Looking to buy my first tractor

[Fastdraw]

Hello,

I am looking to purchase my first tractor. From my extensive research online and locally, most of my questions have been answered but I would to hear your guys opinions.

What the tractor will be used for:
40 acres tillable (currently leasing 35 of this and using 5 for sod/garden but may take it over as time passes)
80 acres forest
bush hogging
log yarding
snow blowing

Goals:
Want a tractor that will be able to work the field and go out in the woods and yard logs as well as general grading of roads

Specs I think that are priority

4x4
50hp
bucket loader equipped
3 point
remote hydraulics

Price range
25k

Units I've found:
New Holland Boomer 8N low mileage, meets above critea
McCormick CT50U low mileage, meets above critea

​

Brother dont walk...RUN!! from that 8N, I used to work at the manufacturing plant in Dublin GA where we built them, they are a complete basket case of experimental parts and cheap junk!! The CVT is weak and unreliable, the hoods crack because they are Gelcoat fiberglass, the seats are awful and uncomfortable, and they are discontinued and parts are hard to get, dont let anyone fool you about it, if its one of the first 1200 those were recalled and completely disassembled after 4 months in the field due to a powder coat issue we had on the engines and drivelines...those were hastily reassembled afterwards, you dont want anything to do with an 8N or New holland with the CVT, anything after 2012 is junk.

 

[extractr]

When you test drive them, check the shifting. Clutch's can be an issue. When you push in the clutch, it should stop spinning quickly. I would also recommend diesel instead of gas to avoid carb issues. I picked up a Case 685 for 10k with loader and it does all I need. My first tractor was a 70's backhoe. I loved it, it was built like a tank and had lots of power for only a 35hp but I missed the pto option. It was great for clearing brush and stumps. Another issue is finding a mechanic and they can charge up to 150 an hr. Weight can be an issue if you need to transport it so check trailer specs. If you plan on using the bucket a lot, make sure it can lift what you need. Lifting capacities vary. Tractordata.com is a good source for tractor specs. Last of all, be prepared to do some driving.

 

[Humblebub]

All good advise but I just nodded at finding a mentor. I bought my first tractor 6 years ago and asked my 75 year old farmer neighbour for advice. He sat me down and said, "now listen closely". His advice was pure gold. He saved me 10s of thousands and every bit of advice was sound. He is now 81 and I still rely on his wisdom (and assistance).

I live on a farm based island and have two Kubota dealers within 30 minutes. As I only play on 5 acres I settled on a kubota 2370. Love my little tractor. It handled a winter with 18.5 feet of wind driven snow and never let me down.

Craig

 

[Randy52]

I have a TYM 394 and a 494 love them both havent had any problems with either yet. Very reasonably price built well. I use an Allis Chalmers D 21 for heavy work.

 

[rScotty]

Choosing a tractor to fit is as much about the owner as the tractor. You can basically do any job with any decent tractor.
Everyone looking to live on the land also has a truck or pickup. Lots of options there as well, and choices made there carry over to the choice of tractor.

A person who enjoys building and tinkering as part of living on the land will gravitate towards one sort of tractor. That person probably considers his workshop an important part of the farm, finds used and pre-emissions gear type tractors interesting and useful, and thinks of a nearby dealer as being handy more than a necessity - though not as handy as a nearby hardware store.

The person who doesn't enjoy working with his hands so much will want something new and with a local dealer. He may or may not have a workshop, and probably oversees more of the routine building and maintenance on his place instead of doing the work himself.

What I am saying is that the choice isn't just about what the tractor can do. It's also about what the person buying the tractor sees as his role and what he/she enjoys doing. There's plenty of work for each - it's just a difference in the way that the job is approached.

rScotty

 

[FERLING]

Hello,

I am looking to purchase my first tractor. From my extensive research online and locally, most of my questions have been answered but I would to hear your guys opinions.

What the tractor will be used for:
40 acres tillable (currently leasing 35 of this and using 5 for sod/garden but may take it over as time passes)
80 acres forest
bush hogging
log yarding
snow blowing

Goals:
Want a tractor that will be able to work the field and go out in the woods and yard logs as well as general grading of roads

Specs I think that are priority

4x4
50hp
bucket loader equipped
3 point
remote hydraulics

Price range
25k

Units I've found:
New Holland Boomer 8N low mileage, meets above critea
McCormick CT50U low mileage, meets above critea

​

New Holland Workmaster 50, 60, or 70. Look at new then compare against what you can find used. The extra weight this tractor has will make a lot of difference. That is a HD 8 ft. box scrape ln picture on a Workmaster 50.

 

[M59]

Appreciate all the responses.

I do believe too, we'll end up getting two tractors. One for the field, one for the woods. For now, I think the Ferguson does all we'll need and when(if) the time comes to take on more land, we'll get a dedicated tractor.

My wife, soon to be baby and I are still young (20s) that come from a suburban back ground, and are "retiring" into a different way of life. Financially we have been saving to do this for the past five years and this year our feet have hit the ground.

We aren't doing conventional farming, just enough to feed ourselves, stock our cellar with canned goods for our growing family, fill the freezer with meat and feed the livestock.

Growing seasons are short and there are plenty of cons about this region, but for us it is still viable and the pros outweigh the many negatives of the more "desirable places"

Anywho, check this out
CT50U
"2010 McCormick CT50U 43hp 4x4 4 cylinder diesel power steering, with loader. Starts at first crank with no smoke or blowby. Everything works on the tractor as it should. Has 16 speed transmission with forward reverse shuttle shift. Has 700 hours. Excellent condition. Tires are approx 85%. Has rear remotes. Tilt steering wheel and quick disconnect loader and bucket"

Eugene Savoy,

Based upon another contributors response about 4 wheel drive. Torvy indicated their is a difference between full time 4 wheel drive and part time wheel drive so I looked up the McCormick CT50U on TractorData.com McCormick Intl CT50U tractor information which indicates it is "4x4 MFWD 4WD". So what is MFWD? I looked up Kubota M59 which I am familiar with and it too is "4x4 MFWD 4WD". Here is my concern. The M59 is by default 3 wheel drive. Both front wheels and the left rear wheel. You get 4 wheel drive ONLY when you step on a lever to engage the right rear wheel and keep your foot on that lever until you no longer need 4 wheel drive. The lever locks the rear differential.
It is easy to get a 4 wheel drive tractor, running R4s, stuck when the ground gets wet, slippery, and mushy. I know this from experience when I left the M59 in a field overnight, at which time it rained, and I then had to resort to using the backhoe to pull myself out of the muck. Left 20 inch deep ruts.

Keep this in mind when you look at the McCormick CT50U since you best know your property.

 

[Egon]

Eugene Savoy,

Thanks for adding your your location. I am impressed you want to take on farming, in retirement, in upper Maine with its short growing season so Egon, in Nova Scotia, should be especially helpful with tractor suggestions, growing season, crops, and all importantly, the weather. My wife has cousins in Presque Isle and Bar Harbor so we have some idea of seasons and weather.

Best wishes in your retirement and farming plans.

Egon grew up on a farm in the land of Alberta. This was at a time that a large tractor was maybe forty or so horsepower. Many farms of 320 acres were worked with two wheel drive 30 HP or less tractor with no three point attachments. There would be a pro and belt drive. Things have changed since then.

 

[charles todd]

For that acreage, I'd step this to 60-75 hp. Budget is small. LS is solid brand. On our farm we have LS, IH, JD, Ford, Case.

CT

 

[rScotty]

For that acreage, I'd step this to 60-75 hp. Budget is small. LS is solid brand. On our farm we have LS, IH, JD, Ford, Case.

CT

I'd spend 80/90% of your budget get a good 40hp 4wd tractor, ten years old or more, shuttle, with good FEL and open station. That is what I call a traditional "utility chore" tractor.

The big tractor can wait. You will want one eventually; not today. If you live there a few years and get known as a neighbor, I'd be surprised if you aren't offered a good old big tractor for no more than a nominal fee and the requirement that you fix it up and use it. Most old farmers have one or more retired old tractors on their place. At least most farmers in grain growing country do. Not rusted, just old. AC, Massey, JD etc.
The truth is that older - 30 to 50 year old - 90+ hp tractors are a drag on the market and often need nothing more than a few months of evenings with wrenches and some mechanical attention and a five thousand dollars for this and that. Cheap or less because nobody really wants them.. So get a good 4wd chore tractor now, and give that big ugly brute of a tractor a chance to come to you.
rScotty