Your thoughts, please. (New buyer, 80 acres)

[Fallon]

Here visiting parents in OR right now... I live in CO & grew up in Salem. Know how snow is in Eastern OR... It's generally not to bad & doesnt come down with many feet at a time. You are generally better of plowing in terms of equipment cost & speed. Blowing can handle deeper snow than a plow & avoid berms. A big machine can plow a lot of snow.

My L4060 did fine with an 8' SSQA plow the past 2 years near Denver without chains. Of course last year there wasnt enough snow to mount the plow once. Plowed several times this year though, up to a foot with 2' drifts.

A SSQA plow is $2-3k total & mounts in a minute or 2. A front mount blower with mounts is over $8k last i recall. No clue how fast it mounts, but you have to remove the loader at a minimum.

 

[Streetcar]

What are your plans for the pasture

 

[oosik]

As you can see - my avatar shows my current tractor - Kubota M6040 with hydraulic shuttle tranny. Prior to purchase of the Kubota I had a Ford 1710 with standard geared transmission.

Honestly - I don't think the type of transmission is going to be that big a deal. Once you get a tractor and become familiar with its controls and operation - the transmission and its operation will become second nature.

The M6060 and M7060 are the exact same sized tractor - the 7060 has slightly more horsepower.

I have a mile long gravel driveway that leads to my eighty acres. I'm located in what is known as the channeled scablands. Its very open - bunch grass, deer brush and LARGE Ponderosa pines.

You will find that any of the three tractors you mentioned are big enough to clear any snow you will get with a rear blade. Front mounted blower is really nice but completely unnecessary. I have a very heavy Rhino 950 - 96" wide - 1050 pounds. Weight is your friend on ground engagement implements. The last few winters I've not even needed to clear snow off the driveway - Mother Nature handles it. The heavy rear blade is for summer driveway maintenance when it all turns to concrete. My original rear blade weighed 560 pounds - did great in the winter - and was totally useless in the summer.

With the work you have envisioned and what you don't even comprehend yet - I would seriously recommend either of the M series.

 

[jeff9366]

I'm in need of a tractor for a new property.

I have a half-mile driveway that will need maintaining and plowing in the winter. It's not completely flat but the slopes aren't that wild.

The western part of Oregon is wet; the east dry. How much rain do you receive and does it come as a drizzle or downpour?

Is the driveway dirt or gravel?
Does the driveway have a crown? Culverts?

Any driveway problem areas you have identified?

 

[newdude]

Plans for the pasture for now are just to get them back to health. No plans for haying for the foreseeable future.

The rain is usually a drizzle. But I feel like downpours are becoming more common.

The driveway is gravel. No crown or culverts. It doesn't have any major problem areas. A few large potholes, some dips/ditches that need filling etc.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Any of these tractors will do the job for you. How fast you want to get them done will depend on which tractor you decide on. If time is not a concern, then it doesn't make a big difference. But if you are just a weekender, (only get to work on the place on weekends) then you will want to get the equipment that will get things done faster.

I will also recommend that you get a land plane grading scraper to maintain your drive. It will cut general road maintenance time by about half.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[newdude]

Thanks! I'm definitely going to back to the thinking/planning chair and come up with a better plan for needs and wants.

 

[jeff9366]

The rain is usually a drizzle. But I feel like downpours are becoming more common.

The driveway is gravel. No crown or culverts. It doesn't have any major problem areas. A few large potholes, some dips/ditches that need filling etc.

Land Plane/Grading Scraper.

VIDEO: land plane grading scraper - YouTube

A LPGS "recovers" gravel as it moves over the road bed.

 

[TnAndy]

i'm a fan of the shuttle shift over the HST . Look into a Land plane for the driveway and a pto chipper for clean up.

I vote for shuttle shift as well. Straight gear on first tractor, HST/cruise control on 2nd tractor, shuttle on current. I like the shuttle best of the 3.

I USE my tractor. Previous model was a NH Boomer series and just too light weight. I broke all kinds of things on it (like the frame, the HST bell housing, etc). I'd never buy a lighter weight tractor again, so I'd vote the M series of the two you're looking at. Many folks don't really USE their tractors....they also buy 1/2 ton, short bed pickups. It depends on how you will USE your tractor......or truck.

 

[jeff9366]

Plans for the pasture for now are just to get them back to health.

No plans for haying for the foreseeable future.

My experience may or may not apply to your conditions in Oregon.

When land is tired, plowing is often the best restorative option. You might want a traditional Moldboard Plow or a Disc Plow, which is NOT a Disc Harrow. You might want to contract with a plowing service, as renewal is a once in ten (Oregon ?) year event and learning to correctly adjust a Moldboard Plow requires a lot of tractor seat time.
TDP2 Series 2 & 3 Blade Disc Plows | Tufline


After the plow, you need a Disc Harrow to reduce plow furrows from 12" or more to 6" or less and for annual soil preparation, should you decide to crop. An L6060 can pull a Disc Harrow with 22" diameter pans, a little wider than tire width in your soil condition. An M6060 can pull a Disc Harrow with 24" diameter pans, a little wider than tire width in your soil condition.

As Tandem Disc Harrows are pulled over land at a brisk pace, Disc Harrows mix soil and level fields. Leveling may require two or more years of disc work.

MORE: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ing-three-point-hitch-mounted.html?highlight=

QUALITY VENDER: HL Series Heavy Tandem Lift Disc Harrows | Tufline

After plowing and discing your pasture you will need to re-seed. Carefully research improved pasture seed specifically for central Oregon. Productivity may double but will require fertilizer applications.