Buying Advice Compact Cab tractor for vineyard work.

[Yardbird]

Hope to soon be purchasing land to start a small (~ 5 acre) vineyard. The terrain is hilly. Am guessing 20 to 25 degree grades in places. Rows will run up the hill where the grades are steeper.

Spraying and bush hogging will be frequent tasks. I will get a loader and pallet forks as well. Will maintain a driveway and do some composting, etc. The tractor will have cab. I think I would prefer a hydro transmission. Am thinking filled AG tires.

My tractor experience is slim to none. Lots to learn.

Looking for a tractor around 45-55 HP and over 4000lbs. I believe the Japanese tractors to be better made/more reliable than the Korean tractor but this comes at an expense (as it should). I am hoping to spend under 35k (well under if i can manage it). I feel as though a new tractor makes the most sense as older (non Tier 4) tractors are selling for more than they were new and new tractors are only marginally more. Would love to find a good deal on an older tractor but in my mind that means around $24k or so. For my budget, a new Kubota, JD or MF is likely out.

Stuff I am looking at (near Staunton, Va)
-Yanmar 47 hp hydro- $35k (if rebate is still going) with local dealer that I like.
-LS XR4145 (231 farm Center in Maryland)- advertising $30k (not delivered). Small dealer ~30 miles away. Would ask them to matchish price. this is a better price than Brunos by $2k or so. Don't know how reputable 231 Farm Center is. I get the feeling Brunos is good.
-RK55 hydro cab- $32k- closest RK is about 1.5-2 hours. kinda scary. like the idea of a Yanmar engine.
-Kioti NX45 or 55 ???price- local dealer. If they were close/over 35K I would go Yanmar. Haven't heard great things but haven't worked with them personally.
There is a Mahindra dealer nearby. not sure what kind of price they will do on their TYM machine. Am guessing they would not be competitive.

Any ideas, or even better- experience, is much appreciated.
Jeff

 

[atsah]

The size tractor you are looking at sounds about right for you're application.. IMO Japanese Yanmar is hard to beat.. Only tractor I have had in that hp range was a NH TC45DA that I thought was under powered and cheaply made..

 

[rgr33]

One thing to think about, is with a 5 acre vineyard, you want to maximize your planting to reap the biggest return you can. Tractors, airblast sprayers, flair mowers and chemicals are expensive, and you will need revenue to pay for them.
My vineyard is planted at 7 foot rows by 5 foot plant spacing to accommodate best harvest results. If you go with a wider wheelbase tractor, you will need to widen your rows, thereby lessening the number of plants in the vineyard.

None of the tractors you mention, will fit down those rows, unless they make a narrow version, which I an not sure of.
Also, a heavier tractor, while good for tillage, and hay work, will compact your soil more, as you will be up and down the rows constantly mowing and spraying. Soil compaction interferes with water and nutrients available to roots. You will need another implement to work the compacted soil.

Lastly, I am not sure of your location, but if you are dealing with hills and wet turf, you want to be sure to have 4wd, as it can get real greasy out there in the spring, and stuff happens fast, even to the experienced operator.

Good luck in your new vineyard, no two years are ever the same, and you will soon find yourself becoming fascinated with weather and soil health.

 

[Yardbird]

Great advice. thanks for that. I am planning on 8-9' (3-4' inter-row planting) rows to make the tractor work easier and safer. The narrow/specialty tractors are costlier and don't often come with a loader (which i need for other stuff). VSP or Ballerina canopy. Am hoping to get ~3 tons/per acre with this setup. Small operation.

Yes, it gets greasy here (Virginia). Wet and slick. 4wd is a must. Do you run ag tires or industrial? Am guessing industrial would cause less rutting/compaction but offer less traction. looks like the Kubota narrow is about 5000lbs (72 to 92HP!!!). I will be under that weight. I noticed they come with no hydro option. Is that because there are limited 50+HP hydros. Kinda makes me wonder about syncro vs. hydro. Looking at a Cima 42 or 45 sprayer. Might get the wheels for better handling up hill. The 42 suggest a 25hp (18pto) tractor and the 45 a 45hp (23pto) tractor.

Too much vineyard info- sorry.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Every orchard/vineyard/veggie farmer around here that bought a compact tractor has got rid of them... They ALL have moved to narrow farm tractors because they work MUCH better in the hills and last longer. These are real farmers who are serous about farming, not someone play farming and not caring that they don't make any money at it.

IF you are actually serous about making money in the future on this land, I suggest you look at what the big boy vineyard guys are doing and plant like they do and buy a narrow farm tractor and be serous about your farming too.

SR

 

[Diggin It]

Working that type of slope constantly, I don't think you'll be happy with a Hydro.

Just my opinion based on my little guy.

 

[RickB]

Every orchard/vineyard/veggie farmer around here that bought a compact tractor has got rid of them... They ALL have moved to narrow farm tractors because they work MUCH better in the hills and last longer. These are real farmers who are serous about farming, not someone play farming and not caring that they don't make any money at it.

IF you are actually serous about making money in the future on this land, I suggest you look at what the big boy vineyard guys are doing and plant like they do and buy a narrow farm tractor and be serous about your farming too.

SR

Exactly. I will add that careful research into the hp requirements of air blast sprayers may send you in the direction of a purpose built vineyard or orchard tractor as well.

 

[jeff9366]

The narrow/specialty tractors are costlier and don't often come with a loader (which i need for other stuff). VSP or Ballerina canopy.

The Kubota narrow is about 5000lbs (72 to 92HP!!!). I will be under that weight. I noticed they come with no hydro option. Is that because there are limited 50+HP hydros. Kinda makes me wonder about syncro vs. hydro. Looking at a Cima 42 or 45 sprayer.

I have been retired from the wine business for 14 years, so I may not be current.

No Orchard & Vineyard tractor is offered with a Loader. Loaders increase instability.

Orchard & Vineyard tractors have very high capacity hydraulic pumps to really push out sprays.

Orchard & Vineyard tractors are heavy in order to pull/power mechanical harvesting equipment.

Orchard & Vineyard tractors, lacking FELs, will not do at lot of forward/reverse activity, therefore better fuel efficiency of shuttle shift or some other form of gear (as opposed to HST pump) is only transmission offering.

 

[Yardbird]

thanks for the feedback on the hydro vs. gears.

Sawyer Bob, I was pretty clear about my budget (35k). Cheapest Kubota narrow tractor w/o a loader is $57k retail. Not an option for me. Additionally., I am not planning on being a 'big boy farmer'. That seems to be an issue for you. Your troll comment about "play farming" prompts me to reply rudely. I'll defer. Not sure you meant it that way, but that was how it was taken.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

IF you are offended, that's on you!

Most guys here are "play farmers", I have no way to know if you fit that mold or not, without bringing it up...

I stand by my post, IF you want to be serous about making money, then buy the RIGHT equipment the first time!

There's always buying used, to fit a tighter budget!

There is over a thousand acres of orchard/vineyard/veggie farms starting 1/2 mile east of me, you won't find even one compact tractor working them...

Kubota isn't the only one making narrow tractors!

SR