Tractor for 55 acre farm any suggestions?

[Sideoutds]

First a little about my operation. We have a CSA ( consumer supported agriculture) where we take ppls money before the season in exchange for approximately 10lbs of veggies per week for an certain no. of weeks. We plant tomatoes, bell pepper, squash, cucumbers, watermelons, sweet corn, field corn, wheat, okra, and pretty much anything that will grow in south Mississippi, including cut flowers. In all we plant around 10 acres. We bail hay, square and round bails. I will also be using this tractor with a woodmizer sawmill. Normally, everything is done with a John Deere 2510, it has a tricycle front end. I want to get a new or newish tractor that will do everything.

I combine my wheat with an old Allis Chalmers All-Crop combine.

I have looked at the Massey Ferguson 2615 and 2635, mahindra 7560 and 6530, Kioti Dk55, case ih Farmall 55a, a couple Kubota's, and New Holland. I haven't eliminated anything yet. I also have not test operated anything yet. I have no knowledge of new tractors as all my equipment except a plastic mulch layer is at least 30 years old.

I need a tractor that'll pull a disc, skid logs, bush hog, and everything in between. I'm planning on spending around 30,000 with a front end loader.

Thanks for any info you give,

 

[Ed of all trades]

I am sure you already know the HP you need and the wheel spacing you need, so it is just a matter of brand. We all have our favorite brand and I would bet that in many cases it has to do with how well the dealer treats us. Go with the dealer you trust the most and know that no tractor is perfect, we might think ours is at times but that's just us.

 

[wolftree]

I would not be too concerned about the driving distance to your chosen brand dealer. I often have small parts shipped by UPS or FedEx and save the gas to travel there. As much as we complain about shipping charges, they are cheaper than driving after them usually.

 

[Bigfoot62]

Take a look at this: http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7339199
That's a 70 hp MFWD with a new loader. The tractor only has 567 hours. Mine has almost that many. Great tractors. It will handle up to 5'x6' round bales. Very fuel efficient. Mine averages about 1.5 gallons per hour cutting hay. (with a Kuhn GMD 600 mower)

 

[dbaer78]

Since you are going to be relying on this tractor for income I would try and buy from the dealer that has the best parts and service departments. This will make inevitable repairs as painless as possible. Small farmers in my area seem to really like the 5000 series Deeres and similarly sized New Hollands. Since you're actually farming I would pay close attention to the weight of the tractor along with horsepower. I wouldn't think you would want anything that weighed less than your 2510. Just test drive as many as possible and enjoy shopping. Good luck!

 

[flusher]

That 2510 has 55 hp (pto). I assume you want to stick with this size.
All the major dealers have offerings in this range.

My big tractor is a 2008 55 hp (engine), 45 hp (pto) Mahindra 5525. A simple, heavy gear shift tractor that cost $19K with 6-ft wide FEL, skid steer quick attach on the FEL, triple rear hydraulic remotes.

Check the Mahindra website for specs and MSRP.

Mahindra Tractors - World's #1 Selling Tractor including Compact tractors, Sub-Compact Tractors, Utility Tractors and Farm Tractors with Loaders, Backhoes, Implements, Mowers and more.

Good luck.

 

[jenkinsph]

Sideoutsds,
Welcome to the forum.

Have you tried Southern Tractor to look for a Deere?


I would think you will find it is hard to find the perfect tractor to do everything but would really recommend you get a 4x4 tractor for your locale. I used to live out of Summit and had 3020's and 4020's back in the day. The newer 4x4 tractors would have helped me alot. You might want to consider something like a 5083E or similar used tractor.

Are you keeping the tractors you have or trading/selling these, I ask because it would seem wiser to use the older tractors in the woods and save the damage on your new tractor. You will probably find the small tractors to be much more handy for gardening too.

 

[Sideoutds]

Thanks for all the replies!
I have looked at southern tractor in Summit and the New Holland place. I was looking at the 5065e, the workmaster 65, Farmall 65a and the mahindra 6530, 7060. I don't plan on selling anything, I love the old tractors. I'm a bit leery of anything that has economy and tractor side by side. I know nothing about the new tractors so are they made cheaper and with less features or are they made with just less features. It seems to me that some of these economy models are more geared towards ppl who only use them part time. I just wonder if these tractors would hold up to pulling a disc skidding logs and such. I'm beginning to think that maybe the best thing to do is to buy something like a 5065m that has a few years on it. Maybe I'm over thinking this but if I'm going to spend a lot of money I want to make sure I get the best for the money spent.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Hey from a neighbor in central MS. I hope your CSA does well. I would like to talk with you about that some other time. My thought is too much is almost as bad as too little. I have 5010 Mahindra and it is our primary tractor. I had a budget and shopped for new or used to fit our needs. From what I read, there are lots of options to fit your pulling needs. I see the same problems I had to contend with. Transmission and planting spacing. Transmission is of the utmost importance if you ever plan to use waterwheel transplanter. I bought gear to have more pto HP. Hst will be much easier to use with waterwheel. Spacing may not be as big for you with tricycle on the farm.
I like all flavors of tractor. I'm now trying to set Mahindra up to cultivate crops we don't plant on plastic. What kind of bedder layer are you pulling? I personally like the smallest tractor that will do the job. It's just easier to deal with. I looked long and hard at Deere, but I really wanted a cab for spraying and bush hogging and it did not fit my budget. I have a great dealer in town that has really worked hard to get stuff I needed. They carry Mahindra and kioti. Our farm started as cattle, vegetables were for us. Now cows are gone and strawberries take their place. We have been very blessed that tractor worked out for this.

 

[jenkinsph]

Today I was working over a small field for a local property owner who has a 2510 gas tractor. Sure dwarfed my 4520 compact when parked next to it. For what you are looking for I would skip over the 5065M and go with a 5075M or 5085M as the higher pto hp will come in handy while baling and disking. Good tractors aren't cheap though but would add that the financing offers available may make it more reasonable for you. The finance offers available today are very good for most brands across the board, and putting off buying a new tractor until later may not be a good idea. The prices seem to keep going up at an alarming rate so I tend to buy new equipment and get the full featured models then plan on keeping them till the wheels fall off. When the equipment is fully depreciated and paid for there is usually something else needed to buy so I guess I stay on a treadmill. I try to keep my equipment that I depend on for a living in good shape and find that newer trucks, tractors and tools are simply more dependable in my experience.

Ten acres is alot of garden and beyond the scope of most of us here, I would take care in selecting the right equipment that is need for this and try to up grade this equipment first. I say this because assuming this equipment is used on a 55 acre parcel and 10 acres is devoted to the garden then you are left with a mix of hay fields and woods. If the balance is mostly open fields then it would appear there isn't much need for a logging tractor. If it is mostly woods then not much need for haying tractors and equipment. So I would tend to think most of the money to be made long term will be in the labor intensive gardening. I would wan't whatever equipment made that gardening job easier.

 

[Sideoutds]

The mulch layer is a rain flo irrigation 2550. I was going to get the 2600 but it say a minimum of 65hp 4wd. The 2510 is a bit light in the front end so u have to start a lil slow coming from the barn or you'll pop a wheelie but once it's on the ground it pulls it pretty well, the ole Deere weighs in around 6500 lbs. I also don't like that the tricycle front in packs the soil right befor forming it up into a row. I also want one of these for cultivating around he plastic which is impossible with a tricycle front end.
Model CS | Hillside Cultivator Company, LLC

The land is around 40 acres pasture and 15 acres of woods give or take 2 to 3 acres. I also buy logs here and there to cut for projects. The mill is a woodmizer lt40 no hydraulics so it's a pain loading logs on it with the winch that's one of the reasons I want a loader.

 

[Reyer Farms]

The mulch layer is a rain flo irrigation 2550. I was going to get the 2600 but it say a minimum of 65hp 4wd. The 2510 is a bit light in the front end so u have to start a lil slow coming from the barn or you'll pop a wheelie but once it's on the ground it pulls it pretty well, the ole Deere weighs in around 6500 lbs. I also don't like that the tricycle front in packs the soil right befor forming it up into a row. I also want one of these for cultivating around he plastic which is impossible with a tricycle front end.
Model CS | Hillside Cultivator Company, LLC

The land is around 40 acres pasture and 15 acres of woods give or take 2 to 3 acres. I also buy logs here and there to cut for projects. The mill is a woodmizer lt40 no hydraulics so it's a pain loading logs on it with the winch that's one of the reasons I want a loader.

Rainflo is a good one, makes a good tight bed. Do you have center fillers on it? I think it's 10hp per inch of bed height and a margin of error for MS clays and 65-70 HP is looking pretty good. We use 6" high beds but buckeye does not pull as hard as a Rainflo.
I like the hillside cultivator. I'm going back to that site to look at it some more.

 

[Sideoutds]

I do not have the fillers. It does a good job if the ground is broken up well. I'll be going Thursday to test up some of these tractors I've been looking at. Hopefully I can make a decision.

 

[Edward. S]

Take pictures! And tell us how you liked the features etc.

 

[Sideoutds]

Is this a good pric for this tractor?
http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7465345
Yea I had planned on taking some pictures of the tractors so I can go back and look at them while making my decision.

 

[Edward. S]

Its alright, can do better on the price. I can help you look too.

 

[downslope]

Are you planning on leaving the loader on all the time or taking it on and off for the vegetable bedding, cultivating, spraying, etc? I usually prefer to keep a loader on one of the older tractors so that the new tractor is available for all the everyday tillage and vegetable work.

You're right about the tricycle tractor, you really want a wide front end for laying plastic. Also for cultivating/subsoiling between the 4 foot plastic you'll probably need the wheels set at least 68-72 inches. For vegetable work I like to have high clearence if possible, better with narrower 38" tires than wide 28 or 30 inch. As someone else mentioned it's nice to have a tractor that can run run slow if you are going to run a transplanter or do close cultivating. I believe a creeper gear can be added to larger Kubotas with a dealer kit for not too much cost. Also certain JD's the creeper could be either factory or dealer installed. There are also some older IH Hydros of different sizes that are very nice for vegetable work.

I think you are smart to hang onto the older usable tractors. You've got a lot of things going on and it's nice not to have to keep switching implements and also have a backup if one tractor is down.

I would keep looking for something used or maybe new that best meets the bulk of your needs.

Edit: Sorry, I didn't see you list of existing tractors, you already have some nice older stuff. I think you will be tight to buy major brand new for $30K with loader, maybe a New Holland TD or plain jane Kubota 70-80 HP open stations. The Kubota is nice because like I said you can get it with the creeper trans if you have a need for that. Some times you can get by with a little less HP on the plastic bedder by making two passes, second one with the plastice and drip tape.

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[Sideoutds]

I looked at the John Deere 5065E and the New Holland Workmaster 65. Here are some pictures I took.

 

[Sideoutds]

i also had some video of me working the front end loader on the John Deere. The John Deere has 9Fx3R transmission, the New Holland had a 8Fx2R. When I first cranked it up it ran really rough for the first minute or so. The salesman gave me the keys and then went inside to work up a price for me. I drove it around and operated the FEL on it. I tried all 3 ranges in Forward and Reverse, played with the 3 pt hitch, everything worked smoothly. He gave me a quote of $31,769.50 after taxes. The New Holland has a 600lb weight advantage, that's without the loader. I didn't see any specs on the weight of the loaders just what they would lift. I did not get to operate the loader on the Workmaster because it was still on a pallet they had just gotten the 65hp workmaster in. On paper the John Deere has a 600lb advantage on the lifting capacity with the front end loader. 3 pt lift capacity for the new holland is 3276 at the ball ends and for the John Deere is 3192 24" behind the ball ends. The salesman at the New Holland dealer said the the engine in the workmaster was an Iveco which somehow had something to do with Cummings.

I have a few questions maybe some of you could answer. I don't know much about the axle set up on the New Holland, to me it seems like it would be a weaker than just having axles coming straight out. I noticed that the John Deere has a 3 cylinder and the New Holland has 4, I don't know if this would be an advantage or disadvantage. I know that the engine on my sawmill is a cat 3 cylinder but other than that I'm not a diesel mechanic. I also noticed the whine from the transmission of the New Holland, I had read another thread on here where they were talking about it, according to them it was from the way the gears were cut. Last thing is both of these tractors have a Dry Clutch. I have heard a "wet" clutch is better but don't really know the difference.

The New Holland Dealer never gave me a print out of exact price it would cost but he said it would be around $28000.00, I think I may call him and get him to send me an exact quote tomorrow.

Overall, I really liked both tractors, I would have liked to have operated the Workmaster 65 with the FEL on it. I will also be purchasing with a grapple for the FEL. I will be going to the Massey Ferguson dealer in the morning to try out the 2535. It has a bit more HP than these two tractosr at 74 HP Engine and 60 HP PTO.

 

[Reyer Farms]

Man I really like the Deere. I'm like you on the rear end, I'm sure it's fine but it just don't look right. The smaller work master was not like that when I looked at them. I like cylinders behind the front axle, seems more protected. The new holland had a nice feel to it, and I wonder if ride is better with the way the rear end sets???? You probably can't go wrong with either. Price seems fair, I was quoted 26 and some change for just the 5055 when I was shopping. Went with the smaller Mahindra with cab and loader same money. Interested in how the Massey compares, I really like a Massey, no dealer close sells them.