Buying Advice First Tractor Recommendation for 40 Acres in NC

[Silly Filly]

Hi TBN!

Just joined hoping to get all y’all’s recommendation for a tractor based on what we’ll be using it for:

Currently we don’t have a tractor, but will need one soon for an upcoming project. In the next couple months we’ll be moving to a property that’s about 15 acres of prairie fields, 15 acres of tobacco crop and about 8 acres of woods. Thankfully it’s already mostly flat because the end game is to build a horse barn surrounded with 25 acres of pasture. The neighbors are farmers and hopefully they can help us prep and seed the 15 acres of tobacco after it’s harvested.

Our first order of business is to mow the prairie and then put up over a mile of three-rail fencing. We can’t afford to pay the $120k to have the fence installed, but we can afford the materials and a monthly tractor payment. We have put up fence before and learned a lot from that experience. We’re looking for a tractor with enough flow to power a Shaver HD-10 or similar post pounder. Shaver says this is requires a cat 2 hitch, 12 GPM and 1,500 PSI. The implement is almost 800 lbs. Some might think this will be overkill for the 4x4 and 6x6 posts we’ll be using, but wifey and I both work full-time and if it increases productivity then it’s worth the premium. Let me know what you think though, we’re open to all suggestions and criticisms!

Outside of post pounding the tractor will be used weekly for moving manure and turning compost with a loader and quarterly for mowing pastures. Less frequent uses will be a box scraper to grade a road, spreading compost, spraying, fertilizing and overseeding. General lawn mowing will be done with a cheap riding mower until we can afford a bigger zero turn. I’m probably missing some other things here. The tractor will live on site and not be towed anywhere, at least from what I can tell. Let me know what else you’d use your tractor for or if I overlooked anything!

We started looking at a JD 5045E with MFWD, FEL and rear remotes, but was put off by the crappy dealer experience. I’m leaning towards buying new because the 0% financing offered seems better than financing a 3-4 year old tractor. Based on our desired monthly payments, our budget is around $20-25k, but if there are cheaper options we are open to that too. I was considering an older used tractor, but am worried about repair downtime. The less we spend on the tractor now means the more we can spend on building the barn and other buildings. Let me know what tractors we should consider!

Thanks in advance and we look forward to sharing the rest of our story with y’all!

TL;DR
We need a tractor big enough for a Shaver HD-10 (cat 2, 12 GPM, 1,500 PSI) and mowing 25 acres of pasture 4 times a year.
Tractor budget is $25k, but lower is better if reliable options exist.
Low monthly payments are our priority since we can’t afford all cash yet.

 

[i7win7]

For your budget and tractor size you may want to get a tractorhouse magazine or visit the website an older tractor will have less electronics and pollution controls on it. Buy a well known brand like JD, Case/IH, Kubota, Massey-Fergison or Ford/New Holland as long as you have a nearby dealer for repair parts. A good dealer is important part of tractor owner experience.

 

[jeff9366]

Weæ±*e looking for a tractor with enough flow to power a Shaver HD-10 or similar post pounder. Shaver says this is requires a cat 2 hitch, 12 GPM and 1,500 PSI. The implement is almost 800 lbs. Some might think this will be overkill for the 4x4 and 6x6 posts we値l be using, but wifey and I both work full-time and if it increases productivity then itç—´ worth the premium.

Outside of post pounding the tractor will be used weekly for moving manure and turning compost with a loader and quarterly for mowing pastures. Less frequent uses will be a box scraper to grade a road, spreading compost, spraying, fertilizing and overseeding.

Will this be your first tractor?



The JD 5045D open station tractor is 4,200 pounds bare tractor weight with pump flow of 17.4 gpm. Deere 5045D specs only with 2-WD not 4-WD.

Most T-B-N contributors feel 4-WD is essential on a Loader equipped tractor when a loaded bucket shifts weight off the rear wheels. Tractors have brakes only on the rear wheels. 2-WD tractors have minimal braking ability going downhill. 4-WD tractors have the semblance of four wheel braking braking going downhill.

I am only familiar with Kubota tractors so that is the only brand I can recommend.

The Kubota M7060 open station has a bare tractor weight of 5,000 pounds, Cat 2 TPH and hydraulic flow of 16.2 gallons per minute in the HD12 model. (I have Kubota's brochure before me.)

"The M60 Series tractors are designed for the farmer with 10-75 acres who require more comfort and better features than those found in your typical standard tractor. The M60 Series tractors offer optimal comfort with a deluxe seat, armrests, wide area floor mat and ergonomic controls built into a console for a more refined finish."

I know a new M7060 with Loader this will exceed your $25,000 budget but Kubota has the least onerous six year financing in the tractor industry.

KUBOTA USA WEB SITE: Tractors - Utility - M6?6?/M7?6? | Kubota

M7060 has been in Kubota's line for years. Should be used M7060/HD12s available.

M7060 has 71 net horsepower, ample, ample for all your tasks on forty acres.

Our end game is a horse barn surrounded with 25 acres of pasture.

A 4,000 to 5,000 pound bare weight tractor is the right range for forty acres. A 5,000 pound tractor has a safe weight margin moving large round hay bales with the Loader. A 4,000 pound tractor is unstable moving round bales. Only a few tractors in this weight range will have the hydraulic flow you need.

Bare tractor weight is a fundamental tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models, new and used. Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Budget will eliminate some choices. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range.

I spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise which cuts through specification clutter. I have a column for cost per pound.

800 pound weight of the implement is nothing for tractors of this weight/size.

I suggest posing your question to Shaver. Shaver likely has list of sufficient spec tractors they can e-mail you.

 

[Diggin It]

LS Tractor is based in Battleboro, NC, but I don't think they have a showroom or service area there. Check their site for product offerings and dealer locations.

LS Tractor USA – LS Tractor USA

They are general a few thousand less in price than orange or green.

 

[shooterdon]

Buying something for one big job can be a poor option. Once that job is done, will the tractor be too big for the mundane regular tasks you will use it for?

I would look into the cost of having the posts installed by a contractor and then doing the rest of the job myself. Another option is to rent (or barter) the use of a tractor to handle the Shaver HD-10. For example, if one of your neighbors has a big enough machine, offer to buy the post pounder and give it him after the job is done. $4-6000 may be cheap way to get the job done and you get another set of strong hands to speed the job along. You wind up with a good neighbor in the bargain.

BTW, in your area I would want a cabbed A/C'ed tractor.

 

[fried1765]

Buying something for one big job can be a poor option. Once that job is done, will the tractor be too big for the mundane regular tasks you will use it for?

I would look into the cost of having the posts installed by a contractor and then doing the rest of the job myself. Another option is to rent (or barter) the use of a tractor to handle the Shaver HD-10. For example, if one of your neighbors has a big enough machine, offer to buy the post pounder and give it him after the job is done. $4-6000 may be cheap way to get the job done and you get another set of strong hands to speed the job along. You wind up with a good neighbor in the bargain.

BTW, in your area I would want a cabbed A/C'ed tractor.

A new, cabbed, A/C'd, Cat 2 tractor,...... and the OP needs it to be $25K or less?
Where will that be found?
I want one too!

 

[skipperbrown]

You need to re-evaluate your tractor budget. Yes, it's painful, but so is realizing the tractor you just bought isn't enough tractor for the jobs at hand. Dealers will value a trade in at $10,000 less than they hope to sell it for, you know, to give them some wiggle room.

 

[mred2]

You require a larger tractor for now for putting in the posts. More hyd flow than a lot of utility tractors. And I am sure you will have to cross fence and do paddocks later. But will also not need that large of tractor for latter use. You will still need the FEL and 4WD. I use a 50HP because I feed rolls of hay and need to stack them. But when I spread manure, we pull the spreader with my 50HP and load the manure with my son's 26HP. A small spreader and his smaller FEL just works better to load. Make sure your tractor will fit inside the center of the barn. Nothing wrong with a bigger tractor if it is needed, but that is a large tractor for that budget.
I use an auger for my posts. The ground here is hard. I also have a good bit of 3 rail fence. I use 16 ft lumber and stagger my joints.
Good luck with the horses. I have 6 horses and 4 ponies, 3 tractors, dozer, and my wife thinks I buy a new attachment every month.

 

[felixedo]

It has been touched on a couple of times, but not directly as a buying factor. Every major make has a machine that will do the job(s) you want. Check out your nearby dealers, and go with one you have confidence in. A great machine with no support nearby is a hastle to repair and maintain. And a good machine can't make a lousy dealer into a good one.

 

[shooterdon]

A new, cabbed, A/C'd, Cat 2 tractor,...... and the OP needs it to be $25K or less?
Where will that be found?
I want one too!

LOL

My point was buying a large tractor that he needs for one job may not be his best option. My LS was only $4000 more for the cab and that will be a better long term investment than a bigger tractor he needs for one job.

His budget is totally unrealistic and likely why the JD dealer blew him off. My JD dealer was the same way when I shopped last year. One reason I went with LS, plus thousands in up front savings over Green. JD offered a 3 series with cab and front blower for $53k. LS 4140 with cab and rear pull blower was $35k

The cabbed LS 4140 would have been under $30k without the over sized turfs, loaded tires, and 3rd function I added. I know...not Cat 2, but just confirms it may not make sense to buy a Cat 2 for one job.