Help selecting an L-series for haying

[bxowner]

Hello, all. I'm in the market for a 45+ hp gear-drive tractor. So far, I've looked at the following: L4600; JD 5045e; Massey 1648; New Holland Workmaster 45; and Kioti DK45 & DK55.

I really liked the DK, but I'm concerned with resale - I don't have a lot of experience with haying and may find that I need to step up after a few years. The dealer is offering a really good deal on a DK55 (under $27k fully outfitted), which is tempting - but telling, too, as it is a left-over on his floorplan that he can't seem to move. I conclude that it bodes badly for me if I want to resell it. Also, the loader speed was surprisingly slow, even at higher rpms.

I didn't like the Massey or New Holland.

The JD is fine, except I'm not thrilled with the transmission. Nor the price (over $28k for the 5045e).

The L4600 seems too light. Plus, I have a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder that makes loader operation with the frame-mounted joystick painful. I have asked about moving it (like they could do on the B3030s), but it seems like a limitation for me right out of the gate.

So... now I'm thinking along the lines of an L4740 or L5040. I'd load the tires and mount rear wheel weights as well as keep the loader on all of the time. I think that will push my weight over #6000.

My question is - why isn't this a popular model? I can't find much info on this site about either of these tractors. They are the so-called Grand Series, so I assume they're tyipcal in terms of Kubota quality. Am I to believe that people either buy the lower horsepower Grands and then step up to the next chassis size? Because there seems to be lots of info on those models here on tractorbynet.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Also, I'd like to hear about any recent deals people have gotten so I can calculate where my money is best spent. Thanks.

 

[k0ua]

A friend of mine bought a 4740 a couple of months ago, and really likes it. I think a lot of folks buy the lower horsepower Grand L's because of price, and perhaps just don't need the extra horsepower like you would for your haying operation. My friend did not "need" the 4740 extra horsepower but bought it anyway because he liked it. As for the Kioti having lower resale, I am not sure that is still a big concern. Kioti is rapidly becoming a mainstream brand.

James K0UA

 

[High Compression]

I have a L5740-3 Grand with the hydro tranny. (Which I believe to be the only tranny option on a Grand L, I could be mistaken.) FEL and my rear tires are loaded with RimGuard, adding 1300lbs ballast. Anyway, I have baled over 2500 square bales with it this year. Picked roughly 1/4 of them up with a bale sweep on the loader. (The rest the customers pick out of the field.) I've also loaded hundreds of round bales out on a bale hauler. I guess you could say I've got a little first hand knowledge of haying with the largest L.

With that said, I would not recommend going with anything thing smaller than the L5740. Even though a square baler doesn't need more than 35 hp to run, it takes a lot more power to get it down the road to the field. Especially if there are any hills to pull. Mine drops to 7-8mph on some hills here. I LOVE the Hydrostatic Plus tranny! You have way more control with the pedal than any manual tranny. It's super smooth. Makes baling nonuniform windrows a breeze. I also hay with a JD 6300 and JD 7410. Using them for raking and round baling respectively, there is a ton of clutch use for slowing down when necessary, making turns etc. I wish they made Hydros in bigger tractors. So you might go drive a HST Plus before you rule it out.

Lastly, if I haying was the main or only use for my tractor, I would step up to an M. More room, comfort, power etc. Unfortunately, snow removal is the main intended purpose for my L5740 and I have to be able to trailer it, loading and unloading 10-15 times a snow, and get into tight places. I specialize in getting the snow out of the tight spots out in the open where the big iron can get to it.

I love my L5740, but I will give you an honest, experienced evaluation on it if you have any questions. :thumbsup:

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Check out an M5140 or M5640. Both have joysticks back at your hip, and a more physical tractor at about the same price point as many of these others.

 

[rasimmo]

I would look at the M5140 Kubota. It more closely compares with the JD 5045E. From what I have seen it is similarly priced to the ones you listed. Sorry to add to the confusion, but I think it would be a good fit for what you want to do.

I guess I was posting at the same time as the one above.

 

[flusher]

I use a 2008 Mahindra 5525 on my hayfield (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering I) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft wide bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft height). Bought it new for around $18K. I added three dealer installed rear hydraulic remotes ($700) and the skid-steer quick attach on the FEL (about $1K). It weighs in at 6500 lb or so with the FEL and loaded rear tires.

Good luck.

 

[jim_wilson]

Not to divert the thread too much - but does anybody have any suggestions for references I could go to - to learn some of basics of haying?

I've seen some decent plots of land for sale recently and it's got me wondering whether they would make a good investment to use for something like a haying operation. I'd like to know what I would be getting myself into if I thought about doing something like that.

 

[bilrus61]

Not to divert the thread too much - but does anybody have any suggestions for references I could go to - to learn some of basics of haying?

I've seen some decent plots of land for sale recently and it's got me wondering whether they would make a good investment to use for something like a haying operation. I'd like to know what I would be getting myself into if I thought about doing something like that.

I've got a L5040 with the glide shift. I've not hayed with it cause we don't do hay these days here. I've just ran cutters and tillers with it and use it for loader work. I like the gears when your heading downhill. They hold the tractor back. With the hydro on the B3030 you'll have a tendance to go faster downhill. You need to decide if your going to square bale or round bale. What size round bale. The L series can handle the smallest round balers but I've never tried it. I really like my L5040. It has about 230 hours on it and not a single issue. Those hours are tough hours. Not to step on toes but I think one reason that they don't make larger hydro tractors is due to the issue of keeping the fluid cool with heavy lugging use all day. Horsepower is your friend. If you going to do squares get a used 2 wheel drive tractor above 50 HP, there are many around cheap. A Kubota M7040 is a sweet spot for a hay tractor.

Talk to folks that hay and ask questions. Take their answers with a grain of salt, but over time you'll get the idea of what you'll need.

 

[Bluegill2]

I have a L5740-3 Grand with the hydro tranny. (Which I believe to be the only tranny option on a Grand L, I could be mistaken.)

You can get a Grand L with a gear trans, just checked on that yesterday at the dealer. It will have a shuttle shift type thing, or glide shift, can't remember. Also the FEL controls by the seat are very nice!

Also like said, look at the M5140-5640 and maybe the MX. All great machines!!!

 

[High Compression]

You can get a Grand L with a gear trans, just checked on that yesterday at the dealer. It will have a shuttle shift type thing, or glide shift, can't remember. Also the FEL controls by the seat are very nice!

Also like said, look at the M5140-5640 and maybe the MX. All great machines!!!

My bad you are correct, except on a 5240 and 5740. For some reason hydro is the only tranny option on those two. When I was looking I only considered the L5740.

 

[High Compression]

Not to divert the thread too much - but does anybody have any suggestions for references I could go to - to learn some of basics of haying?

I've seen some decent plots of land for sale recently and it's got me wondering whether they would make a good investment to use for something like a haying operation. I'd like to know what I would be getting myself into if I thought about doing something like that.

What is your market for the hay? Personal, bovine, equine, etc.
What is your climate like? Moisture, temps
What kind of hay do you want to do? Brome, Alfalfa, prairie mix, etc.
Square bale, round bale or both?
What equipment do you already have?
What do you need to buy?
How much do you want to spend?
Lastly, are you ready to work really hard for little to no return, more likely a loss?

 

[TripleR]

What is your market for the hay? Personal, bovine, equine, etc.
What is your climate like? Moisture, temps
What kind of hay do you want to do? Brome, Alfalfa, prairie mix, etc.
Square bale, round bale or both?
What equipment do you already have?
What do you need to buy?
How much do you want to spend?
Lastly, are you ready to work really hard for little to no return, more likely a loss?

Good points, we already own a small farm that we considered doing this with several years ago and after a lot of though just rented it out.

 

[charleyfarmall]

I would NOT go up to the M. But then I am different. I have used an M for haying. Yes it works. My issue is that with a square baler, the M does not have the right gear range to efficiently bale. Too fast or too slow. You don't need to to hay effectively. High Compression has it right. The 5740 is a good tractor for small farming and square baling. I have the equivalent Deere, the 4520, as well as a New Holland TN75DA which is a full size utility with a 16x16 shuttle and cab. The HST is The Cat's Meow for haying and mowing because you have completely variable control over speed which lets you feed the baler or mower very efficiently. The TN is pretty good and certainly spacious but I'm not a huge guy and the 4720 cab is super deluxe and I like more. If you need to move down the road then you need more horsepower but if you are staying at home you can go with less horse power. I have hayed with all kinds of tractors and the Grand L and Deere 4x20 series are excellent for smaller farms.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I would NOT go up to the M. But then I am different. I have used an M for haying. Yes it works. My issue is that with a square baler, the M does not have the right gear range to efficiently bale. Too fast or too slow. You don't need to to hay effectively. High Compression has it right. The 5740 is a good tractor for small farming and square baling. I have the equivalent Deere, the 4520, as well as a New Holland TN75DA which is a full size utility with a 16x16 shuttle and cab. The HST is The Cat's Meow for haying and mowing because you have completely variable control over speed which lets you feed the baler or mower very efficiently. The TN is pretty good and certainly spacious but I'm not a huge guy and the 4720 cab is super deluxe and I like more. If you need to move down the road then you need more horsepower but if you are staying at home you can go with less horse power. I have hayed with all kinds of tractors and the Grand L and Deere 4x20 series are excellent for smaller farms.

I'll have to take my 2 M's back then(M7040,M5040).... Guess it doesnt have the right gear range to pull a 15ft batwing efficiently either(M5040) or run an 8ft cutter(M5040)or run the correct speed to spray(M5040) or the baler(NH 315)

 

[jim_wilson]

What is your market for the hay? Personal, bovine, equine, etc.
What is your climate like? Moisture, temps
What kind of hay do you want to do? Brome, Alfalfa, prairie mix, etc.
Square bale, round bale or both?
What equipment do you already have?
What do you need to buy?
How much do you want to spend?
Lastly, are you ready to work really hard for little to no return, more likely a loss?

Those are exactly the kinds of questions I'm asking.

I guess If I had to sum it up in one sentence (or so) it would be: Can haying be a successful business going at it from scratch - or is it just a piece of a farming operation that you make money with because you already have the pieces in place (land , equipment, etc.)

The thing that's got me thinking about this is that I have been thinking about buying land, mostly as an "investment" - since our lovely economy has squashed a lot of other places that were previously decent places to put money into. The next question that comes into my mind is - what could the land be used for to bring in some income. The land could obviously be rented out to a farmer - if there were any in the area. Or I could use it to farm something on it myself.

Hay seemed to me to be "crop" that has a lot less time investment than just about any other crop that might get planted, and the avenues to sell it (I have seen hay for sale on Craigslist around here) - are more open to the amatuer like me, than any other crop I can think of.

I've been doing quite a bit of reading up on equipment - and although it does appear that I could run some smaller haying equipment behind my current tractor (B3200) - I would likely need to invest in a larger tractor and other equipment.

Right now I'm just doing as much reading as I can and thinking about whether this idea has any legs at all.

As far as the working hard for little return - I tend to do that all the time. That's not necessarily a huge turn off for me.

The climate would be the Northeast, most likely NH or Maine. I honestly don't know what kind of hay would be the best to do - but I suspect one of my primary markets would
be horse people. There's actually a pretty decent amount of small farms with horses right around my area (Northeast MA) - including lots of small farms in some of the more
expensive towns around here. My guess is that this would mean square bale - and I'm thinking square bale simply because it appears that used equipment can be had for not
too much money.

 

[High Compression]

If your ground doesn't have too much clay, hopefully maybe even loamy, I would plant alfalfa and square bale it for your horse customers. You should be able to get a cut every 3-4 weeks for 5-8 months depending on moisture and temps. But even if it turns hot and dry, alfalfa roots down over 8' deep looking for water. If you had 3 fields and timed them right, you could bale 3 weeks a month with a week off for rest and equipment maintenance.

I get 600-700 bales off one 20 acre piece. I have 40 acres this year. This fall we are going to plant everything that was in wheat to alfalfa. Should have close to 90 acres total for next year. Round here, we get $7/bale when they pick it up out of the field themselves. $8.50/ bale picked up out of our barn and $10/bale delivered within 10 miles. We generally have 500-600 bales pre-sold every month before we even cut. Soo... Alfalfa with horse folks can pay for equipment, labor, and fuel, pretty quick.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Well I traded the M5040 in today and desided to get another M for Hay tractor.
They had a L5740 there that sure was a nice tractor....

 

[High Compression]

Well I traded the M5040 in today and desided to get another M for Hay tractorView attachment 273392.
They had a L5740 there that sure was a nice tractor....

Boy that's a good lookin ride you go there. Glad to see you grabbed a cab. Besides the obvious dust and dirt, the hornets have been horrible this year in one of our alfalfa patches. It also enjoyable to hay, when your in the a/c listening to tunes. :thumbsup:

The L5740 is a great tractor! Still kinda want an M. Especially for cab room... Power... better ride... air seat... um yeah sorry. Started to wander there.

 

[flusher]

If your ground doesn't have too much clay, hopefully maybe even loamy, I would plant alfalfa and square bale it for your horse customers. You should be able to get a cut every 3-4 weeks for 5-8 months depending on moisture and temps. But even if it turns hot and dry, alfalfa roots down over 8' deep looking for water. If you had 3 fields and timed them right, you could bale 3 weeks a month with a week off for rest and equipment maintenance.

I get 600-700 bales off one 20 acre piece. I have 40 acres this year. This fall we are going to plant everything that was in wheat to alfalfa. Should have close to 90 acres total for next year. Round here, we get $7/bale when they pick it up out of the field themselves. $8.50/ bale picked up out of our barn and $10/bale delivered within 10 miles. We generally have 500-600 bales pre-sold every month before we even cut. Soo... Alfalfa with horse folks can pay for equipment, labor, and fuel, pretty quick.

My neighbor has three 10-acre fields in irrigated alfalfa. Cuts every 4-5 weeks from May thru Oct. Three-twine square bales 120 lb or so. Most of the time his customers take the bales right out of the field. He uses a NH bale stacker to keep a hundred bales or so in the barnyard for his occassional customers who buy a few bales at a time.

 

[High Compression]

My neighbor has three 10-acre fields in irrigated alfalfa. Cuts every 4-5 weeks from May thru Oct. Three-twine square bales 120 lb or so. Most of the time his customers take the bales right out of the field. He uses a NH bale stacker to keep a hundred bales or so in the barnyard for his occassional customers who buy a few bales at a time.

120 lbs bales. OOh my back! :shocked: No thanks! I'm out!
Irrigated and he only gets a cut every 4-5 weeks. How warm does it get there? I would think he'd be closer to 3 weeks, unless it's not getting warm enough and or the ground isn't warm enough.