Test Drive

pitotshock · Oct 5, 2006

Hey,

have been lurking

on the board for a little while, so I thought I would introduce myself.

My name is James and my wife and I have a 97 acre horse farm and we are very interested in picking up a CUT. We will be using it to do fence repairs, trail maintenance, bale handling, snow removal, etc. I like the idea of a smaller tractor to get into the barns and tighter bush trails. We have NO aspirations to do our own hay (~55 acres)

OK, I am going to look at a used TC45 on a dealer's lot and want to give it a good test drive.

What do you guys suggest for testing

Hydrostatic Trans
FEL
4WD
PTO

This machine has 775 hours on it, AG tires, hydrostat, FEL, non-super steer and was used in a small landscaping business. The dealer indicated that it had a worn out seat from being left outside, but has been replaced with a new one.

Thanks in advanced, James

LoneCowboy · Oct 5, 2006

CUT's are usually designed for people with 1 to 20 acres.
97 acres is a lot (i'm jealous)
I'd think of stepping up to a utility tractor, not a lot more money, not a lot more size, but a lot more possibilities.

Doc_Bob · Oct 5, 2006

Price? Sounds like it is a good choice. Will the dealer give you an extended warranty via NH for free? For a year? That shows cofidence in their statment the machine is good to go.

Size? I would guess a 45 HP tractor would do fine. Might take you a bit longer, but if you have the time, so what?

Now, I have a NH TN70A (bought it used, 170 hrs). Compared to a TC45, the TN70A is a beast, noisy, brutal. The TC is smooth, quiet and easy to use. I still love my TN and have no regrets.

Take it for a demo on your property. Most dealers will give you 3 hours of test drive (in my area). You sound serious, so they should be glad to let you demo it on your land doing what you will be doing with it if you bought it.
Bob

AndyMA · Oct 5, 2006

The TC45 is a nice machine, but I agree a little small for 97 acres. It will do but you may be looking for a TN soon. It is also small to handle large round bales if you have that in mind. I have 80 acres and have both a TN75D and a 2120 (one size up from a TC45) and sometimes wish I had more size.

Andy

pitotshock · Oct 6, 2006

Thanks for the input so far. So it sounds like you guys think the tc45 might be a bit small for us. I wanted something that the wife would be able to drive that was 1. hydrostatic (she is not much for standard shift) 2. not too large to be intimidating for her 3.small enough to drive inside.

We have quite a few hills and some of my work will be rotary cutting pasture/paddocks that are quite hilly, and a smaller size, I think, would be less intimidating even to me. Here is a quick pic of the property...

jinman · Oct 6, 2006

We will be using it to do fence repairs, trail maintenance, bale handling, snow removal, etc. I like the idea of a smaller tractor to get into the barns and tighter bush trails. We have NO aspirations to do our own hay (~55 acres)

I think the jobs you described will be ideal for the TC45D. If you want a hydrostatic transmission in a larger tractor, you'd have to go to another brand to find it. The TC45D is NH's largest hydro. I think you will find its operator comforts and ease of use to be superior.

Just be sure to raise the hood and look around the battery (behind it) for damage. The battery placed in front of the radiator is a formula for lots of acid damage on these tractors. Many of us have found add-on solutions to this problem. If there is extensive damage, make a deal with the dealer to fix it before buying this tractor.

You will need all the ballast you can get for handling rouind bales with the FEL. I do it with my TC45D and I have industrial tires filled plus a heavy boxblade on the rear. The 16LA FEL can handle a round bale, but you just need to be cautious and move slowly. Don't get it too high off the ground while moving. A 1500 lb round bale is at the maximum lift capacity of the FEL. If the bales weigh 1200 lb or less, it's a snap.

Go ahead and try out the TC and then tell us what you think and ask more questions.

Bird · Oct 6, 2006

If you were going to cut and bale your own hay, plow the whole 97 acres, or even brush hog the whole 97 acres, then I'd agree with the guys who say you need a bigger tractor. But for the uses you've mentioned, I think jinman has given the right answer, and of course he has personal experience with that model of tractor.

AndyG · Oct 6, 2006

Sounds like the TC45D is a good tractor for you. It will probably do everything that you need it to. Its hard to specify that "X" acres needs "Y" size tractor. Depends on how much of the land you are going to actively maintain. To big of a machine can be a real headache. Having come from a landscaping business I suggest that you be extra careful in your inspection of the machine. If they had the hired help driving the tractor you can be sure that they were not as careful with it as you or I would be. Nothing parties like a rental or a company car (tractor). The tractor may have been rode hard and put away wet. Pay special attention to the loader and all of the welds on it and its brackets. Look closely at any thing that you think may have been subject to abuse. What condition are the tires in? Check all of the fluids. Maintenance records? I'm not trying to discourage you, in fact, I prefer used equipment to save $$$. Just check it out thoroughly and price it according to what you find. Good luck and have fun!

LoneCowboy · Oct 6, 2006

I'm sorry, I don't see it.
97 acres is a good sized spread. Sure, there are some tasks that can be done just fine by a smaller compact tractor, but that's a lot of land.
So, 55 acres were hay and the OP doesn't want to do that.
so that leaves 45 acres.
a TC45 handles what, a 6' bush hog? You'll never be able to go up to a 8 or a 10', t hat's a lot of time bush hogging.
and 45 acres of work doing anything is a lot of work on a compact tractor.

a TN is 3 feet longer, 6 inches wider and the exact same height as a TC
With a MUCH bigger FEL, way more 3 point capacity and the ability to do about anything. It probably uses 2 gal/hour vs the 1gal/hr of the TC

You have way more options with the TN, you are limited on the TC and size or turnaround space or anything shouldn't be a huge problem on 97 acres.

BTW, nice spread, now I'm really jealous.

pitotshock · Oct 6, 2006

Last weekend my wife and I went to the local NH dealer and test drove a brand new, fully loaded TC45 and were really impressed. I thought the supersteer was neat, but I think I could live without it. My wife had never driven a real tractor before and was zooming around the lot within about 45 seconds of instruction. Big smiles on both of our faces. I have to say that this dealer/owner was probably one of the best salesman I have seen in a long time. Very practiced and smooth, definately not a 'used-car-salesman' style.

I like the idea of buying used to save the initial depreciation, and have a few options to buy used within a 3-4 hour driving radius from here. The one I am looking at is about 3 hours away so a 'on-farm' test is probably not possible.

Realistically, I will have about 20 acres to brush hog down, but most of that will be within the horses paddocks, which will be eaten down to a golf green with only the weeds and small trees sticking up. There is also some bush riding trails to maintain. Of the 97 Acres, about 15 is bush, so the smaller size tractor is also to facilitate the tighter turns in the bush.

I will definately pay attention to the weld conditions on the bucket as well as the battery area corrosion (I did notice the battery layout when we were at the dealer).

Anything specific for a vehicle that has lived outside its whole life?

LoneCowboy