How much more do I need? B or L series?

[Bob_Young]

Went to make this post earlier but deleted it.

Carl, You've got a major mowing job ahead of you but there's no need to let it dictate the tractor you use for everything else. You don't need FWD, a big FEL, HST or a strong hydraulic system to cut brush. What you need is lots of PTO HP and maybe some weight. Letting the brush cutting job lock you into a big new tractor loaded with bells and whistles will be very expensive.

For the mowing, consider a used 2WD Ag tractor of 50 to 80 HP with a basic 8x2 gear transmission along with a 7' or larger brush cutter to take full advantage of its power. A tractor/mower like that big rig Soundguy has would be ideal. A used Ford/NH in the 4000 or 5000 series from the late 80's/early 90's should do the job. If you find one that's been taken care of, it'll have lots of mowing hours left in it. That could be your dedicated mowing machine. You may have to prowl the classifieds for awhile and make contacts with the local farmers to find the best deal on a tractor. The mower would probably have to be a new purchase.

Then, once your bank account recovers, trade in the BX1500 on a B7800, B3030 or L3400HST with FEL. You'll have a machine for the grading and FEL chores that'll be easy and convenient to use, not to mention much more maneuverable than a 60HP near-behemoth...and it won't be accumulating a ton of hours chasing its tail with a mower. The B-series machine could also take over the BX1500's finish mowing chores and would be easy to trailer if the need arose.

The two tractor approach is worth considering, but then it's always easy for me to spend other people's money.
Bob

 

[Carl Bill]

Thanks for the info. I am really into the bigger used idea.

I have found a 1987 MF 360, 50 HP - 6600 or more hours! $8,500. That is in the ball park. However, there is a 2004 Farmtrac 45, 45 hp, 145 some hours for only $14,500. Not a lot for an almost new tractor that could do a lot for that kind of money. But I guess it is not an apples to apples comparission.

Any ideas as to the Farmtrac abilities? Dependability?

More to look at, I am not in a rush.....

 

[Bob_Young]

Farmtrac would be a good choice, Carl. I'm not up on their models or prices but several of their products are virtually identical to the tough old 3 cylinder Fords of the '70s and '80s. As the story goes, many Farmtrac models come from a factory in India that used to build the Ford tractors under license for the Asian market. When Ford got out of the Ag business, Farmtrac bought the rights to continue production.

They've got a good reputation, or at least those particular models do. If you search this site, you'll find a number of satisfied owners. Their other offerings are more up-to-date in their features and, I believe, are Mitsubishi powered. Check www.farmtrac.com for specs. The 5-series and 6-series tractors are the ones I'm speaking of...they've changed their model numbers and juggled their product lineup recently.

My limited research into their offerings centered on the Ford-lookalikes. They had a 70HP model with a Perkins diesel that looked like quite a tractor. At least one TBN poster has one and loves it. FWD is available in this line of tractors but it appeared that the design suffers from limited turn radius. I would stick to 2WD for your application. The old 2WD Fords turned pretty sharp.

$14,500 for a nearly new 45HP isn't bad....but it's more than I paid for my 45HP L4300 new when Kubota discontinued the model. In my experience 45HP will pull a 6 footer through nasty stuff, but should handle 7' in a 3pt. or 8' in a tagalong if just mowing grass. Since you've got the time, why not research some of the larger Farmtrac models to see if they fit your needs.
Bob