I need to buy a tractor for a 50 acre farm that i recently bough in central america and i'm not sure how much horse power i need. The land is level and i need a tractor for collecting hay and perhaps some tillage. I was looking at a 55HP tractor but it was not 4wd and Im not sure if it need to be 4wd.
how much HP
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greggh
Gold Member
Central America has a wet and a dry season. I would think that you would need a FWD for the wet season at a minimum. If you don't plan on doing any work in the wet season then it might be a toss-up. It would also depend on the type of work you are going to do. What chores are you going to require for the tractor?
Soundguy
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I'd buy something local with good parts support too.
soundguy
soundguy
For now i'm trying to just cultivate the land with good pasture with the idea of introducing cattle down the road. what i would like to do now is just sell the hay in bails so i need a tractor to cut and pick up the hay. I'm sure down the road i will need to do some tillage.
rainy season is pretty bad so maybe 4wd may not be a bad idea allthough normally tillage is done prior to rainy season.
what about the HP?? Do you think 55 is enough??
rainy season is pretty bad so maybe 4wd may not be a bad idea allthough normally tillage is done prior to rainy season.
what about the HP?? Do you think 55 is enough??
Carykong
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central america---hmmm---Do you live or intend to move to your new tract? I would get to know the neighbors and the local farming practices before investing in tractors and accessories.
Aqualize
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I agree with the others - you need to know how the farming practice is. I have no clue but if things need to be done fast you need a big tractor with big attachments for high capacity etc.
Without thinking if it is apropiate for your farm I have these advices (and manufacturer's specifications should be consultet before purchase):
If you intend to do small square bales a 55 HP tractor will be enough. You will get typically something like 42-47 HP on the PTO and most square balers require 35 HP on the PTO.
For mowing, tedding and raking the hay it depends on the implement.
You will not be able to have a mower-conditioner but smaller (working width) mowers without conditioner works fine.
Rotary hay tedders is no problem, 6 rotors shouldn't be a problem.
Any sized rotary windrower with 1 rotor works well.
So it all depends on how much working capacity you need.
Doing tillage on this scale you of course should be a real agricultural tractor, not a CUT.
Without thinking if it is apropiate for your farm I have these advices (and manufacturer's specifications should be consultet before purchase):
If you intend to do small square bales a 55 HP tractor will be enough. You will get typically something like 42-47 HP on the PTO and most square balers require 35 HP on the PTO.
For mowing, tedding and raking the hay it depends on the implement.
You will not be able to have a mower-conditioner but smaller (working width) mowers without conditioner works fine.
Rotary hay tedders is no problem, 6 rotors shouldn't be a problem.
Any sized rotary windrower with 1 rotor works well.
So it all depends on how much working capacity you need.
Doing tillage on this scale you of course should be a real agricultural tractor, not a CUT.
JoeinTX
Platinum Member
Where in S.A.?
Not all of the continent is wet or dry perrenially.............big parts of if can be like Indiana or Texas or Pennsylvania.
How much land? Section? More? Less? A 55hp FWA tractor (especially w/cab) can do a lot. There's not much no/min-till down there........so you're gonna be doing some tillage down there if for no reason other than no one really supplies the equipment for it.
Deautz/AGCO/MF is big in South America......J.D., Kubota, CNH, are lessers ironically. They still build and supply some relatively simple equipment for farming down there compared to what we might expect in N.A.
Not all of the continent is wet or dry perrenially.............big parts of if can be like Indiana or Texas or Pennsylvania.
How much land? Section? More? Less? A 55hp FWA tractor (especially w/cab) can do a lot. There's not much no/min-till down there........so you're gonna be doing some tillage down there if for no reason other than no one really supplies the equipment for it.
Deautz/AGCO/MF is big in South America......J.D., Kubota, CNH, are lessers ironically. They still build and supply some relatively simple equipment for farming down there compared to what we might expect in N.A.
jenkinsph
Super Star Member
I bought a 60 hp tractor with 50 pto hp, I think this is about right for your needs, but if anything I might consider up to a 75 hp tractor. Somewhere close to 60 pto hp should be perfect for you.
Nelson Dairy
Member
On the hay production if you have a haybine you could get away with about a 40 hp and a disc mower about the same, the main thing on them is weight. Because when they are up you have alot of weight hanging off the side of the tractor. Baling just depends on the size of bales that you are going to make, square bales you can get by with a 40 hp, but a 4x4 round baler calls for 40hp and then a 4x5 baler calls for 60 hp. and as far as raking and tedding, just about any tractor can do that.
flusher
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I use a 54 hp (engine) Mahindra 5525 (2WD, 8F/2R gear tranny, power steering, 45 hp pto) and a Massey Ferguson 124 square baler on my 10 acres of flat pasture.
MF recommends 35hp (min) for the 124 baler.