i dont think this website is just for compact tractors

[Deerlope]

Most everyone in here is what is called a "weekend farmer" including me . But some are contractors, some do farm gardens. There is a forum for just ag tractors.

 

[Birdhunter1]

To me, it always seemed that once you got above 150HP in a tractor, you were in a different world. Machines of that class are built for business and bottom-line performance. If someone owns it, he better keep it productively working almost constantly or he's throwing his money away. Bob

A bit wrong there, in tractors of that clas you don't do things for just the fn of it like you do with a little machine.
Most tractors of this size only run twice a year (planting and harvest seasons) but they are needed to pull equipment that weighs more than alot of houses!

 

[WhyNot]

On the farm we have a jd 9200 about 310 hp and that is the work horse of the farm it get's used year around mind you this is a large dairy. An old timer once said that steel in the shed is like throwing money away and a lot of younger farmer's are starting to listen. They buy one row crop tractor for everyday use and rent equip in the spring and fall. No payment is due when there is no income coming in and if it break's call the dealer and they bring out another one. Smart

 

[aesanders]

A bit wrong there, in tractors of that clas you don't do things for just the fn of it like you do with a little machine.
Most tractors of this size only run twice a year (planting and harvest seasons) but they are needed to pull equipment that weighs more than alot of houses!

They get run a bit more than twice a year. They are usually going non stop for long strectches of time. Planting and Harvest is pretty much the full growing season for most of these machines. Then they get a rest in winter.

 

[jayhaitch]

Co-workers think my new 2.2 acre home site sounds huge, especially as a monster new urban subdivision is being planned with 42' wide lots. But across from my 2.2 acres is a real farm. The farmer and his son owned and farmed the loop of the river, around 20 acres, that they subdivided into 9 lots, one of which is mine. As I look past the son's house, I see 1100 acres of pool table flat grain fields. On a windy day the swaying crops are absolutely beautiful, at least to a city boy like me. Next to our 9 lots are 2 mixed farms. I like hearing cattle in the distance. If I didn't, why move to the country?

Farmers here say about 1000 acres is minimum for an efficient grain farm. Some are around 2000 acres, and these are family run, not corporate farms. Me? I just hope to get 80-160 acres of bush as hunting/plinking/dirt biking land at some point.

 

[Birdhunter1]

About 1000 acres is minimum to be able to make it as a grain farmer around here too, at least for a solo owner.
A buddy of mine farms 2000 himself with hired help in the spring and fall, I say "hired help" but I still haven't seen a check, but I have thousands of acres open to my disposal to hunt on, get to run some cool stuff now and then and get all sorts of "here I'm tired of seeing this stuff sit around here."

 

[Gatorboy]

oops delete the word plus.

Why didn't you just edit your post and delete it instead of writing a response immediately after?

 

[Woodbeef]

A bit wrong there, in tractors of that clas you don't do things for just the fn of it like you do with a little machine.
Most tractors of this size only run twice a year (planting and harvest seasons) but they are needed to pull equipment that weighs more than alot of houses!

Not anymore take a look around at how many higher hp tractors are used to do lighter work like,haying,mowing,and loader work.

 

[jayhaitch]

Birdhunter: 2000 acres of hunting land? I can feel the chill and hear the honking of the geese already I've never driven a big tractor. Once I fed some cattle with an old IH with round bale spikes. That was fun, though I imagine doing it 365 days a year could get a bit, hey....that's why they call them "chores." Using a loader with a geared transmission was kind of awkward though.

 

[Soundguy]

Ya do what ya got to do. Imagine back int he early days.. lots of big iron ( even if alot of it was low hp ). mostly 2wd.. and some pretty bad steering arangements. Waterloo Boy/ JD had a -CHAIN- steering setup.. a steering worn rolled chain up on either side of a yoke/kingpin axle configuration...

Soundguy