What to invest in?

[Illinoisdmax]

Your are describing a 5410. 5410 is 85 HP and ~65 PTO. made right in the early range but toward the end it would have been a newer 5420. That's my guess.

Case sure is nice. I've never gotten a case tractor but have had a baler and hay mower from them.

Were there different versions of the 5410? What would be the closest model to that, that might have a cab?

 

[Illinoisdmax]

Ok I just looked through some old pics, it was a 5420. Would I be able to sufficiently be able to plow and disk my pasture with 80 HP? Or should I look at the 5520's?

 

[CowboyRon]

When I was young, my dad used a heston win rower. I don't see these anymore and I wonder why. It seemed to do a good job of cutting and putting the hay in neat rows, so we didn't need a rake.
I would like to get back in the hay business also. Does anyone still use these?

 

[Martian]

Were there different versions of the 5410? What would be the closest model to that, that might have a cab?

The 5x20/5x10 are the different models. ie. 5210, 5310, 5510 and the same with the 5x20 series. I would say a 5410/5420 would suit you well. All of them had a cab optional from the factory - you just have to find one. Do you need a loader? If not this could work:
http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6610532&

If you do need a loader you can get one for 4k. Would you need 4x4? Here's a 5310 with cab and loader but no 4x4:
http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6561611&

I think that you definitely want a cab but how about a loader and 4x4? I just can't seem to find any with both. 20k wouldn't be quite enough for a 5x20 series with a cab but if you could stretch your budget that would be the best option IMO.

Again I've bailed with my 5410 for ten years and I over killed. Pretty much any 5000 series Deere will do the job for you.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Back in the 80's a had a small custom haying business. My MF165D was more than enough tractor. As has been said, with a sq baler one doesn't want to be pushed around by plunger action and a light tractor. Had a friend and he and brothers farmed about 80A (hay and row crops) and had a 165 gas and a Dave Brown, both in the 50hp range.

Don't know anything about haying in your area but here, rain is a big issue in the spring. My equip list included a Heston PT7 mower conditioner, a Madds Amby side del rake. Conventional side del rakes rope the crop and that doesn't work for long, stemy crops that have a lot of moisture in them. Had a 2 row tedder and finished up operation with a JD 336 baler.

I worked the equip hard (punching out 50# bales about every 10-12 strokes with the JD running 80 strokes/min) and only piece of equipment that gave me any problems was the baler. I'd vote for an old MF124 baler. Their knoters were quite unique.

Good luck on your adventure. Lot of pleasure to be had if one didn't have to spend much time looking up at a broken piece of equip in the field.

 

[Martian]

dmax,

Have thought any more on what your intent is or are you holding off for now?

 

[flusher]

Howdy everyone, I'm really enjoying all the good feedback on this site!

I don't know how to make this post without gettin too complicated but here we go.

I'm gonna start off this spring makin hay for the first time on 10 acres of old horse pasture on my 52 acre property. I have another 20 tillable at this location that I currently lease out to a grain farmer. After taking the advice from some members here I've decided it would be best to start small and invest as little as possible doin this hay for now until I've learned the ropes a little better to move on to bigger things.

Here's my question. What should I be looking for in a good bailing tractor? Specific models would be nice. Green is out of the question, never been a Deere fan. I currently have an IH 2504, just a 504 utility model with a loader. I grew up with this machine and she's currently gettin an overhaul by me. It's a good little tractor but at 45 horse I can't do much but brush hog and haul around little things in the bucket. I don't know if its just lack of weight in the rear end or not but she just really can't push much.

So........ I'd love to have a tractor with a cab, but I'd also love to have somethin with a quicktach loader too. I'd like to keep my budget around 20k because I still have to buy hay implements.

Do I just stick it out with the 504 for utility work and find some way to improve its capability and for hay, just get an older 86 series that will only serve one purpose? Or do I look to invest in a nice AG/utility with a loader so I can finally let the old girl rest? Sorry for the long post.

I grow oat hay (a hobby, not a business) on 6 of my 10 acres using a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering, triple rear hydraulic remotes) with the ML250 FEL (6-ft wide bucket, 2950 lb lift to 10.5 ft height, skid steer quick attach on the FEL arms). Cost: about $19K new.

My baler is an MF124 two-twine small square baler ($2000).

My soil is thin gravely loam, so primary tillage is done with a 6.5 ft Towner offset disc (a gift from a neighbor) with secondary tillage with a 7-ft Ferguson tandem disc ($200).

Planting: a restored Minneapolis Moline P3-6 grain drill (10 ft wide, 20 drops, single disc openers) ($275 for two discs and about 2 months labor and $300 in new parts to make one good drill)

Mowing: 7-ft MF31 sicklebar mower ($550 plus about $250 in new parts). I'll probably switch to a drum mower this year.

Rake: JD 300 3 pt, pto driven 5-bar side delivery rake ($800).


Good luck

 

[Robert_in_NY]

If I recall you have basically flat ground. Your 45 horse tractor can handle a baler with thrower and kicker wagon on dry ground. Find some mud and you may have to unhook the wagon to get out. I run a NH 575 baler with thrower behind my TN65 which is around 47pto hp. The TN handles the baler ok. My 7710-II handled it a lot better and could use it to its capacity but the TN has done well over the years. I also run a 9' discbine and that uses more power then the baler does. I'm undersized on the discbine but I am ok as long as I keep it geared properly (I really miss my 7710).

To start out I would look at what you have growing in your field currently. Some fields just naturally grow good timothy, others grow goldenrod. If your field is able to bale as native grass then your set to get started cheaper. If its all weed then you need to kill the field, let it start to grow again and kill it again. If your field is smooth you can no-till in the new seed (Bill (aka, FarmWithJunk), thinks your area is good for no tilling so I would trust his advice). Here our county soil and water division at the ag center has a couple 5' no till drills they rent out cheap to erosion control. They have 5'ers because of the vineyards limiting the width we can use in the rows so they keep them small so everyone can use them. But its cheap to rent here and you can plant 10 acres rather quickly even with a 5' unit.

For baling a lot of guys use disc or drum mowers on here. I have never seen one in my area but we have more moisture then mosts and use conditioner units instead. Either with a sickle bar or disc bar for the cutting head. I used an old NH 489 haybine my first year and it did the job but was slow for the size I was trying to run. They are very cheap to buy but if you look at one with conditioning rolls you need to inspect the rollers and make sure their in good shape. I bought a Gehl discbine that first year and will never go back. Its so much faster and I never have to touch a blade in the field. They hold up well and get changed out at the end of season in the barn. I don't remember how many times I had a sickle blade pop loose or a guard get bent and I would have to shut down and mess around fixing it so it would cut properly. It was just annoying for me but for a small scale operation it would be fine.

I use a tedder but thats because of the moisture here. You can get by without a tedder if your have nice hot dry weather in your area with lower humidity.

I rake with a NH 256 side delivery rake. It does a good job and while its not a perfect system its affordable and works. You will find NH brings a premium for side delivery rakes (well around here they do). Deere is next but then you can find older rakes real cheap that still work like Ford, International, New Idea..... just make sure their in good shape and they work properly and for a few hundred dollars you have a rake.

My discbine was my most expensive implement used at $9k and my baler was second. I bought it used for a great price ($7500), a couple steel kicker wagons at the same time for $2k each (I then bought one new one for $3300 for just the basket, and another used for $1700) so that I had enough wagons for when I bale. A 8x18 kicker wagon will hold around 130 bales if tossed in loose, 190 if stacked. (9x18 holds roughly 25 more).

I originally was looking at a NH 326 baler but didn't jump fast enough but am still happy with the 575. If you can afford to look at the NH 320 or 326, their good balers and like most NH balers have a great parts support. Their getting older but are not too old yet so you can still find good ones for a great price.

There are a lot of different options to get started with haying but I would set yourself up so that your current tractor can handle every implement you buy. Then if you buy a larger tractor it can assume the heavy work but if it breaks down you still have a tractor to hay with. There are also lots of different types of cutters, rakes, tedders and balers. Your area is going to be different then mine because of what dealers you had. If you had a great Ford/NH dealer then you will find more of those items, if Case was popular then you will find more of the Case/International/Hesston implements around you. Same goes with MF/New Idea and Deere. So if you start looking and have any questions don't hesitate to ask on here and I am sure you will get some great advice from people who have either used the implements/tractors, worked on them or just been around them (growing up and such). Try to find a baler locally though as their a pain in the butt to transport unless you get an inline.

 

[Illinoisdmax]

I have an implement dealer about 5 miles from my place. They have quite a bit of inventory, they're just a little old school and I've never really felt too welcomed there. I got a quote to have my 504 split to replace the input shaft seal into the tranny and adjust the clutch and he told me after parts and labor it would be well over 2500 dollars. So far I've done the work myself and its been fairly simple. I really do want to look into gettin a 5420 or equivalent since I have a lot of experience using that tractor.

Problem is, the implement dealer down the road was a JD dealership and was forced to drop the JD line because of some bad deals that went on. They still have a bunch of JD's on the lot but won't be able to get me parts at the price they could when they were Deere. They carry the Mcormick brand now, which I know nothing about.

 

[Martian]

I have an implement dealer about 5 miles from my place. They have quite a bit of inventory, they're just a little old school and I've never really felt too welcomed there. I got a quote to have my 504 split to replace the input shaft seal into the tranny and adjust the clutch and he told me after parts and labor it would be well over 2500 dollars. So far I've done the work myself and its been fairly simple. I really do want to look into gettin a 5420 or equivalent since I have a lot of experience using that tractor.

Problem is, the implement dealer down the road was a JD dealership and was forced to drop the JD line because of some bad deals that went on. They still have a bunch of JD's on the lot but won't be able to get me parts at the price they could when they were Deere. They carry the Mcormick brand now, which I know nothing about.

That's a shame. What's the next closest dealer?

McCormick is a good tractor but nothing compared to a Deere or the other leading manufactures for that matter.

5420 would be right for you but if I recall you wanted to spend under $20k. A nice 5420 would be closer to $27-$30k. They would be just right though. If you want to stick to the lower of your budget a 5410 would do just as well without the newer bells and whistles.