New 60-acre Hobby Farm Owner, Looking for Impliment & Equipment Advise

[Filson]

Hey there folks,

A little background; we bought a 60 acre little farm in NE Washington. Roughly half of the land is timber, the other half is field, not including the ~3 acres around the house/garden/shop. The property is all sloped, with the exception of some random little flat-ish spots here and there.

My soil is roughly half sand, half silt with about 5% clay (estimated results of the old mason-jar-half-full-of-dirt test). The ground is VERY hard, and has a large amount of rocks in it from golf ball to shoe box size.

My knowledge of tractors and equipment is fairly basic, and I'm looking for some general advice to get me pointed in the right direction.

I have 2 main areas of concern; the approximately 3 acres around the house and garden (all raised beds in sort of a terrace-fashion). And then the big pasture itself (I estimate it at roughly 22-24 acres). I'm not planning on doing much with the forested part, aside from some tractor-trail maintenance and occasional brush mowing along a couple paths.

For around the house and garden, I could really use something for plowing/blowing snow, leveling gravel, moving dirt/gravel, mowing some rougher areas, post-hole auger for fencing, tiller for garden beds, and some back blade work. Of course, a FEL would be a huge benefit.

The way my garden is, and around my house/shop, I need something small but stout and a Kubota B7100/7000/6100/6000 or similar has really caught my eye, and have seen them in my price range around my area. Any opinions on them from anyone on here? I think the 4wd would be really nice considering my sloped property, and from what I seen, I think something along those lines would work well cutting some small brush (knee-high, 1/2" stocks) in the woods, maybe with a flail mower. Thoughts?

For the big pasture, my main concern is getting it smoothed out. It is full of big ruts, bumps and ground squirrel holes. It's bad enough, I'm concerned about an accidental tip over with my current tractor, if a tire should find a big hole and throw the weight sideways or something. I'd like to get it smoothed out for sake of safety and aesthetics. Then later maybe get a couple head of cattle on it for beef or put in a small orchard/vineyard on a part of it or something, maybe make some hay.

Currently, I have an old (late 40's, early 50's) Case VAH which is a high-crop model that I bought from a neighbor down the road. It has a FEL, but the brakes don't work for nothing and it leaks a large amount of hydraulic fluid when in use. I bought it, along with an attached newer 4' rotary cutter for $500 and figured it'd be worth getting for the price.

But I'd like something that would be more stable, and that has enough power to break up the hard, rocky ground I have and for general work afterwards. I could really use some advice on this in terms of tractors/equipment. Would an old 8n or something that sits lower be much better? I've been here for 3 years and haven't got up in the field with the tractor once due to concern of rolling it lol. The weeds are really out of hand and I need to get on it.

I appreciate any advice y'all could give me on what sort of tractor(s) I should look into and any implements that I should have around the place. Thanks, and sorry for the long post :confused2:

 

[jeff9366]

We bought a 60 acre little farm in NE Washington. Roughly half of the land is timber, the other half is field, not including the ~3 acres around the house/garden/shop. The property is all sloped.

I have 2 main areas of concern; the approximately 3 acres around the house and garden (all raised beds in sort of a terrace-fashion). And then the big pasture itself (I estimate it at roughly 22-24 acres).

My soil is roughly half sand, half silt with about 5% clay (estimated results of the old mason-jar-half-full-of-dirt test). The ground is VERY hard, and has a large amount of rocks in it from golf ball to shoe box size.

Grapes like sloped, stoney ground but the development cost and time for vineyards are high.

Is the ground very hard when dry but workable when moist, even if you have to wait for rain? Can you push a spade into the dirt with foot pressure? Someone worked the field in the past, although not necessarily with a tractor.

For around the house and garden, I could really use something for plowing/blowing snow, leveling gravel, moving dirt/gravel, mowing some rougher areas, post-hole auger for fencing, tiller for garden beds, and some back blade work. Of course, a FEL would be a huge benefit.

How much snow?

The way my garden is, and around my house/shop, I need something small but stout and a Kubota B7100/7000/6100/6000 or similar has really caught my eye, and have seen them in my price range around my area. Any opinions on them from anyone on here? I think the 4wd would be really nice considering my sloped property, and from what I seen, I think something along those lines would work well cutting some small brush (knee-high, 1/2" stocks) in the woods, maybe with a flail mower.

Good sturdy diesel tractors. Some with power steering, some without. Some with 4-WD, some only 2-WD. Parts readily available. Fine little tractors for three acres around your house, hopeless for hard pasture.

No tractor has brakes on the front wheels. Brakes on the rear wheels only. To have adequate braking going down hill you need 4-WD which gives braking pretty similar to four wheel brakes.

For the big pasture, my main concern is getting it smoothed out. It is full of big ruts, bumps and ground squirrel holes. It's bad enough, I'm concerned about an accidental tip over with my current tractor, if a tire should find a big hole and throw the weight sideways or something. I'd like to get it smoothed out for sake of safety and aesthetics. I've been here for 3 years and haven't got into the field with the tractor once due to concern of rolling my equipment.

This is classified as "ground contact work." For ground contact work tractor weight is almost everything, tractor horsepower means relatively little.

You are going to need a tractor with at least 4,000 pounds bare tractor weight, 5,000 pounds better, 4-WD and a Category II Three Point Hitch. Heavy tractors have big wheels/tires which bridge many small holes and ruts, keeping the rear mounted implements relatively stable. Heavy tractors are more stable than light tractors under all conditions.
You will have to wait until the soil is relatively moist before working it. Might take you years, but you seem patient. Depends on how you evaluate your opportunity cost by taking years.

You will probably need a Three Point Hitch mounted two-tine Subsoiler and a Rear/Angle blade at the minimum.
Also useful: Offset Disc or Disc Plow.
Maybe a Grading Scraper?
MONTROE TUFLINE (4)
1) Subsoilers | Tufline
2) TLO Series Offset Lift Disc Harrows | Tufline
3) TDP2 Series 2 & 3 Blade Disc Plows | Tufline
4) DS1 Series Wheeled Box Scrapers | Tufline

Here are numerous threads from the TBN archive on SMOOTHING HARD GROUND:
Google

The alternative is to hire this work out to an experienced bulldozer operator. You will have to do plenty of finish smoothing after a bulldozer.

Currently, I have an old (late 40's, early 50's) Case VAH which is a high-crop model that I bought from a neighbor down the road. It has a FEL, but the brakes don't work for nothing and it leaks a large amount of hydraulic fluid when in use. I bought it, along with an attached newer 4' rotary cutter for $500 and figured it'd be worth getting for the price.

Would an old Ford 8n be better?

Ford 8N tractors date from 1938 and are gas. No power steering. No ROPS/roll bar. All are 2-WD and have inflexible clutch and gear three or four speed transmissions. Difficult 'first generation' Power Take Off. Not suitable for sloped ground. Some love these oldies but I would never recommend an 8N to a tractor newbie. Tractors, like cars, have made progress since 1938.

My knowledge of tractors and equipment is fairly basic, and I'm looking for some general advice to get me pointed in the right direction.

 

[Filson]

The ground turns very soft during the rainy seasons (mid spring and fall). The ground is soft enough at these times, that you sink in a good 2" just walking around.

When it's dry, a hard stomp with a pointed shovel will usually only sink in 1-3", and I'm a big guy. A spade would dig about as well as a hammer. During the rainy season though, you can sink the head of the shovel all the way in with one stomp.

It sounds like the little Kubota would be great for around the 3 acres, especially if parts are easy to come by as needed. I've always assumed I'd need 2 tractors, one small one like the Kubota, and a larger one for handling the pasture with any realistic efficiency.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[ericm979]

Due to the lack of power steering the B7100 is not as manuverable as you'd think. I replaced mine with a much larger Branson 3725 and with the Branson's power steering and sharp turning angle I can get it almost all the places I could operate the B7100. However if you're limited to a narrow width tractor for the terraced area and can live with the lack of power steering the B7100's not a bad option. Ones in decent shape sell fast around here.

It's not that good as moving dirt especially when it's hard and full of rocks. You need weight for that. I moved the rear wheels out as far at they go for better stability on slopes. The 3725 is much better but I got it with smaller tires for a lower CG, and rear wheel spacers, so some of that stability is due to those changes.

 

[oosik]

Welcome to TBN & the forum. I assume you are on the East side of Lk Roosevelt and East of Hwy 25. So all your land slopes toward the mountains to the east of you, into the Colville Nat. Forrest. I ride my motorcycle up in your area all the time.

Anyhow - you want to grade, blow a little snow, grading etc. I think you would find something in the 25-30 hp range would be a little better. Particularly when you start smoothing out that big pasture and see what implements are available. You are right - 4WD will keep you working rather that digging out from being stuck.

You want to be sure you are looking far enough ahead with the planned use for a tractor. Remember, a well maintained tractor can last a lifetime. Cattle & orchard - you might be looking for something bigger than 25-30 hp.

Visit neighbors who have orchards & livestock and see what they are using. Talk to them and see what they say about their equipment.

Locals will be your best source of information on what might be the best for your situation.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Unless you just are not doing anything else but working on your property and are in no hurry at all, something with 40hp and uses 6' implements at a minimum.

Just my :2cents:, good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[jeff9366]

The ground turns very soft during the rainy seasons (mid spring and fall). The ground is soft enough at these times, that you sink in a good 2" just walking around.

When it's dry, a hard stomp with a pointed shovel will usually only sink in 1-3", and I'm a big guy. A spade would dig about as well as a hammer. During the rainy season though, you can sink the head of the shovel all the way in with one stomp.

It sounds like the little Kubota would be great for around the 3 acres, especially if parts are easy to come by as needed. I've always assumed I'd need 2 tractors, one small one like the Kubota, and a larger one for handling the pasture with any realistic efficiency.

DID YOU OPEN AND READ THE LINK IN POST #2?

Are you retired so you can devote all your time to your property when the ground is moist and can be worked by a 4,000 pound (bare) tractor?

With your update on seasonal moisture I do not think a bulldozer is necessary. A tractor should do.


KUBOTA WEB SITE (2)

1) http://www.kubota.com/product/MX4800/MX4800.aspx

2) http://www.kubota.com/product/LSeries/L60.aspx


AVAILABLE USED AS WELL AS NEW.

 

[Filson]

So much great info and help so far, thank you so much guys!

I do indeed live about 5 minutes off of HW25, not far from the Gifford-Inchelium ferry =)

Snow-wise, it obviously varies from year to year, but last winter we had snow on the ground before Halloween and it wasn't gone until late April. We average about 45" a year, though this last winter was much more, but I do not know by exactly how much.

I am not retired, I'm 32, and yes, I'm very patient. I'm trying to think out to 5-10+ years. It'll take time to get the place as we want it, but step by step, I know we'll eventually get there through hard work and perseverance.

As stated previously, I'm assuming from the start, that I'll be needing 2 different tractors. Even my Case VAH which isn't much bigger than an 8n, is way too large to maneuver around in my garden.

The lack of power-steering that was mentioned on the b7100 and similar may make things a little harder, but then again, it'd probably help keep my wife from wanting to drive it around and bust it up. :laughing: :thumbsup:

I have not yet read the links you provided, as I'm hoping on here during slow points at work, but I'll be reading them when I get home this evening. Thank you for digging them up and linking them to me.

I'm not at all "set" on the 8n or anything, was just using it as an example. I'd love to have something new, though that'd be way outside of my budget. My budget could grow if I waited longer, but I'd like to keep things within reason of time and cost.

I'm expecting a small 4wd tractor like the b7100 with a FEL will run me about $4.5-6k based on a handful of local sales I've seen.

I'm not sure what I should budget for a bigger, used 4wd tractor. Thoughts? Thanks again everyone!

 

[jeff9366]

I'm expecting a small 4wd tractor like the b7100 with a FEL will run me about $4.5-6k based on a handful of local sales I've seen.

I'm not sure what I should budget for a bigger, used 4wd tractor. Thoughts? Thanks again everyone!

Here are tractors currently for sale on eBay, unfortunately none too close to Zip Code 99131:
Tractors | eBay

Here are SOLD tractor transactions on eBay, some close to Zip Code 99131:
Tractors | eBay

 

[Rustyiron]

I'm with post #6, and gardening for just your family with a rototiller (no tractor).
fwiw, I have a Filson "tin cruiser" I'm still trying to break in after a good 15 years:laughing: any relation to the company?

 

[ericm979]

I sold my 1992 B7100HST with Kubota loader, rotary cutter and box blade for $8500 this spring. Prices are higher here than elsewhere but judging from the national prices I found you're looking at the high end of your range or more for an HST with factory loader.

There were two production runs of B7100s imported to the US. The latter one ended in the mid 1990s. The earlier one didn't have an HST option. I recommend HST for loader work or close quarters. Some parts are getting hard to find. I had to get new loader hoses made locally.

Unless you luck out on a lightly used example be prepared to fix some things and replace consumeables like tires. Mine had a leaky PTO seal when I got it but that's an easy fix.

 

[Jerry/MT]

Hey there folks,

A little background; we bought a 60 acre little farm in NE Washington. Roughly half of the land is timber, the other half is field, not including the ~3 acres around the house/garden/shop. The property is all sloped, with the exception of some random little flat-ish spots here and there.

My soil is roughly half sand, half silt with about 5% clay (estimated results of the old mason-jar-half-full-of-dirt test). The ground is VERY hard, and has a large amount of rocks in it from golf ball to shoe box size.

My knowledge of tractors and equipment is fairly basic, and I'm looking for some general advice to get me pointed in the right direction.

I have 2 main areas of concern; the approximately 3 acres around the house and garden (all raised beds in sort of a terrace-fashion). And then the big pasture itself (I estimate it at roughly 22-24 acres). I'm not planning on doing much with the forested part, aside from some tractor-trail maintenance and occasional brush mowing along a couple paths.

For around the house and garden, I could really use something for plowing/blowing snow, leveling gravel, moving dirt/gravel, mowing some rougher areas, post-hole auger for fencing, tiller for garden beds, and some back blade work. Of course, a FEL would be a huge benefit.

The way my garden is, and around my house/shop, I need something small but stout and a Kubota B7100/7000/6100/6000 or similar has really caught my eye, and have seen them in my price range around my area. Any opinions on them from anyone on here? I think the 4wd would be really nice considering my sloped property, and from what I seen, I think something along those lines would work well cutting some small brush (knee-high, 1/2" stocks) in the woods, maybe with a flail mower. Thoughts?

For the big pasture, my main concern is getting it smoothed out. It is full of big ruts, bumps and ground squirrel holes. It's bad enough, I'm concerned about an accidental tip over with my current tractor, if a tire should find a big hole and throw the weight sideways or something. I'd like to get it smoothed out for sake of safety and aesthetics. Then later maybe get a couple head of cattle on it for beef or put in a small orchard/vineyard on a part of it or something, maybe make some hay.

Currently, I have an old (late 40's, early 50's) Case VAH which is a high-crop model that I bought from a neighbor down the road. It has a FEL, but the brakes don't work for nothing and it leaks a large amount of hydraulic fluid when in use. I bought it, along with an attached newer 4' rotary cutter for $500 and figured it'd be worth getting for the price.

But I'd like something that would be more stable, and that has enough power to break up the hard, rocky ground I have and for general work afterwards. I could really use some advice on this in terms of tractors/equipment. Would an old 8n or something that sits lower be much better? I've been here for 3 years and haven't got up in the field with the tractor once due to concern of rolling it lol. The weeds are really out of hand and I need to get on it.

I appreciate any advice y'all could give me on what sort of tractor(s) I should look into and any implements that I should have around the place. Thanks, and sorry for the long post :confused2:

View attachment 514328
View attachment 514329

You have 60 acres so sooner or later you are going to want to use more of it. To learn what type soil you have go to the USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey web site.

With hilly ground, you want a tractor with a wide front end. Yes an 8N with its lower roll center would probably be better that your existing tractor but without live pto and live hydraulics and it's poor ergonomics, I would not advise that. You have raised beds in the garden so a tractor is of no use there. You want to brush trails and have a 4 foot mower. A 4 foot is pretty small for a 60 acre place.
Your 20 + acres of open ground might support a pasture in the future that you can either graze with livestock or cut for hay. What one generally finds with newbies moving to the country is that you think too small when buying a tractor. You only size for what you think you will be doing today. On 5 acres with a 6 foot rotary cutter and a 7 foot back blade a 25 HP tractor with a FEL is probably OK. You can mow, scratch up the rive way and plow small amounts of snow in the winter. My guess if you are at Gifford an looking at your pictures your at 2500 to 3000 ft of elevation and you get plenty of snow every year. You have 60 acres. My question to you is looking down the road, what do you want to see on your 60 acres 5 years from now, 10 years from no,w 20 years from now?

I live in Western Montana and we have a 60 acre irrigated ranch where we raise beef cattle and hay at the foot of the Mission Mountains. We came here after 25 years of raising cattle on small acreage with a 1981 Ford 4610 and a 1954 Ferguson TO-30. We added a 2007 New Holland TD95D in 2010 and just recently a 1978 Kubota M4500. The Ferguson which hauled the pipe trailer and plowed the lanes (sometimes) is up for sale.We use a round baler so we needed the New Holland. (We had people custom bale our hay for several years because of the economics. But the quality of the bales (they fell apart when you removed the twine or net!) told us we had to do it ourselves.) We needed hydraulics for our 10 wheel V hay rake as well as more horsepower to pull it so we just got the used Kubota. That's why we are selling the Ferguson. The Ford drives our drum mower. This gives us the flexibility to cut all our hay or just part of it during risky weather conditions without playing musical chairs with mowers and rakes on one tractor.

Our first tractor was that '54 Ferguson. I installed remanufactured engine in it about 1000 hours ago and it runs great but we just can't use it and it just can't do what we need doing anymore. The Kubota will take over its chores and also do things it cannot. The point of this is that we had a vision when we came here and we had the horsepower to do even more than our first plan required because we were certain that we would always need more horsepower than we thought.

So my advice to you is to make some plans for the next 20 years in 5 year increments. That will give you an idea of what you need. I believe you will find a 45-55 pto hp tractor with independent pto an live hydraulics for the longer view. With that you can hay, blow snow, mow, grade roads, pull logs for firewood. Add and FEL and you'll have a powered wheel barrow to tote those rocks. By the way we have rocks on our place the size of Volkswagens so I know what rocks are all about!

 

[Turbys_1700]

Welcome to the forums...
Beautiful piece of property you have...
All good advise here...
Jerry M/T hit the nail on the head with his last paragraph...
Look at 5 year intervals as to what you want to do and adjust accordingly...
In a perfect world it looks like a B or L series to start out with and then later add a 40 to 50 HP tractor for the larger work...
I would advise diesel, power steering, live or independent power, and wet brakes if you get a larger unit with some age...
Good luck and keep us posted...

 

[jeff9366]

My soil is roughly half sand, half silt with about 5% clay (estimated results of the old mason-jar-half-full-of-dirt test). The ground is hard, except after soaking rain, and contains rocks from golf ball to shoe box size. The property is all sloped.

I'm not planning on doing much with the forested part, aside from some tractor-trail maintenance and occasional brush mowing along a couple paths, maybe with a flail mower.

Around the house and garden I could use something for plowing/blowing 45" of snow during our average winter, leveling gravel, moving dirt/gravel, mowing some rougher areas, post-hole auger for fencing, tiller for garden beds, and some back blade work. Of course, a FEL would be a huge benefit.

The Kubota B7100/7000/6100/6000 or similar has caught my eye, and have seen them in my price range around my area. I think the 4wd would be nice considering my sloped property.

PTO powered Roto-tiller for small tractor.

Most prefer a Rotary Cutter / Bush Hog over a Flail mower. Two cheap generic blades, easily sharpened, relative to 400 proprietary carbide teeth on a flail. Each to his own.

Rear mount Snow Blower for 4,000 pound tractor.

PTO powered Post Hole Auger for 4,000 pound tractor.

FEL with SSQA [Skid Steer Quick Attach - an industry standard] bucket attachment for 4,000 pound tractor.
Optional factory heavy duty bucket. (Manual steering not advised for loader work.)

Ratchet Rake bucket attachment for 4,000 pound tractor.
VIDEO: ratchet rake brush clearing - YouTube

Bucket Solutions' Bucket Spade attachment for 4,000 pound tractor.

I speculate that Bucket Solutions' Multi-Spear Ultra Fork might sieve brick size rock, then tip up FEL to slide sieved rock into your FEL bucket for transport. [five inch spacing between Ultra Fork tines.]
BUCKET SOLUTIONS: Multi-Spear Ultra Fork

 

[N80]

For a larger tractor I would recommend something like an L4400 or MX5000. Both around 45 hp. Both heavy enough but not so heavy that you need a F250 or higher rig to tow it. I think with loaded tires and FEL in place my L4400 is just shy of 5000 pounds. I would say 4wd is an absolute must for you. I woul also recommend ag tires in your situation. I can pull a 2 bottom plow through thick clay with my 4400. It is not heavy but the 4wd helps. My soil is a very different make-up than yours but it shares the same characteristics: hard as concrete when dry, boggy and slick when wet. Full of rocks.

 

[bdog]

I have no idea what a spread like that costs but bet it wasn't cheap. I would think if you could buy that property you could budget more than 5k for a tractor? You are going to have to spend considerably more than that to efficiently maintain that much ground.

 

[Creamer]

You have the land - that is a great start! You are going to need more tractor than you have - I would say nothing less than 40 Hp.

A box blade can do wonders for smoothing out those burrow mounds. The scarifiers on the box blade can do wonder for popping out those rocks that are just at the surface - but you will need a tractor that can pull it.

There are a lot of good tractors out there and you do not need the latest and greatest. FWA is better but 2Wd should work fine - you are not in a muddy area. If you do purchase on older tractor make sure it has a front axle that is strong enough for an FEL. Fo instance the JD 4020 out of the 60s is one fantastic tractor but there are a lot of broken front axles out there because they were not designed for the loads an FEL with the power they have could put on them when you hit a hole with a front tire.

 

[RSKY]

We tended 150 acres for years with a 52-hp tractor. But it was a constant, every day, job.

It depends on how much money and time you want to spend.

RSKY

 

[Dan Hunter]

jeff9366,

I hate to think about all the time I've spent on the internet but in all that reading you, sir, offered the finest first response to a query I've ever read.

Filson,

I'm from Federal Way (I think there's only one in the world) but have my hobby property in Oklahoma. When I first acquired it, I mentioned at work that I'd "bought a farm" and was asked what crops I had. When I answered none, I was told I didn't have a farm. The next time I said I "bought a ranch" and was asked what livestock I had. When I answered none...deer, quail, other critters, I was told you possess livestock to be a ranch. I had no idea rural living had such stringent rules. Still, I settled on "ranch". I'm a tick rancher and if I can find a way to crush them for their oil at a profit, I'll bury those frackers. Mostly I just tear up cedar trees, hunt and consume brown water.

The key world in your posts was hobby. Whatever else you do to pay the bills, when you think of the place it should call to you and put joy in your heart. I've had times when projects that I'd planned that didn't get accomplished started to grate on me and that I wouldn't recommend. I would also recommend 4WD. My place doesn't have a single flat spot and it's disturbing how fast the tractor can get away from you in 2WD on a slope. In fact, I can't recall the last time I took it out of 4WD.

Though your view is wonderful, I noticed the photo didn't include an adult beverage though neither does this photo.

 

[tmc_31]

"As stated previously, I'm assuming from the start, that I'll be needing 2 different tractors. Even my Case VAH which isn't much bigger than an 8n, is way too large to maneuver around in my garden."

Ha, Buy the tractor, make the garden fit the tractor:thumbsup: