New farm, will need tractor

mvoght · Feb 11, 2004

First is my apology for not searching all the archives.

Ok, I've scanned page one, but the complication is that I'm my own general contractor on my new farm and so I don't have time to browse all day...as enjoyable as that is /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.

I'm selling a 10 acre farm, and buying a 15 acre one. Usable land is almost doubling. The only tractor I'll be taking with me is a Mitsubishi Beaver, a little diesel tractor with a 16HP PTO. It has a FEL which is what I use the most, the 4' finishing mower needs maintenance and doesn't cut well enough for the hubby.

Now, my 15 acres is all pasture. I'll be having horses, so need to keep my pastures in good shape. I'm really thinking 7' mowing deck would be good. If I keep the little tractor, I won't need another FEL, but I do want something for snow removal. Blade? Blower?

My hubby wants to build run-ins on skids that I can move from pasture to pasture with the tractor as well.

How big do I need? Is 30 HP really enough for a big mower? What about the possiblity of moving round bales?

I'd love a tractor that I can adjust to Close to fitting. I'm 5'1" and well...my legs swing while I'm driving a shared Ford. I have to be out of the seat to use the brakes/clutch, which is less than ideal....potentially dangerous.

The hubby does NOT drive the tractors much, so him being 6'+ does not help /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif. I do pasture and horse maintenance, he mows the yard.

The grade is 3-4% grade.

Oh, I'll be maintaining a riding arena too. So, a landscaping box perhaps? I'm having geotextile installed under my driveway and arena.

Should I just sell the little tractor and use the money towards a bigger tractor? If I do that, I need a FEL. I LOVE my FEL.

Thanks in advance!

Mel

Bird · Feb 11, 2004

( How big do I need? Is 30 HP really enough for a big mower? What about the possiblity of moving round bales? )

Mel, you've got mulitple questions in your post; some of which depend to a great extent on personal preference, but I'll try to answer a little bit and maybe some others can add to it. I think the concensus is that you'd like to have about 5 PTO hp per foot of width for a mower, so 30 hp would be a little light for a 7' mower, but might do it you're just mowing grass (but remember, that's PTO hp which is usually a little less than engine hp). For moving round bales? Depends on the lifting capacity of either the FEL or the 3-point. What kind of implement are you going to use? Sounds to me like you ought to be looking at 40-50hp tractors.

( I'd love a tractor that I can adjust to Close to fitting. I'm 5'1" )

You just need to start visiting some dealers and trying out different tractors. My youngest daughter is 5'1" and she had not trouble with my B2710 with the seat slid forward, but I don't think that's a big enough tractor for your use. Now if it weren't for handling round bales, you could use a B2710 with a 5' mower very easily, and then I don't know how big those run ins are so I don't know what it would take to drag them around.

Good luck with your shopping.

grandad · Feb 11, 2004

Hi, Mel! Welcome to TBN! I'll second what Bird has said about horsepower and mowers. If you have the budget, there is some really nice equipment out there that will get your chores done with comfort and efficiency.

There are 3 major brands of compact tractors on the market - John Deere, New Holland and Kubota, in no particular order - all of which are excellent, and many other brands that also offer good value for a rugged, basic tractor. You may find that the "big three" dress up their equipment with a few more features to make their equipment easier and more comfortable for you to operate. You would probably appreciate hydrostatic drive, for example, since it all but eliminates using the clutch and brakes. While the basic function of each model is the same, each one has its own strong points and limitations based on personal preference.

More importantly, any of these modern tractors have roll protection, seat belts, and other safety features not found on an older tractor.

A couple days of shopping around will give you a good sense of what your local dealers have to offer, and you can also begin to size up what they might be like to do business with.

Boxblade should work well with your arena.

If that little tractor with the FEL is a keeper, you might want to hang on to it for mucking out stalls. The FEL you get on a 40-50 hp tractor is pretty big to be doing that kind of work, not to mention it costs about $3k and up.

Woodbeef · Feb 12, 2004

Since you already have a small tractor that you seem to enjoy,I'd say go for a real utility tractor,not another CUT. Especially since you are wanting to move round bales and use a 7 foot rotary mower. Roughly 50 pto hp should suffice. Yes,you can do it with a CUT,but in the future you might just be glad you had the extra hp and size. Now as for you being comfortable operating it ,only you can be the judge of that. Get out and drive them all,then make your decision......

cowboydoc · Feb 12, 2004

I agree with woodbeef. You really need a utility tractor. Especially for moving roundbales and moving a run-in shed on skids. Those run-in sheds on skids are pretty heavy if you build it right. Just remember moving a run-in shed is going to tear up your pastures also. For a 7' mower you need at least a 40 hp tractor in my opinion. I don't really think the 5 hp rule is good in my opinion. And remember you're talking pto hp not gross hp. I don't know how experienced you are with a tractor but to be safe you are going to want more tractor than you need in my opinion. And for moving roundbales especially it's very very easy to tip a tractor over.

As far as a boxblade unless you are very experienced a boxblade is going to be a poor choice to maintain an arena. Even if you are experienced it's still a poor choice for maintaining an arena. I would seriously look at something like a Parma Groomer, the TR3 rake, or the cadillac of arena groomers would be a Kiser.

jimg · Feb 12, 2004

A snowblower is the best option if you're in a snowy region. It moves the snow well away and doesnt beat the grass up as badly as a blade would. In fact you should be able to find a smaller unit which would match your Beaver. It would certainly cost less than a unit for your future bigger tractor. My tractor has a couple more PTO hp than yours and is equipped w/ a 54" rear blower. I can move **a lot** of snow w/ my setup in a very short amt of time.

rockyridgefarm · Feb 12, 2004

I am not so sure that you'd really need a 7' mower. First 7' seems to be a hard size to handle, and for 15 acres of horse pasture, it's not like you have to mow every week. My 25pto Hp tractor is rated for a 6', and is very comfortable for me and my 5'2" wife to use.

cowboydoc is right about the bales, so go easy here. But I use 700lb bales without any trouble. But be sure when you are working with bales, a lot of hurt can happen before you know it. For large round bales, utility tractors are the only way to go.

If your Beaver doesn't have a ROPS, I'd recommend selling it. Or adding one.

I was looking at the Deere 5420's the other day (Utility tracors ~65Hp) I was amazed at the turning radius (~11ft)

Utility tractors are often a good choise bought used. They are easy to get serviced and are pretty cheap. CUTS like Deere 4000's Kubotas. etc, really hold their price up.

For the money, a chain harrow seems to be a good all around tool. I don't know how close thay come to the TR3 etc. But they sure are nice to keep the pasture up, and are a start for the arena.

jayhawkRoy · Feb 12, 2004

Mel, We are going through a similar process with our 16 acres. Initially voted on a 5' brush hog, because we will establish at least two paddocks/pasture areas for the horses and still want to maximize the acres set aside for hay. I would prefer a 6' mower, but until we establish the paddocks, I hesitate to purchase a larger brush hog. This season will tell whether I want a larger brush hog. The 5' one does really well in relatively tight areas. The other purchase we made that we have used more than initially thought was a flex tine harrow with 3 point frame. Purchased it new, and it really scatters the horse manure well. My brother in law went from 4 horses to 8 horses this winter, and the flex tine harrow really makes a difference in spreading out the manure so it doesn't collect in the horse's favorite areas. These are the two most-used implements we have purchased so far. We were also told that a $200 3 pt bale spear will left a standard round bale with our TC-30, but haven't tried it yet. Knowing that you will be lifting round bales (which we did not consider when the TC 30 was purchased), would be guided us towards a larger tractor....Hope this helps out in your planning....Roy

Soundguy · Feb 12, 2004

Normally I might suggest a good condition older tractor.. say like a Frod NAA 6XX or 8XX series. But sounds liek you don't like the fords. ( one word of advice... thos epan seats on the 'U' shaped seat springs can be moved forward.. there are multiple holes inthe bottom of the spring.

Decide whether you want used or not. then decide size.

To move round bales, there are 3 options.. a spear on a loader.. a spear on the 3pt, or a tag trailer that caries the bale on a spear and a 2 wheeled dolly that you tote behind the trailer or tractor.

The large bales will need a heavy tractor... Don't expect an 1800# compact to move a 1200-1000# bale.

If I were getting a ford.. and wanted to move bales.. I would forget the 9/2/8 N.. and go with a NAA/6xx/8xx 2000 3000 etc.

If you aren't wrenchy... get a newer one. Possibly even one of the new asain imports. Jinmas come to mind though there are others.

Just depends on your budget, and your tolerance for maintenance and repairs. If you don't want to turn a wrench at all.. buy a new unit from a 'big 3' dealer.

As for horses on pasture... Unless you've only got one or two horses.. it has been my experience, ( with a few horses and cows ).. that you won't have to do a lot of cutting on horse pastures.

Occasionally drag the pasture with a drag harrow to bust the maneuer clumps up.

That drag harrow also is great for dragging and smoothing an areena.

A box blade is a 'swiss-army-knife' type tool.. lots of uses.

Soundguy

normde2001 · Feb 12, 2004

I'm thinking that for a 15 acre farm, a 7' rotary cutter is going to be bigtime overkill. That is a monster machine for a homeowner. I would think a 4' or 5' would easily fit your needs and not require near as big of a tractor. A tractor big enough to handle a 7 footer would definitely be overkill for your uses.