Tractor Sizing How much HP do I really need?

[arrow]

Based on my experience with the 3016 - same as the 1526 - I cannot think of anything you would do on your sized property that you will not be able to do with the 1526.

And No, Arrow, I don't think the HST affects how it well it functions. It just feels different than a geared machine, but it's just as capable.

I knew you'd have something to say

 

[oldpilgrim]

you asked

 

[Laderbuilt]

Thirty four years ago I started my saga, out here, with a 26hp Ford 1700 4WD. It was the perfect size for snow removal on my mile long gravel driveway and all other, smaller, chores around my 80 acres. Seven years ago - most all the smaller chores were completed except snow removal on the driveway - and I then knew I needed more weight and horsepower. I wish I could have obtained the same frame size with a 60hp engine and added weight - but that was/is not the case. So I moved up to my current Kubota M6040 and can now easily complete the "larger/heavier" chores.

However - there are now those few times I wish I had the smaller tractor. The larger tractor, some times, requires that objects be moved so I can get to the work.

It appears that there will never quite be a perfect solution to all situations.

That is why I think I keep everything I have. I don't trade it in or sell it I keep it.
The only thing I sold was my Honda 5518 tractor. It was a great unit but cumbersome to swap from mowing season to snow season.
Also it needed work I was not willing to do due to parts costs and issues getting parts for it. I found a gentleman who wanted it and I made him aware of all the work that I Knew it needed. My next tractor I buy I will not trade in my Mahindra but give it a little sister.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

That is why I think I keep everything I have. I don't trade it in or sell it I keep it.
The only thing I sold was my Honda 5518 tractor. It was a great unit but cumbersome to swap from mowing season to snow season.
Also it needed work I was not willing to do due to parts costs and issues getting parts for it. I found a gentleman who wanted it and I made him aware of all the work that I Knew it needed. My next tractor I buy I will not trade in my Mahindra but give it a little sister.

If you have the money to be able to do that, more power to you. I would only trade in or sell to condense and upgrade. I don't keep things around that I don't use or don't plan to use. I will keep 20 trucks if they excel at 20 diff jobs, if one truck does 20 jobs well I would sell all 20 and upgrade to one good one.

My rule is 2 years, if I haven't used it in the last 2 years it gets sold no matter what it is.

 

[Laderbuilt]

I wish I was more sensible in that regard but it seems every time I have sold and or gotten rid of something the next time is when I wished I still had it. I keep things forever so I'm 10-15 years my Mahindra won't be worth much so if I was buying another tractor what's 1-2k dollars when I'm already spending 20k+. I keep my cars till there just about dead "being a mechanic I know just when that is" so after that it's worth scrap value.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I wish I was more sensible in that regard but it seems every time I have sold and or gotten rid of something the next time is when I wished I still had it. I keep things forever so I'm 10-15 years my Mahindra won't be worth much so if I was buying another tractor what's 1-2k dollars when I'm already spending 20k+. I keep my cars till there just about dead "being a mechanic I know just when that is" so after that it's worth scrap value.

It seems something can sit for 15-20 years and you will never need it or forget you have it. AS SOON as you sell it you need it and have to go buy another lmao, I see it a lot.

That's another reason I go threw my stuff and condense and rotate stock is I remember what I have for when I need it. If a job comes up I know where that kind of stuff is kept and will go there first.

One thing I find myself getting rid of often is random stock from projects, I take stuff back more now, I figure it might be years before I need a supply line for a toilet again so might as well take it back, home depot will always have it in stock if I need it later.

This has really helped with keeping the shop and basement neater and more organized. Only thing I really hoard is building materials, I have a lean to I stuff with useable wood, siding, roofing ext, job site left overs ext, I'm in there all the time hunting for stuff and it saves me from buying new.

That reminds me, I need to get back to buying up used chainlink fence, it's fantastic for cattle, I made a 470ft run all one piece of 4-5ft tall chainlink with T-Post and a single string of barbed wire 6in above the chainlink, not one issue with cattle escaping and I didn't have to fool with or rely on electric to keep them in. I should get a easy 15 maintenance free years out of that fence. I think I have about $500 in it total with 8ft Tpost sunk 2ft down and spaced 8ft apart. I planned to add a hot wire but decided what I had was good enough for cattle out on pasture.

My neighbor uses only electric strung on little rods, he's retired and home all the time but his cattle have gotten out 5 times this past year that I know of, twice into my pasture with my cattle. The fence between him and me isn't the best lol. my cattle have never wanted to get over to his pasture. mine get a unlimited amount of hay via round bales, he limits his and feeds with square bales. In his defense, his are bred heifers and a bull where mine are steers for beef, his have already bulked up where mine are still growing. But for as much labor my fence was to put in, it's maintenance free, idk why he still fools around with the temp electric fence like he does.

 

[newbury]

It seems something can sit for 15-20 years and you will never need it or forget you have it. AS SOON as you sell it you need it and have to go buy another lmao, I see it a lot.

That's another reason I go threw my stuff and condense and rotate stock is I remember what I have for when I need it. If a job comes up I know where that kind of stuff is kept and will go there first.

One thing I find myself getting rid of often is random stock from projects, I take stuff back more now, I figure it might be years before I need a supply line for a toilet again so might as well take it back, home depot will always have it in stock if I need it later.

This has really helped with keeping the shop and basement neater and more organized. Only thing I really hoard is building materials, I have a lean to I stuff with useable wood, siding, roofing ext, job site left overs ext, I'm in there all the time hunting for stuff and it saves me from buying new.<snip>

I too am a "hoarder", as was my Father and Grandfather before me. I am still using up nails and bolts my Grandfather saved up in Vermont in 1963. That stash only takes up about 4 cubic feet. I've probably an 8' wide, 4' deep, 2' high "storage" area for small plumbing supplies (I'm maintaining 3 houses and an apartment) and usually floats, valves, flappers etc. on hand so I can fix it promptly and then buy a replacement at my leisure.

I'm trying to force myself to keep my shops set up similar to a hardware store w/ different areas for the major type of stuff (plumbing, electrical, etc.).

I've usually about a dozen "projects" I'm working on and frequently find my self adapting items bought or found for one purpose to another purpose. One thing that gives me special pleasure is times like when I was visiting the MIL a few months ago and she burned out the end of an HD outside extension cord. For some unknown reason I happened to have a replacement in my car. I had needed 1 and bought two several years prior, and just never took the second one inside.

Or recently SWMBO needed a rolling pin (which she rarely uses). I just happened to have one down in the shop in a box I that had been sitting for 5 years.

I've found it's important to keep things 1 type/1 layer deep, separated on shelves, and pawed through occasionally to refresh my brain cells as to what I've got.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I too am a "hoarder", as was my Father and Grandfather before me. I am still using up nails and bolts my Grandfather saved up in Vermont in 1963. That stash only takes up about 4 cubic feet. I've probably an 8' wide, 4' deep, 2' high "storage" area for small plumbing supplies (I'm maintaining 3 houses and an apartment) and usually floats, valves, flappers etc. on hand so I can fix it promptly and then buy a replacement at my leisure.

I'm trying to force myself to keep my shops set up similar to a hardware store w/ different areas for the major type of stuff (plumbing, electrical, etc.).

I've usually about a dozen "projects" I'm working on and frequently find my self adapting items bought or found for one purpose to another purpose. One thing that gives me special pleasure is times like when I was visiting the MIL a few months ago and she burned out the end of an HD outside extension cord. For some unknown reason I happened to have a replacement in my car. I had needed 1 and bought two several years prior, and just never took the second one inside.

Or recently SWMBO needed a rolling pin (which she rarely uses). I just happened to have one down in the shop in a box I that had been sitting for 5 years.

I've found it's important to keep things 1 type/1 layer deep, separated on shelves, and pawed through occasionally to refresh my brain cells as to what I've got.

Knowing what you have is the most important thing, i don't care if your shop is as big as the mall of America, if you have to go out and buy something you already have and can't find, it makes all the "hoarding" irrelevant and pointless. Now useful stock is another thing. I did apartment maintenance for 6 months, was the only maintenance man for 120 units, when it comes to that, stock is very much needed.

I can take from what I learned there and apply that to my own shop, everything is relatively displayable and categorized, like you said, Plumbing, electrical ext ext. that way stuff you forgot about (nobody can remember every single thing in a shop) it can be found in the plumbing area ext.

I personally think organization and Categorizing stock is key. Same with tools, it's hard to know what tool is missing by looking at a huge pile of loose tools, I try to keep wrenches separate ext ext. if I lose a tool or it gets borrowed and not returned it pisses me off like no other, I hate having to rebuy a tool I already paid good money for that should last me 20+ years. Lol sorry about the rant lol.

 

[Garandman]

You will never complain that you have too much horsepower. You will however be unhappy with a tractor that doesn't have enough. This has cost a lot us on here a lot of money when we realized that we bought underpowered machines and took a bath trading them in on something bigger...

What tractor are you talking about? Because it sure seems they all have great resale value.

While you may not be able to have too much horsepower, you can get too large or heavy. In the woods and trails in NH wouldn't want anything bigger than the L3200. So far had to cut one log that was too heavy to lift 30" diameter) and I had to get it because the logger's 52hp Deere was too heavy to get it. Some of the boulders here weigh tons so they're not going anywhere....

 

[newbury]

<snip>
I personally think organization and Categorizing stock is key. Same with tools, it's hard to know what tool is missing by looking at a huge pile of loose tools, I try to keep wrenches separate ext ext. if I lose a tool or it gets borrowed and not returned it pisses me off like no other, I hate having to rebuy a tool I already paid good money for that should last me 20+ years. Lol sorry about the rant lol.

And if you have others "help" you it's important to have "return" areas so they can easily return tools. I've spent countless hours trying to track down tools after a VERY close relative (wife, son, daughter) borrowed a tool and returned it to the wrong place. I don't mind them borrowing the tool because they are generally fixing a problem so I don't have to fix it. But for example I "file" my pipe wrenches in the "plumbing department" but my son had a tendency to put them with "wrenches" in "general tools". So I've got several "dump" areas I for "returned" tools. I just have to sort them out occasionally.
But by having them "departmentalized" I'm able to be a 1,000 miles away and easily direct one of them to the area to look for the needed item and it will either be there or in the "return" box.

What tractor are you talking about? Because it sure seems they all have great resale value.

While you may not be able to have too much horsepower, you can get too large or heavy. In the woods and trails in NH wouldn't want anything bigger than the L3200. So far had to cut one log that was too heavy to lift 30" diameter) and I had to get it because the logger's 52hp Deere was too heavy to get it. Some of the boulders here weigh tons so they're not going anywhere....

And a lot depends on the jobs you want to do. I needed to be able to put a 20" diameter log 10' long on my sawmill to saw up for 9' boards. That log weighs about 1500 lbs. I couldn't cut the log shorter to save weight.

But at the same time I can't easily move my cousin-in-laws 90HP cabbed JD through my dense woods.
Or the guy that has to move round bales that weigh a ton. Cutting the bale up is possible but dramatically increases the effort to move the hay.