Another "Help me pick a tractor" thread

[Jchonline]

If we are talking horses only, do you need larger round bales or can you get by with squares? I am a cow guy, but my father always told me not to feed the horses what you feed the cows. Horses need higher quality grass. We currently lease our 100 acre hay meadow for square bales for horses..it is all coastal no weeds.

10 acres of pasture isn稚 going to support many cows. They will eat it down to nothing, then after a year or two the grass wont grow well and weeds will set in (assuming you wont be rotating them to separate pastures). At least this is how it usually goes in East TX. So you will pretty much be feeding them all year with hay (expensive if you have many).

Of course your decision, but I would skip the cows unless you have an adjacent property you plan on purchasing.

Let us know what you think about the cows.

 

[Turbys_1700]

How much is your budget? You need a range and then go from there. IMHO you need a 30 to 50 HP large compact or 50 HP utility tractor that will handle at least a 6 foot rotary cutter. If you step up to an 8 or 10 footer the price increase is dramatic over a 6 footer due to dual gearboxes and additional drive line components. You are looking at 25K-30K.

Don't know the dealer situation in your area but Kubota, Deere, New Holland, Kioti, LS, Mahindra, Massey...all are good. What ever you get I would recommend extendable lower arms and the ability to lift the three point from the rear of the tractor. It will save you a lot of time hooking up implements and is worth the price.

You should either get a shuttle shift or hydrostatic drive transmission. If you go shuttle get the electronic if possible. It typically has a wet clutch and extends the clutch life.

R4 tires are a good compromise if finish mowing. If your lawn is immaculate a lighter weight option may be better but if lifting round bales of 1K you need a tractor to weigh at least 4K IMHO. Not too difficult if your rears are loaded and you are looking at a large compact or small utility sized unit.

Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[niterydr]

Great advise so far!
I've updated my location in my profile as I am in Elkhart, TX
Upon further eval I'll probably be mowing 8-10 acres total most of the time, I was a little off on my original estimates. Ideally this takes me 2-3 hours as I am not retired.
Round bales is what our horses are currently on in Minnesota. I've got squares stacked and ready for the first month but I would like the factor in the ability to move round bales. Running them on spear on the rear is okay, I do not plan on stacking them at this time. Locals told me rounds are around 1000lbs most of the time.

Not sure how wet it gets in the spring but my lawn and the pastures aren't very thick.

Cows we would have no more than 2 and would expect to feed them. It's a "maybe" at this point.

I think my nearest Massey dealer and Kubota dealers are in Palestine. Branson dealers seem to be a good 60 miles. Crockett also has various tractor dealers. I was originally thinking I need something heavier and in the 30-40hp range.

Price is tba. Will probably go new and finance it, buy it once and try to get a few decades out of it. I maintain my equipment very well and take pride in that.

Thank you for all the advice so far.

 

[shooterdon]

Look at mowing as finish and rough. A tractor large enough to handle bales is not a good choice for finish mowing in all conditions. Weight is your friend most of time except when finish mowing.

I have a 60” mid mount mower that came with my machine that I do not use. I have about 1 1/2 acres of lawn grass and mow with a 48” riding mower....takes about 90 minutes. Plan on getting a zero turn eventually.

Do not get a compromise machine. Get one that will do the heavy work safely.

 

[jeff9366]

Upon further eval I'll probably be mowing 8-10 acres total most of the time, I was a little off on my original estimates. Ideally this takes me 2-3 hours as I am not retired.

If you use the mowing calculator in Post #2, assume a 72" Bush Hog and a mowing speed of 4 m.p.h. you will find you can mow 3.2 acres per hour. Eight acres = 2.5 hours, ten acres = 3.1 hours.

Long grass will take longer.

I would like to factor in the ability to move round bales. Moving round bales on spear on the rear is okay, I do not plan on stacking them at this time. Locals told me rounds are around 1000lbs most of the time.

In an economy tractor a Kubota L3901 should meet your needs.
2,800 pounds bare tractor / 37.5 horsepower.

Consider the used Kubota L4400 in Post #7.
3,100 pounds bare tractor / 45 horsepower.


In a heavier tractor with a commodious open operating station and deLuxe features a Kubota L3560 "Grand L" would be nirvana. Rear wheel/tire spreads are especially flexible on a Grand L; important on your slopes. Also relatively quiet.
3,500 pounds bare tractor / 37 horsepower


VIDEOS: Kubota Standard L Series VS. Grand L Series - YouTube

Kubota HST Plus Transmission Features - YouTube




Safe hillside operation demands more tractor weight than level land operation. Heavier tractors have adjustable rear wheel spreads; wide rear wheel spreads improve tractor stability more than any other variable.

Four wheel drive is essential on hillsides. Four wheel drive supplies increased traction and braking. When descending slopes 4-WD augments rear brakes as tractor weight shifts forward, decreasing rear tire grip.

Compact tractors optimized for hill work have liquid installed in the rear tires rather than air. "Loaded" tires are filled 50% to 75% with liquid, which lowers the tractor's center-of-gravity, increasing rollover resistance. "Loading" two compact tractor rear tires will increase tractor weight 300 pounds to 800 pounds over weight of identical two tires inflated with air. Some prefer rear wheels ballasted with iron wheel weights rather than tire liquids.

MORE: Comparing Types of Liquid Tire Ballast | OrangeTractorTalks

6 Reasons to Liquid Ballast your Kubota’s Tires | OrangeTractorTalks

 

[Jchonline]

We get bales over 1500 lbs. Carefully select the source, and we see many that baling thistle, bahaya, and other weeds and call it hay.


You dont have a ton of mowing to do, but as you know it gets really hot and dry down in TX. Consider the cab carefully. You just wont want to get out and do anything in the heat. Mowing creates crazy amounts of dust down South; you dont want to breathe it.

When I started shopping for my father’s tractor, this is the list I put together. Our place is a bit West of Athens...which is North of your place.

1. Pineco - Mahindra
2. Smith and Sons - Massey Ferguson
3. Athens tractor - Kubota
4. Nortex tractor - new holland and Mahindra
5. Lowe tractor - Kubota
6. United ag and turf - Deere
7. McKinley farms - used Deere and Kubota
8. Big Tex - Branson
9. VN tractors - TYM
10. Deen Kubota
11. Alba Pittsburg tractor Kubota
12. Sandy land equipment-Ls tractor

As you can see, lots of orange in the area. United Ag is a nice dealership, my folks have their ZT serviced there. They were just purchased by a larger chain (Deere is pushing this restructuring), but still have a nice small town feel.

I was also in Athens Tractor, very nice dealership. Sales was great to work with. (Former Navy guy if I recall). We haven’t decide on a machine yet, so I dont have that experience to share. They have a ton of tractors on the lot, which is a good sign.

 

[Jchonline]

Wet? That probably isn’t going to be much of a problem in that area of TX! It is going to mostly be dry climate. Still decent humidity, but hot and not much rain. Soil will likely be sandy loam for the most part but it might be a bit different where you are.

So back to the tractor discussion...you are going to want 2 machines. One for mowing the “yard” and another for farm stuff (ie mowing pasture, moving bales, etc).

For the yard, lots of options with the ZT always being king. We have 1 ZT and 4 JD riders. After the ZT was purchased the riders just sit. We sold 1 and will probably get rid of at least 3 more soon. Just be sure the ZT will fit through any gates you have. ZTs are expensive...super expensive. We have a friend that just dropped $15k on a Scag..ugh no thanks!

The grand L series does have a belly mower option (at least they did in the 40 series) but it required special tires/rims to lower the clearance for the mower to fit. This is probably not a good option for a tractor being used for farming tasks as well. This is why I would recommend something separate for the yard. A Rotary cutter (ie bush hog) for the farm tractor seems like a good option. They work well in TX.

Keep in mind when I say Grand L, I dont mean you need a Kubota. Just find a comparably capable tractor in the other brands if that suits your needs. Most important are weight and HP for that initial comparison.
In JD this would be a 4 series machine. In Massey it would be a 17 series I believe.

So if we are splitting the finish mowing into a yard type machine, we can focus on the farming tasks.

Jeff is right, you do want some weight, even if on the rear 3 PT. For 20 acres I would be looking in the L or Grand L size. L is significantly cheaper, but also lighter and less featured. I like the L3901 for a budget option in the Kubota line. The Grand L is an awesome machine, much heavier built and amazing features. The HST plus is hard to beat if you want a hydrostatic transmission. You can also get these in a glide shift or synchronized transmission. I believe the L is a hydro shuttle.


For elevation...tractors dont like to be in side hills. You can get wheel spacers dealer installed in most cases..this helps a bunch. However you will always need to be mindful especially with heavy loads (ie hay or timber)

Most importantly, get out and demo/drive these machines. You will be a much better idea for size and how the tractor fits you.

 

[niterydr]

It does look like I will probably want 2 pieces of equipment, used lawn equipment and ideally new tractor.

Due to the rolling nature of some of my "hills" probably a riding tractor for the lawn and dog area and a tractor (most likely with a cab) for the fields/pasture work.

The hay work is intending to be on the flat part of the property. Barn will be "up" on the flat and that is the same elevation as the side lawn/driveway/road.

I really do appreciate all the advise and links provided thus far.

Here is another thought. Hay is very expensive here in Texas. I could set aside pasture land to grow Hay if I invested in the proper equipment up front.

 

[jeff9366]

You would need to find someone to process your hay on share.

Hay processing equipment is very expensive and not suitable for part-time agriculturists.

I am in Elkhart, TX
Upon further eval I'll probably be mowing 8-10 acres total most of the time, I was a little off on my original estimates.

Minimal acreage for a haymaker to visit repeatedly with implement changes in order to cut, dry and bale hay.

Anyone willing to process hay on 8-10 acres will want to work really fast. Your fields need to be LEVEL. Where I live in Florida hay fields are rolled and rolled until LEVEL. Cost to have fields leveled as a service is $170 per acre.

 

[Jchonline]

It does look like I will probably want 2 pieces of equipment, used lawn equipment and ideally new tractor.

Due to the rolling nature of some of my "hills" probably a riding tractor for the lawn and dog area and a tractor (most likely with a cab) for the fields/pasture work.

The hay work is intending to be on the flat part of the property. Barn will be "up" on the flat and that is the same elevation as the side lawn/driveway/road.

I really do appreciate all the advise and links provided thus far.

Here is another thought. Hay is very expensive here in Texas. I could set aside pasture land to grow Hay if I invested in the proper equipment up front.

Haying equipment is expensive, and you will need the right size tractor to run it. About the smallest I have seen is a M series Kubota or 5 series JD type machine with a smaller round bale. You will need to fertilize (expensive), harrow every now and then, cut, ted, bale, stack/transport. Lots of upfront costs. IMO not worth the expense for the # of acres you are talking about.
If you are made of money and just want to bale your own, then be sure you are looking at a full size utility tractor...about the smallest you can get to run a round baler (and they are smaller round bales at that). That said, if this is your dream then go for it!

At best you could get someone to bale it on the halves IMO. However, with so little a return you may have a hard time finding someone to come out and do it. Fertilizing, cutting, tedding, baling...lots of trips with heavy equipment for just a few acres.

I don't want to discourage you from trying, but it can be hard to find folks to do this. If you have a neighbor that already has all of the baling equipment, that is another good option.