2 Tractors or 1 Tractor? What do you own??

Dagwood55 · Mar 8, 2018

I have a small hobby farm. 25 acres of pasture (no livestock) that I keep bush hogged pretty short. 2 large gardens that I tiller up before planting. Gravel drive and parking area that I maintain.
A couple of foodplots in the fall. No hay, no crops but a little of this and a little of that.

I currently have a JD 870, 2 wheel drive, no FEL, 5' bush hog. I only use this tractor for bush hogging. Takes a while to BH my little place at 4' a circle. This tractor is around 20 years old and has around 6 or 700 hours. Maybe worth $5000 or so.

I also have a JD 4200 Hydro with a FEL and 4wd. I also have a 60" mid mower for it but havnt used it in years. It also has a 5' bush hog which I don't use. I use this tractor for spreading gravel or soil, cleaning up and such. Maybe worth $8000 or so with the mower. Both little JD's are in great shape.

I've been Jonesing for a 60 or 70 hp, 4wd, JD with FEL and a 12' batwing bush hog to cut down on my mowing time. I probably mow once a month or more. I can afford a JD 5075e and a batwing, so thats not a big issue. I'm just wondering if I even need to keep either of the smaller JD"s. I know I don't need 3 tractors, but should I keep one, and which one??. What will the littler tractors do that a 70 hp won't do?? Will I miss the one of the little tractors if I only have a larger on my hobby farm??

Sorry to ramble, just thinking out loud I .....

Any thoughts??

Wolfy · Mar 8, 2018

Oh the more the merrier :laughing:

newbury · Mar 8, 2018

One per implement would be best

Jstpssng · Mar 8, 2018

You will never sell what you have for what they are worth to you. Even if the new one will do everything you want there will be times when you want to do a quick job and not want to swap attachments. There are also times when you might want something with a lighter footprint than a 70 HP.

KYErik · Mar 8, 2018

I agree that it is good to have a small maneuverable tractor for a small job and a big tractor for a big job. Its always good to have a spare in case you need to get a job done and one tractor goes down (flat tire or something more serious).

tmcj · Mar 8, 2018

I only own 1 - Mahindra Max26XL - but my Dad still has his FarmAll M and he is next door. I can use it anytime I need it for anything bigger than what the Max will handle. If they each have a purpose then the more the merrier. Even if the purpose is.......just because. :thumbsup:

lpigott · Mar 9, 2018

I currently have 3 tractors, but the BXs main job has always mowing grass 98% of the time. I now pay my buddy that has a grass cutting service to do that which has been a great time saver for me and helps my wife while I am away at work by not having to worry with it. I will likely trade the BX for more implements for the larger tractors since the BX still has good value and I don't have much need for it any longer.

bdog · Mar 9, 2018

You don’t seem like a novice to tractors. You own two and know what you do with them on your property. Are there any tasks that you do now with your tractors that you couldn’t do with a larger one? If not sell them and either buy more implements for the bigger tractor or buy something cool like a mini-ex or a skid steer.

Redlands Okie · Mar 9, 2018

KYErik said:
I agree that it is good to have a small maneuverable tractor for a small job and a big tractor for a big job. Its always good to have a spare in case you need to get a job done and one tractor goes down (flat tire or something more serious).

Grandad4 · Mar 9, 2018

KYErik said:
I agree that it is good to have a small maneuverable tractor for a small job and a big tractor for a big job. Its always good to have a spare in case you need to get a job done and one tractor goes down (flat tire or something more serious).

+1 Tag teaming with both large and small equipment made many projects much easier for me. While it's more of an extra than a necessity, a small unit can be amazingly handy, particularly for owners with 10, 20 or 30 acres. If you're doing crops, livestock or serious forestry chores, a baby tractor probably doesn't help very much.

nybirdman · Mar 9, 2018

We have two,both with FEL's and 4WD;one open station(32 HP) gear and a Cabbed (44 HP) HST;just about the perfect combo for our uses.Used on about 100 acres for food plots,snow removal ect.
My nephew and neighbor just purchased a 81HP, JD,cab ,4WD and FEL so we really have all the bases covered now.

Thomas · Mar 9, 2018

Lots Pros/Cons own 2 tractor if you very seldom use them.
Use to have 2 tractor than down size to 1 settle for happy medium for my needs.

Budweiser John · Mar 9, 2018

When I was working and part time farming I haD three tractors the largest was an AC7000 with a cab, heat, air and radio. Number two tractor was a Massy 35 with a older FEL and the last one was a Cub Cadet with a belly mounted mower.
About sixteen years ago it became evident small time row crop farming was not really that profitable so I sold all my old iron and purchased a new, New Holland 45hp full hydro tractor with a quick attach FEL, material bucket, pallet forks, and grapple in addition to a frame mounted BH, a rototiller, and recently purchased snow blade.
By having all the front end tractor attachments quick attach and the 3PH Attachments on dedicated Dolly痴, it痴 pretty easy to swap implements to fit the task at hand.
Not suggesting two tractors isn稚 handy, but really necessary on 25 acres? I would be more inclined to one mid sized 4WD tractor tricked out with a quick attach FEL, 3rd function hydraulics and may be a cab. My second unit would be a UTV.
Still trying to sell the UTV thing to my accounting and procurement department.

B. John

bspeedy · Mar 9, 2018

Two tractors is nice to have. I have three. Kubota L4330 4wd with SSQA loader. 1979 Ford 1700 4x4 with no loader. JD2210 SCUT 4wd with MMM and FEL. This is a good combo and allows my wife and I to mow at the same time. Also flexibility to use the right size for the job. If I had your situation, I would likely have a 50-60 hp 4wd utility tractor with a 10-12 foot brush hog and FEL and keep the JD with loader. As long as it is affordable and you have covered storage for them, having multiple tractors is great.

Teachu2 · Mar 9, 2018

Buy the new one and wait a year to see what your needs and preferences dictate. My guess is that you'll keep the one with the loader and let the other go. Their values aren't going to change much in a year.

Otgaugres · Mar 9, 2018

I purchased my 3rd tractor last summer, my first being a JD955 (long gone), next a JD2720, and now a JD4066R. Honestly, when I bought the 4066R I planned on that being the end-all for me as far as tractors go. Fortunately I was able to keep the 2720 and now going into my second season with 2 tractors, I’m glad I did. The 4066R is a big tractor (at least compared to the 2720) and I’ve found maybe even on the verge of being too big for some of the woods work that I do. The 2720 with a 5 ft brush hog can go almost anywhere I want. The 4066R with a 6ft Woods Brushbull...not so much. Don’t get me wrong, when you need the horsepower and size, the bigger tractors are nice, but you can’t overlook the convenience of a smaller compact. With the current popularity of full cabs, that even makes getting around in tight spots ever more difficult. For me, and for the foreseeable future, I’ll be keeping both and using the one best suited to the job at hand.

TheMan419 · Mar 9, 2018

Teachu2 said:
Buy the new one and wait a year to see what your needs and preferences dictate. My guess is that you'll keep the one with the loader and let the other go. Their values aren't going to change much in a year.

This is great advice since you do not need to sell the current tractors to afford the new one. I would expect you might find one of the smaller ones useful for some of the tilling for the food plots. But you might find that you do not need either of them.

fried1765 · Mar 9, 2018

Tractors are like guns!
Don't ever sell em!

Sawyer Rob · Mar 9, 2018

I own more than two tractors, a lot more...

In fact I just made an offer to buy another one, we'll see if the guy takes my offer...

You mean you can have too many of them???

SR