New to forum. Help Appreciated on tractor purchase!

nyfarm777 · Aug 24, 2011

Hello I am new to the forum. I am a starting small scale farmer in NY that is new to tractors. I have a property of 85 acres, which approximately is 55% woods and the rest fallow/pasture and some scattered trees, land is flat. There is a river/creek stream behind the property. Right now the property is all in fallow and I need some cleaning and prep work to do for the next season.

I am new to tractors and I am trying to buy something that will assist me in my projects in the long run. I would like to make the best decision possible in buying a tractor so that I dont regret it in the future. I would also like to get more information on what exact implements would work for my projects and any reccomendations on them. I am not sure what brand or model of tractor would be good for my use, and what I should be looking for.

I am looking for something used since it is more affordable for a starting farmer (might buy new if it is worth it and is a better deal) and have seen the Kubota models to be appealing due to their affordability and they look like good tractors. I have seen the compact ones with 24 HP (what amount of HP is good for a small farm?) that have a loader and backhoe and do not know if this should be sufficient for what I am going to need it for.
Before setting my mind on buying a 4wheel tractor I actually had the idea of buying a BCS walking tractor but because of the workload and amount of land I dont think that would be convenient.

Here is some of the things I am interested in doing with the tractor.

1. Land preparation- Need to clear the property from fallow, brush, and when possible some trees (will do that myself no tractor needed)

2. Ditch/irrigation making- Some nearby farmers have irrigation ditches from the river or near streams to irrigate their crops. I am sure I can accomplish this with a backhoe, any suggestions?

3. Soil Tiller/Plowing- Will need tractor for tilling and preparing soil for crops.

4. Seeding- Are there seeding implements available? if so which ones are good?

5. Small Lake/Pond- I will like to be able to make some ponds for irrigation and to fill fish in the future. Can I do this with a simple backhoe?

I greatly appreciate the information and any suggestions, recommendations are greatly appreciated as well.

Thank you very much.

Don87 · Aug 24, 2011

The 24HP tractor you looked at is way too small for your needs. You need at least twice that, and thats PTO HP not engine HP.

TripleR · Aug 24, 2011

There are several active threads on with with the most recent being MossFlowerWoods. One of the Site Moderators, Muhammad Kristi, has a book on tractor selection.

We have several ponds up to 8 acres and had them done with dozers. I wouldn't want to dig one with a back hoe. You need to know what you are doing or your dam will fail, we had two blow outs due to unexpectedly heavy rains right after construction and the company rebuilt them.

Don87 · Aug 24, 2011

Here is a link to the thread that TripleR is referring to: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/216841-what-should-i-buy-many.html

nyfarm777 · Aug 24, 2011

Thank you very much for the replies.

Don87 I actually saw the thread and it had allot of great information for a newbie to tractors, if there other threads but that are related to small scale farming I would appreciate the refference. The thing is I just am not sure what I should be looking for, for my specific needs. I actually thought for once that maybe a kubota bx24 would be sufficient for me and my small farm needs but I am guessing no. What exact HP amount should I be looking for, for my needs?

What kubota models should I be looking for and what price ranges should i keep in mind for those types of tractors? I am looking forward to buying used since it would be much cheaper than a new tractor from the dealer.

Thank you very much.

Don87 · Aug 24, 2011

I can't give you exact HP, But according to the other threads, you need near 50 PTO HP(engine HP is higher than PTO HP).

Read this thread to get a few more ideas. http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/buying-pricing-comparisons/209398-blank-slate-missouri.html

And this one: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...ons/207906-looking-buying-new-tractor-ls.html

And this one: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2477049#post2477049

TripleR · Aug 25, 2011

Don has given you some good threads for reference. HP is only one consideration as there is a world of difference between a 32 HP B3200 and L3200 or even L3240. Growing up, we farmed 160 acres with a 31 HP Ford 600, but I wouldn't want to do it again. We still have that tractor as well as a NAA and another 600 that my brothers use, but we have others for different uses.

There are some active farmers on here such as FarmWithJunk, MountainviewRanch and others who will hopefully chime in. Taking in new and used, there are probably over 100 tractors that would meet your needs.

A good resource will be your neighbors who are doing the same things you plan.

Farmwithjunk · Aug 25, 2011

To avoid confusion, any HP numbers I quote will be PTO hp.

I live on 45 acres, and farm (with my son) an additional combined acreage of just under 500. I've got an assortment of tractors ranging from 20hp to 150hp. The bigger tractors are all used in either my commercial mowing business or on the farm. The littlest one of the group is in my opinion, just about worthless. My "go to tractor" around home is a 47hp (turned up from an original 38hp) older 2wd Massey Ferguson 150. At one point, back a few years, before my son got involved with the farm, my biggest tractor (on then, 230 acres) was a 60hp Deere 2440 (2wd) IMHO, that's about all the tractor anyone needs on a place the size of mine or yours. A case can be made for having bigger, more powerful, newer tractors with all the bells and whistles, but that's more WANT than NEED.

Any farm or acreage owner can make good use of a loader tractor. The SMALLER the tractor, the better case for MFWD you can make on a loader tractor. (I've got 2....1 is the 60hp Deere 2440 2wd, and the other loader is on a 95hp Deere)

In your case, before I'd sink my entire budget into ONE new tractor, I'd opt for TWO used ones. I'd look at 40 to 60hp utilities, one WITH a loader and one without. Unless I'm using the loader, I MUCH prefer to use a tractor without one installed. Even with quick change loaders, it's still too much hassle to install and/or remove the loader every time you turn around. And you'll find yourself in need of a second tractor more times than you'll ever imagine.

In general, I DO NOT like tractors built from late 80's on to the early 2000's. That was the era when production was shifting overseas. Quality control was suspect at best with most brands. Now that things have settled out a bit, foreign built tractors seem to have improved. My FAVORITES were North American/British built tractors from the 60's on through to the very early 80's.

Ones to look for IMHO;

Massey Ferguson 135/150/165/235/240/245/250/255/265

Ford 3000/3600/4000/4600/5000/5600

Deere 1530/2030/2630/2240/2440/2640/2350/2550/2750/2355/2555/2755

IH 454/574

That'll give you PLENTY of choices, parts and dealer support is still plentiful, and prices are reasonable (for the most part)

Also worth keeping in mind, tractors of 50hp and down will make good use of CAT I implements. Those will be more common, and with new implements, generally less expensive than CAT II stuff. There are some bargains in good used CAT II equipment, but you'll find them to be a lot less common.

dmay · Aug 25, 2011

For the initial projects you need to accomplish, like clearing trees and discing your 85 acres you will need a large tractor. A small 24hp will just not be effective or safe trying to accomplish these tasks. I'd say a min 65HP is needed both for power and weight. Even this would be considered small and too light to effectively pull a large disc so you will be using smaller attachments even with a 65HP.

After all your initial projects are completed, what will your ongoing annual tractor tasks be? I'd personally base my buying decision on these tasks and hire out the BIG jobs to someone with a BIG tractor and equipment.

flusher · Aug 25, 2011

Welcome to TBN

We usually rate tractors by power takeoff horsepower - hp (pto)- rather than engine hp.

Looks like you have about 35 acres of pasture land. So, 24 hp is way too small. Shoot for something in the 40-50 hp (pto) range and you'll be able to handle your chores. 24 hp is too puny for serious plowing with a moldboard plow (which turns the soil over) or with a disc that tills without flipping the soil.

Here's what I use on my 10 acres (6 acre hayfield). It's a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp diesel engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering, triple rear hydraulic remotes) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft wide bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft height, three chain hooks welded to the bucket by the dealer at no charge, skid steer quick attach option on the FEL arms). Cost: about $19K new.

The little tractor is a 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto 4WD
hydrostatic tranny, power steering) with the LA302 FEL (4-ft wide bucket, 800 lb lift to about 7 ft height). You can see the size difference.

The mower on the 5525 is a Hawkline 6-ft wide rotary mower (aka bush hog, brush hog, shredder, slasher). The little B7510 could barely handle a 4-ft wide brush hog in 3-ft tall weeds without lugging the engine.