100 acres - What to buy?

[fish_wisperer]

you can get by with a smaller tractor but it will be slow. if you might do round bails youll need a 60hp or better. and if you mow it youll probably wish you had a big shredder after the first time "8 foot or better". i mow 20 acres with a 6 foot shredder and it takes 6 hours.

 

[JDCOMPACTMAN]

I Really Think You Will Be Unhappy With Anything Smaller Than A Utility Size Tractor.Like A John Deere 5205(58Eng.HP),
New Holland TN Series,Ect.

 

[HayDR]

A 50 PTO HP tractor will handle a Vermeer Rebel 5400 baler easy. You'll be making 1200 Lbs bale. That same 50 HP tractor will handle a 8' or 9' disc mower.
If you are looking for a utility tractor in the 40-70 HP range don't discount Mahindra or Farmtrac. The new Kubota 40 series also looks good. You have many good choices. Just remember most companies lower end tractors don't have transmissions that are easy to operate hay tools.

 

[kozak]

ugh, would I like to be in your shoes !!

If money is not a concern then don't play around. As most will tell you here, sure a small tractor may do the job but it will take you....what......5 times as long.......10 times as long. In FACT....here you go, get a 70 to 100 HP tractor for the real agricultural work & get a smaller compact / utility tractor for the smaller tasks. Best of both worlds. Most of us here cannot afford more than one so we make do. (Plus most of us don't farm including me) I know my neighbour does hay & soy beans & has approx. 75 to 90 HP tractor. Beautiful machine. Just don't see him doing the fields year in & year out with something smaller. Just drive out in the country side.....you don't see small 35 to 55 HP machines for farming unless they are used for auxillary work like trailering product bins after harvesting, etc.

Good Luck,

Vic

 

[cowboydoc]

For that much ground and wanting to do farming I would go with a JD 6415. Extremely reliable and a great tractor. Hydraulics are top of the line, clutches are unbeatable, and resale is excellent. With that tractor you could pretty much do what you wanted with regard to plowing, discing, haying, row cropping, etc. A smaller tractor is great for chores and small utility projects but they are not made for heavier farming.

 

[IslandTractor]

As others have noted, the Kubota B series and Deere 4000 series are pretty small for the type of work you intend. It also sounds however that you are ramping up to the idea of haying etc and that a local farmer might be involved to do that in the beginning. If you go with the idea of eventually having two tractors, then starting off with a B series or 4000 which would play the role of the smaller tractor in the end would seem fine however.

 

[hudr]

I wouldn't go below a 50HP. And you are probably looking at multiple tractors before long. My 50Hp Mahindra has trouble sometimes w/ the 5x6 Bermuda round bales when they are still a little green. Then we have a 65Hp that pulls a small disc (6.5') and the wheeled box blade and spray rig. Then there is the 4320JD (116hp) that we use to aerate the hay meadows and pull the 12' cutting and 20' pulverizing discs. I prefer geared tractors all around, but especially for hard pulling work. I don't think you will find 1 tractor to "do it all".My 50hp won't pull the 12' disc, but the 116hp gets clumsy trying to put hay in the cow lot.
Oh, and did I mention the 5020JD (133hp) w/ the dozer blade for light dirt work?

 

[ToadHill]

A lot of people will suggest tractors with way more power than you will normally need. I have 90 acres and have been very happy with a old Ford 8N and a 35hp Kioti. My neighbor farmed 750 acres with two Massey Ferursons one 45 hp and the other 70 hp. He gave me a great piece of advice years ago.
Buy a tractor that will perform the tasks you do every day well. If you need a larger maching for a job now and then it's a lot cheaper to hire it done than to work overpowered equipment every day.

 

[wolc123]

1 hp/acre is a good rule of thumb between 25-150 acres. With 100 acres you are a little beyond a Kubota and I think a Deere would be the better choice.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( With 100 acres you are a little beyond a Kubota and I think a Deere would be the better choice. )</font>

I'm not sure why you say "beyond a Kubota" since Kubota has models up to 100hp. There's certainly nothing wrong with going with Deere, New Holland, and several other brands, if that's your personal preference, but I don't think I'd eliminate any of the brands until I'd looked at, and maybe operated, several of them.