It's a fairly typical (size) tractor for that HP range. It utilizes a Perkins design model 1004-4T turbo-diesel, rated at 82hp @ 2200 RPM. I bought one to replace a Belarus 572. The only other tractor I seriously considered was the MF471 (coincidentally it uses the same engine). After crawling over both tractors I'd say the Farm Pro and MF are about equal quality. Frankly I was astonished at just how refined the Farm Pro was. Right down to the standard blade type automotive fuses used and the professional (very well done) electrical wire harnesses used. I've only got 3 hours of time on it, but so far, it behaves well and is easy to operate. The MF471 from the dealer was $32,000 new without a loader. The FP8240 was $19,000. I noticed on ebay there's a MF471 listed at around $28,000. If anyone wants pictures I can email a set that shows the Belarus side by side with the FP8240. There are 10 in the set including interior shots of the FP8240 about 10 megs of data, so broadband is needed.
Maybe trading up
- Thread starter MFL
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Farmwithjunk
Super Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Forgive the question, but I'm a city boy. I've read this about haying on many threads. Why do people dislike to hay so much? )</font>
Let's see?
Not even considering the "growing hay" part, let's jump right in to cutting and baling.
Cutting can be almost fun. Or it can be MISERABLE! Sickle bar mowers or mower/conditioners can give you fits. Disc mowers are the way to go.
Raking is a real joy! Nothing bad so far.
Baling? With an old square baler, you better be mechanically inclined, or have deep pockets. Round balers are the way to go. (I WANT ONE!)
Then the fun starts. There's a number of ways to deal with square baled hay, but MOST people end up doing so by hand.
By the very nature of the game, hay is baled in hot weather. Sun beating down, you wrestle 50 to 70 lb bales of sharp, itchy hay ON the wagon, OFF the wagon, IN the barn, and at some point, OUT of the barn.
All for what boils down to a few measly bucks an hour when all is totalled.
Unless you're as dense as I am, you're better off getting a second job at McDonalds, and using the money to BUY your hay. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Oh yeah, did I tell you the part about rain?
How about high twine prices?
30 year old balers selling for $5000?
$2000 rakes?
$750 wagons?
And then you find out your neighbor is selling hay for $2.50 a bale. (When you THOUGHT about asking $4 for yours)
Unless you have the need for several thousand bales a year, it's just terrible economic sense to own your own hay equipment.
Let's see?
Not even considering the "growing hay" part, let's jump right in to cutting and baling.
Cutting can be almost fun. Or it can be MISERABLE! Sickle bar mowers or mower/conditioners can give you fits. Disc mowers are the way to go.
Raking is a real joy! Nothing bad so far.
Baling? With an old square baler, you better be mechanically inclined, or have deep pockets. Round balers are the way to go. (I WANT ONE!)
Then the fun starts. There's a number of ways to deal with square baled hay, but MOST people end up doing so by hand.
By the very nature of the game, hay is baled in hot weather. Sun beating down, you wrestle 50 to 70 lb bales of sharp, itchy hay ON the wagon, OFF the wagon, IN the barn, and at some point, OUT of the barn.
All for what boils down to a few measly bucks an hour when all is totalled.
Unless you're as dense as I am, you're better off getting a second job at McDonalds, and using the money to BUY your hay. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
Oh yeah, did I tell you the part about rain?
How about high twine prices?
30 year old balers selling for $5000?
$2000 rakes?
$750 wagons?
And then you find out your neighbor is selling hay for $2.50 a bale. (When you THOUGHT about asking $4 for yours)
Unless you have the need for several thousand bales a year, it's just terrible economic sense to own your own hay equipment.
ptfarmermd
Member
Rolando,
What is not fun about baling hay? Let me echo the others a little and add some of my own "joys" of baling hay.
Hay field
Low yield from cut. More windrow needed to make bales. Wasted time and effort.
Too much filth, such as multiflora rose bushes, cheat, thistles. Low quality hay and a lot of waste when fed to cattle.
Mowing. We had a sickle bar mower to mow with. Never used a mower/conditioner or disc mower.
The sickle bar mower would get clogged up and stop functioning. Have to stop and unclog.
If you hit thick, heavy or woody stuff, it would trip. Same with a rock. Some times it would trip around the same spot 20 times.
If the pitman rod broke, a solid piece of wood with metal pieces with one end attached to a drive wheel from the PTO and the other end attached to the sickle bar blade, then you were down until you got it repaired. Normally half a day or more because you had to take it off, get a new one, then put everything back together.
If the one corner piece broke, made of steel or iron, then it needed to be replaced. Buy a new one, have the holes ground down to the correct size, then installed. Sometimes going back three or four times to the machine shop to have a little more ground out.
Raking
Replace broken tines on rake.
Drop in groundhog holes and feel like you are leaving the tractor.
Go over rocks and feel like above with groundhog holes.
Rake the field, then have rain come up and have to turn the hay to get it to dry.
Baling - small square bales. No kicker.
Cannot start baler or it has a flat tire.
Windrows of hay too thick, so have to keep slowing down, stopping, manipulating tractor and baler so hay is not feeding too fast.
Waiting for farm hand to show up. He is the one stacking the bales.
Going down a hill with baler, wagon and about 100 bales of hay pushing you. Real fun. Clean tractor seat afterwards if driver, area of wagon is rider.
Knotting problems which means bales come out too small, too big, or not tied at all.
Something in the baler breaking, such as the wadboard assembly, which means having to fix it before you can continue.
Tire blowing on wagon with 80 to 100 bales on.
Wagon axle getting bent because of dropping into a groundhog hole.
General problems.
This is on top of haying having to be done during the summer when it is dry out. Rain holds you up. The temperture where I live in Maryland is about 85 - 90+ degrees with 60 to 80 % humidity during most of the haying season.
Needing to wear good shoes or boots, socks, long pants (jeans), short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt (to protect against the scratchy, itchy hay), gloves (so hands are not torn up by thistles, twine, hay), and a hat (to keep out sun).
Having to go from 90+ degrees with 70% humidity outside into a barn which is 120+ degrees, with about the same humidity, to throw the hay off of the wagon.
If it rains on the hay after you cut it, and before you bale it, you have to let it lay until it is dry. If it is in windrows, you have to let it dry a while, then turn the windrow.
If the hay is already baled and gets wet, you have to cut the bales and let them cure. Wet hay being put into barns has caused many, many old barns burning to the ground.
Handling 100 - 200 bales weighing 50 to 80 pounds each two or three times each.
The end result when I was helping to make hay, or making for myself, was frustration from breakdowns and weather, tiredness from the work, hay which had a lot of filth and was not very good quality, and being so dirty at the end of the day that I left 3 rings around the tub. The dirt and the thirst was the worst. My bath water was black when I got done after baling. I used to drink three or four glasses of 12 to 16 ounces of water each within a ten minute period, and still be thirsty.
This is my two pennies. Maybe three pennies.
What is not fun about baling hay? Let me echo the others a little and add some of my own "joys" of baling hay.
Hay field
Low yield from cut. More windrow needed to make bales. Wasted time and effort.
Too much filth, such as multiflora rose bushes, cheat, thistles. Low quality hay and a lot of waste when fed to cattle.
Mowing. We had a sickle bar mower to mow with. Never used a mower/conditioner or disc mower.
The sickle bar mower would get clogged up and stop functioning. Have to stop and unclog.
If you hit thick, heavy or woody stuff, it would trip. Same with a rock. Some times it would trip around the same spot 20 times.
If the pitman rod broke, a solid piece of wood with metal pieces with one end attached to a drive wheel from the PTO and the other end attached to the sickle bar blade, then you were down until you got it repaired. Normally half a day or more because you had to take it off, get a new one, then put everything back together.
If the one corner piece broke, made of steel or iron, then it needed to be replaced. Buy a new one, have the holes ground down to the correct size, then installed. Sometimes going back three or four times to the machine shop to have a little more ground out.
Raking
Replace broken tines on rake.
Drop in groundhog holes and feel like you are leaving the tractor.
Go over rocks and feel like above with groundhog holes.
Rake the field, then have rain come up and have to turn the hay to get it to dry.
Baling - small square bales. No kicker.
Cannot start baler or it has a flat tire.
Windrows of hay too thick, so have to keep slowing down, stopping, manipulating tractor and baler so hay is not feeding too fast.
Waiting for farm hand to show up. He is the one stacking the bales.
Going down a hill with baler, wagon and about 100 bales of hay pushing you. Real fun. Clean tractor seat afterwards if driver, area of wagon is rider.
Knotting problems which means bales come out too small, too big, or not tied at all.
Something in the baler breaking, such as the wadboard assembly, which means having to fix it before you can continue.
Tire blowing on wagon with 80 to 100 bales on.
Wagon axle getting bent because of dropping into a groundhog hole.
General problems.
This is on top of haying having to be done during the summer when it is dry out. Rain holds you up. The temperture where I live in Maryland is about 85 - 90+ degrees with 60 to 80 % humidity during most of the haying season.
Needing to wear good shoes or boots, socks, long pants (jeans), short sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt (to protect against the scratchy, itchy hay), gloves (so hands are not torn up by thistles, twine, hay), and a hat (to keep out sun).
Having to go from 90+ degrees with 70% humidity outside into a barn which is 120+ degrees, with about the same humidity, to throw the hay off of the wagon.
If it rains on the hay after you cut it, and before you bale it, you have to let it lay until it is dry. If it is in windrows, you have to let it dry a while, then turn the windrow.
If the hay is already baled and gets wet, you have to cut the bales and let them cure. Wet hay being put into barns has caused many, many old barns burning to the ground.
Handling 100 - 200 bales weighing 50 to 80 pounds each two or three times each.
The end result when I was helping to make hay, or making for myself, was frustration from breakdowns and weather, tiredness from the work, hay which had a lot of filth and was not very good quality, and being so dirty at the end of the day that I left 3 rings around the tub. The dirt and the thirst was the worst. My bath water was black when I got done after baling. I used to drink three or four glasses of 12 to 16 ounces of water each within a ten minute period, and still be thirsty.
This is my two pennies. Maybe three pennies.