New to forum, new to tractors, need recommendation

[corbinsa]

Hey, a buddy of mine sent me over to this site with my question. I bought 24 acres and am building a house. I'm looking at having probably a 4-5 acre yard, another few acres to bushhog, 10ish acres of woods, and my father-in-law will be cutting hay on the other 6ish acres.

Anyway, I've got a line on an old Ferguson 30hp tractor for $1800 that's in real good shape. My main concern is the lack of a live PTO, and also how big of a tractor i should have. I don't imagine i'd be doing much more than pulling a finishing mower, bush hog and plowing snow with it.

Would this tractor be big enough? Would putting an overrun clutch on the PTO do well enough for me, or should i spend a little more money and get a newer tractor with a live PTO?

Also, I've got a 4-wheeler. Would i be just as well off getting a pull behind deck for it and a plow for the front?

thanks
Steve

 

[RoyJackson]

I'm looking at having probably a 4-5 acre yard, another few acres to bushhog, 10ish acres of woods, and my father-in-law will be cutting hay on the other 6ish acres.

Anyway, I've got a line on an old Ferguson 30hp tractor for $1800 that's in real good shape. My main concern is the lack of a live PTO, and also how big of a tractor i should have. I don't imagine i'd be doing much more than pulling a finishing mower, bush hog and plowing snow with it.

Would this tractor be big enough? Would putting an overrun clutch on the PTO do well enough for me, or should i spend a little more money and get a newer tractor with a live PTO?

Also, I've got a 4-wheeler. Would i be just as well off getting a pull behind deck for it and a plow for the front?

thanks
Steve

That old Fergie will do the job...I'm sure it did for a lot of years. It has plenty of power for the tasks you have described, as long as you use some common sense (such as, don't wait for the snow to be 12" deep before you start clearing)
Live or independent PTO is great, but not something you can't work around. Definitely get an over-running clutch...especially for the rotary cutter.

If you go for a newer tractor, it isn't going to be "a little more money", it's going to be considerably more money...figure 10K minimum.

So, as long as that Ferguson doesn't turn out to be a hole to dump money in...I'd go for that first. As you work your property, you can better assess your needs and go from there (which may mean a newer tractor, but may also mean the money is better spent elsewhere). One thing I would do....at least see what it would cost to add a ROPS to that tractor. Also, if you pay $1800, I'm sure you can sell it for that a year or so down the road.

Good luck with your decision...and remember, that house will cost more to build then you expect. Don't let an internet group spend more of your money then you can afford.

 

[swines]

The hay portion is the real question for "big enough." You said your father-in-law will be "cutting hay." Is your father-in-law going to use your tractor, or does he have his own tractor for those tasks; or are you going to contract out the hay portion?

If you plan on cutting the hay you can use a sickle bar, a mower, or a mower conditioner - each has different PTO horsepower requirements.

Also, do you want to bale the hay or only cut it? Or, will someone else be baling it for you? If you want to bale the hay yourself, I think you'll find you need at least 35 PTO horsepower, as a mininum, to run a small square baler.

For everything else you've listed, the Ferguson should work fine.

 

[DmansPadge]

It's hard to find a decent running tractor for that price. The tractor should be fine for what you intend to do. I would buy it and use it for now.... and if down the road you want to upgrade... you can. It wouldn't surprise me if you kept it a couple years and then sold it for more than what you paid.... just keep everything in working order. I wouldn't sweat the tranny driven PTO.... just make sure you have an over running clutch inline with PTO driven attachments.

 

[jcmseven]

I would look at the Massey because it seems like a good deal. I will tell you your ATV and a pull behind mower and plow would do a fine job for you, but for bushhogging you really need a tractor. In fact, we all really need a tractor. I think you, like me and many of our other posters, will realize once you have one how useful they really are. I suspect you will find uses for your tractor you never knew about. I agree with Roy, if you get this tractor, spend a little extra and make sure it has a rollbar and seatbelt. Just last week a man on my road was killed by tractor overturn. This makes the sixth in our county this calendar year. But when equipped for safety, these machines are great. I you would be happy with your purchase, and one does not have to spend a lot to get a solid useful machine if one knows where to look. By older tractor standards, 30 HP is quite a lot and should power most implements you would need to power.

John M

 

[JoeinTX]

RoyJackson is correct here. It sounds like you've got word of a TO-30 MF and if it's in good shape then $1800 is a sound price. I've never been around the MFs much, but I have their Ford cousins and they are about as bullet-proof and easy to maintain as a small tractor can get. It should have independent PTO, not live, and you simply have to adjust to it and you can do whatever you need. I grew up on an NAA (equivalent to -30) with indy PTO and then bought myself an 8N (no indy PTO) and had to relearn all over again.

It will run a 5' shredder, 6' finish mower, 6' blade, 5' tiller/snow blower, 6' disc harrow, 5 shank chisel, 2-bottom moldboard, etc.

The other hanger, as swines brought up, is are you planning on using it for the hay operation? The little MF could run a small sickle-bar mower, 5-7' depending, and rake/ted it as needed. But, it ain't a baling tractor and even the oldest and smallest square balers you could find would load it up and jerk it around. If the haying job is part of the requirement, you'll need to look a little newer and pricier.........Ford 4000/5000, MF 50, JD 20- series, etc. Heck, even some 10 year old Long or Zetor tractors in the 40-60hp range in good condition can be found in the sub $10K range. Both are good tractors if you have dealers nearby.

 

[corbinsa]

Thanks for the advice guys. I should have been more clear on the hay. My father-in-law lives a mile up the road and has a big tractor with a mower, tedder and round baler. he cuts and bales it, keeps the hay, and i get a side of beef out it and don't have to deal with the hay.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do...if I don't get the tractor, there's always the afore-mentioned father-in-law up the road , but you can't go wrong with more toys!

 

[EddieWalker]

I love the idea of finding an old tractor for a great price. I don't know the range those models sell for, but have seen some for less and some for more, so it's probably a good price. The real concern is keeping it running. Like all used things, they have hidden issues that will show up at unexpected times.

Are you the type to fix it yourself? Do you have the time to work on it and maybe dump allot of money into it to keep it running?

Now that you have some acerage, a tractor is an absolute must have for you. Going without for a month or more could become a very big issue.

My take on this is to only buy older equipment if you know what you are doing with it, know how to fix it and find parts for it, and have the time and money to keep it running. In many cases, they are the best deals out there. But in some cases, they are money pits that will ruin your life.

For what you need, I really think you should look at buying new. The different brands have financing deals that come out all the time with zero percent interest. A new tractor will last you decades, if not the rest of your life. An old tractor wont last very long before you are working on it. Do yourself a favor and at least look into what you can buy brand new. If you find out that you love tractors and want an older one, then buy it as a second tractor. But make sure your primary one is reliable and there for you when you need it.

Eddie