buying advice?

[old bubblehead]

I'm formerly from TN.

Knowing your hills in that area, an RK55 would be the ideal ticket, balancing power and frame for your needs.

There are several RK stores in your area too.
RK tractors are TYM/Kukje and Yanmar engines. A 60 year history together.
Tractors | RK55 Series Tractor | RK Tractors

Yanmar has made Deere compacts and larger engines for the past 48+ years.
The engines are found in Komatsu, CAT, and other earth moving equipment.
The engines are also in Marine for sail boats to tuggers to ocean cruise ships.

Yanmar engines are global, found in many brands and have wide parts support for decades to come.
When looking for a machine, you need to know about future parts support in the long run.

We've raised several hog breeds. Some are mean and will not hesitate to eat a human. After 5 different breeds, we settled on the Duroc.
Duroc pig - Wikipedia

If you plan on raising other livestock and prefer NOT to have you pastures turn into mud pits, then the grass grassing Red Wattle Hogs are the best. And their meat is closer to beef too.
Red Wattle hogs are known for their hardiness, foraging activity, and rapid growth rate – they may be fully mature at the age of three.

Red Wattle Hog - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Great data, Thank you sir!

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I'm not a fan of tractor mounted backhoes. You would be money ahead to block out a chunk of time to do your digging work and rent a decently-sized excavator.
Others have already mentioned the importance of the dealership for the tractor you buy...whatever the brand. Check out its reputation for parts and service--not to mention the availability of parts in general for whatever you buy, particularly if you buy used.
Have fun with your project.
I'll wave as I pass through E. TN.

 

[Hay Dude]

Backhoe on/off on a new compact tractor will become tiresome with the other multiple switching of baler/rake/tedder off & on.

I’d avoid any lightweight, non-legacy brand tractor. As an alternative, buy multiple, older iron pieces for similar cost.

Maybe get
1. a used backhoe in the 10-20K range,
2. an older 80-100HP Deere/Massey/Kubota/New Holland/Case for baler in 20k range and
3. an older Kubota/Massey 60-75HP 4x4 tractor with a loader for rake/tedder/bale moving in 30k range.

You could probably do that for similar price to new lightweight tractor and save yourself a lot of back breaking time consuming attachment switching.
You could sell the backhoe later if you get most or all of your digging done.

I’ve been farming and excavating for a long time and the best decision I made was multiple tractors for multiple attachments.

 

[old bubblehead]

thanks for the suggestion, but this place, by farm standards is SMALL. about 13 acres usable farm land, the rest is in trees. by the time I put all your suggested gear on the property there'll be no room left for the hay to grow. (speaking only slightly tongue in cheek)

 

[Hay Dude]

OK, then maybe a legacy brand 75HP tractor with loader and an older backhoe.
Use the tractor for all farming work and the backhoe for all digging work.

Something tells me you can buy an older Case backhoe for about the same price as a tractor backhoe attachment.

The older 75HP loader tractor will hold up better than a compact for hay farming

 

[Carl_NH]

Here's a full sized BH - $9250 Log into Facebook

Here's another $15K Log into Facebook

Yes, these will need some wrenching from time to time and hoses and seals but will do a lot of work and you can sell when done. Otherwise maybe rent an excavator for a month $4-5K and do the bulk of your work.

 

[kenmac]

@kenmac McCormick compact utility tractors are made by TYM, they're legacy Branson models and have been for perhaps a decade. That said, they make the rest of their own lineup.

I don't own a McCormick compact tractor..
This is where and who built my McCormick tractor

McCormick CX-105 tractors, part of the larger McCormick brand (owned by Italian company Argo Tractors), were primarily built in Doncaster, England, at the former Case IH plant, with the line carrying heritage from Case IH's C, CX, and MX-C series, using Perkins engines and sold globally

If he's going to hay, he's going to need more tractor than a compact tractor can do

 

[Torvy]

Seriously check into the rental market near you for excavation work. Here it was about $300 for a day+, delivered and picked up. A backhoe on a tractor runs $7-11k+. That's a lot of rentals and less stress on your tractor. (Not to mention a stronger ex).

 

[thebmrust]

Get a tractor and implements you need now to get you to closer profitability soonest on the farm. Then, you’ll know what you need next.

I foresee a dedicated TLB (not the tractor), a skid steer of some sort and prob an excavator eventually. Yes, some is duplicative, but income is down you have the other tool to use. Or two operators can use both tools.

 

[old bubblehead]

Yanmar’s i-HMT transmission is best in class. Combines best features of a hydro and a gear transmission, plus can be taken out without splitting the tractor.

Key Features and Benefits of Yanmar i-HMT:

• Hybrid Technology: Blends hydraulic and mechanical power for superior fuel efficiency and better power to the ground compared to traditional hydrostatic transmissions.
• Operating Modes: Features three ranges (Low, Medium, High) with clutch-free, shuttle-shift style forward/reverse, allowing for precise, repeatable speed adjustments.
• A/B Speed Settings: Allows the operator to set and switch between two different, precise speeds within the lower two ranges, ideal for loader work or implements.
• Throttle Boost: An integrated feature that allows for an immediate increase in engine RPM without affecting the ground speed, ideal for hydraulic tasks.
• Operator Control: Uses a single drive pedal to control both speed and, with auto-throttle, engine RPM.
• Application: Primarily used in Yanmar YT3-series compact tractors (47-59 HP) to optimize performance for heavy-duty tasks like loader work and cultivation

all great stuff, but there's no dealer within a hundred and fifty miles.

 

[Aquabird]

Cannot speak about the tractors you mentioned.
I bought a Bad Boy diesel zero turn from a tractor dealer, new, years ago. I had a few problems with it from new, one serious and costly. I could not get it fixed by the dealer and reached out to Bad Boy for a solution. Bad Boy wanted nothing to do with helping me whatsoever. I put up with that costly thing for many years and finally traded it in on a new zero turn this year.
I will never buy a Bad Boy anything again, because of the attitude of Bad Boy on helping a customer who bought a premium machine from them...not one bit of concern.

 

[Fred in BC]

I'm a hobby tractor owner (Little Shibaura 13hp.)
But I work on diesel engines on boats.
Kubotas are easier to work on than Yanmars, and parts are more available and less expensive.
Older Yanmar diesel parts are not available. I've never heard of a Kubota diesel that the local Kubota dealer didn't have parts for.

My choice, based on marine experience, and real farmer friends, would be a used Kubota in good condition.

 

[JimR]

Afternoon folks,
I'm new at this, in fact real new. We need a tractor, just bought a farm that we're going to homestead/small farm. The land is rough enough that everyone I've talked to agrees I need a 50 horse plus rig (28 acres, slightly hilly) we're mainly raising hogs, but we're going to raise our own pig food as well, doing regenerative farming. Looking at Tractors, Big green is out, too damn expensive. I need a back hoe, as well as a loader, and I want a cab. I'll end up haying some of it, and plowing a lot of it. Looking at the following: TYM 574, Bobcat 5555, TYM 4058 pc, LS MT463C, Massy MF2M.60, I've looked at the badboys as well, the 5055, but I've heard some people that say they're junk. Anyone want to provide opinions?

I looked at a lot of tractors before I bought my 45hp Kioti NX4510hst. The 45hp was a big step up from my 27hp Cub Cadet. I really wish that I could have bought 60hp machine. If you think a 50hp is going to do the job then you probably should be looking for a 60hp+. Look at the Mahidra tractors also. They are big and heavy. The one that I liked was 1000 pounds heavier than mine. Since I mow sort of soft fields that extra weight was a no go for me.

 

[rScotty]

Backhoe on/off on a new compact tractor will become tiresome with the other multiple switching of baler/rake/tedder off & on.

I’d avoid any lightweight, non-legacy brand tractor. As an alternative, buy multiple, older iron pieces for similar cost.

Maybe get
1. a used backhoe in the 10-20K range,
2. an older 80-100HP Deere/Massey/Kubota/New Holland/Case for baler in 20k range and
3. an older Kubota/Massey 60-75HP 4x4 tractor with a loader for rake/tedder/bale moving in 30k range.

You could probably do that for similar price to new lightweight tractor and save yourself a lot of back breaking time consuming attachment switching.
You could sell the backhoe later if you get most or all of your digging done.

thanks for the suggestion, but this place, by farm standards is SMALL. about 13 acres usable farm land, the rest is in trees. by the time I put all your suggested gear on the property there'll be no room left for the hay to grow. (speaking only slightly tongue in cheek)

OK, then maybe a legacy brand 75HP tractor with loader and an older backhoe.
Use the tractor for all farming work and the backhoe for all digging work.

Something tells me you can buy an older Case backhoe for about the same price as a tractor backhoe attachment.

The older 75HP loader tractor will hold up better than a compact for hay farming

All true, and IMHO that is such good good advice it's worth a second look. Good old tractors that still work OK just seem to continue to work the same forever.
The biggest downside is routine maintenance on two instead of one.
The upside is how much time is saved having a tractor+implement ready to go at your convenience. Being able to do work on your schedule sure does make better use of your time.

As for the space required, there's another way to look at that, too.....
Think on this...
Back when we had one tractor and a row of implements there still had to be maneuvering space left in front of each implement in order to maneuver the tractor and do the 3pt hitching. That turns out to be quite a bit of space that can't be used for anything else, so it might as well be occupied by an older single-purpose tractor already hooked up, adjusted, and ready to go.

Any farm still needs a good utility tractor with a loader for chores, so might as well get that one and a few implements first. That'll give you time to wait for a real deal on the next one.
If you have time on your side, there are some really good old farm tractors and backhoes out there and not much of a market for them. Let them come to you.
Good luck,
rScotty

 

[evojohn]

Also an old bubblehead, i get the reference. My backhoe suggestion is to be very deliberate matching components. I bought a green machine bc it could do everything I needed at the time in 1 machine. Mower, loader, tiller and was simple for my kids to operate the mower. Then I bought a 3 pt bushhog backhoe. They do NOT play well together. I think I damaged my hydraulic pump bc with the backhoe attached I'm pumping to a dead head. Took it to 2 dealers and had 20 year old kids tell me "is fine, it's supposed to sound like that". I'm working on separating the backhoe with a pto hydraulic pump but they're not easy to find anymore.
BLUF: quality dealer support is critical

 

[Shawn T. W.]

Your backhoe should have three lines ... It will not deadhead when all three are connected, likewise when your BH is off, two of the lines should connect back to each other ... That's the normal set up for TLB's ...

 

[KenBike]

I would look hard at a Kubota M7060 HD with the 12 speed. Great tractor and super reliable. If you do small hay bales it enough power to pull a baler and wagon on slight hills. Loader has good capacity and strong 3 point. I have also lusted after a 3 pt mounted backhoe until I rented a 25 hp Yammar mini ex with two buckets for the day for $600 with a trailer. The mini ex is so much faster, worked perfect and at the end of the day someone else has to maintain it.