RFI: help with tractor shopping.

[Gunner BV]

Just retired from the Corps and bought about 40 acres in north central Oklahoma with 4 ponds, 3 creeks and 2 springs. Back 20 is great hay pasture that I have an older gentleman baling (rounds #1400) on thirds. I run stockers on the front 20 but pasture has been neglected and need to clear some weeds to reclaim it. Property has one good sized hill.

What I am looking for: Tractor to move round bales, keep pasture in good shape, manage the 1/3 mile driveway, and other routine maintenance.

What I think I need: 40-55 HP, around 4,000+ lbs, FEL, MFWD (springs seep in part of pasture) and a package deal (trailer/Brush hog/box blade/bale spear?oh, and like everyone?asy on the wallet. Last tractor I drove was an 8N several years ago.

Right now, without test driving them, I have:
1. Branson 4225R, (this scares me a bit with parts availability).
2. Massey 2604e
3. Mahinda 4550
4. Mahindra 5555
5. Workmaster 50
6. Deere 5055e (really out of my price range).

Dealers:
JD: 18 Miles and 5 more within a 100.
Branson: 2 right at 100 Miles.
Massey: 2 at 100 and 123.
Mahindra: 1 within 45, 2 at 100.
Kubota: 1 within 45, 2 more at 100 miles.
New Holland: 5 within 100 miles, only two are decent sized.
LS: 1 at 100 miles.

I requested quotes/info from all the dealers here except JD (stopped by there). Only dealers to respond were 1 Massey, and both Branson dealers. I thought this a telling test. Read through many of the posts here and am amazed at how helpful you guys are, even going over the same questions...much like this one.

How far away is too far for dealer?
Thoughts on my requirements? Thoughts on these tractors?

 

[RSR]

Just retired from the Corps and bought about 40 acres in north central Oklahoma with 4 ponds, 3 creeks and 2 springs. Back 20 is great hay pasture that I have an older gentleman baling (rounds #1400) on thirds. I run stockers on the front 20 but pasture has been neglected and need to clear some weeds to reclaim it. Property has one good sized hill.

What I am looking for: Tractor to move round bales, keep pasture in good shape, manage the 1/3 mile driveway, and other routine maintenance.

What I think I need: 40-55 HP, around 4,000+ lbs, FEL, MFWD (springs seep in part of pasture) and a package deal (trailer/Brush hog/box blade/bale spear?oh, and like everyone?asy on the wallet. Last tractor I drove was an 8N several years ago.

Right now, without test driving them, I have:
1.Branson 4225R, (this scares me a bit with parts availability).
2.Massey 2604e
3.Mahinda 4550
4.Mahindra 5555
5.Workmaster 50
6.Deere 5055e (really out of my price range).

Dealers:
JD: 18 Miles and 5 more within a 100.
Branson: 2 right at 100 Miles.
Massey: 2 at 100 and 123.
Mahindra: 1 within 45, 2 at 100.
Kubota: 1 within 45, 2 more at 100 miles.
New Holland: 5 within 100 miles, only two are decent sized.
LS: 1 at 100 miles.

I requested quotes/info from all the dealers here except JD (stopped by there). Only dealers to respond were 1 Massey, and both Branson dealers. I thought this a telling test. Read through many of the posts here and am amazed at how helpful you guys are, even going over the same questions...much like this one.

How far away is too far for dealer?
Thoughts on my requirements? Thoughts on these tractors?

My criteria for "how far away is a dealer", is, will they pick up and deliver for free on warranty claims? I've found many dealers in the 50 mile range that are willing to do that.

 

[Croomrider]

Said he was looking for a package deal including a trailer, so he could probably haul it to the dealer when need be. If it was me in that situation and 100 miles would greatly open up dealers with better prices or service I wouldn't be afraid of that distance.

 

[ericm979]

Round bale size and weight varies across the country. It probably varies by type of hay too, I remember when I was a teenager humping square bales that the alfalfa bales weighed more than oat hay. If there's a way to weigh some samples that'd help.

Package deal trailers and implements are the rock bottom cheapest. You may be better served by picking the implements you want. A few $hundred more on a box blade for example can get you 100lbs more steel and better durability.

It's hard to know what corporations will do but all indications are that Branson will be around for a while as a brand. TYM bough Kukje, Branson's parent company, a few years back. But new Branson models and new features keep coming out. TYM is now using Kukje engines in some of their models. Kujke got the rights to the Cummins A series ~15 years ago and have been making them since. The new BL200 loaders have even more load capacity than the BL25 on my Branson.

You do want a good dealer however, though that's true with any brand. Not a one man operation with no mechanic.

I bought my Branson from a dealer 250 miles away. In 2.5 years I have gone back once, to pick up a used backhoe. They ship parts, which so far has just been filters. If you do your own routine maintenance, chances are you'll never need to go back to the dealer.

If you're just using it on your property you might not need a trailer. If you do need one to take the tractor to the dealer, you can rent a trailer. Of course they can be useful for other things, but the downside is deprecation, storage and maintenance.

 

[Tractorable]

You might be better served with a good used utility tractor with shuttle shift for haying your 40 acres. The shibaura built New Holland Workmaster 55’s are good capable machines and can be found for not a lot of coin. Here’s one just across the border in Missouri:

http://www.tractorhouse.com/ListingsDetail/Detail.aspx?lp=TH&OHID=29254119

 

[jeff9366]

What I think I need: 40-55 HP, around 4,000+ lbs, FEL, MFWD (springs seep in part of pasture) and a package deal (trailer/Brush hog/box blade/bale spear?

What vehicle do you have to pull the loaded tractor?

 

[Gunner BV]

Currently I have a 17 Ram 2500 diesel Crew Cab.

I didn't think about the implements being lower end on the package deal. Would it be better to look for some used implements? Plenty around here.

I greatly appreciate all the responses, I hate making uniformed decisions.

 

[nards444]

Currently I have a 17 Ram 2500 diesel Crew Cab.

I didn't think about the implements being lower end on the package deal. Would it be better to look for some used implements? Plenty around here.

I greatly appreciate all the responses, I hate making uniformed decisions.

Depends. When I bought my tractor by adding an implement from Kubota I basically got it for pennies because of the incentive. I would get pricing for everything and look careful at the price structure, and while doing so see what you can get on the side used.

Used tractors can be good, but I didnt want something with thousands of hours. Which when I started comparing new-used to brand new, it was a no brainer to buy new due to the little cost savings there was in the new-used market.

 

[jeff9366]

What I am looking for: Tractor to move round bales, keep pasture in good shape, manage the 1/3 mile driveway, and other routine maintenance.

What I think I need: 40-55 HP, around 4,000+ lbs, FEL, MFWD (springs seep in part of pasture) and trailer/Brush hog/box blade/bale spear?

As I read your opening post, you have no intention of baling the back 20 acres being harvested on 1/3 shares, so powering a round hay bale baler is not necessary.

Front 20 acres needs attention and has cattle on it.

The parameters you have selected for the tractor are right on.

Consider a Three Point Hitch Bale Spear, which carries bale weight over large rear wheels. More stable with 1,400 pound round bales on a 4,000 pound tractor than FEL Bale Spear.

You may want a tractor sprayer to apply 2, 4-d herbicide (kills the weeds, not the grass) to the front twenty acres.

The sole ground contact implement you have listed is the Box Blade.
Nothing to work farm dirt.

Animals compact the dirt, gradually grass becomes less productive.

A complete pasture renovation would require plowing, discing to smooth plow furrows, dragging, soil amendment, then seeding. (Plowing kills existing grass.) You should be able to find a service to do this -- but the cattle will have to be off the land six months.

There a many, many Three Point Hitch Pasture Renovators which slice the grass to varying depths, allowing soil amendments, air and water to enter easily. Renovators preserve the grass. I have always wanted a Miller Hay King but have been unable to justify cost in my minimal need circumstances.
LINKS (2): Hay King Renovators - Hay King - Miller
tractor pasture renovators - Yahoo Search Results
VIDEO: tractor pasture renovators - YouTube

IMPLEMENTS:
https://www.lsuagcenter.com/~/media...aa214276e14dacb/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf
everything attachments videos - YouTube
Iowa Farm Equipment

I have purchased implements one at a time, as need came up. I still find it amazing that I can order an implement on a credit card from everytthingattachments.com or Iowa Farm Equipment and have it show up on a truck four days later. Weight is the key parameter in ground engagement implements ~~ unfortunately you have to pay for every pound.

I suggest finding out what implements your hay partner has for his own crop use and inquire if he would repurchase same weight, same brand implements today.


A quality dealer, reasonably close, available for coaching, is important for tractor neophytes. Most new tractors are delivered with a glitch or two requiring correction. My kubota dealer is six miles away. I feel my local dealer continues to add value to my equipment after seven years. Dealer proximity is less important for those experienced with tractors and qualified to perform their own maintenance.

 

[fried1765]

Just retired from the Corps and bought about 40 acres in north central Oklahoma with 4 ponds, 3 creeks and 2 springs. Back 20 is great hay pasture that I have an older gentleman baling (rounds #1400) on thirds. I run stockers on the front 20 but pasture has been neglected and need to clear some weeds to reclaim it. Property has one good sized hill.

What I am looking for: Tractor to move round bales, keep pasture in good shape, manage the 1/3 mile driveway, and other routine maintenance.

What I think I need: 40-55 HP, around 4,000+ lbs, FEL, MFWD (springs seep in part of pasture) and a package deal (trailer/Brush hog/box blade/bale spear?oh, and like everyone?asy on the wallet. Last tractor I drove was an 8N several years ago.

Right now, without test driving them, I have:
1. Branson 4225R, (this scares me a bit with parts availability).
2. Massey 2604e
3. Mahinda 4550
4. Mahindra 5555
5. Workmaster 50
6. Deere 5055e (really out of my price range).

Dealers:
JD: 18 Miles and 5 more within a 100.
Branson: 2 right at 100 Miles.
Massey: 2 at 100 and 123.
Mahindra: 1 within 45, 2 at 100.
Kubota: 1 within 45, 2 more at 100 miles.
New Holland: 5 within 100 miles, only two are decent sized.
LS: 1 at 100 miles.

I requested quotes/info from all the dealers here except JD (stopped by there). Only dealers to respond were 1 Massey, and both Branson dealers. I thought this a telling test. Read through many of the posts here and am amazed at how helpful you guys are, even going over the same questions...much like this one.

How far away is too far for dealer?
Thoughts on my requirements? Thoughts on these tractors?

You stated that are going to have a trailer!
Be sure to get one long enough (and weight capable enough) for the tractor with implements.
With your 2500 Ram diesel, 100 miles is certainly NOT too far from a dealer.
Unless you are a mechanical klutz (doubt that, from a Marine) you can fix the simple stuff yourself.
You may NEVER need to visit a dealer after the initial purchase!

I would steer clear of the Mahindra.
Branson and LS (same as New Holland) have LOTS of fans here on TBN.
Do you have a Kioti dealer within range? Lots of Kioti fans here also.
Kubota is absolutely great, but may cost almost as much as the Deere.
Kubota will have the least deprecation/best resale value.