Need advice - soup to nuts

[flusher]

Hello

I have read information on this forum before and have enjoyed peeking into the vast knowledge of some of the folks who visit here. Here is my situation, with some misc. data points, and I am hoping for some great advice.

I am in the process of purchasing 30-acres of property in SE Texas. The land is flat, except for the occasional creek bed. The current owner of the property finish mows about 4-acres with a ZTR, brush hogs about 10-acres and the rest is wooded - except for 3-acres of ponds. I have looked at the green, orange, red and blue tractors locally - primarily in the 30ish HP range. I have no color preference, however each of the major brands has a local dealership. All I own right now is a 42" cut John Deere riding mower that I use at the home I am selling.

Please advise me on combinations, HP range, transmission types (I do have two young children <10 yrs. old), implements, etc. I am an engineer, so I can analyze things to death and never make a decision which is why I am asking for your advice.

One more thing - I don't want this to sway your advice, but one thing to consider is that in the future I MIGHT convert part of the property to a hay field (10-acres or so) and have a few cows and horses.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have 10 acres of flat pasture land. I mow about 8 acres of weeds with a 21-hp (engine) Kubota B7510HST and a 4-ft wide King Kutter rotary mower (brush hog). The tractor has an LA302 FEL (4-ft bucket) and cost $12,600 when I bought it new in May05. The hog cost about $600 at tractor supply. You can spend another $3-4K for a mid-mount mower (MMM) for the 7510 to handle landscape mowing chores.

If this is too pricy, consider a pre-owned tractor. Two of my neighbors have old Ford 8N tractors (~28 hp gas engine). One of them has a 4-ft hog to mow about 8 acres of weeds with his 8N. The other uses his 8N to disc and plant about 8 acres of hayfield each year. 8Ns are easy to find (over 500,000 were built between 1947 and 1953) and can be had for $3K or so.

 

[95_tlc]

What can you tell me about rear remotes? What implements require having them?

Thanks

 

[NoMo]

Well, you asked for biased opinions.

I think you'd like the Deere 3520 or 3720 that "Z-Michigan" mentioned. They have smaller frames which makes navigating tight (wooded) areas a little easier, but they have plenty of power to run a 6-ft cutter and do most anything else that a CUT should be asked to do. And at only 3,000 lbs, they won't do too much damage to the yard if you use a mid-mount mower for that 4 acre yard... especially if the tires are unloaded.

The rear hydraulics are handy for the various 3-pt systems (top-n-tilt) as well as some implements like grader blades, post-hole diggers (rare), and some implements that "fold" for transport.

 

[JerryG]

so far I have grown partial to the MF 1533 or 1540 and the NH TC40DA. I also looked at a Kubota 3430 with a cab. Cab would be comfortable, but probably work very well tinkering around in the woods. Looking for foldable ROPS.

today I traveled to abilene for business and will probably look at a few tractors before I go to the airport

The 1540 is the newest version on the one that I have. MF has done a fine job of updating and I really shouldn’t say updating either. It is almost a whole different tractor. The engines and transmissions are pretty much the same though. If I didn't mess something up, there are five different transmissions available in the 1533 and 1540. It is a fine unit and has more ergonomic features that any larger MF compact has ever had. The 1540 also has a turbo and it worth the difference in price if you have hard pulling or heavy brush hogging to do. You really wouldn't have to have the turbo, but they do work fantastic. You can't tell I like turbos can you?

 

[sandman2234]

Bush hogs with cylinders use rear remotes, hydraulic top links, just to name a few. The list is longer than you would believe. I think every tractor ought to have at least two. Four is better and six is great.
David from jax

 

[95_tlc]

JerryG

This is your chance to defend MF - I have read that the weak link of Massey's are the hydraulic pump - is that true? Has Massey corrected it?

I am starting to really like the 1533

 

[JerryG]

JerryG

This is your chance to defend MF - I have read that the weak link of Massey's are the hydraulic pump - is that true? Has Massey corrected it?

I am starting to really like the 1533

No weaker than anything else. The 400 series do have the old style system that has been around for a hundred years, but they also can be had with a combiner valve to use both pumps together. The compacts have the same type system that all the other compacts have. If a person will look at the the entire utility line up, Massey has a tractor that will compete with any manufacture. There are several different series available.

 

[Iowa Boy]

Now you know that there aren't really any real horsepower junkies on this board...
Just because I have two tractors and a lawnmower that total 192 horsepower and only own 2.3 acres of land, doesn't mean I am a HP Junkie!(?)
David from jax

OK, I'll bite. I totally understand HP addiction, but David what do you possibly do with all that HP? Do you do contract work?

Joe

 

[sandman2234]

The simple lineup is the Ford 7710 I just bought, the JD 2555 I bought last year from the same people, and a 525 Steiner diesel lawnmower I also bought from them. A friend went to an auction and was supposed to buy me a tractor. He bought me a lawnmower instead, for $501. One of the tractors didn't make reserve, so the following Monday I purchased it for the minimum bid. Now, the JD is a heck of a tractor, but it is two wheel drive and with Turfsaver's, I kept getting stuck in the mud around here. So I got the approval to look for a 4x4. I got wind of the 7710 and spent 4 months trying to buy it.
Most of my tractor use was centered around an agreement I made with my neighbor. I bush hog his property in exchange for a small piece of property adjacent to mine. However, I wasn't able to fulfill my end of the bargain because the property goes into a very low area and no way was the JD 2555 going to handle that. With the ditch mower on the Ford, I don't actually have to go into it in order to mow it, plus I can mow it and then drive thru it, instead of having to drag a bush hog all over the whole place. Plus it will reach in between trees that my bush hog won't reach.
The other job I do with the tractor(s) is clearing and maintaining 15 acres that the church I belong to owns. I just do that when I have the time, but as I clear more, I try to keep it cut.
The Ford looked a lot smaller than it does now, sitting around all those big tractors at the place I bought it. It wasn't until I pulled a tape on the distance across the rear tires that I realized just how big it really is. I built a trailer for the Jd 2555 and it just fits between the wheel wells at 6'2". The Ford stretches the tape at 11' 3".
I will probably sell one of the tractors to recoup some of my rathole money as soon as I finish the property next door unless I find a really good way of justifying them.
Does this make it clear as mud?
David from jax