pros/cons going from IH,MF to Chinese machines

[papafarmer]

Great resource! Hope to use it to good advantage... Now hobby farm (finally retired) roughly 60 acres, 4A mowing/grazing, mostly wooded. Now have a MF50C backhoe with loader, IH 140 Farmall with side-mounted sickle bar, NH baler with engine, several side-delivery rakes and an IH340D bulldozer. All running/working, but not getting any younger of course.
Youngest son (big brute) has operated backhoe, which frankly is too big for me to run comfortably. I run dozer and rest of
machinery. Most of the big stuff has been done (pond, barn footings, etc.) Son has been getting busier, comes less often.
Have begun to look at smaller MF's with loader/hoe, but they seem tiny compared to MF50C. Now hearing encouraging things about Chinese units.
Many questions, which I will post in future, but first ones:
What kind and HP could pull my baler on moderately hilly field?
What kind would allow attachment of either a mid-mounted sickle bar or pull-behind sickle bar?
Hope this hasn't been too long-winded. Thanks for any input.

 

[MicroPilot]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What kind and HP could pull my baler on moderately hilly field?)</font>

What model of baler do you have? What used to pull it?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What kind would allow attachment of either a mid-mounted sickle bar or pull-behind sickle bar?)</font>

Do you have a particular sickle mower in mind or already own onw? This would help to size the tractor also.

Oh, and Welcome to TBN!!

 

[rockyridgefarm]

You are right about tiny. No CUT is likely to be up to that baler. Balers require sheer mass, not just Hp. It may be best to hang onto that big machine for baling, even if you add a CUT for regular chores.

With CUTS, be sure to consider total cost of ownership. What is the real price to my farm? What will it cost to keep going? Sometimes the cheapest machines end up costing more than those considered higher priced.

Get competitive quotes on comparably equipped machines, and often the isn;t much spread in the price...

 

[Soundguy]

I think his bailer is self powered. With that.. I imagine he'll still need something in the mid 20 hp and up to pull the bailer, and possibly a hey trailer, and have enough weight not to get thrown around.

Lots of people used 8n to pull a powered bailer.. and they were 27 hp / 2800# new. I wouldn't go lower than that, as that was probably a marginal weight.. with an 'ok' hp. Some people also hayed with JD B's again.. 28 hp but heavier.. up to 4200# with cast wheels.. still a bit low on hp if you had to tote the bailer and the hay trailer.

If you go chineese.. I would get their bigger units.. like 30hp.. just for sheer weight.

I can't say about the sikle bar mower.. just depends on the setup...

Soundguy

 

[papafarmer]

Thanks for the response. The baler is a New Holland 68 with its own motor, doesn't run off the pto. Even with my IH 140 it pushes me down the hills and back and forth when it pulses but guess I got used to it. I guess a bigger tractor, as suggested around 30 HP or so and heavier would do the trick.
None of the dealers I've been to have a sickle bar mower that they offer. Do most folks who do a small amount of haying use mower/conditioners? Or disc mowers? I think either would be alot more dough..........

 

[Soundguy]

The local NH dealer sells the heck out of disc mowers.

I see some locals with antiques cutting with sickle bar mowers.. and the occasional dirt farmer doing 'hobby hay' even cutting with a rotary cutter... ( guess the cows don't mind.. )

Soundguy

 

[slowrev]

Soundguy,
My friend and I do about 200 acres with sickle bar cutters. Works fine, you just have to know how to maintain them.
I have an old 501 Ford sickle bar mower, still works great and parts are available for it.

 

[papafarmer]

Heard from a friend that bought an IronHorse (like Jimna?) in Seymour, CT. Says it's a lot of tractor for the money. Thinking of taking a ride up to Bolton to try one out. He uses the FEL and BH regularly and has no complaints. Imagine they have a size that will handle my baler. Not familiar with disc mowers, always having used a sickle bar, but I'm game to give one a try. Thanks for the input.

 

[SPIKER]

yes the china JINMA + others are very good tractors for the $, I have a JINMA284 excelent machine, (28HP 4 wheel drive) like others state, older tech in the mechanicals, but good power and HEAVY compaired to the others in same HP range. they are very can do equipment, as for Bolton: Graham has one of the best dealer service rating of any going, he is always helping out people who own one even if it wasn't bought from him... he regulary posts in the china forum and on CTOA site, (china tractors owners assoiation site. and NY CTOA site too.)

if you plan on buying one and live near him it is a no brainer, top quality dealership, (no I have not bought from him but others have and just form his posts he knows his stuff, and I have no affiliation with him, other than to say thanks for helping out every owner of a JINMA buy proving there are good dealers out there for these machines...

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

now graham here is where to send the kick back too : /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif lol

 

[papafarmer]

Thanks, Spiker. I am going to go to Bolton and check out the same size machine. 28hp is about what I need. Used to go to Bolton often before retirement, about 45-50 minutes from where I live in Brimfield. Good to know that this dealer won't drop out after the sale. Papafarmer