100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M?

   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #1  

flashpuppy

Silver Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2018
Messages
183
Location
Triad, North Carolina
Tractor
Kubota M7040 Kubota SVL75-2
Hoping for some advice and opinions on selecting a tractor.

Have about 240 acres that has been pretty woefully neglected over several years. Want to get it whipped up into better shape over the next three years.

Regrade and maintain approximately 5 miles of dirt/gravel roads on the property. Not expecting to fix all of this with a tractor.
  • Pasture renovation. Lots of fallow tobacco ground that has been over run with trash.
  • Mowing with 15’ batwing and 8’ mounted mower.
  • Pulling a no-till drill for overseeding. Will probably buy a used one and sell when done. Unsure on size yet, depends on the tractor I suppose. ~160 acres to be seeded multiple times.
  • Handling round bales for storage and to feed.
  • Maybe pull a disk over a couple acres for an oversized garden.
Thing that I know I will NOT be doing:
  • Will not be making any type of hay with this tractor. If we do bale any of the land, it’ll be hired out.
  • We will not be doing any type of row crop work or pulling heavy tillage over everything.
Other things for consideration:
  • I have CTL’s and mini-x to use where needed. Not expecting this tractor to do everything.
  • Storage height is of no concern.
  • I have an excellent Kubota dealer we have a great relationship with.
  • There are also Deere and Massey/New Holland dealers nearby that people seem to like although I have no experience with them.
  • Dead set on three remotes, cab, big radials, loader, mfwd.
  • I’m open to a used, ultra low hour, under warranty machine.
  • Instructor seat is mandatory.
  • Don’t want to go much over $100k. High $80’s to low $90’s would be preferable. Cash sale, no tax.
My initial thought is something like an M6-111 Kubota. Although being as I’m not baling any hay or doing field work, I wonder if the M5-111 would meet my needs.

What else would you be looking at? I’m interested in a MF 5711 Dyna but I think it’s out of price range. Was quoted $101k for a JD 5115M optioned out how I wanted. Want to make sure I review all the options I should be looking at.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #2  
If used, buy a Fendt or lightly used AGCO brand. I have a Challenger and a Massey. Super comfortable tractors for long days of work. Front suspension & cab suspension and nice seats make the day so much better. Most models come with larger diameter tires than Kubota so ruts don’t throw the tractor around as much.
If new, Case-IH or NH would be hard to beat. Heavier built than Kubota, so they don’t jostle around on bad ground.
Kubota makes a nice tractor, but usually they come with smaller tires and less suspension upgrades.


Here’s 2 of my farm tractors. Challenger is 135HP and Kubota is 126HP. Notice differences in wheels/tires. Challenger has front and cab suspension, makes a huge difference. Loader on Challenger is 50% bigger and stronger.

The Challenger has a CVT transmission and the Kubota has a powershift. Powershift is fine, but CVT is super nice to operate. Very easy to find the perfect mowing or operating speed for any task.
Challenger also has steerable front fenders, better mirrors, stronger AC.

Kubota makes a good tractor, but they’re light and they offer little in terms of comfort for the operator. If you are in the cab all day, it means a lot.

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   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #3  
I don’t think you can get into an M6 with loader for 100k? M5-11 is gonna be close but for the work you describe I think it would be fine, pulling no till drill you’ll probably want less than 10’ and you’d want weighted tires and either the FEL or suitcase weights I’d imagine.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #4  
Your choice will depend on dealer presence more than anything else, I'd say because whatever you get. it will be T4 final and electronic controlled and that seems today to be fraught with only a dealer can fix issues.

If it was me, I'd shop Tractor House for a gently used Fendt (if the term gently used) applies, never seen any large tractor that was used gently before. But again, all hinges on dealer presence and ability.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #5  
My recommendation is MF4710 or MF5710. A lot beefier built than the rest of the tractors in that size on the market - look the the tractor weights and you will see what I am talking about.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M?
  • Thread Starter
#6  
I don’t think you can get into an M6 with loader for 100k? M5-11 is gonna be close but for the work you describe I think it would be fine, pulling no till drill you’ll probably want less than 10’ and you’d want weighted tires and either the FEL or suitcase weights I’d imagine.
Agreed, but ultra low hour used machines are not out of the consideration either.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M?
  • Thread Starter
#7  
My recommendation is MF4710 or MF5710. A lot beefier built than the rest of the tractors in that size on the market - look the the tractor weights and you will see what I am talking about.
I was just quoted $91k for a loaded 5711D. That may very well be where I go.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Your choice will depend on dealer presence more than anything else, I'd say because whatever you get. it will be T4 final and electronic controlled and that seems today to be fraught with only a dealer can fix issues.

If it was me, I'd shop Tractor House for a gently used Fendt (if the term gently used) applies, never seen any large tractor that was used gently before. But again, all hinges on dealer presence and ability.
We have good Kubota, Massey, Deere and CNH support. I’ve never seen a Fendt dealer around here.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #9  
I do not normally post in the buying section as folks just post "buy what I did as its the best" or even stupider "weight is the number one consideration when buying a tractor". Here are my thoughts, you did not mention much about the lay of the land so I do not know if you have much in the way of woods / trees, or hills. Looking at Google maps it looks fairly flat (hills and flat are relative terms ask someone from Colorado what a hill is vs someone from Kansas). Also what is your experience with equipment operation and repairing? Without knowing these I am going to make some assumptions. My experience has been working part time on three farms in 3 unique geographic areas each more than 700 miles apart with very different types of equipment that ranged from 25hp to 425hp, and 1970's to 2022 models. My day job is in ag equipment so I have the opportunity to hear about what is good and what is bad equipment wise from around the country.

First always buy equipment with good dealer support unless your very confident in your repair skills. I have a coworker who is having heck with his Challenger because the local dealer has incompetent mechanics. The machine is good, but the mechanics take three to six attempts before a problem is fixed. He is looking at selling and buying something that is not a Challenger/AGCO product just so he does not have to work with the dealer any more.

Power Shuttle is great when doing a lot of loader work. It allows you to go forward and backwards without shifting. Power Shift is nice when mowing as you can easily speed up and slow down without clutching allowing you to adjust for the conditions. I am partial to a smaller frame tractor for mowing and general around the farm work as long as hills are not involved. They are more agile and responsive, however if your towing heavy loads or dealing with loader work on hills a larger machine might be nice. For example Hay Dude has good hills and is dealing with heavy balers, large bales, and heavy trailers a larger tractor makes a lot of sense for his operation. A farm I worked at for a few years was flat, and used large 5x6 round balers, we used small framed 90 hp 7,500lb tractors and moved bales with backhoes so a lighter baler tractor worked just fine and was more agile in the field. Hay Dude's photos do a great job of demonstrating similar engine hp on different sized tractors. The Challenger MT535B weighs around 14,000lbs, and the Kubota M126X around 10,500 lbs. Something like a Farmall 120C weigh's around 7,500 lbs. When I saw one at a show I thought that the Farmall 120C was a great mowing machine, and round baler tractor but it would be scary running a large baler on steep hills with it.
A bigger tractor can pull a bigger disc / drill something like a Farmall 120C will run out of tractor before HP, whereas the Challenger MT535B will run out of HP before traction. A 10' drill can be handled by a Farmall 120C as could a 10-14' disc depending on soil type. The smaller tractors are also easier to get in and out as they have less steps, and can be transported by a smaller truck. Also an 8' mower on a larger frame tractor does not leave much overhang for trimming. A smaller frame lets you get the mower closer to trees and whatever your mowing without having to get the tractor right up next to it. I chose to use the Challenger MT 535B, Kubota M126X, and Farmall 120C as examples, not that I was suggesting them, but they demonstrate a good cross section of the 100 hp tractor offering. I discussed haying despite knowing that your not going to bale to demonstrate capabilities of the equipment.

If you plan on running near trees the Kubota's have very thin roofs that I would be concerned about, but am not sure that others are any better. Best solution is to trim trees before going near them.

I would avoid Fent's. Not that they are not good machines, they are great. However they are full of electronics. I would be very concerned about how well they age and the availability / cost of parts in the future. But boy are they nice. Was at a farm show last year and the Fent was the nicest inside out of all the tractors. There will be lots of folks who suggest you get an older pre emissions machine. However that means buying a 2010 or earlier model. I personally would buy an older machine, but paying $100k cash for a tractor is not feasible for me, so your situation is different. If I was in your shoes I would consider new as the warranty would be worth it to me. Anything post 2010 is going to have emissions and electronics so a dealer is critical.

Massey, Kubota, JD and CNH are all good. I would look at the New Holland Workmaster 120 its not a power shift, but has power shuttle and is an economy machine, the price is darned sharp too. The New Holland Powerstar 110 and 120 are also worth looking at as they have power shift. Case IH Farmall, Vestrum, and Maxxum are all good machines as well. Whatever you do get the Skid Steer quick attach for the loader if its an option.

Remember my advice and everyone's on this board is worth what you paid for it. Also on this forum most folks experience with tractors is in the compact segment so they have a very different outlook, and some very strong opinions. Good luck on your hunt for a new tractor.
 
   / 100hp Tractor for 240 acres. M6? 5711? 5115M? #10  
Very good advice and yes Kubota roofs are thin, vacuum molded plastic, been there and did that and and a replacement roof is well in the excess of 1500 clams. Myself, I'm very careful about running under tree limbs. No issue with the barn as the door there is 14 feet high anyway. However I believe all the roofs today are thin vacuum molded plastic. Metal roofs went bye-bye about 30 years ago.
 
 
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