Suggestion for 16 acres

[anojones]

It sounds like your on the right track- a 30HP tractor would do very well for your situation. You will find with horses and other livestock that you will use the tractor for a lot more than mowing. If you are going to have a barn/stalls, make sure the tractor w/loader (a must) will fit into the areas to clean up the bedding/manure. There will be pasture to harrow for manure management, hay to move (bale spear or forks), and likely some earth grooming in paddock or arena areas. As for mowing, it sounds like a rear finish mower or rotary cutter would work- depends on your needs adn your pasture. A mid mount may get in the way a bit with all the other chores you'll have. Keep reading the forums to get an idea of features you'd like- gear vs. hydro, various creature comforts, etc.

 

[jbrumberg]

jkruer01:

I run a 60" rotary and can run a 72" finishing mower off my rear PTO. My tractor is too heavy and with weighted R-1 tires I tend to tear up my lawn when it is wet and/or when turning. I use a riding lawn mower (White 1650 LT) for the lawn unless the "grass" gets so high the mower bogs down. I really like my TC29DA it is ~ 1 HP less powerful than a TC30, but much more ergonomically friendly (and I prefer HST having had a Ford 1100 4WD geared tractor 13/11 HP). I manged the same property with both tractors the 1100 for 20+ years and the TC29 for the past year. Both tractors did the job. The '29 just does it faster. I will say the '29 appears "tippier" and at times I wish I had the Ford when mowing on slopes. I lean towards "blue", but try all the brands in the area and let the dealerships show their true colors. Hang in there- Jay

 

[flusher]

I have 10 acres of flat pasture land with about 3 acres taken up with buildings, roads and the remnants of an almond orchard.

I have a 21-hp Kubota B7510HST with the LA302 FEL (4-ft wide bucket)--$12600 plus tax new in May2005-- and a 4-ft King Kutter brush hog (about $600 new last year).

It takes me about 1.5 hours per acre to mow the pasture the first time in the year when the native grasses (aka weeds) are 2-4 ft tall. Mowing time drops later in the season when mowing weeds less than 2-ft tall.

For the landscaped areas I have a cheap Huskie 42" riding mower ($1K at Tractor Supply Co). I use a Swisher 2-wheel string mower and a Tanaka shoulder-strap weed whacker to handle the hard-to-mow areas.

Don't by a ZTR. If your pasture is like mine, it's very rough and uneven even though it looks flat. You won't like the ride you'll get on a ZTR when you try to mow 10+acres.

I've decided to try planting a hay crop on the 7 acres next year. Bought a 45-hp 1966 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel tractor for this work. Presently cleaning up and painting the 135.

 

[Soundguy]

Not to hijack the thread.. but your message is useless (grin) without some pics of that neat-o classic MF.

Soundguy

 

[Billy_S]

I certainly agree with everyone who said don't get a ZTR. For the price of a decent ZTR, you could almost buy the right tractor for what you need and have something A LOT more useful. In fact, I would not even do business with the dealer who recommended a ZTR for your needs. He clearly cares more about selling SOMETHING than he does about meeting your needs.

One thing that you, IMO, should keep in mind here is that if you buy a decent quality tractor, you will probably never have to buy another one. Try not to be too price driven on this issue, if you can avoid it. A couple of thousand extra dollars spent now might well save you $10,000 down the road a bit.

I have 3 horses and 40 acres. 20 acres or so of this is woods so it sounds like I really have pretty much what you have. 3 horses and 20 acres that require some degree of maintenance. I do like to brush hog in the woods but have about decided the tractor I have is not suitable for this job.

I agree that you will probably find you don't need to mow your pasture as often as you think. I probably mow mine 4 times a year and I use a brush hog. I have a 60 inch MMM for mowing the yard. I do have a FEL and wouldn't be without it for mucking paddocks. I was a little hesitant to spend the extra money for the FEL but I use it all the time. It is hardly ever off the tractor.

I have a BX2230, 60" MMM, 4' bush hog and a FEL. If I had 20 acres or so of yard and pasture, I really think this setup would be just about the perfect compromise. Add in my 20 acres of woods with lots of 1 - 1-1/2 inch thorn tree saplings and I would no longer come to the same conclusion. I believe I spent about $13,500 for the tractor, MMM and FEL plus another $600 for the brush hog.

 

[flusher]

Not to hijack the thread.. but your message is useless (grin) without some pics of that neat-o classic MF.

Soundguy

Here it is. It's an orchard tractor with 16" dia wheels.

Being cleaned and repainted now.

I've posted additional photos in the "PHOTOS" section under Vintage Tractors.

 

[jkruer01]

jkruer01:

I run a 60" rotary and can run a 72" finishing mower off my rear PTO. My tractor is too heavy and with weighted R-1 tires I tend to tear up my lawn when it is wet and/or when turning. I use a riding lawn mower (White 1650 LT) for the lawn unless the "grass" gets so high the mower bogs down. I really like my TC29DA it is ~ 1 HP less powerful than a TC30, but much more ergonomically friendly (and I prefer HST having had a Ford 1100 4WD geared tractor 13/11 HP). I manged the same property with both tractors the 1100 for 20+ years and the TC29 for the past year. Both tractors did the job. The '29 just does it faster. I will say the '29 appears "tippier" and at times I wish I had the Ford when mowing on slopes. I lean towards "blue", but try all the brands in the area and let the dealerships show their true colors. Hang in there- Jay

Do you think it would be ok with Turf tires on it? As I mentioned, my main usage will be to cut grass. I don't want something that will tear up the lawn.

 

[Glowplug]

There is a New Holland dealer nearby that has some used tractors for sale. There were a couple that were 4 or 5 years old with less than 100 hours on them and they were asking about $10,000 for them. I think one was a TC29 and one was a TC30. They seem like a pretty good bet to me. I still need to go to the Kubota dealer though and the John Deer dealer.

I really like Kubota, if you didn't know. But my close second favorite brand is New Holland. Check out the new New Holland "Boomer" series tractors. I don't know much about them but, from what I do know, they may fit your bill. There's a lot to be said about a close by reputable dealer.

 

[Turbys_1700]

The advice that you are getting here is good. I have a NH 1720 to take care of my 4 to 5 acre yard. It's 28 HP with 23.5 at the PTO. I use a 5' Land Pride finish mower but will upgrade to a 6' or 7' unit as I don't have many trees and obstacles. I will also purchase a front end loader eventually. 25 to 35 HP would be a good choice for you. It's gonna give you greater capacity with a 5' or 6'bush hog and higher lift capacities on the loader. I live on my family's 100 acre farm so I got lots of good use for the unit. We've got larger tractors for heavier work.

I would go with a unit that has good dealer support for warranty issues if you purchase new. I purchased used so that was not as important to me. I still like the big 3 but other units like Montana, Farm Trac, Massey, Agco, Branson are all good. You can get a very good buy in a Chinese unit if you purchase from one of the repuitable dealers here on TBN. Last but not least don't forget a grey market alternative. I used a Yanmar for 14 years. It was absolutely bulletproof. Again, purchase from a reputable dealer like LMTC.

Good luck in your choice. This is a lot of fun and this forum is a wonderful resource.

 

[Soundguy]

Here it is. It's an orchard tractor with 16" dia wheels.

Being cleaned and repainted now.

I've posted additional photos in the "PHOTOS" section under Vintage Tractors.

Nice rears!

Soundguy