3 acres, greenhouses & heavy loader work + snow removal, Am I going too Big, Kubota M5-111?

[p0opstlnksal0t]

***ended up buying a 2015 Kubota m5-111 with la1854 loader

found a massey 2650 HD for sale locally that caught my eye. with the DL260 loader. I only have 3 acres (1 acre is currently being cleared), a few hundred feet of private driveway that needs constant snow removal and and constant regrading. I do constant ground grading work and heavy loader work. usually im needing to move 200 gallon pots full of soil/media that weigh 1800-2000lbs using pallet forks. really i should be looking for an offroad forklift but that wouldnt be useful to me anywhere else here. i dont need the tractor for typical heavy duty ag stuff (ie, hay or farming) so im scared im just getting into way too much tractor than i need. at the same time i dont want to spend the money to get a tool and buy something too small that i cant use for hard tasks.

 

[Birdhunter1]

A friend of mine has a large greenhouse operation like yous and he has the comparable size and horsepower John Deere. You are not going overkill for what you need. He also has a forklift, not an offroad forklift but uses it on his gravel lot for the same tasks. I'm not sure if he uses the tractor to unload a semi but he could.

 

[ericm979]

Is that going to fit in your greenhouses? It's 80" wide (though that is probably the narrowest configuration with the narrowest of the many available sets of wheels, you need to measure this specific unit if width is a consideration).

Ag tires wear out fast when used on pavement, and don't have as much traction there as R4s. A hydrostatic transmission would be best for loader work.

You start to get enough loader capacity to lift that kind of weight when you get to the 35hp size. Not all tractors with that much HP have enough lift capacity and weight to handle 2000 lbs but some do. My Branson does, I regularly lift 2000lb+ tote cages loaded with firewood. But that's approaching to its limit and you know it's out there even with loaded rear tires and an implement on the back as counterweight. Current Branson 20 series models can lift about 400lbs more. Some like the Kubota L3303/390 don't have enough capacity or weight in the rear end.

 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

these are going to be 20ft hoop houses. i plan to make "High Tunnels" which i should be able to get the tractor in and out of on either side. i wont be able to drive up close to the edges due to height but i plan to make some form of 3 point pallet lift so i can detach the loader for more interior greenhouse clearance. i also run large 200 gallon pots outside not in a greenhouse as well. if i plan to move up to 300 gallon pots those can weigh in at 2600lbs. i should also note, nothing is paved. right now its just loam, and we get a good 2-4 weeks during snow thaw that turns maine into a mud bowl. this in particular is heavy work time during mud season as things thaw i have to gear up for my outdoor crops.

 

[jeff9366]

Massey Ferguson 2650 HD Weight
Shipping:	5,578 lbs 2530 kg (2WD ROPS)
	6,305 lbs 2859 kg (4WD ROPS)
	6,592 lbs 2990 kg (2WD cab)
	7,319 lbs 3319 kg (4WD cab)
2WD ROPS Operating:	6,365 lbs 2887 kg

Massey Ferguson DL250 Loader
Lift to 1.5m (at pin):	3,304 lbs 1498 kg

Massey Ferguson DL 260 Loader
Lift to 1.5m (at pin):	4,085 lbs 1852 kg

 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

Thanks! I saw that tractor data already. I didn't find the 4wd operating weight but if I use the 2wd rops weight difference between operating and shipping it's 787lbs difference. Add that to 4wd and it's 7092 but that's just a guess. Also i cant find the weight of the DL260 loader which I'm suremis at least 1k lbs? So that's an 8100lb tractor? I imagine even a 10k gvwr trailer would be on the fringes

 

[p0opstlnksal0t]

i think after careful consideration im gonna have to find a smaller tractor. if this thing weighs in at 8100lbs i wont be able to tow it to a shop for maintenance work with my 2016 tundra. its got a tow rating to 10,100lbs. too close to gamble.

 

[Birdhunter1]

If you aren't planning to use the 3 point for anything I'd say you'd be a candidate for a skidsteer instead of a tractor, that being said with the lifting you're talking about you'd need a skidsteer every bit the weight of 8000 lbs. I wouldn't worry about being able to haul it to a dealer, I doubt you would have to much if at all if you can do your own light mechanicing. You'd definitely have more overhead clearance and be more able to turn it around inside a greenhouse, loader work and grading with a skidsteer will be easier and faster with a skid as well.

The only issue that I would run into on my place with a skidsteer vs a tractor and loader is if I have something suspended or partially lifted off the ground and need to work on it and it would be near impossible to get out of most skid steers whereas a tractor you can step off and work on it, a prime example would be holding a log a few feet off the ground on pallet forks while cutting it into firewood. Tractors typically have a little more reach out front for laying something into the middle of a trailer or flatbed truck.

 

[herm0016]

sounds like a CTL is the way to go, and keep the 3910.

 

[Birdhunter1]

sounds like a CTL is the way to go, and keep the 3910.

If you are referring to the 3910 that was in my tag line I traded it off last year. It was a good tractor but wasn't the best fit for what I needed it for.