Pick my tractor....new land owner

[ericm979]

Trees and brush often "invade" open grassy areas. They can be kept out by burning or mowing. Sometimes grazing works but sometimes the young trees/brush is less palatable than the grass and does not get eaten. Depending on the exact situation there, you may end up needing to do a lot of work to keep your meadows meadows. That might mean mowing or cutting brush by hand and burning or chipping it. A grapple comes in handy for both of those, and PTO powered chippers can work well. Or even using a tree puller on the tractor.

There are also a number of invasive species of brush and trees in Texas that people here have complained about, and which you may need to use the tractor to help eradicate.

It might be worth getting the local extension office to send someone over to look at the land with you and give some advice.

You'll for sure want either a ranch truck or a side by side, or both. Our land is too steep and wooded for a truck but a sxs can get a lot of places a truck can't and is lighter so it does not get stuck as readily.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

The clock is always ticking. And there is no way to replace the time that it ticks off. Think realistically about what you want to do and then think about how much time you are willing to get said project completed. You don't live there, so I'm assuming that you will most likely be a weekender meaning you have 2-3 days a week at the most to get things done.

While a smaller tractor can do pretty much everything a larger tractor can do, it does not do those same things at the same rate of speed. Every jump in frame size increases the capabilities of the machine, every HP increase gets most of those jobs done faster.

The cost to be able to do those jobs quicker comes at a substantial cost.

I believe that before you are done, you will have multiple machines, it simply works out better.

One last thing, do not cheap out on your implements, you depend on them to get work done. It does no good to go and use an implement only to break it or even destroy it because it was a better deal. Money thrown away. BTDT. :ashamed:

Good luck with this project, it sounds like fun. :thumbsup:

 

[edawg]

I had 40 acres once... And bailed enough hay on larger properties growing up to see how the hobby farmers evolution went... So let's start with the use cases you laid out:

"Will be a recreation property for us. Any big work I will try to outsource. Want a tractor for general utility work, mowing, gravel road maintenance, deer food plots, and whatever else may come up. Not entirely flat but some gentle rolling and 50ft elevation change as it drops into the bottom land. Mostly pine trees with some hardwoods, pond."

Starting with attachments to do the basic above in limited time, mowing means a good multi-spindle bat wing mower. Not cheap, but first thing I'd buy. Next, road maintenance will be likely 7' or even 8' attachments for the size tractor that uses that mower with hydraulics on a rear turn and tilt capable blade to ditch edges and a box to handle the crowning of the surface. Deer food plots sound nice, but that may be something you source out simply to figure out how much you can handle first year. Doing a basic job with a good disc that's 8' or better could get you by if you have energy to tackle plots though... For initial full on plot deep tilling, etc. I'd hire out if the hunting plots are rough until you get the fundamentals of roads, drainage, ponds and fields under control. You'll need to prioritize the jobs, the attachments, then the tractor. Extra rear hydraulics (at least 2 circuits worth) and a 3rd function for front grapple work are your friend for the bigger machine... A 3rd function on a removable loader on the smaller "beater" clearing and bush hogging machine. The extension agent is a good resource here as well, though the veteran ones are usually quite smart about avoiding giving detailed equipment advice to hobby farmers... They'll surely help with less volatile topics like soil, crops, rotations and point you to the better vendors in the area for equipment and supplies though. I'd also echo you'll end up with 2 tractors... 1 cab model likely with the necessary grunt and comforts for bigger / longer duration jobs but first... You may want to start with a used open station with enough HP (but fewer niceties) to handle similar sized implements (ideally but not necessarily) for jobs that need work in tight spaces, and bush hogging rough areas that beat up your "beater" tractor, etc. A larger Kubota MX or similar line in Deere or Massey. Kioti makes nicely equipped gear, but fewer dealers in some areas. Nothing wrong with a 2WD tractor with loaded rear tires for either machine for rolling terrain... Just make sure 1 tractor is 4WD to pull the 2nd one out if ever surprised by weather or terrain or human error (most likely the first couple years). The other trick to this is truck and trailer(s) large enough to move and maintain the growing equipment empire. Learning to load, unload and handle driving equipment properly needs a mentor to guide you to get all the little bits of hardware for it, learn how to use them properly and get used to backing, traffic always trying to leap ahead and slam on brakes in front of you, etc.... The best way to make a small fortune is to start with a large fortune and buy a hobby farm of course, so just work the above in the order that makes sense for your financial situation (and revenue potential to offset some of the expense) the land gives you.

 

[Citydude]

In my experience, after getting your tractor the recreational aspect of the land will wear off. You will soon learn to see projects that need attended to with that new tool.

 

[BWSLT]

Very impressed and appreciative of the detailed advice and input. Already wanting two tractors before the first is bought...lol. I can foresee my interest shifting from hunting to working the land.

 

[jeff9366]

One tractor is sufficient for a long time. The L6060 weighs 4,000 pounds, bare tractor and has a width of 67", very much in the middle of tractors most used by contributors here. Four thousand pound tractors will usually operate implements 6' to 7' wide, about as wide as practicable in woods and game food plots.

I recommend that you visit a least two tractor dealers and sit on tractor models with a bare weight of around 4,000 pounds to get an idea of the bulk of these size/weight tractors before long.

Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten flat acres.

Sufficient tractor weight is more important for most tractor applications than increased tractor horsepower. Bare tractor weight is a tractor specification easily found in sales brochures and web sites, readily comparable across tractor brands and tractor models, new and used.

Selling a used tractor is easy. Selling multiple light implements in order to buy heavier, wider implements for a new, heavier tractor requires a lot of time. Depreciation on implements is worse than depreciation on a tractor.

When considering a tractor purchase, bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, tractor width third, rear wheel ballast fourth.



The Kubota 'Grand Ls' are premium tractors. Almost every other 4,000 pound tractor will price out less than a Grand L.

I owned two economy tractors before buying my 'Grand L' ~ L3560. I could never go back to an economy tractor.

 

[buck12]

Very impressed and appreciative of the detailed advice and input. Already wanting two tractors before the first is bought...lol. I can foresee my interest shifting from hunting to working the land.

The land can turn into a hobby in itself. Up until a few years ago I hunted at every opportunity now I hunt a little and maintain our place a lot at least during deer season. Now when turkey season opens all chores have to wait. When I finish my coffee I’m headed to our remote property to meet a guy who is delivering a couple of loads of gravel. I have found the property maintenance and improvement to be enjoyable and relaxing.

 

[BWSLT]

Updated.

 

[StAngerSandman]

I have to say that with that size acreage, I believe that you will quickly find that a 6060, while an AWESOME tractor and easy to operate with an HST, is not really enough for that amount of property, providing that you plan to do a lot of work yourself.

The goal to let your needs dictate the tractor size is dead on, and do NOT under-estimate the size of tractor you need to do certain tasks with any speed. It takes a big mower to get through 80 acres without that being a full time job:

I wanted a larger tractor ~100HP to give myself plenty of headroom to pull a 15' mower, lift more weight, and spend less time on the "have to" tasks so I could spend more time on the "want to" tasks... I enjoy spending time on the tractors, but I want it to be working on the parts I enjoy.


Avg Speed Acres Mower Feet acres/hour ttl hours
3 MPH 80 5 1.64 49
3 MPH 80 6 1.96 41
3 MPH 80 8 2.62 31
3 MPH 80 10 3.27 24
3 MPH 80 12 3.93 20
3 MPH 80 15 4.91 16
4 MPH 80 12 5.24 15
4 MPH 80 15 6.55 12

 

[claitner]

From my experience, on your large acreage which is by no means smooth, you will be better served with a tractor big enough that it does not beat you to death when going from the shed to the area you plan to work. Front tires should be at least 9.5X24, which gives a 41+" tire height. Any smaller and the front end will bounce at every rut and over every turf of grass at speeds above 3 mph as you cross a field. Once you get off road, the larger tire size is a must for the work you describe. As for HP, 65 - 75 hp will meet hour needs if you do 'farm out' the heavy bat wing mowing. I am only familiar with Deere. A 5075e meets this need. When you drop down to the 4000 series, 4066 for instance, you really need to be working on a smooth field or road or you must keep your ground speed to a crawl. I highly recommend that you demo the make/model you are considering before buying, regardless of brand. You don't need to demo the exact tractor; but do demo the model you are considering. i wish you the best in your decision!