Looking to buy the right tractor the first time!

Kyle_in_Tex · Aug 28, 2004

( We are looking at buying a new tractor with a FEL to keep up on general maintenance of the propety. We are not sure if we will take on any of the farming. )

The 4720 will excel for general maintenance.

( If we did, it would be the haying of the alfalfa. We have head a lot of different ideas about what size tractor it takes to do hay, from 40 hp to 80 hp mininmums. )

The 5320 or better yet a 5420 will hay much better, but not as nimble for general maintenance.

( We also want it to be user friendly for my wife, me too, so are interested in HST. )

This makes me recommend the 4720 and leave the majority of the haying to the neighbors, although a 4720 could probably hay with the right size equipment (which is expensive if purchased new)...BTY, you can get a 4720 FEL combo about $1600 less down here. Maybe not worth traveling but something to consider.

Shadow_River · Aug 28, 2004

I think you will be very disappointed with a CUT for your situation. The John Deere 5320 would be ok but I would jump to the larger 5420 or 5520 John Deere. The extra HP is there if and when you need it and with a 150 acres I'm pretty sure you will find a lot of uses for the extra ponies. The physical size of the 75 pto hp 5520 is within an inch or so of the 55 hp 5320 and just a heck of a lot more tractor for a little bit more money.

Best of luck on your decision

MarkV · Aug 29, 2004

Welcome to the forum and as you can see there will not be just one right answer to your question so here is another opinion. It sounds to me like the tractor size issue all revolves around whether you do the haying or not. It also sounds like you are not sure if you will do that even after you get a new tractor. If you haven’t looked into it yet, haying equipment will be pretty expensive. I would suggest you consider a smaller tractor in the 35 hp range to handle all the general maintenance and FEL work at your ranch. It would be more user friendly and easier for your general maintenance tasks. If you decide to do the hay work, get a used full size ag tractor. In many areas of the country you could about stay in the same price range you mentioned with a new smaller tractor and a used Ag full size tractor. While haying it would also be handy to have a second tractor to rake with and pull wagons. Now if you would like me to spend some more of your money stop back anytime. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MarkV

Woodbeef · Aug 29, 2004

Hmmmm........not too sure if a CUT will cut and bale hay for any length of time. But you say you want a hydro tranny though. So unless you want to get a Fendt 400 series or Deere 6420 shiftless is out of the equation. If you decide to go with a light utility tractor and want something on the smaller size also check out the Zetor,Mahindra,Valtra,MF,FarmTrac,NH,and the AGCO GT which is the sleeper of the bunch.

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

RedDog,

If I recall correctly, I was quoted about $35K for the Kioti DK65C with cab and fel. It has more hp and some other nice features as well. Think it is about the same price as the JD 4720 w/o cab. More comparable to the JD 5320.

Thanks,

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

DeiselnHooters,

Thanks for the reply. As Maurice has pointed out, I was using engine hp as the JD 4720 is only 50 hp PTO. Sorry.

Can you direct me to a forum such as this for larger tractors? I would love to get the feedback from that side of things as well.

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

MarkV,

We have had the exact same thoughts about going the two tractor route. My concern is getting too small on the CUT side of things. We have looked at a JD 2030 gas that we can get for around $5k that would probably take care of the farming aspect of things. Aside from cost, what would the advantage of a smaller CUT than the 4720 provide?

Spend my money wisely,

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

Kyle in Tex,

The actual quote was $27,748.00. Not that much different.

Thanks,

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

Woodbeef,

Thanks for the response.

I tried to look into the JD 6420 at deere.com and could not realy tell what the transmission configuration is. Can you explain it better and compare it to the e-hydro that is on the 4720?

We have looked at the AGCO GT 55. It is inbetween the 4720 and the 5320 in specs and in price I think. Not as user friendly as the 4720. The GT 65 is not turbocharged and the GT 75 is getting on the big side. We have been told that at our altitude it is important for diesels to be turbocharged. ?

JAGJAG

Robert_in_NY · Aug 30, 2004

Is your land hilly, being near Denver I thought everything was a mountain there. If your land does have a lot of hills and you want to bale never look at a Compact again. I bale with a TN 65 and on hills it is fun. We only have one steep hill but going down it with a baler and wagon is a lot of fun. I am looking for a larger tractor in the 100 hp range to take over for the TN with the large chores. If you want to do baling look at the New Holland TL 100-A it is a nice tractor that will run the balers well and is heavier then the TN which will let you stop them easier but is also not very big and is quite nimble. You can use the same loader on the TL-A that you can use on the TN-A if you want or you can jump to the larger 52LC if you need but I don't think you need that big of a loader from what you describe and the 32LC will save you some money. I like NH tractors because they have a lot of models so you can find a tractor that fits your hp/weight/size requirements. JD has nice machines also but I don't follow them too much anymore as I have a good relationship with my NH dealer.

Now for your situation, you only have 4 animals and a lot of hayfield. I would forget baling hay as you will tie up a lot of money in equipment or be working on your baler while the rain is destroying your hay on the ground if you buy cheap equipment. It is much easier to talk to a custom baler or local farmer and work a deal where you get the hay you need and they keep the rest or pay them a little and they keep the rest as it does cost some money. Some people will cut your hay for the rest though. If you do forget about baling then get a Compact to do your work. Then if you ever have to get into the larger farming scene you can look for a good size used (or new if you can) tractor and equipment then if need be.