I have 40 acres of woods with old trails that need maintenance. 1/2 acre garden. 100 fruit tree orchard. 1000 ft. gravel drive. 6 stall horse barn with 5 horses. 2 acres lawn. I'm shopping for "new" tractor and have been shown things around 30 hp by the big 3. Kubota B3300SU and L3200 for example. There is a used Kubota 5040 with 400 hrs going for around the same price, maybe 2-3 K extra. What are the drawbacks to going with the much larger tractor?
Tractor Sizing what's too big
- Thread starter No1umfan
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bigbull338
Elite Member
id buy the 5040 if your trails are wide enough to drive the tractor down.an your getting more hp for a little extra money.
nybirdman
Super Member
The 5040 for sure is a nice tractor but.....too big for mowing a lawn,muck stalls,close in work.Everything else you describe should be perfect.Moving large bales,grader,snow removal act;the larger tractor would shine.I don't have horses but everything else similar and I use a L4240HSTC,which is a cab model.Is it a gear model or HST?
The 5040 is an HST. As far as mucking stalls there isn't any size tractor that will actually get into the stalls which have 3 foot wide doors. I'm assuming the 5040 would be able to go down the main aisle of the barn.
Dr_Zinj
Veteran Member
Ten Reasons You Know Your Tractor is Too Big:
1. The wheels extend past both ends of your property at the same time.
2. It sinks through the concrete barn floor.
3. The turning radius takes you across state lines.
4. You can see it from geosynchronous orbit.
5. Airlines use it as a way point between cities.
6. It uses more fuel in a day than the U.S. imports.
7. Your neighbors complain it blocks their solar collectors.
8. The start up smoke puff reduces global warming by 10%.
9. It's a 10 minute elevator ride to the driver's seat.
10. You accidentally drive over your prize winning bull and never noticed the bump.
1. The wheels extend past both ends of your property at the same time.
2. It sinks through the concrete barn floor.
3. The turning radius takes you across state lines.
4. You can see it from geosynchronous orbit.
5. Airlines use it as a way point between cities.
6. It uses more fuel in a day than the U.S. imports.
7. Your neighbors complain it blocks their solar collectors.
8. The start up smoke puff reduces global warming by 10%.
9. It's a 10 minute elevator ride to the driver's seat.
10. You accidentally drive over your prize winning bull and never noticed the bump.
Soundguy
Old Timer
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40 ac is alot of area.. but if it's mostly woods with lil use for a tractor in there.. then the 30hp class machines may do you.
if you ever do something witht he 40ac like make it pasture.. keep the 30hp machine and get an older 50-100 hp machine for mowing or whatnot.. etc.
soundguy
if you ever do something witht he 40ac like make it pasture.. keep the 30hp machine and get an older 50-100 hp machine for mowing or whatnot.. etc.
soundguy
It's 40 acres woods and 20 acres combined house barn lawn pasture hayfield pond etc. Would it be too crazy to go through the woods with a brush hog and clean up some old trails or even try to create new trails. Would that just beat up the tractor too bad?
Not clear what you mean by "maintenance".
If it is just mowing, driveway and arena dragging, hauling manure out and turning it over, then the smaller tractors would probably do just fine.
If it is MAJOR reclamation of overgrown areas, re-contouring the landscape, road and trail building, stump digging, etc. the bigger one certainly wouldn't be TOO big.
If it is just mowing, driveway and arena dragging, hauling manure out and turning it over, then the smaller tractors would probably do just fine.
If it is MAJOR reclamation of overgrown areas, re-contouring the landscape, road and trail building, stump digging, etc. the bigger one certainly wouldn't be TOO big.
75H2
Silver Member
It's only too big if it belongs to someone else
QRTRHRS
Elite Member
Not if you don't mind some scratches and maybe a dent. You would also want at least four point Ropes with a hard roof to stem getting swatted hard with branches.
Tracked skid steer with a front mounted rotary would work better.
rd_macgregor
Veteran Member
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I can mow the trails through my woods with a brush hog mower behind my Kioti DK45, but the saplings invading from the edges are more difficult to control cause I can't reach them with the mower without running the cab into overhanging branches. Since I can't afford an offset mower or flail, I now cut the saplings along the trails (tediously) by hand.
If you are going to be moving heavy things like round bales or logs or lots of dirt, consider the larger tractor, otherwise the smaller ones would probably do the job for you and be somewhat more fuel-efficient and maneuverable.
[Be aware that once you have a tractor, you will find lots of additional jobs to do, some of which will require more HP than you have; this will even be true if you buy a 50hp tractor!]
BOB
If you are going to be moving heavy things like round bales or logs or lots of dirt, consider the larger tractor, otherwise the smaller ones would probably do the job for you and be somewhat more fuel-efficient and maneuverable.
[Be aware that once you have a tractor, you will find lots of additional jobs to do, some of which will require more HP than you have; this will even be true if you buy a 50hp tractor!]
BOB
flyingcow
Veteran Member
I'd lean towards the bigger unit. 400 hours is just broke in. Any warranty left on the 5040?
flusher
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For work in the woods, I'd use a flail mower--more compact than a brush hog so easier to manuever in the woods. We have a lot of orchards around here (man made woods
) and the preferred mower by far is the flail. These tend to be fairly large--8 to 10 ft wide. If you're on a budget, you can find 6-ft flails for $1500-2000 new
68? Flail Mower EFG175 - Value Leader Implements
47 CARONI FLAIL MOWER TL1200FSC - Agri Supply
I bought a 68" wide Value Leader flail last year to mow the stubble in my 6-acre hayfield. Cost: $1350 picked up at the vendor's place, $1700 delivered. So far it's been OK. And there are quite a few TBNers who own Caroni's.
You can run a 6-ft flail with 30 hp (pto) but I'd feel more comfortable with 40-50 hp pto. I run my flail with a 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny 8F/2R, power steering).
ZDB
Silver Member
5040 will be a nice machine should you decide to do any haying or crop production on small acreage. Also nice for pulling tools you might use to renovate pasture land.
texasjohn
Super Member
I purchased a 5030HSTC.... the prior model....with couple hundred hours on it.... best thing I ever did...I believe that it would be an excellent choice for your chores... anything smaller will struggle with your toughest tasks...and it is those that you really NEED done on your place...
My net... it's just the right size for your needs.
My net... it's just the right size for your needs.
jenkinsph
Super Star Member
I would go for the 5040 over the smaller tractors, it would make a big difference in what you can do on the larger projects. I would get a lawnmower for the lawn.
US American
Bronze Member
I have 10 acres of rolling hay pasture that I mow and harrow. I also have an outdoor arena to work. I used to have a 3000 lb 26hp Deere hydrostatic 4200. It was way too underpowered for my uses. I have since upgraded to the 48hp 4320 reverser and it is perfect in size.
I would recommend looking at the deere 4x20 series or similarly sized/powered competitors. I think that size and power combination might be what you are looking for. my .02. :thumbsup:
I would recommend looking at the deere 4x20 series or similarly sized/powered competitors. I think that size and power combination might be what you are looking for. my .02. :thumbsup:
pitt_md
Veteran Member
I also have horses and use large bales.
The trails on my 30 acres were a bit to small for my MX5000 which is about the same size as the 5040. I used my trusty stihl chainsaw and the grapple to solve the problem. Took about a day to cut down and remove offending trees. Problem solved. You should go with the 5040 IMHO.
