Buying Advice Buying a used tractor- any advice appreciated

AirPower · Feb 18, 2020

We currently have a 2003 5610S along with an older Ford (2600 I think).

The primary chore will be pulling a 2215 Bushhog (15') about 5 times a year to mow 200 acres (6 ponds- some steep slopes) mixed weeds and grass. We may also cut/rake/bale 6x5 or 5x4 bales.

Here's where I need some help:

Picking the right tractor:

We are probably going to sell the 5610S privately or trade it in while keeping the smaller 2600 to pull the 6' mower.

HP/Models - I am looking at 95HP to 120HP tractors, Kubota (M108, M9960, M5-111), John Deere (5525,5625,5095M,5100E, 5100M,5115M) and New Holland (T5050, T4 series, T5 series, TS6 series).

I am not too concerned about bells and whistles, just need something that is reliable and can do the work

Should I stay away from any of the above based on reliability concerns and did I miss any?

Weight- the 5610S weighs about 5,700lbs, I am thinking something around 6,500lbs-7,000lbs would be helpful. Am I missing anything here?

Options:

Clutch- I was thinking I need to go with a wet clutch, but I am pretty sure the guys that run the equipment will figure out how to burn out a wet clutch

Cab-We have a lot of trees that we work around which was made me shy away from cabs, but should I reconsider that position? I am in Texas, hot summers, a lot of insects.

I am also slightly concerned about running a cab on pond slopes, but maybe it won't make much of a difference compared to something like a TS6 since it sits high

Definitely needs a 4WD tractor

A couple items of note. No Massey dealers nearby, but we do have Kubota, Case, NH, and JD. I don't think the JD dealer is all that good, but that's just perception, I haven't worked with them before.

The 5610S seems to be a bit under powered for the Bushhog, and the 5610S limits us on what we can do (weight/HP/and it's 2wd).

Edit: I see mixed opinions about the TS6 series, the JD E's and D's, are those tractors I should steer clear of, and if so why?

Any help is appreciated.

searcyfarms · Feb 28, 2020

first i dont know anything about the specific tractors you mention regarding reliability

next you dont mention the thickness of the field grasses etc BUT if you are mowing the same 200acres 5X then it will likely be shorter and not as taxing

Why do i mention that? We maintain around 500 acres of CRP ground and with a 15' batwing ( rhino are what we have ) and it will put a 105PTO hp tractor on its knees at times and you have to go around 2.0 to 2.5 mph tops in the thicker areas or 3.0ish in the thinner stuff to keep from overheating. I would get the most PTO HP you can afford.

IF this is a crew tractor I wouldnt go all out unless you trust they will take good care of teh unit and not beat the heck out of it. Maybe they would respect it more if you got them the A/C and said if you dont take care of it and break it and knock the windows out, no more AC?

A 5610 wouldnt even begin to be enough tractor here for a 15' batwing, you must have thin stuff there.

The tractors we use for it are in the 12 to 15K lb class so stopping, hills are ok for us. Neither are 4wd. We use a 5088 IH and a 2-105 White Farm Boss

CNH, FNH are going to be a wash in tractors - same stuff different paints for the most part just pick the dealer you like/prefer. Kubota will be more $$. JD 5 series i have read mixed reviews on here however they do have some great prices on ROPS tractors they use on leases that are usually manual gears around here for 20K but only 2wd units. I see them at our 2 dealers every year at blowout prices.

we have two ponds we mow, no issues with 2wd but then again we have big tractors and do the mowing ourselves.

i personally would get the most HP, Heaviest, Cabbed unit i could afford if it were me but since it sounds like a crew tractor i would alter my thoughts depending on my guys and how they take care of things.

Our fields are trees around all edges with waterways/ditches that have trees that hang out as well so we have a fair bit of them that reach out and grab exhaust, windows that are open etc.....we still opt for cabs but we are the owner/operator.

I have ran a 5610 quite a bit, my uncle had one, it was a great tractor, very reliable, diesel, 2wd. Never had much issue with anything on it outside of brakes and a clutch.