Tractor advise for 90 acre farm

[majorwager]

Rarely agree w/ jeffy, but having mowed my 110 acres when transitioning from soy beans back to all grass hay, It is a laborious task w/ a 50 hp tractor using my 9ft. 2 inch mower.

Making an agreement w/ a neighbor to collect the hay would be a win/win situation. Warn against the advice to let it grow wild. Too many invasive species to take hold and other undesirable weeds would make the crop unusable.

Do you know what the composition is of the vegetation currently growing? If you do elect to perform the mowing yourself, a 2wd tractor would suffice , but likely impractical for any serious loader work. A 15 ft min batwing rotary mower would work, and the tractor hp. would be best in the 75 PTO hp range. You will find this investment expensive, even used, unless you possess adequate mechanical skills, used utility or row crop tractors can be maintenance intensive. The grass will go to seed late in the season, so you might escape w/ a single mowing. If I were to mow my fields again, it would be in my neighbor's 120 hp air-conditioned cab tractor and 20 ft batwing rotary mower, one of the tractors we currently use to cut and bale the hay..

I am accustomed to the CLEAN appearance of neatly mowed hayfields and there is still PLENTY of grass for wildlife. Actually most wildlife prefer to consume shorter grass, closer to the sugar core of the plant, and lesser concentration of deer flies. Best advice: some tasks that appear simple, possess hidden difficulties.


EDIT: Mowing calculator clearly applicable to turf grass only as the designer notes.

 

[cdb2]

Thanks for all the good info so far!

For a little more background on the fields, a local farmer had been cutting the fields for the bales when we bought it. The soil nutrients were getting depleted, so we stopped baling and switched to mowing on the advice of the soil guy who did our analysis. When we ballparked the numbers the cost for fertilizing was going to be quite a bit more than just having it mowed so that's what we've been doing since. We're hoping to find another farmer to work with who would do the fertilizing as well as cutting in exchange for the hay, hopefully in the next few seasons.

Given that, there's a good chance I will only need to mow the fields for a few years, and I think I could get away with cutting once a year without too much trouble. But we'll still need to do the all the other chore work year after year going forward. So I'm a little bit worried about optimizing for cutting the fields and ending up with a tractor that won't do as good a job with the routine chores around the house later on, stuff like landscaping work or grading the drive or pulling trees out of the woodline and so on.

If I'm understanding everyone, something near 50hp ought to be able to cut the fields given more time and effort on my part. I think I'd be ok with more time and effort for that task if it means everything else I do will be easier. Does that make sense?

 

[cdb2]

I think if you added 5k to it, it would open up your options more.

I think we could probably bump up the budget that much if we need to.

 

[nybirdman]

You may want to look at a smaller utility(used) tractor;70-90 H.P.,the big farmers don't have much use for one that size and sometimes can be purchased reasonable.

 

[cdb2]

After looking at the used results posted earlier it seems like it might even end up cheaper to get one of those bigger old 2wd tractors just for mowing the field and a small 4x4 tractor with a loader for doing all the other tasks.

Also, I didn't think it would be a problem, but now looking at the 50hp+ tractors I realize I have to watch the weight too. I can only tow 10K with my truck so that may well limit how big I can go.

 

[HEC]

I have been in your shoes of late as we bought 110 acres and about half in fields that was once a potato farm and later seeded for hay . The farmers here love to get the hay but unwilling to nourish the ground so our soil was depleted of nutrients also . For the past few years I have been cutting it myself once each year and just let it stay on the ground . I have a 57HP tractor that works just great for what I do both in the fields and woods . Like mentioned get 4wd for sure as I first went with 2wd and what a mistake . The one other very big benefit of a larger tractor over a compact is the ride quality while mowing etc.. If you are going to be mowing for hrs. believe me you want as much comfort as you can afford to get .

 

[Rmart30]

Thanks for all the good info so far!

For a little more background on the fields, a local farmer had been cutting the fields for the bales when we bought it. The soil nutrients were getting depleted, so we stopped baling and switched to mowing on the advice of the soil guy who did our analysis. When we ballparked the numbers the cost for fertilizing was going to be quite a bit more than just having it mowed so that's what we've been doing since. We're hoping to find another farmer to work with who would do the fertilizing as well as cutting in exchange for the hay, hopefully in the next few seasons.

Given that, there's a good chance I will only need to mow the fields for a few years, and I think I could get away with cutting once a year without too much trouble. But we'll still need to do the all the other chore work year after year going forward. So I'm a little bit worried about optimizing for cutting the fields and ending up with a tractor that won't do as good a job with the routine chores around the house later on, stuff like landscaping work or grading the drive or pulling trees out of the woodline and so on.

If I'm understanding everyone, something near 50hp ought to be able to cut the fields given more time and effort on my part. I think I'd be ok with more time and effort for that task if it means everything else I do will be easier. Does that make sense?

Dont let them get too overgrown. Too much leeway could lead to weed growth and unwanted grasses starting to grow in it and take a long time to get back to where they are now. Down here the hay cutters will fertilize and put out a herbicide to inhibit weeds on their own dime. You might need to talk to a couple of different ones and see what they offer to get the hay cutting rights.

if you could find something like this youd be in business.
Kubota M68 - 4x4 w/ Loader & Bucket - farm & garden - by dealer - sale

 

[jeff9366]

I'm a little bit worried about optimizing for cutting the fields and ending up with a tractor that won't do as good a job with the routine chores around the house later on, stuff like landscaping work or grading the drive or pulling trees out of the woodline and so on.

If I'm understanding everyone, something near 50hp ought to be able to cut the fields given more time and effort on my part. I think I'd be ok with more time and effort for that task if it means everything else I do will be easier.

Vacuous post.

Mowing is your big job.

Use the Mowing Calculator provided in Post #9, then tell us what time commitment you will make to mowing.

You are "floating" more than most tractor neophytes who post here.

 

[rbstern]

Vacuous post.

Mowing is your big job.

Use the Mowing Calculator provided in Post #9, then tell us what time commitment you will make to mowing.

You are "floating" more than most tractor neophytes who post here.

WTF? Why the insult? The guy is here to learn, not be pooped on.

 

[Tompet]

After looking at the used results posted earlier it seems like it might even end up cheaper to get one of those bigger old 2wd tractors just for mowing the field and a small 4x4 tractor with a loader for doing all the other tasks.

Also, I didn't think it would be a problem, but now looking at the 50hp+ tractors I realize I have to watch the weight too. I can only tow 10K with my truck so that may well limit how big I can go.

Might be best approach. Two tractors on that size property would be useful. I wouldn't let the weight limit on what you can tow for an older (2wd if not 4) utility size tractor used primarily for mowing limit what you purchase. Once that larger tractor is on the property, for all intents and purposes wouldn't it be "home" to stay?

As for second smaller 4wd tractor with loader, I would still suggest a large cut at minimum.

Beautiful property by the way, I'm jealous! Enjoy your search and eventual purchase(s)!