Please Recommend a Tractor

[ColoradoDan]

Hello Everyone. I purchased my property in May and I have a home on 33 acres. 18 of those acres consist of a hay pasture. I did the irrigating this summer but I let my friend handle the cutting, bailing, and stacking of the hay since I did not have any equipment.

On the rest of the acreage I have a pond and natural vegetation including trees and long grass. My private gravel driveway is about 500 yards and that is accessed from another gravel road. The driveway has a decent grade to it going up to the house.

My wife knows that I will need a tractor before the snow starts flying in order to plow the driveway so I can get to work every day. I live at about 6000 feet in Colorado near the mountains so snow will definitely be an issue in the winter. If I include my driveway with the other gravel road, I probably have about 1000 yards of road that will need to be plowed and maintained.

The major uses of my tractor will obviously be road and driveway maintenance, including plowing snow. I also plan on handling the hay myself. I need my tractor to be able to handle the 18 acres of hay work. The other major use of the tractor will be for brush hogging the rest of my property along with other miscellaneous jobs.

I have been told that I should get a tractor with at least 60 hp because of the hay implements. My town has four tractor dealers. They are John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, and Kubota. I would prefer to stick with one of these brands because of the ease of maintenance. I would also prefer to buy new because I would prefer to finance the purchase rather than pay cash.

This will be my first tractor, although I have been around plenty.
Please give me some honest opinions on a good fit for a tractor considering my needs. I will obviously test drive many of them before deciding.

Thank you in advance for your help. This site is a wealth of information!

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I have no experience with them (WAY too big for my uses), but the John Deere 50XXM series looks nice.

 

[Cat_Driver]

Too many tractors that can do the job for me to suggest one tractor or one manufacturer but I would not give up on buying used because you can make payments on a used tractor also either from a private owner of a dealer.

Don't get me wrong I love new anything, but I also see a ton of great equipment out there lately at fire sale prices.

Here's where I buy a lot of stuff from. There is an auction coming up soon so you need to sign up to bid but the prices will stun you.

IronPlanet - Used Heavy Construction Equipment - Auction - Backhoes Dozers Excavators Farm Tractors - Caterpillar John Deere Case Komatsu for sale

 

[ecoslik]

This summer, I bought our first tractor ... USED. I found it on: Used Tractors For Sale at TractorHouse.com: John Deere Tractors, used farm tractors and farm equipment, tractors for sale, Case IH, New Holland, Agco, Kubota

I was decidely picky, cautious, and spent several months researching and test driving, and then I spent 2-3 months waiting for a great deal, great seller with impeccable references for his equipment history (dealer vouched for him and his equipment), and exactly the tractor configuration and implements that we wanted.

I could make suggestions, but you have come to the right website to hear from the real pros for me to be muddying the topic with my beginner opinions. Needless to say, I had wanted a Kubota for 20+ years.

Big picture, I bought as a package everything in my signature, below, except the Construction Attachments grapple. I paid about 1/2 of what I would have spent if new.

 

[TripleR]

That would be a hard choice and all those mentioned make a tractor that fits your needs. While a 60 HP should do you, I would be looking at something in the 70 HP range with Hydraulic Shuttle Shift and a minimum of 12F/12R with a limited slip differential on the front and of course a cab. Your local dealer will advise you on the proper configuration for your area and tasks.

Look at and test drive all of them and you will know which is right for you. Among the brands mentioned you can't buy a bad tractor. Good luck.

 

[celtsrevenge]

Dan, what part of Colorado are you in? I live outside of Larkspur and have a new to me Yanmar YM2210D. I plan on moving a lot of snow with it.

 

[ColoradoDan]

Thanks for the replies so far. This really helps me during my research.

Triple R - can you expand on the specs you listed as far as your reasoning for having those as minimums? I am trying to learn as much as possible before test driving. That way I can know what I am driving.

Celtsrevenge - I live between Montrose and Ridgway, CO.

 

[Johndeere3720]

Whats your price range? Deere wise, check out the 4520 and up. Kubota, M5040, M7040, etc. the problem with the bota's are that kubota doesnt make any hay equippment so if you wanted everything the same brand, i'd check out The Deeres, NewHollands, and Masseys. :thumbsup:

 

[ColoradoDan]

This is going to sound stupid, but I don't really have a price range. I want to first figure out how much tractor I need for the jobs that I will have. Then, I can compare prices and test drive. I am comfortable with the price range of the tractors and specs that have been suggested so far.
I was wondering about the kubotas and the hay equipment. Its definitely something to think about.
Thanks again. I really appreciate all of the input.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I know that both Deere and Kubota have an online price calculator for their machinery.

 

[RPW]

Tractor new with a few of the immediate implements. Hay equipment will depend if you're doing small squares, large squares or round bales. Each type of bale will indicate how much HP you'll need. 60+ HP for rounds and large squares, 40+ for small squares. For your other tasks 40+ will work. Cab a definite for the winters. 4WD will probably be a must. I'm partial to Deere but all are good brands. With implements I wouldn't worry about brands too much and used is a good choice.

Good luck

 

[StewartGA1]

I would go for something 70+ hp, preferably 80 or 90. USED:thumbsup:, you can finance those too and there real good ones around do to hard times. Nonturbo charged engine. Turbos make good power but thay bring a lot of troubles with them. Then the givens cab, heat/ac, Fel, 4wd, one year warrenty. You can add the radio later. Let the wife check it out/ drive it in case your down (sick, broken leg, etc and the drive must be plowed. Kubota's are great, made right around the corner from me. I like/own a small New Holland. Good luck!

 

[flusher]

Hello Everyone. I purchased my property in May and I have a home on 33 acres. 18 of those acres consist of a hay pasture. I did the irrigating this summer but I let my friend handle the cutting, bailing, and stacking of the hay since I did not have any equipment.

On the rest of the acreage I have a pond and natural vegetation including trees and long grass. My private gravel driveway is about 500 yards and that is accessed from another gravel road. The driveway has a decent grade to it going up to the house.

My wife knows that I will need a tractor before the snow starts flying in order to plow the driveway so I can get to work every day. I live at about 6000 feet in Colorado near the mountains so snow will definitely be an issue in the winter. If I include my driveway with the other gravel road, I probably have about 1000 yards of road that will need to be plowed and maintained.

The major uses of my tractor will obviously be road and driveway maintenance, including plowing snow. I also plan on handling the hay myself. I need my tractor to be able to handle the 18 acres of hay work. The other major use of the tractor will be for brush hogging the rest of my property along with other miscellaneous jobs.

I have been told that I should get a tractor with at least 60 hp because of the hay implements. My town has four tractor dealers. They are John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland, and Kubota. I would prefer to stick with one of these brands because of the ease of maintenance. I would also prefer to buy new because I would prefer to finance the purchase rather than pay cash.

This will be my first tractor, although I have been around plenty.
Please give me some honest opinions on a good fit for a tractor considering my needs. I will obviously test drive many of them before deciding.

Thank you in advance for your help. This site is a wealth of information!

60hp is OK for small squares. If you're into round bales, then 70hp is more like it. Get a tractor with heat and A/C in the cab, an FEL with 3000 lb lift capacity and a skid steer quick attach adapter on the arms of the FEL. I'd also recommend three rear hydraulic remotes and at least one front hyd remote.

 

[ColoradoDan]

Well, I am definitely going to check out used tractors because of everyone's recommendations. I appreciate the input in regards to the specs that are necessary for my needs.
I am not sure whether I want to do small bales or big bales. We will probably raise our own beef next year so I will need to decide which bales I would rather handle, especially in the winter.
Please keep the thoughts/recommendations coming. This is extremely helpful.

 

[doall]

Even though a 40 horse tractor will do the job. I would rather(even with squares) have a little more tractor than I need. You will really be working a 40 horse with a disc mower and a baler. If I were you and price wasn't really a problem, I would go with at least the 60 you mentioned for squares, but maybe even as large as 80-90 for round bales. For the power and the confidence of hauling bales on the spear and 3 pt. As far as brand I like them all(tractors listed in op.)

 

[MtnViewRanch]

For your altitude, definitely get a tractor with a turbo. I don't know why people are afraid of turbos, about every semi truck has one, most larger tractors have them, they are very very reliable and really help out when at higher altitudes. You will have about 12% less power than advertised at your 6000 foot altitude with a naturally aspirated engine.

Do yourself a big favor and be sure that you get a tractor with a turbo. Sit in every cab that you can and get a feel for all of the controls. Each tractor will be a little bit different, all will be nice, but one of them will fit you just a little bit better and that will be the one to get. When you spend a lot of time in there, you want it to be as good as it can be for yourself.

Just my opinion, keep us informed and don't be afraid to ask more questions.

 

[ecoslik]

Regarding Turbos:

Earlier this year, I asked the same question concerned that simplicity (no turbo) was preferrable to a tractor with a turbo. I decided on a turbo charged engine. This was in the Kubota forum, something like: "Turbo Charged Engines - Avoid or Buy"

I don't know exactly how to post a link here, but the URL is:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...harged-engines-avoid-buy.html?highlight=Turbo

 

[Carykong]

What would be considered an average amount of snow in a given winter in your area. How many inches?

 

[ColoradoDan]

Hmmm. Well I looked up the area that I live and it seems that the average snowfall is 85 inches. Last winter we had a lot of late snow. I remember a couple of instances where we received over a foot during each storm.

 

[mjncad]

Welcome ColoradoDan.

That's a nice part of the state you live in. If you look at www.tractorhouse.com you will find a very limited selection of used stuff west of the Mississippi.

I can't comment on what you need for hay work; but I will definitely recommend a cab with heat and AC, a loader, 4WD, R1 tires for traction, as many hydraulic remote outlets as you can afford, and any other options you want, and can afford. Besides hay work, you might want to see if the rig your interested in can handle a front mount snow blower. Getting a rear mounted three-point-hitch blower is easy; but I wouldn't want to blow snow in reverse.

Please let us know what you decide on.