Tractor 101 for 40 acre farm owner

[rd_macgregor]

I'm a tractor advocate, but...if you are really basically aimed only at mowing then you might do better to have a large ZT mower. With the hills, a 4WD unit would be just the ticket! You'd have better maneuverability, faster mowing and lower CG...sadly, a really nice unit can be pretty pricey.
BOB

 

[TripleR]

I'm a tractor advocate, but...if you are really basically aimed only at mowing then you might do better to have a large ZT mower. With the hills, a 4WD unit would be just the ticket! You'd have better maneuverability, faster mowing and lower CG...sadly, a really nice unit can be pretty pricey.
BOB

Yep, JOHNTHOMAS, has a couple of F Series Kubotas and one is a 4WD, I believe it is a F3080 and the other is a F2680. My wife and I wanted t get one, but a tractor went toes up and the money was needed elsewhere. They are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ from what I have heard.

 

[dave1949]

Nice place you have there. Photos can be deceiving, but it didn't look terribly hilly. Has a nice open roll to it.

Some of your questions relate to matching implements/attachments to the tractor. When you purchase an implement, it is almost always rated for a minimum and maximum tractor PTO horsepower to provide best results. There's really not much mystery about it. You also compare the tractor's 3 point hitch lift capacity to the weight of the attachment or implement if it is a 3 point hitch type. For used equipment, you can usually find the needed data with google searches.

I don't know anything about zero turn mowers but my impression is they are single purpose machines. They may be the fastest grass cutters but what else can they do? I don't know how durable they are either in field/pasture conditions. With a clean, smooth pasture a tractor and bush hog or flail mower should last a very long time. If you get caught by a rainy spell and your pastures get out of control height-wise, a tractor and bush hog would be the right tool after it dries up. With your set up I would lean more towards multi-functions possible with a tractor.

Dave.

 

[Belhaven]

What are your overall goals for this land?

[The 10 acre big field will one day be pasture. When I bought it, it was loaded with Johnson Grass (a horsey no no) so I am having to revamp it for now. It is also a 'buffer' between my home and the adjoining land.]



What do you want this place to be? Without knowing that, it's hard to provide good advice. On the face of it, you have too many tractors, because you seem to only need a big lawn mower. But as I said, what are your goals for the land?

[For the rest of the land, it is pasture for my horses.]

Why are't you using the 10 acres for grazing or hay?

[For grazing I addressed above-it is currently not suitable for horses. I contacted local hay growers and the cost benefit was not in my favor. I do not have the time or experience to grow hay on my own (or the equipment needed to bale, etc]


I raise cattle and mowing grass pasture for appearance sakes seems wasteful to me. You say that it's very hilly and that's another good reason to "hire" some livestock to graze it for you. It's safer and easier then mowing and if the stock belongs to someone else, there's no additional labor for you. Are there neighbors who might lease pasture from you? Have you considered increasing your stocking rates and thereby reducing or eliminating the cost and time to mow? There are several ways to manage this land to generate some income.


[I would love to generate income but the pasture is not currently fully fenced. I also ride on that field so having cattle around could be...well...interesting if I took my crew over there! LOL]

That machinery sitting there is costing you money in terms of depreciation and deterioration. It's not good to let equipment sit unused. Figure out what you want to do with the land and then you'll know what to keep, sell, and/or replace.

The equipment is not unused-it IS used. I was interested in knowing if it was suitable for the use.

 

[Belhaven]

Nice place you have there. Photos can be deceiving, but it didn't look terribly hilly. Has a nice open roll to it.

[Thanks! I love my place! The photos are a bit deceiving-parts are open and rolling and parts feel like a double black diamond ski slope!]

Some of your questions relate to matching implements/attachments to the tractor. When you purchase an implement, it is almost always rated for a minimum and maximum tractor PTO horsepower to provide best results. There's really not much mystery about it. You also compare the tractor's 3 point hitch lift capacity to the weight of the attachment or implement if it is a 3 point hitch type. For used equipment, you can usually find the needed data with google searches.

[Thank you! This is the sort of information I am needing! That makes sense and sounds easy to understand]

I don't know anything about zero turn mowers but my impression is they are single purpose machines. They may be the fastest grass cutters but what else can they do? I don't know how durable they are either in field/pasture conditions. With a clean, smooth pasture a tractor and bush hog or flail mower should last a very long time. If you get caught by a rainy spell and your pastures get out of control height-wise, a tractor and bush hog would be the right tool after it dries up. With your set up I would lean more towards multi-functions possible with a tractor.

Dave.

The ZT mowers are interesting...I asked about them at a local dealer and was told they would not have the 'stick' for the hills?

Perhaps the ultimate solution would be one big honking tractor, 4WD with proper implements (bushhog, etc) then a ZT mower for tighter areas.

Or something like that.

It sounds from some of the feedback like my 'stuff' is workable just maybe not the most efficient-so this begs the question of whether it is better to just carry on until these tools end life and then purchase something else...in other words, would spending several thousand dollars for something else ultimately improve my situation.

 

[dave1949]

The ZT mowers are interesting...I asked about them at a local dealer and was told they would not have the 'stick' for the hills?

Perhaps the ultimate solution would be one big honking tractor, 4WD with proper implements (bushhog, etc) then a ZT mower for tighter areas.

Or something like that.

It sounds from some of the feedback like my 'stuff' is workable just maybe not the most efficient-so this begs the question of whether it is better to just carry on until these tools end life and then purchase something else...in other words, would spending several thousand dollars for something else ultimately improve my situation.

I'll have to defer to someone who knows ZT mowers regarding the dealer's comment.

After thinking about your situation a bit I see it this way: Your Dad was getting the job done with what is there now, if he thought he really needed something else, he probably would have added that to the mix.

The 850 was acquired more or less by accident, so that isn't something your Dad selected for a purpose. Assuming you are happy enough with the other two tractors, and you want to have less to maintain, then that might be one to let go of. On the other hand, depending upon what it is worth, it may be worth more to have it around. It's not like an auto that you have to register/inspect/license/insure each year. The cost of keeping it is low. And just on general principles, TBNer's are loathe to dispose of a paid for tractor :laughing:

Dave.

Edit : not sure you said it was your Dad. But whoever it was ...

 

[kebo]

The ZT mowers are interesting...I asked about them at a local dealer and was told they would not have the 'stick' for the hills?

Perhaps the ultimate solution would be one big honking tractor, 4WD with proper implements (bushhog, etc) then a ZT mower for tighter areas.

Or something like that.

It sounds from some of the feedback like my 'stuff' is workable just maybe not the most efficient-so this begs the question of whether it is better to just carry on until these tools end life and then purchase something else...in other words, would spending several thousand dollars for something else ultimately improve my situation.

LOL, if you properly maintain those tractors, they may outlast you!!!! :laughing:

As for your decision to not get a tractor with a FEL, you might want to consider that it can help ballast a tractor with weight on the front end when going up hills.... as long as you keep it as low to the ground as you can. If any of the roads throughout your property are steep and rutted or muddy, the extra weight on the front end can help the front wheels gain even more traction (on a 4x4 tractor) than one without a bucket.

"Can you give me some ideas on how I might use an FEL that is not obvious to me...kind of the ole I don't know what I don't?"

Once you have used a FEL, you will find that it is way more useful than you could ever imagine. If we started a thread asking everyone to list the many different ways they've used a FEL, I bet it would be 20 pages long in just 4 days time!


I will give you one example: One day last Spring I was tearing off an old lean to that was attached to a utility building at my parents house. Once I got the roof off and the side torn away, I could get to an old kitchen counter that had been stored at the very back of it. It had been pulled out of their house there when the kitchen was remodeled long before my parents bought it. This thing was about 4ft long, and made of real wood so it was quite heavy, I estimate roughly 100lbs at least. Since I was there working alone, I simply put the FEL bucket under one edge, got off the tractor, and rocked it to sit inside the bucket as best as I could, and then chain it in place. All I had to then was pick it up, and drive it up to the tailgate on the truck, and set it on just above the tailgate. Got off the tractor, unhooked the chain, and slid it into the truck bed. I then drove teh truck with the cabinet to the recycle center and found a new home for it in the dumpster there. No way I would have been able to get it in the truck bed by myself without getting a hernia!! That's just one example of how useful a FEL can be, it doesn't have to be used ONLY for farming uses so keep that in mind! :thumbsup:

 

[Jerry/MT]

[Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry/MT
What are your overall goals for this land?

[The 10 acre big field will one day be pasture. When I bought it, it was loaded with Johnson Grass (a horsey no no) so I am having to revamp it for now. It is also a 'buffer' between my home and the adjoining land.]



What do you want this place to be? Without knowing that, it's hard to provide good advice. On the face of it, you have too many tractors, because you seem to only need a big lawn mower. But as I said, what are your goals for the land?

[For the rest of the land, it is pasture for my horses.]

Why are't you using the 10 acres for grazing or hay?

[For grazing I addressed above-it is currently not suitable for horses. I contacted local hay growers and the cost benefit was not in my favor. I do not have the time or experience to grow hay on my own (or the equipment needed to bale, etc]


I raise cattle and mowing grass pasture for appearance sakes seems wasteful to me. You say that it's very hilly and that's another good reason to "hire" some livestock to graze it for you. It's safer and easier then mowing and if the stock belongs to someone else, there's no additional labor for you. Are there neighbors who might lease pasture from you? Have you considered increasing your stocking rates and thereby reducing or eliminating the cost and time to mow? There are several ways to manage this land to generate some income.


[I would love to generate income but the pasture is not currently fully fenced. I also ride on that field so having cattle around could be...well...interesting if I took my crew over there! LOL]

That machinery sitting there is costing you money in terms of depreciation and deterioration. It's not good to let equipment sit unused. Figure out what you want to do with the land and then you'll know what to keep, sell, and/or replace.

The equipment is not unused-it IS used. I was interested in knowing if it was suitable for the use.

 

[Jerry/MT]

[Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerry/MT
What are your overall goals for this land?

[The 10 acre big field will one day be pasture. When I bought it, it was loaded with Johnson Grass (a horsey no no) so I am having to revamp it for now. It is also a 'buffer' between my home and the adjoining land.]



What do you want this place to be? Without knowing that, it's hard to provide good advice. On the face of it, you have too many tractors, because you seem to only need a big lawn mower. But as I said, what are your goals for the land?

[For the rest of the land, it is pasture for my horses.]

Why are't you using the 10 acres for grazing or hay?

[For grazing I addressed above-it is currently not suitable for horses. I contacted local hay growers and the cost benefit was not in my favor. I do not have the time or experience to grow hay on my own (or the equipment needed to bale, etc]


I raise cattle and mowing grass pasture for appearance sakes seems wasteful to me. You say that it's very hilly and that's another good reason to "hire" some livestock to graze it for you. It's safer and easier then mowing and if the stock belongs to someone else, there's no additional labor for you. Are there neighbors who might lease pasture from you? Have you considered increasing your stocking rates and thereby reducing or eliminating the cost and time to mow? There are several ways to manage this land to generate some income.


[I would love to generate income but the pasture is not currently fully fenced. I also ride on that field so having cattle around could be...well...interesting if I took my crew over there! LOL]

That machinery sitting there is costing you money in terms of depreciation and deterioration. It's not good to let equipment sit unused. Figure out what you want to do with the land and then you'll know what to keep, sell, and/or replace.

The equipment is not unused-it IS used. I was interested in knowing if it was suitable for the use. The equipment that you have is apparently being used for whatever you are doing with it so it would seem to me that it must be suitable for YOUR purposes. It seems to me that you are somewhat over equipped, however

Nonetheless, based on your above stated goals , I'd sell the Mahindra and the 2WD JD and some of the smaller duplicate equipment, keeping the 5 ft hog, the belly mower, the finish mower, and a seeder and buy a pasture harrow for dragging your pastures to break up the manure. You might add an estate sized manure spreader to fertilize your pastures with manure and straw from you stall barns, if that's applicable. If you have a lot of stalled horse, you might keep the small JD and put a loader on it to do your stall cleaning if it fits that purpose or get a small skid steer for that.

Good luck!