What to invest in?

[Illinoisdmax]

That's a shame. What's the next closest dealer?

McCormick is a good tractor but nothing compared to a Deere or the other leading manufactures for that matter.

5420 would be right for you but if I recall you wanted to spend under $20k. A nice 5420 would be closer to $27-$30k. They would be just right though. If you want to stick to the lower of your budget a 5410 would do just as well without the newer bells and whistles.

Yeah I did a lot if research last night and found that the 5420 were goin for quite a bit more then the 10's. I'm gonna do a little research on those Mckormicks though. Not that I'd buy one bit it'd be nice to know pricing and what not. If I could get a brand new tractor I'd really enjoy it.

 

[Martian]

Yeah I did a lot if research last night and found that the 5420 were goin for quite a bit more then the 10's. I'm gonna do a little research on those Mckormicks though. Not that I'd buy one bit it'd be nice to know pricing and what not. If I could get a brand new tractor I'd really enjoy it.

Dealer is key in my opinion, if you didn't feel welcomed there when it was Deere I would assume there's nothing new with it being McCormick and I would go somewhere else. I don't give my hard earned money to people who aren't willing to at least be polite. I would keep looking for a good deal. Maybe this:
2001 JOHN DEERE 5310 40 HP to 99 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

Or something like this and a new loader:
2000 JOHN DEERE 5510 40 HP to 99 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

Cab/4x4/loader is hard to come by for under $20k.

 

[Illinoisdmax]

Dealer is key in my opinion, if you didn't feel welcomed there when it was Deere I would assume there's nothing new with it being McCormick and I would go somewhere else. I don't give my hard earned money to people who aren't willing to at least be polite. I would keep looking for a good deal. Maybe this:
2001 JOHN DEERE 5310 40 HP to 99 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

Or something like this and a new loader:
2000 JOHN DEERE 5510 40 HP to 99 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com

Cab/4x4/loader is hard to come by for under $20k.

Man you really do your research don't ya?
Next closest dealer is a NH dealer about 10 miles away and then another Deere dealer about 15 miles then an IH dealer about 25 miles away.

 

[Martian]

Man you really do your research don't ya?
Next closest dealer is a NH dealer about 10 miles away and then another Deere dealer about 15 miles then an IH dealer about 25 miles away.

Yea, you can call me a looker. Always searching for a good deal. Sounds like you got nearly every dealer right close to you though so you don't have to rule out any brands.

 

[Illinoisdmax]

The only one we don't have around these parts is Agco.

 

[Smallplot]

Hey check out TYM tractors. They are beefy tractors and priced way lower than the big three with way better warranty. Really like mine so far

 

[Mini Baler Guy]

I have had thoughts of going into the hay business as well but I am not nearly as prepared as you are. The trouble is my tractor is a compact 21hp. Not wanting to have to buy a 50hp I searched the internet and found Small Farm Innovations .

I have no idea if the size equipment on that site is big enough for 10 acres, but you would not have to buy a tractor. The balers make smaller bales, but wouldn't be nice if you could develop a niche market for small bales.

Good Luck! Post about successes or failures.

The great thing about a compact baler is you can bale a lot of hay on less hp. We have a THB 2070 square baler and can bale 330 40lb bales an hour with 26PTO HP.