Want to purchase first tractor, HELP !!!

mncTX · Jul 3, 2005

Hi all,

I have been reading this forum for some time now and found lots of helpful advice. Now that I am ready to purchase my first tractor, I would really appreciate some advice.

Here is what I have....

110 acres of which 40 acres is natural bush country, the remainder grazing. I am going to be picking up the neighbors ranch soon which is 125 acres of brushland.

I will need a backhoe and FEL. I plan on clearing the 40 acres of brushland left on my piece, (possibly myself, but will need to root plow etc, but it might be worth my while to rather bring in a third party to do this, although the cost for this approx $8,000 could be added to my purchase price and do it myself and get a larger tractor, not sure, just thinking out loud)

I will be maintaining about 4 miles of dirt roads, I want to smooth out the 100 acres as much as possible to remove all the large ruts, holes etc and will need to mow. I plan on about 5 acres of lawn around the house which I will also need to mow.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Soundguy · Jul 3, 2005

110 ac going to be 235? Ag tractor teritory..90 pto hp and up.
150hp wouldn't be ridiculess.

90 pto hp gets you into the 12' and 15' mower range.

soundguy

Egon · Jul 3, 2005

For starters get a little riding mower for the lawn.

Contract out the 40 acre clearing. A dozer with a brush rake goes quite quickly. He could also disk the area so you can work it with your own equipment.

It would sound like a good sized agricultural tractor may be in order. Backhoe for this type tractor may present problems with price and removal. Front loader no problems.

It would also sound like you may need a few cultivation implements to work out and smooth down some of the areas.

Do some looking at whats availbe in your area and keep on thinking about your present needs as compared to future needs.

An agricultural tractor starting around 100 HP may be where the looking should start. Less HP will do it but takes much more time.

Biggest problem I see is the backhoe versus agricultural combination.

Happy shopping. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon

mncTX · Jul 3, 2005

Thank you both for responding.

Here is where I am at now, yes I will end up with a total 235 acres, but 100 of that will remain natural brush. I have decided to get a small ride on for the lawn around the house as suggested. I am also going to purchase a used backhoe/FEL to be used by the ranch hands so I do not have to worry too much about my new toy.

I am now just going to look for a tractor that can still have a FEL, but not worried about the backhoe for it.

Which brands and models should I start looking at, so far I like the JD 5,000 series, but like everyone if there is better value out there to do the same job, I am interested.

Thanks again

mncTX · Jul 4, 2005

Looked at JD website again and sorry, it is the 6,000 JD series and not the 5,000 series I like so far.

tough451 · Jul 4, 2005

The 400 series Massey's are simple and nice but the 5000 series Massey is more equal with the 6000 series Deere. We have a 5420 JD and I like to run it . Mostly find a dealer you can get along well with no matter the brand.

Kyle_in_Tex · Jul 4, 2005

I agree with previous stated. Hire out the root plow/disk operation. Buy your tractor based on needs after fields are root plowed and disked.
An older Backhoe can be a handy tool. Why would you need to hand it over to field hands? Do you have more land you are responsible for?

A JD 6000 series is a serious machine that a complete hay operation business could be built around. However, if you are just starting out, I would recommend buying used equipment from a reputable dealer that will service the stuff you buy from them. This will get you the most equipment for your money. As you learn, you'll know what your future needs will be and what to spend.

Another note: To effectively root plow, a D7 will do work that a D5 won't and a D6 will struggle to do. It can be worth the extra $ per hour to have a bigger dozer show up and get the root plowing done quicker.

mncTX · Jul 5, 2005

Again thanks for all the responses.

Yes, in addition to my 235 acres, I have a further 5,000 acres of mineral rights. I have numerous oil wells on these properties, however, I just own the rights below the surface.

Therefore, I am responsible for maintaining the access roads to the wells and also cleanups etc which is why I want a backhoe and FEL field hands can use. I do not want to buy a new rig for the ranch and then have everyone use and abuse when I am not there.

On my next trip down to the ranch, I am going to go by all the local dealerships and see what they have available and see level of service offered etc.

thanks again for all the help.