have to take it down two tracks in wooded areas on the property to get to areas you want to make food plots.

 

[tmc_31]

Zebrafive, Texas is a "farm friendly state. It is not unusual to see very large farm equipment running up and down the roads. And, they have the right of way!!. Pulling doubles without a CDL is a no-no in Texas unless you are moving farm equipment to or from a field or you are pulling a RV (pick-up, fifth wheel, boat). I have even seen tractors pulling implements on the interstate (not a good idea).

I guess, if it became a real problem, I could cut the 10' disk down to an 8'. I did check to see if that would be a possibility. It would be one heavy 8 I would hate to lose the extra two feet though.

Tim

 

[deere5105]

I rebuilt an 8' Long 3PT disc harrow a year ago. Put all new 20" blades and axles on it and replaced the square tubing gang supports. Had quite a bit in the rebuild, but this is a 4" frame unit. I have been pleased and would recommend the 3PT unit due to maneuverability.

 

[Green Power]

Go with the 10 foot as it sounds your tractor would be able to handle it. when you are doing the food plots it would go quite a bit quicker.

 

[jimpen]

Here is a totally dumb idea. Go with the 8' and see about mounting a fertilizer/sprayer tank on top. So if you have 500/750 pounds of water holding down the 8' foot that would give you the extra weight. The fertilizer wands could spray behind the seed caster, and you could hit the customers for the added feature of fertilization. The tank would be filled at the customer's location, and you pay for the fertilizer out of the extra charge.

Please feel free to blow off the idea, but it could possibly work.

 

[bdog]

I think if I came to a place that had less than a 10 foot gate I would just drive thru and take out what ever fencing I needed. Any idiot that puts up a less than 12 foot gate for tractor access needs to rebuild his gate anyway. After all it's not like it is a backyard residence pedestrian walk in for push lawnmowers etc. Farm gates should all be minimum of 16 feet wide to allow for up to 14 feet of equipment to pass. That would have to be a topic of discussion for every potential customer as to size of gates and / or access point. You should NOT have to size your equipment to the landowners gates, he should size his gates to a standard farm gate size or cut his fence and make a wire gap gate that you can go thru. Another fine point on gates is the location, if you put in a gate that is in a place where you immediately need to make a 90 degree turn after passing the gate, it needs to be extra wide to allow for trailing equipment to make the bend.

It is not just gates. I know someone who has a 3000 acre ranch and he has planted food plots throughout it. Gates are not his problem but width of the roads are. He had either a 12 or 14' drill and was having problems getting around his place. He has probably over a hundred miles of road on his ranch but most are just wide enough for a pickup.

I can't imagine any of these food plots you are planting being very large. I would think more mobile equipment would benefit you more often than having larger equipment that was faster. The extra time you spend trying to transport your big equipment you could probably already be done with the smaller equipment if you are talking 5 acre plots.

 

[Zebrafive]

Zebrafive, Texas is a "farm friendly state. It is not unusual to see very large farm equipment running up and down the roads. And, they have the right of way!!. Pulling doubles without a CDL is a no-no in Texas unless you are moving farm equipment to or from a field or you are pulling a RV (pick-up, fifth wheel, boat). I have even seen tractors pulling implements on the interstate (not a good idea).

I guess, if it became a real problem, I could cut the 10' disk down to an 8'. I did check to see if that would be a possibility. It would be one heavy 8 I would hate to lose the extra two feet though.

Tim

If it's a tractor doing the pulling we can be 12' and multiple hitches. But a trailer pulled by a truck it's 8'6" and the only way you double the trailers is first has to be a 5th wheel. I know there is also an over length restriction, just don't know what it is.

 

[JoeinTX]

tmc, for what you're doing I'd get the 8' mounted one. Cheaper, simpler, easier to transport and load/unload, more maneuverable. Add weight to as desired and if needed for different ground conditions. Won't have to worry about hoses, hydraulics, flat tires. A 70hp tractor with FWA should drag an 8' disc more than fine.

 

[tmc_31]

Wow, you guys all have some very good points. Although I am leaning a little towards the larger pull type tandem I still haven't decided for sure. Does anybody know how much weight one could add to the 8' 3pt tandem? As I said before it is built of heavy box tubing rather than angle iron. If I could add enough weight, the 8 footer would surely cut just fine. On the other hand, I don't want to tear it up.

jimpen, not a dumb idea at all. I can get dry fertilizer and seed premixed from the seed store and I intend to do just that. Yes that will add weight to the disk. It will start out heavy but get lighter as I go. I had not thought of the liquid fertilizer idea, I will need to look into that further.

bdog, you are right about the roads, not only can they be narrower that the gates, they can be very rough (and rough on moving drag type equipment.

Tim