Buying Advice In the market for a new tractor

[MAN IN BLACK]

Have you considered buying used ?
In that case you could go a few step bigger machine and spend the same or little less money.
A 2600 series tractor used.. if you can get your hands on one,is a much heavier and more lift capacity for the same horsepower compact.
You now have a bigger frame, bigger hydraulic pumps...wich means more flow for heavier lifts, and an overall heavier, more stable tractor (a real agriculture utility tractor).

The 2600 serie is a plain machine with no bells and whistles.

 

[jeff9366]

New to the forum and could use a little tractor advice. The tractor would need to handle round bales of hay once or twice a month. Also bush hogging pasture and maintaining 1/4 mile long private road. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hoofed animals pack ground like nothing else. Even though you are buying feed, your pasture will be more productive and easier on the horses if you aerate the ground every fourth year, or 1/4 of total area annually. There are many, many soil aerators in the market. The simplest is a subsoiler. The most expenisve is a Hay King/Miller pasture renovator.
Both are PRIMARY TILLAGE implements.

SUBSOILER VIDEO: subsoiler keylining - YouTube

HAY KING VIDEO: hay king pasture renovator - YouTube

HAY KING LINK: Hay King Renovators - Hay King - Miller

 

[mike69440]

HP has nothing to do with lift capacity, very very little, it's all hydraulic pressure.

Here is two examples, 1. Ballast is very important with little compacts. 2. Proof a little tractor can lift a round bale, this one is 26hp, I remembered this video because my buddy bought a 2013 28XL last fall and was concerned about what it was capable of.

Mahindra 26XL lift test...lol - YouTube

With a proper ballast this little tractor could unload a single stacked trailer, it has the lift capability to double stack round bales, on paper it should.

The 26XL is rated at 1400lb lift capacity at 84 inches

http://mahindrausa.com/sites/default/files/tractor/pdf/23386 MAH54MAXT4 MAX Ser Bro 092016_0.pdf

I personally would step up to the 1500 series frame to handle a lot of round bales when weight is more your friend.

Those who have read my threads know I have worked my Max28 hard , occasionally lifting an moving over 1,000 lbs, but after watching this Video and a few others, I come to realize why manufactures are afraid to put beefy loaders on small tractors.

The pure stupidity of attempting a maximum weight lift with weight that far forward, and then some one in the video saying "Ok Lift it to max height" I wonder if the operator had his seat-belt on?

PS that was a small round bale.
Heavy lifts should be done in 2WD. If the rears spin, put the weight down and find a bigger tractor.
Mahindra MAX28XL lifting with Titan pallet forks - YouTube
At least there was the counterweight of a backhoe in the above video.
IMHO the 2545 is as small a tractor you would want to single stack round bales. The 2545 has limited lift height.

Many damp large bales weigh over 1,500 Lbs. I would not attempt that with my Max28, even with my curl cylinder upgrades and my large counterweight. The loader is jerky and the tractor frame too small, just too dangerous.

 

[Bluesman]

Have you considered buying used ?
In that case you could go a few step bigger machine and spend the same or little less money.
A 2600 series tractor used.. if you can get your hands on one,is a much heavier and more lift capacity for the same horsepower compact.
You now have a bigger frame, bigger hydraulic pumps...wich means more flow for heavier lifts, and an overall heavier, more stable tractor (a real agriculture utility tractor).

The 2600 serie is a plain machine with no bells and whistles.

I have looked at used, but everything I see in this area seems to be too small. The dealer I'm looking at also carries Mahindra and Case. They also have lease return machines from a nursery that have 200 - 300 hrs. These are generally Case Farmall machines. I would love to have one of those., but I don't really know when they will have one. My hay supplier buys those just to move bales around and load customers and has good luck with them.

 

[Bluesman]

Hoofed animals pack ground like nothing else. Even though you are buying feed, your pasture will be more productive and easier on the horses if you aerate the ground every fourth year, or 1/4 of total area annually. There are many, many soil aerators in the market. The simplest is a subsoiler. The most expenisve is a Hay King/Miller pasture renovator.
Both are PRIMARY TILLAGE implements.

SUBSOILER VIDEO: subsoiler keylining - YouTube

HAY KING VIDEO: hay king pasture renovator - YouTube

HAY KING LINK: Hay King Renovators - Hay King - Miller

We do this already but we have to pay someone. Just one reason to buy a tractor of our own.

 

[Grandad4]

Those who have read my threads know I have worked my Max28 hard , occasionally lifting an moving over 1,000 lbs, but after watching this Video and a few others, I come to realize why manufactures are afraid to put beefy loaders on small tractors.

The pure stupidity of attempting a maximum weight lift with weight that far forward, and then some one in the video saying "Ok Lift it to max height" I wonder if the operator had his seat-belt on?

PS that was a small round bale.
Heavy lifts should be done in 2WD. If the rears spin, put the weight down and find a bigger tractor.
Mahindra MAX28XL lifting with Titan pallet forks - YouTube
At least there was the counterweight of a backhoe in the above video.
IMHO the 2545 is as small a tractor you would want to single stack round bales. The 2545 has limited lift height.

Many damp large bales weigh over 1,500 Lbs. I would not attempt that with my Max28, even with my curl cylinder upgrades and my large counterweight. The loader is jerky and the tractor frame too small, just too dangerous.

+1 Well stated.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

One thing you can do is pick up a few of those tractor trader magazines, that's how I found the tractor I have now, it was a used machine sold by a farmer that buys and sells equipment.

He had two tractors I was interested in, I chose the 4320 JD and I called up my buddy to come look at this 28XL with a backhoe, FEL and 60in belly deck, he ended up buying it. Both really good deals.