Tractor for haying?

[Blee25]

I have a question for you guys who have experience with hay. I am considering upgrading my JD 3320 and am looking at tractors in the 35-40pto horsepower range. I would like the tractor to be able to allow me cut my own hay in the future. I would like to cut and rake, then have someone come and round bale it. It would only be a about five acres all flat land. I would be looking to use an older 6 or 7 foot sicklemower/conditioner. In your guys opinion would 35-40 pto horsepower be sufficient?

Also I understand it would make more financial sense to just pay someone to do it all, but it's about my enjoyment not the money.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

Blee

 

[JiminGa]

5103 is 38 pto hp and should be plenty for a 6 ft mower.

 

[aczlan]

my father in law has a Kubota 3830 (~38 hp) which he uses on his New Holland Mower Conditioner and his NH Baler, he hasn't had any complaints about lack of power in the 2 years he has had it...


Aaron Z

 

[Egon]

What will you do with the hay.

 

[jimg]

The hp range you spec'd is plenty for all the implements mentioned. I think it might also be enough for a 4x4 rd baler too. My neighbor has either a hi-end L series or lo-end M series Kubota and he runs a Hesston 4x4 baler w/ it. For sure his tractor is in the hp range youre looking at. To my knowledge he doesnt have any problems pulling it over his fields (which are relatively flat).

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Depending on what sort of baler you choose, 40 to 45 hp can be plenty. Some bigger balers will tax that sort of power output, but there's plenty that will work with less power. A 7' sicklebar mower takes next to no power. Sicklebar mower CONDITIONER will take a little bit more but still not a real power robber. I've pulled a rake with a Suzuki 4-wheeler before. No sweat for a 40 hp tractor. Some smaller compacts, while having enough muscle, they fall a little short in the muscle mass catagory. A baler can be a real shock load on a pto drivetrain. You want enough tractor to handle that. Don't under-rate yourself there. Also, haying isn't just about power. It's maybe even more so about TOWING a heavy load. Some balers and just about any loaded wagon will shove a tractor right on down a slick hillside or drag you backwards going up any significant hill. Throw in a little "wet" and you have the recipe for disaster. You need enough bulk in a haying tractor to deal with those towing loads. That doesn't mean a 15,000lb ballasted 4wd, but a 4000lb compact towing a wagon with 120 bales of alfalfa can be an instant thrill ride.

From what I see on todays market, the best buys in a tractor in the size/power/weight class I'd suggest would be either the Deere 5X03 series OR 500 series Massey Fergusons. A lot of tractor for the money and built for general farm utility work, both priced very competitively.

 

[slowzuki]

I hear the JD 5103 is now a synchro tranny but be aware the older ones are not, which is a huge pain for mowing and baling.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If you are looking for a mower/conditioner look for a 7' unit as it would be a perfect size for that size tractor. A rake doesn't use much power at all.

To add another tractor to what FWJ recommended looking at there is the TT line from New Holland.

And if you do decide in the future to buy a baler a small utility tractor will run a small round baler or lighter small square baler just fine on flat ground. If you are on hills you might want a heavier tractor.

 

[Blee25]

Thanks for the advice. I have looked at the JD 5x03 and the NH TT series. Both look like nice tractors. Right now I am leaning towards the CaseIH dx45 or Dx55. I am a little biased towards IH. I won't be doing the baling just cutting a rakeing.

blee

 

[flusher]

I have a question for you guys who have experience with hay. I am considering upgrading my JD 3320 and am looking at tractors in the 35-40pto horsepower range. I would like the tractor to be able to allow me cut my own hay in the future. I would like to cut and rake, then have someone come and round bale it. It would only be a about five acres all flat land. I would be looking to use an older 6 or 7 foot sicklemower/conditioner. In your guys opinion would 35-40 pto horsepower be sufficient?

Also I understand it would make more financial sense to just pay someone to do it all, but it's about my enjoyment not the money.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

Blee

I'm doing the same thing on my 10 acres that you're planning to do. Figured I need at least 40 hp (pto) to handle the square baler. Also need to rip with a subsoiler, plow and disc (my flat pasture hasn't been farmed in decades and has considerable compaction).

My solution: bought a new Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto) from Dave of Dave's Tractor. Dave delivered it yesterday.

It has 2WD, partial constant mesh transmission (8F/2R), power steering and it's heavy (5370 lb without filled tires, excluding the FEL). These Indian tractors are built really stout and trace their lineage to the IH B414 diesels of the 1960s.

The brush hog is a 6-ft Hawkline with 50 hp gearbox and slip clutch, made in Ohio. It's equivalent to a KK mower.

Traded my 2005 Kubota B7510HST/LA302 FEL as part of the deal

Dave welded chain hooks onto the bucket

and installed triple remotes

Spring tractor sales are in full swing now and Dave made me an offer I couldn't refuse. With the trade-in and 0%/48 month financing, my monthly tractor payment has actually dropped about $100. Too good a deal to pass up.

It's hard to justify the cost of haying just 10 acres but, like you, it's not about the money, it's about the fun of the challenge to do something that you've always wanted to do.

 

[Blee25]

I'm doing the same thing on my 10 acres that you're planning to do. Figured I need at least 40 hp (pto) to handle the square baler. Also need to rip with a subsoiler, plow and disc (my flat pasture hasn't been farmed in decades and has considerable compaction).

My solution: bought a new Mahindra 5525 (55 hp engine, 45 hp pto) from Dave of Dave's Tractor. Dave delivered it yesterday.

It has 2WD, partial constant mesh transmission (8F/2R), power steering and it's heavy (5370 lb without filled tires, excluding the FEL). These Indian tractors are built really stout and trace their lineage to the IH B414 diesels of the 1960s.

The brush hog is a 6-ft Hawkline with 50 hp gearbox and slip clutch, made in Ohio. It's equivalent to a KK mower.

Traded my 2005 Kubota B7510HST/LA302 FEL as part of the deal

Dave welded chain hooks onto the bucket

and installed triple remotes

Spring tractor sales are in full swing now and Dave made me an offer I couldn't refuse. With the trade-in and 0%/48 month financing, my monthly tractor payment has actually dropped about $100. Too good a deal to pass up.

It's hard to justify the cost of haying just 10 acres but, like you, it's not about the money, it's about the fun of the challenge to do something that you've always wanted to do.

Congrats on a great deal. Looks like a super tractor. I always wanted to be a farmer when I grew up, I my never be a real farmer but I am not to old to pretend. CaseIH is offering 0% for 60 or 1.9% for 72 on the Farmall's I am looking at, hard to turn that down.

 

[mark.r]

Semi related, at one time some had mentioned some issues in building quality with the JD 5X03, I think it was in the JD forum. Something to do with them being built overseas or something. Does anyone recall what that maybe about?

 

[chh]

Nice setup there Flusher. Congrats on the new tractor purchase.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

I have a question for you guys who have experience with hay. I am considering upgrading my JD 3320 and am looking at tractors in the 35-40pto horsepower range. I would like the tractor to be able to allow me cut my own hay in the future. I would like to cut and rake, then have someone come and round bale it. It would only be a about five acres all flat land. I would be looking to use an older 6 or 7 foot sicklemower/conditioner. In your guys opinion would 35-40 pto horsepower be sufficient?

Also I understand it would make more financial sense to just pay someone to do it all, but it's about my enjoyment not the money.

Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

Blee

Sounds like you don't have any experience with a mower-conditioner. A piece of advice. You need to match ground speed and reel speed. You want the reel to just assist in getting the cut grass up and back to the crimp rollers. At proper speed power reuirementa aren't bad. Power requirements really climb if you are going too slow and the reel is trying to pull the grass into the machine.

I used a MF165D (50+ HP) and until I got the hang of it, going to slow, the MC was taxing the tractor. Figured out what was going on an up the ground speed and power requirement dropped big time.

My PT7 I had came with 2 sprocket for the reel to help with fine tuning the reel speed to the ground speed.

 

[Slippy]

How do you know when you have matched them up?

 

[AKfish]

Mark.r --- the 5x03's are built in India with a JD engine (PowerTech). I'm assuming that the tranny is a JD version given the 9x3 configuration (long-time JD tranny).

Haven't heard a great deal from users one way or the other --- pros and cons. But it's not been around that long, yet.

The tranny is a good improvement, IMO, over the previous 8x2 offered on the 5x05 models. There was some consternation with the 05's that the ground speed was either too fast or too slow --- especially if you wanted to run a baler with them.

Curious about Mickey_Fx particular model/brand of mower-conditioner, too?

What exactly was/is it?

Thanks.

AKfish

 

[Mickey_Fx]

My first comment was based on the intitial post in this thread. Peson mentioned a sickle bar design MC.

My mower was a Heston PT7 and at the time almost all mower/conditioners was of the sickle bar design.

How do you know when you have the speeds balanced, watch the reel and you should not see the reel pulling the grass into the mower. If you are going too slow you'll see the reel grabing and trying to pull the grass into the mower.

How heavy a crop you are trying to cut will have an impact on this. Around here first cutting grass would yield 4T/A on average. Had a few fields where yield was a lot higher. Remember one field where the grass was so tall I had to stand up to get a good view, grass was shoulder high. If you're dealing with short crop, balancing speed may not be an issue. Proper speed will min power requirements.

MF/Heston still has a sickle bar design MC.

 

[AKfish]

flusher -- that's a real fine setup! Especially like those rear mounted SCV's. Nice, clean install. Those Mahindra's are stout, beefy lookin' machines!

Good competition for JD, MF, NH in the utility sized Ag machines.

Mickey_Fx --- Thanks. Hesston, huh? Up here; they're the leaders in hay production machines, etc.

What PTO hp were you using?

AKfish

 

[mark.r]

Mark.r --- the 5x03's are built in India with a JD engine (PowerTech). I'm assuming that the tranny is a JD version given the 9x3 configuration (long-time JD tranny).

Haven't heard a great deal from users one way or the other --- pros and cons. But it's not been around that long, yet.

The tranny is a good improvement, IMO, over the previous 8x2 offered on the 5x05 models. There was some consternation with the 05's that the ground speed was either too fast or too slow --- especially if you wanted to run a baler with them.

Curious about Mickey_Fx particular model/brand of mower-conditioner, too?

What exactly was/is it?


Thanks.

AKfish

Ok, that's probably what I had heard. I had gotten the impression that they were getting less than stellar reviews. I actually think my friend has a 52XX or a 54XX but I don't know enough about JD's to really know. I have sat in it but that was it.

 

[flusher]

flusher -- that's a real fine setup! Especially like those rear mounted SCV's. Nice, clean install. Those Mahindra's are stout, beefy lookin' machines!

Good competition for JD, MF, NH in the utility sized Ag machines.

Mickey_Fx --- Thanks. Hesston, huh? Up here; they're the leaders in hay production machines, etc.

What PTO hp were you using?

AKfish

Thanks. Those flat-top fenders make the triple remote installation a pretty straight-forward addition. You're right about the Mahindra being stout. That's real sheet metal on the body work. Not a bit of plastic on that beauty except the seat cushion and the plastic lenses on the lights and gauges.