OST

I'm starting to kick around the idea of getting a newer bigger tractor.  I appreciate all the incite from the HF&G tractor vets.  I've recently bought my great aunt's 55 acre farm.  It has been farmed and maintained for 40 years with a 40 HP 2WD tractor.  I am not in a hurry to buy, because I have my small M for doing minor chore work and my uncles have everything from MT's up to 50 HP 4WD's, and they help out any time I need it.  With my job, I can't realistically expect to do my own hay any time in the near future, so I plan to do that on shares with the uncles for many years to come, so I'm not too concerned about being able to run hay equipment.

With that said, I think that my needs are similar to what I have seen posted on HF&G over and over: brushhogging (I think a 10'er will get me), occasional maintenance on 150 yards of driveway, moving round bales (I don't know the weight, but 35 HP tractor will handle them), material moving, occasional minor ground tillage (plow/disc/harrow-this won't be done often and is a very low priority).  I think that my most important "needs" for the foreseeable future are the brushhogging and ability to move round bales.  A few thoughts that I have had:

-A skid steer would probably do everything but run a 10' brushhog and tilling equipment better than a tractor.  I think that brushhogging is important enough that I have to eliminate the skid steer from my possible candidates.
-A 35ish HP 4x4 tractor would be handy as hell and would do most of what I want.  I would have to downsize my brushhog, and it would be just barely adequate for moving bales.  One of the uncles had a JD several years back with a Yanmar engine and it was a great machine.  I'd save a little coin, but everything would take a little longer.
-A 40some HP 4x4 tractor I think would handle about anything on my list.  Talking to my uncle, he recommended this route because a 40ish HP tractor has taken care of this farm since the beginning of time.
-A 50ish HP 4x4 tractor would run any hay equipment that my family currently has.  I think this would be the buy once, cry once option.  The downside is obviously cost and less so, the physical size being bigger.

Anything that I look at will be open station to be able to work in the woods.  Technically, a 2WD could do what I wanted, but I think if I'm spending money, I might as well pay the extra to get the front wheel assist.  Anyhow, there isn't really a question in any of this.. it was more an exercise in me typing out my thoughts to think this through!!

Is this trailer adequate for a mid sized tractor with FEL and a rotary mower or something?

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/tro/d/k-equipment-trailer/6754833433.html

2018 20' 14k Equipment Trailer On Sale FREE SPARE - $3595

NEW HEAVY DUTY 82"X20' LOWBOY BUMPER HITCH TRAILER, 7000LB AXLES, BRAKES ON BOTH AXLES, FLIP UP MOUNTED RAMPS, 12K SPRING LOADED DROP LEG JACK, 2" RUB RAIL AND STAKE POCKETS, METAL DIAMOND PLATE DOVETAIL, 16" 8 HOLE WHEELS, TREATED FLOOR, HEAVY DIAMOND PLATE FENDERS, 2 5/16 BULLDOG STYLE HITCH, SPARE TIRE MOUNT, SPARE TIRE AND WHEEL $89, QUALITY BUILT TRAILER AT SUPER LOW PRICE, OTHER SIZES AVAILABLE, CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED(3%) FREE SPARE ON IN STOCK 18' AND LONGER TRAILERS.

Thanks,

Probably but depends on the tractor.

Good place to get all tractor's specs, including weight.  You'll have to go to the bushhog's manufacturers site to get the bushhog weight (or just estimate it).

However, as far as that trailer is concerned:  Too short for the weight.  I would want a 24' or 26' for a 14k gross trailer.  Longer is better.  My 22' 12k barely fits my Kubota L4330 and it's 6 bushhog.

Good luck!

excellent to know.

I have a B3200 right now but will need to add something bigger ... in the 70-100hp range and will likely go orange again.  70 would be adequate but more is .... well, you know.

If I were to get a 24-26' in that weight class... what is a ball park cost, new?

My family has a 125 acre farm with beef cattle and some chickens. The farmhouse is heated by an outdoor wood boiler, so we do quite a bit of firewood too. We lease about 30 acres of it to corn.

For years, we had three tractors that did everything: 1943 Ford 8N, 1980 John Deere 850 (2wd), and 1988 Belarus 70hp 4x4. Eventually we more or less retired the 8N so that left us with just a 22hp JD and much larger 70hp tractor. In 2007, I bought a Massey Ferguson 1540 4x4 Powershuttle with FEL. It had a 3cyl. turbo diesel that was great on fuel and was the quietest tractor I'd ever been around. It started instantly in any temperature. Awesome 40hp tractor. I also really liked the Powershuttle, as it didn't need clutching to reverse direction: just flip the lever.

Anyway, when the economy hit the crapper in '09, I had to sell the MF. That was a tough decision, but the right one. People were actually bidding up on it (sold via Craigslist).

In 2013 I was able to buy another MF, this time a 1643 4x4 Hydro with FEL. While it is a quality tractor that is overall a better machine than the 1500 series it replaced, some things aren't as good as the 1540 I had: the loader joystick is fender mounted on the 1643 and sucks compared to the floor mounted one on the 1540. It has a 4cyl NA that is good, but uses more fuel and is louder than the 3cyl turbo on the 1540. It also isn't quite as good starting in extremely cold weather. The Hydro sucks power and is relatively loud compared to the Powershuttle, too.

Things that the 1643 improved are: the seat is better, the lighting is better, the ROPS doesn't rattle, and maintenance is a little easier than on the 1540.

We use forks on the loader probably 60% of the time and bucket the other 40%. Yes, I have SSQA. It's almost mandatory these days, given how many different attachments are out there.

As far as capability goes, the 1643 does pretty much everything we ask of it, but there are times when it struggles and other times when it won't do it at all. I wouldn't mind another larger tractor (the 70hp Belarus is down with an engine issue, so the 22hp JD and 43hp MF are pulling all the weight right now) in the 55-70hp range. That tractor would most likely have a cab.

Here are some pics:

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And here's my 1975 International loader:

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I guess I should post a bit about me...

Well, my father and I have almost 200 acres (we had 680 acres at one point) of a hobby farm. We run between 15 and 25 head of cattle, we do hay currently and that's it.  Up till a few years ago we dabbled in some grain, but decided it wasn't for us.

The main source of income, is a 100 year old, family owned oil and fuel distribution company.  The main company has warehouse / distribution centers in 3 states -  2 in Ohio, 1 in Michigan, 1 in Indiana/Chicago region (new/small) - the chemical division has them all around the US.  I also run a side business doing forestry mulching / land cleaning, specifically after loggers come in and make a mess.

However, back to toys...

Break down of equipment:
Excavators - CAT 301.5,  Deere ZTS50,  CAT 315BL - Soon will be a new CAT 305.5E2
Backhoe - CAT 416C IT
Front end loaders - CAT 931  and  CAT 910
Skid loaders - Deere 317 w/ OTT tracks,   CAT 262C w/ OTT tracks.  I hope to add a newer CAT 299 XHP next year for my forestry work.
Small IR 3 ton double drum roller.
Bulldozers - 1949 International T6 with 1952 Bucyrus erie blade package,  1957 Cat D4 7u, 1961 Cat D6B, 1964 Cat D4D, 1987? Dresser TD7E.  Crawler: 1950? 51?  International TD9
Road grader - 1961 CAT 12E
Tractors:  Deere: 2305,  1025R (My sister's), 4210, 5425, 6410.  NH: TN60A,  International 1964 806 with 1206 turbo,  1952 Super-C.
1999 Pete 379 Crane Truck w/ national 1100 28tn crane.
Lull 52ft 10k pound lift telehandler
Some genie 46 foot man lift.
Other equipment:  Deere 567 round baler,  NH hay cutter, bar rake...  Uh forget the brand tedder,  5 shank chisel plow,  2 older International discs, pasture pleaser grain drill, bunch of other attachments... Grapples, CAT HM315 forestry head, 4 way bucket, forks, etc...
1988 Auto car (restored) show truck, with a 28ft Ravens dump trailer, and x2 35 ton landoll trailers...   Also a 1998 Western Star with a 50 ton winch on it, also set up for the landoll trailers and dump trailer.
1990 Pete dump truck, tandem axle..  With a 20 ton tag trailer.

Etc. etc...

We've purchased a lot of the equipment for the oil company.  We have special lifting jibs made up for the CAT 315BL and the Telehandler to handle and set tanks.  We've moved / rebuilt 3 out of 4 of our facilities in the last 10 years. This includes moving literally hundreds of tanks. The first go around we rented a crane for it... And what we paid for the rental, was more than what it cost for us to go buy one.  So we did the next facility we moved.  The antique equipment is more 'collectors' items...  Some people collect cars, well my dad and I collect antique equipment.  I'm in the process of restoring the TD9 now, after it's done I'm going to look for an old Bucyrus Erie 10B cable shovel.

How do I have time for all this? I work..  Alot.  And I'm single, so... I just work, a lot.

Well, at least the oil changes are cheap!

I have a bulk set up for 15w40 and tractor hydraulic. Complete with reels and metered handles. Dial how many quarts you want and walk away.

Partly a bump to keep it from archive...
One of the things I dont see discussed (which I wish was more of a thing) is third function/rear remotes. Having had my tractor now for a while, theyre both things I wish I had on mine. I plan on adding a 3rd function kit to the front since I plan on building a plow on a SSQA frame in the near future. But the rear remotes are such a HUGE timesaver when it comes to stuff like plowing or box work, because you can quickly/easily change your angle of attack for plow or box. Not to mention a hydraulic toplink is a many splendored thing...

When discussing Rear Remotes, the one number to remember is:  Three.

Two RR for Top N Tilt.  In other words, one RR for the Top Link cylinder and one RR for the Side Link cylinder.  That leaves one RR for another function.

Having TNT has made working on my one mile gravel road a joy and has greatly improved the end product, IMO.

as someone who is putting in a long drive sometime this summer, do you have any videos maintaining your drive, specifically using the benefits of rear remotes?

Thanks

I'll take some pics of two sections of the road today and post them.

I think I'm pretty well set on purchasing a 4x4 open station 55ish HP utility tractor w/ a FEL.  It's primary uses will be moving 800# round bales, brushhogging and blading about 150 yards of driveway.  I'm trying to go into this as unbiased as I can.  I have Deere, Kubota and MF dealers around me and all of them are reputable, so I'm calling the dealer support a wash.  All 3 dealers have a model that seems to be in the ballpark of what I am looking for.  As far as the ergonomics/layout, I did not see anything that was a deal killer with any of the 3.  All 3 are available with SSQA FEL, so that's a wash.  I love crunching #'s and comparing (over analyzing might be more accurate) things.  Most of the stats for these 3 models are pretty similar, but the stats I keep coming back to are HP and weight of the machines.

5055E: 59 HP/2,100 RPM; 41 PTO HP/2,100 RPM; 5,900#

M6060: 63 HP/2,400 RPM; 56 PTO HP/2,400 RPM; 5,000#

2605H: 55 HP/2,000 RPM; 46 PTO HP/2,000 RPM; 5,400#

So assuming that money is no object (which is not true, but I'm trying to leave it out of the discussion for now) here's what I keep coming back to: I love the 5055's heavier weight, I know that I can load the others down with weight, but to me, if it's heavier right off the assembly line, there has to be more steel somewhere, and that's gotta be a good thing.  But... the 5055 is a real puss at the PTO.  The 6060 is the polar opposite.  It puts up the best HP #'s (albeit at the highest RPM's which I would assume means more fuel consumption and wear 'n tear), but it is the lightest.  Then there is the 2605 that just seems to be pretty good all around.

If the 5055 was more efficient at the PTO, this decision would already be made.  Even at it's puny 41 HP, it will run anything that I could realistically see using, but I still hate giving up all that HP to the competition.  Any advice/comments/mockery from the small utility tractor users here in the HF&G forum?

The M6060 would be what I'd buy. I've never once heard someone say "you know, I wish I had less PTO power" and it handily outpaces the other two. The fuel use difference will be negligible at best unless you're doing a TON of PTO work.

Edit: look at the loader and 3pt capacities too. I'd wager the M6060 is probably better in both those areas which again, is a good thing.

The 3 point capabilities were a wash.  I'll look again at the FEL capabilities.

OUTSTANDING THREAD!
Very relevant to me. I am going to looking for one to use on my small property. Needing a bucket, bush hog, box blade about 20-30 hp. Definitely will be buying used. I'd like 4wd but will settle for 2wd. Small property about 2.5 acres but will be doing farming chores, and clearing some small parts of land.

I checked on the FEL specs.  They all rate them a little different, but here's what I got:

5055E: 2,368 @ full height, 800 mm (31.5") ahead of pivot point (of the 4 weights they list @ different heights &/or distances from the pivot point, this was the lowest)

M6060: 2,326 @ bucket center

2605H: 1,510 @ 31.5" ahead of pivot

I got different numbers for all three FEL/tractors you listed.  I used Tractor Data/Attachments as the source (good, bad or indifferent):    http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/009/8/7/9873-massey-ferguson-2605h-attachments.html

The fact that you can't get standard numbers is a subject of a Messicks video.  A shell game or numbers game used by the manufacturers.  

ETA:  found it:

I won't bog down this thread any more than I already have with my original comparisons, but you're comment about the shell game is very relevant to the thread as a whole.

Au Contraie:  Please do!

New homestead mule: JohnDeere 1025R is due for Hydraulic fluid drain and fill.

Any  easily available  ( NAPA, Oreillys/ Carquest )   Hydraulic fluids  that meet  JD HyGard J20D  spec for winter  use ?
 Nearest John Deere  store is several hours away, and they take   a week to ship anything.
NAPA store down the street has a bunch of different  AW32  fluids, but no one there knows anything about  specs, John Deere or otherwise....
.

Can I just dump in any  ISO32 fluid, or is there good reason to  look for J20D ?
Thanks for any information.

Go out of your way to go find Kendall Hyken 052 low vis. It's j20d.

You will notice a huge difference.

Do not use iso 32 or Smitty's box store bullshit.

Edit: what part of Alaska?

Local  petroleum jobber  had a drum of Philips66 Power Tran fluid,  Low Viscosity  J20D spec.
 They were  happy to decant 5 gallons for me, and deliver it for only $91.75
Around here, that's not too bad.
( South Central Alaska )

Why?
Everything gas can do, diesel does better.

Easier winter starting, lower cost of repairs, lower cost to manufacture (and sell), everything I have is gasoline powered.

No tier 4 emissions bs.

I get diesel will grunt better, but for my applications, I don't need it.

Now if I were plowing or cultivating or otherwise working it hard all day every day, my tune would be different.

I'm deep in to tractor shopping right now.  Driving myself a little nuts.    Trying to decide between a subcompact or compact.

I originally planned to get a subcompact like a Kubota BX, MF GC, or JD 1.  These are in my price range to buy new, the used I have found are not that much less, with much worse financing ( I don't have 10-15k laying around).

My needs include grading our 700' gravel/dirt driveway that is in rough shape (filling in potholes, re-crowning so water runs off, grading a section of it so it slopes down where currently it is a cesspool in the spring), moving gravel/wood chips/whatever with the FEL, harvesting firewood and clearing a little land (our property is mostly wooded), and whatever else comes along.

I have been advised by a few folks that I should look at buying a larger tractor, like a compact (Kubota B or L, JD 2 or 3, etc.).  I'd like to but that is getting outside of my affordability range for buying new, and from what I have seen in the market so far, used.

Thoughts?

Little equipment will almost always get the job done, albeit with smaller bites.

It all comes down to how big of a bite can you afford

But I think I would go for a 2 series JD of a plain variety over a smaller decked-out 1 series. Those small tires on the 1 series just rub me the wrong way.

For real work, our 3-E machine (2010 3038e) almost invariably is a better choice than the 1025R.   The 2013  1025R has it's nitch around the house site (4 acres), being nimble & smaller so it fits where the 3038e won't.  The 1025R backhoe is handy in helping avoid shovel work & moving things around (with a thumb attached).   For moving dirt with box blade or landscape blade, no comparison.  The 3038e with loaded tires just has more traction & pulling power & a stronger FEL with higher lift.  Same with plowing snow with the landscape blade and doing cut wood moving & bush-hogging out at the acreage.  The 1025R can kinda manage the post hole auger, but the 3038e does a much better job.

The funny  part is they both cost almost exactly the same.   We bought the 3038e with a box blade, rotary cutter & FEL   for pretty much the same as we bought the 1025R with FEL & backhoe.  Both were purchased new on a 60 month 0% finance deal with deere after 20% down.   The finance deal also lets you get cheap all hazards insurance for the duration of the loan.

Just make sure your FEL has a Quick Attach feature, then make sure all you're 3ph implements will fit the Cat 1 Quick Hitch.  QH's are only $100 or so from HF or Agripower, so there's really no reason to not have 3ph equipment set up for it.  Makes changing out implements so much easier.

So I bought a John Deere 2025r. Waiting on delivery, hopefully this week.

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Here's my new tractor Mahindra 1526. So far i've been really impressed with it. Should be getting some good seat time this weekend with some land cleanup I've been working on.
Still looking to get the tires filled and find some implements for it to make it more capable, but so far really happy with the choice.

I have a Kubota B2650 on order right now. Honestly I didn't really look at Mahindra at all, didn't think I was interested. Then the day I ordered the Kubota, I was driving past a Mahindra dealer on my way home and in their lot saw a used Kubota just like the one I ordered so I turned around and pulled in just to take a look. Sales guy came out right away and started showing me comparable Mahindras. I have to say, I was kind of impressed and started to wonder if I made the right decision.

This thing is awesome.

Kind of. If I am super careful how I start and stop the mower blades, and really careful how thick of stuff I get into mowing it might not throw the belt...
It came with the house/property. Turns out it's the cheap model sold at lowes.
I bought a hustler zero turn so no need to use that POS to mow. Its been relegated to pulling my little lawn cart around. Need to get the deck off it to give the little guy some better ground clearance.

I'm sure you'll be very happy with the kubota. I think the most important thing on these tractors is the dealer standing behind them. I imagine side by side when the work is getting done they're all similarly capable.

I didn't do any other test drives or hit up other dealerships. I did research and reading online. Was planning on checking a few different brands and dealerships out as I was at the point of ready to buy. The dealer i got it from was recommended by several people I work with who were good friends with the owners, also the owner happens to be the future MIL's cousin. He listed this on facebook as a recent trade in and the price was right. I went down to look at it Wednesday, with nothing but a handshake and a promise I would take it the deal was done. He had his guys do a once over, change all the fluids & filters, change a leaking coupler and he drove it up Friday evening to finish out the deal and collect payment. This one kind of popped up at the perfect time to get things done.

Does anyone have any opinions or information about tractors from Rural King? We might be into a 7ac piece of land with a house and will need something bigger for grass cutting and starting a small farm. Not looking to do anything heavy. Vegetables and chickens to start, then expanding to apple/peach/etc trees, and so on. No woods. Land is gentle slope, but manageable.

We're looking hard at the RK24 with some attachments/implements.

I probably would have bought an RK24 if we had any Rural King’s nearby. They are made by TYM and seem very solid, a lot of tractor for the money.

I love my BX25D, and while it’s a hard working little tractor, I kick myself sometimes for not going with a B series. L would have been just too much for my 2.5 acres.

Biggest gripe about my BX is the FEL capacity.

Boy i'm learning that lesson as well.

I bought a B3200 and now realize I should be in a 'M' series sized tractor.  

Lots of tractor threads lately.  Bump for some of the newer members that might not have seen this thread.

bump to keep this thread alive

I am also in the market.

I have 12 acres 3 ac cleared the other 9 hardwoods. Lots of hurricanes to clean up after. Just started forested pigs and chickens.  We also have a 900 ft driveway and a 1500 ft rock road that leads to our driveway.  Neighbor has a L2201 Kubota with Grapple and has been very happy with it.  His first tractor he is 67 and has helped me a lot.  I grew up on a tractor so I have over 20 years doing mowing, grading, log work etc. I do some bush hogging.  

I am looking at the L3901 Kubota - $30k out the door with FEL/18' trailer, 3rd function, grapple box blade and mower and just recently started thinking about equivalent sized LS thinking around $24k with same features.  I know a L2501 would suffice in size but my dad always says to get bigger than you need.

Beware of tractor "package" deals:






The last thing you want to do is condemn yourself to a bottom of the line tractor and/or implements for the rest of your life all the while almost immediately forgetting how much money you "saved".


Make sure all your 3ph implements fit a Quick Hitch (QH compatible) and make sure the tractor's FEL is not pinned and has a SSQA.

Good luck!

For the price difference, Im not sure Id spend the money on a Kubota vs a LS, but I also own a New Holland rebadged LS, so take that for what its worth. Before he sold it, my neighbor had a cab'd Kubota, and had about the same amount of issues I did which were not related to "dumbass" factor, which were very few.

I DO know that if I were looking again, Id absolutely want a cab. Hands down, no question, they are worth the money.

Ok so we've spent a lot of time talking about FEL's and FEL load capability;  but what we haven't talked about is the part that is just as, if not more important at the other end of the tractor:  The rear tires.

Specifically, filling the rear tires with ballast for extra stability, lower center of gravity and most important of all:  keeping the rear tires planted with a heavy FEL load.  A big tractor with a ginormous FEL load capability can't pick up doodly-squat if a tractor rear tire rises off the ground with the smallest load.  Remember, once a rear tractor tire starts to rise off the ground, the tractor is in immediate danger of rolling over.  

Tractor Rolling Over = Bad News.

So what do people use to fill their rear tires with?  Basically: straight water, water with salt (calcium chloride), windshield washer fluid, antifreeze (2 kinds), beet juice, methanol and then the last is to foam the tires.

So which do you choose?  Let's start by eliminating the ones that are toxic or dangerous:  ethylene glycol antifreeze and methanol; the former is a poison, the latter flammable and a poison).  Then let's eliminate the one that is corrosive:  water with salt (calcium chloride).  If you live north of the AL/TN border, you can eliminate straight water.

That leaves polypropylene glycol (RV antifreeze), windshield washer fluid, beet juice and foaming the tires.  You can mix RV antifreeze and WWF with water if you don't need Siberian-level temp protection (i.e. 0 degrees and below).  For example, for my tire ballast needs, I usually mix 4-5 gallons of RV antifreeze with ~ 40 gallons of straight water; it works well enough here in SC TN.  The best time to buy RV antifreeze is early spring when Walmart et al put it on sale to get rid of it for the summer (RV antifreeze is used to freeze-proof water potable lines in RVs during the winter).

IMO the best tire ballast is Beet Juice aka Rimguard.  Advantages include:  heavier than water (~11 lbs/gallon vs. 8.2 lbs/gallon for water), doesn't freeze to at least -40 degrees or lower and it's non-toxic and non-corrosive.  The downsides:  Cost and the fact that it's not DIY-able, you have to go to a Rimguard dealer.  The other negative is that it's not available every where (TN and south); worse you have to call and/or write Rimguard to find one; they are not listed.  The last time I called, the closest dealer to me was 140 miles north in KY.

The last option is foaming the tires.  Advantages include:  very heavy, tires are now run-flat (important in heavy briar country), can't freeze, once it's done it's done.  Disadvantages are:  Expensive, can't be done every where and not DIY-able.  The other big disadvantage is with no air = very rough ride; there's nothing to absorb shocks and bumps.

Last question:  How do I fill my rear tires?  Stay tuned!

Thanks for looking!