Thoughts on this equipment

[canoetrpr]

Been a while since I've been on but I have been lurking

My wife and I are currently on a 27 acre equestrian property with 8-10 acres in pasture which we use our small hobby herd (13 animals now) of Galloway cattle. We are enjoying the breeding program and would like some room to expand the grass fed natural beef operation as there is demand around here. Would also be nice to not be dependant on someone for hay and expand into others things we might be interested in. Additionally I am a firm believer that over the next 30 years, really productive land for food crops will be in short supply. No one within an hour of Toronto has regretted owning 100 acres of good farmland over the last 30.

We have just found what seems like a very nice working farm. Not fancy - it really is a farmers farm. Good old barns, hay shed, room for equipment, grain silos. Farmhouse is not fancy but in good shape. Land is divided up into pasture for cattle currently on it, hay, corn and wheat. All 100 acres are workable. Very high for early planting etc. W'd have enough room to expand our operation say 20 ac past, 20 hay, and rent out 60 acres for cash crops.

I don't have any misconceptions here. My salary pays the mortgage and all expenses. Impossible to make a living around here and pay a mortgage on a farm by farming. Price is close to what ours is worth minus expenses and some fixups.

Here is the real question. I did a survey of major equipment he had. Two 85 or so hp tractors running the haying equipment. White 2-85 with a cab had a pretty new NH7220 diskbine pull type attached. MF 690 had a NI 483 round baler.

I'd gladly contract out haying but everyone I talk to says it does not always work as people you contract place priority on their hay and then yours an get wet. So I'm trying to figure out what if any of this equipment I might want to be interested in if we put an offer in. I have a Kubota3400 loader tractor now which I figure I will upgrade to a bigger Kubota with a loader and a cab. Would
be best to have the fewest tractors around but I think one of those 85 hp beasts would be nice for running the haying equipment. He's got two more tractors now - an M5xxx no cab with a loader and 6k hrs and a smaller MF 250. Lots of other stuff that might interest me as well like a seed drill, seeder, feet spreader etc.

As always, your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Don87]

If it were me, I would keep everything that I could............

And if you can locate a local 'feed mill' you can work out deals where you can trade your crops for feed(to feed your herds in winter).

Plan on haying yourself(to get the best quality), and put it up for your livestock.

Check with local farmers........more than likely they can harvest your 'cash' crops, and you can still make out on the deal.

The main point being..........don't part with anything that you may need later...........think this through completely, because you have an opportunity here.:thumbsup:

 

[flyingcow]

Seems like you done your homework good. I've got quite a few dairy farmers. A few have tried to contract the cropping. As you pointed out, did not work out. But if you can find a contractor that has no animals of his own, good chance you'll get quality forage. Good luck with everything. Buy the farm, they don't make land anymore.

 

[Verticaltrx]

Keep the L3400, a tractor that size is invaluable regardless of the farm size. Even with a bigger tractor you'll still end up putting the most hours on your small one.


As for haying, I would assume you want to do round bales? With 20ac of hay ground a 4'x4' or 4'x5' baler would be plenty. (if you go with 4'x4' your L3400 could easily move the bales) If you stick with a standard disc mower (not mower/conditioner) in the 7-8' range or a sickle type haybine in the 9' range that will keep your power requirements down and still be quite productive on 20ac.

I would be looking for a tractor with about 60-70 PTO hp. Cab, 4wd and loader are nice, but not necessities for field work depending on your budget.

 

[Don87]

Keep the L3400, a tractor that size is invaluable regardless of the farm size. Even with a bigger tractor you'll still end up putting the most hours on your small one.


As for haying, I would assume you want to do round bales? With 20ac of hay ground a 4'x4' or 4'x5' baler would be plenty. (if you go with 4'x4' your L3400 could easily move the bales) If you stick with a standard disc mower (not mower/conditioner) in the 7-8' range or a sickle type haybine in the 9' range that will keep your power requirements down and still be quite productive on 20ac.

I would be looking for a tractor with about 60-70 PTO hp. Cab, 4wd and loader are nice, but not necessities for field work depending on your budget.

Maybe I read it wrong, but if the OP has an L3400, and two 85hp tractors............why should he look for a 60 to 70hp tractor?

 

[Verticaltrx]

Maybe I read it wrong, but if the OP has an L3400, and two 85hp tractors............why should he look for a 60 to 70hp tractor?

The way I read it he was unsure if the tractors the current owners were using would suit him, if he should try to get them with the farm or buy something else. Also mentioned upgrading to a large Kubota w/ cab etc. So I figured he was looking for advice on what size tractor to go with if he were to purchase new.

 

[canoetrpr]

Sorry for the confusion. All I have is my L3400 which is plenty for my current property but will not be if I go to a 100 acre farm and plan on doing my own haying.

If I could get by with one tractor it would have to be bigger thant current L3400 of course. I would expect a 65-85 hp cab with a loader and 4wd. I could trade my L3400 up for such a tractor. Alternatively I could make an offer on one of the current owner's two 2wd tractors without loaders which I could use for haying. I would prefer to sell my L3400 anyway and move to a larger cabbed CUT with a loader which will allow me to stack them 3 high.

Anyone I know who has hayed has appreciated having two tractors. That is what my inclination is.

I am wondering what you guys think about the equipment listed here. Is it worth me asking for it it be part of the sale!

 

[flusher]

Sorry for the confusion. All I have is my L3400 which is plenty for my current property but will not be if I go to a 100 acre farm and plan on doing my own haying.

If I could get by with one tractor it would have to be bigger thant current L3400 of course. I would expect a 65-85 hp cab with a loader and 4wd. I could trade my L3400 up for such a tractor. Alternatively I could make an offer on one of the current owner's two 2wd tractors without loaders which I could use for haying. I would prefer to sell my L3400 anyway and move to a larger cabbed CUT with a loader which will allow me to stack them 3 high.

Anyone I know who has hayed has appreciated having two tractors. That is what my inclination is.

I am wondering what you guys think about the equipment listed here. Is it worth me asking for it it be part of the sale!

The White 2-85 is an 85 hp (pto) tractor dating from the 1970s to early 1980s. It has a 6-cyl Perkins diesel (Perkins engines have an excellent reputation). Trade-in value for the 2WD ranges from $3000-8000 depending on year. Private sale price might be $1000-1500 higher. It would handle your discing jobs as well as the larger implements like the swather and baler. Check that tractor out thoroughly before making an offer. I'd ask someone who's experienced with larger UTs to go with you when you eyeball it. And be sure to check for parts suppliers. AGCO produced the 2-85 through 2001 and may be a source for parts.

BTW: I do hobby haying on 6 of my 10 acres (Kanota oats) using a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R). It's mostly an excuse to play with big tractors and neat implements.

Good luck

 

[tessiers]

I would try to buy all his equipment if you are serious about haying, plus a rake to pull with your current tractor. With a strech of good weather you will likely use all three tractors and implements in the same day. The other piece of equipment I would look for is a tedder, helps a lot with rain, short drying windows, ect. The other thing I woulkd like to add is that most times we are doing hay we take the loader off the tractor for visability and manuverability, so I would say no loader is a benifit.

Just my 2 cents

 

[jenkinsph]

Sorry for the confusion. All I have is my L3400 which is plenty for my current property but will not be if I go to a 100 acre farm and plan on doing my own haying.

If I could get by with one tractor it would have to be bigger thant current L3400 of course. I would expect a 65-85 hp cab with a loader and 4wd. I could trade my L3400 up for such a tractor. Alternatively I could make an offer on one of the current owner's two 2wd tractors without loaders which I could use for haying. I would prefer to sell my L3400 anyway and move to a larger cabbed CUT with a loader which will allow me to stack them 3 high.

Anyone I know who has hayed has appreciated having two tractors. That is what my inclination is.

I am wondering what you guys think about the equipment listed here. Is it worth me asking for it it be part of the sale!

First the L3400 with the equipment listed in your signature I would keep. Selling and trading always costs you money and your tractor appears to be set up well with extra hydraulics. This would be a very useful size tractor to have.

About the White and MF tractors, alot would depend on price and condition and whether you can get a good deal on them. I would prefer to have two larger tractors for the size operation you describe, one new or in excellent shape and a backup used unit. One of these existing tractors would qualify for the backup unit if the price is right.

For a new tractor purchase I would want something that will handle all of the larger jobs and get it equipped accordingly. It should be large enough to work the entire 100 acres. You will have your hands full working to pay for all of this while operating the farm in your off time. This won't leave much time to play mechanic.

Hay equipment is expensive too so consider the used equipment available here. Others here with more hay equipment experience can help you with this selection. I would be concerned with having good dependable implements new or used for all the other jobs at hand. This will make the difference whether this is a "fun" undertaking or a nightmare in the making.

Good luck with this it sounds like a large undertaking of your time and hope it works out for you and your family.