New farm, will need tractor

[Soundguy]

Yeah...5' rotary cutter / 6' finish mower. ( course.. those horses are good finish mowers too. )

Soundguy

 

[cowboydoc]

I'd be pretty careful about lifting a standard round bale, standard round bale could be from 1000-2000 lbs., with a TC-30. That's a heck of alot of bale for that small of a tractor. You'd have to have at least that much counter weight in the front to keep the wheels on the ground.

 

[jayhawkRoy]

Agreed -- we are still in the "thinking about it" stage, rather than trying to actually do it. We do have a FEL, but there is no doubt we need more ballast in the front, for sure. We may just see if the farmer I am dong shares with will move my bales to the intended location and be done with it. On the economic side, we are building a horse barn this year, so a larger tractor is pretty tough right now. Over time (and retirement), think I will want a 45-50 HP tractor to handle the round bales, as well as do the other chores we have the TC 30 do now. The good news is that TBN allows us to get good advice like yours before we make a big mistake!

 

[Smithla]

Don't forget to look at the Mahindra. Great tractor, I just purchased a used one, 40 hp, 474 hours. Has a FEL, and so far is perfect for what I need. Starts and runs great, will lift anything I want to lift, rear wheels need to be filled, and when it warms up, that will get done.

By all means do your homework, go out and test drive them, that is where all the fun is.

Good Luck, Les

 

[EastTexFrank]

I agree with almost everything that's been said here. At the farm we have a 38hp JD with a 5', 3-pt mower and a 75 hp Massey with a 7' drag mower - both 2-wheel drive. The JD won't handle the 7' mower and it won't handle 1500# round bales safely. Since you're not getting a FEL for the second tractor, I assume you'll be using a 3-pt spear which is what we use on the Massey. Even at a tractor weight of almost 7000# a round bale can lift the front wheels off the ground, depending on the terrain and just how it's positioned on the forks.
You don't need much of a tractor/mower combination to cut 15 acres. A 5' mower should be more than enough. You could even do it with the 4' you presently have but if moving big bales will be a regular chore, I'd keep the CUT you already have (they are so useful for all kinds of things) and look for a bigger, used utility tractor for the heavy work. I'd like something about 60/70 hp and about 6000#.

 

[frank_f15]

i will just add to what the others have stated, moving the round bales, and wanting to use a 7ft mower is what is driving u to a big tractor, i don't think a cut will do it.

 

[mvoght]

Wow, thanks for the FAST response time.

A little more background.

I like the old gas Ford fine, just that the seat won't stay forward and I can't scoot it. It also is a 1/2 mine tractor that will stay with the other half owner when I move.

It has a 5' bush-hog, and it takes for EVER to mow my 7 (or so) acres of grass now. Ok, not forever, but longer than I like
to be out there. The new property has double the acreage, and I'd like to keep farm maintenance to a minimum so I can ride my favorite...the horses, not the tractor. I like my tractor, but not for that many hours at a time.

And, with 4 horses on the land, I do have to mow, several times a year. Not weekly, but about every 3rd week, and for proper pasture management/rotation, I'd possibly up that a bit. Horses do not eat evenly.

I am going to look for someone to make hay on my front 8 acres, and that would cut my mowing down a LOT, but I haven't found anyone yet.

Now, when I go tractor shopping, can I test drive? How do I figure out if I'll like it. I did go and test drive a little JD with a HST last year. Before we found the new property, and when I thought a smaller one might be ok.

I have not test driven a Kubota or a NH. I went and looked at a Bronson, but my neighbor swears I'll regret getting one in the wrong color. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif (He thinks blue, green and orange are the only colors)

For the round bales, those are just something I should consider. I don't currently use them, but that is largely because the little Beaver can't move them. And, Please, send me a link to where I can learn more about a snowblower attachment for the little tractor. Do I have to get a front PTO installed on it? It currently has a 3pt hitch and rear PTO. I do routinely over-work the little one, but the new property doesn't have trees, and moving large logs has been a usual "too big" scenario. That and mowing fescue that is too deep and tough.

I am not wrenchy, so I need relatively reliable.

Will tractor dealers let you REALLY test drive? I mean, to really know, I'd LOVE to get out there and mow a swath of pasture, with all the noxious weeds that need to be controlled.

I'll check in again later, but I actually will have to think about a larger "utility" tractor. There are 3 dealerships in town, JD, Kubota and then Case...I'm not sure how much tractor equipment they have, but I'll look into it.

The Kubota dealership has gotten good marks from an acquaintance, but he had deeper pockets than I do...although he let me test drive his tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Mel

 

[Soundguy]

And to add to that /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif check out the prices for used ag tractors... Big boys in the 60-150 hp range commonly go for 4000 - 6000$

Now there's a round bale moover for ya.. a ford 8000.. hook a front loader up with a round bale in front, and a 15" mower in back... mow for 25 minutes and the 15 acers is done!


Soundguy

 

[Soundguy]

Just wondering... How many acers are you cutting.. and how long is it taking you. I cut 10 ac on my NH 1920 and it is a 3.75 / 4 hour job. I also use a 5' cutter.. though would like to get a 6' for it.

I understand about the horses.. We rotate them between the front and the back pasture.

I have to cut about once a month.

I'd much rather rid ethe tractor... The horses are more my wifes thing. After about half an hour on a horse, my back hurts.. whereas I can ride a tractor all day...

Soundguy

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( It has a 5' bush-hog, and it takes for EVER to mow my 7 (or so) acres of grass now. Ok, not forever, but longer than I like
to be out there. The new property has double the acreage, and I'd like to keep farm maintenance to a minimum so I can ride my favorite...the horses, not the tractor. I like my tractor, but not for that many hours at a time.

And, with 4 horses on the land, I do have to mow, several times a year. Not weekly, but about every 3rd week, and for proper pasture management/rotation, I'd possibly up that a bit. Horses do not eat evenly.

)</font>

 

[jimg]

"And, Please, send me a link to where I can learn more about a snowblower attachment for the little tractor. Do I have to get a front PTO installed on it? It currently has a 3pt hitch and rear PTO."

I have a Pronovost Puma but only b/c its what my dealer sells. When you go tractor shopping ask your dealer what he sells and that should be good enough. If you want to research his brand(s) prior to purchase most have websites and are also usually represented in the TBN archives.

No, you dont need a front PTO. There's a large asst of rear mounted units to choose from. If you search thru the TBN archives you'll find the front vs rear mount debates. Theres a lot of good info in those threads that will help you decided. In general front mounted blowers are somewhat more expensive than rear mounts.

The major problem some have w/ the rear mount is that you must look backward while using it which can be uncomfortable for extended periods of time. I cant say that its all that uncomfortable and its just something you get used to.