Buying Advice First tractor for small family farm. Branson or something else?

[RiverHill]

Hi All,

I’ve lurked around on this forum for quite some time, but the realistic possibility of being a tractor owner within the month prompted me to join and get some insight, and hopefully reinforce my thought process.

We moved onto 26 acres nearly three years ago now, but officially bought the house and property last year. Now that we own our little piece of ground, I am in need of my own tractor which leads me to you fine folks. Here are our needs:

1. We have 3/4 mile long gravel road leading to the house, which despite being a township road is basically private and needs maintaining.
2. We have a 10 acre field, and a 3 acre field which both need to be maintained. Father-in-law used them occasionally for pasture before he passed, but otherwise simply brush hogged them every year. This practice will continue until I can either pasture it more regularly (we don’t yet have any livestock) or I can put enough into the soil to improve the hay. It’s worth noting that the 3 acre field is very steep. I’m not sure I have the fortitude to brush hog it like my father-in-law did, so tractor stability will come into play.
3. Ultimately, I would like to get livestock. We’ll likely either get a few horses, or a small beef cow herd, so I’d like a tractor with a loader that can safely move a reasonably sized round bale.
4. I also want to have the ability to make hay, likely using a square baler, or if able a small round baler.
5. Finally, I have a ton of small project ideas around the house that a tractor would help with including landscaping, minor dirt work, etc.

Based on that, I’ve made my tractor criteria:

1. 40+ horsepower
2. 4 wheel drive (we’re in the mountains of PA)
3. FEL
4. Cab (this is admittedly a want)

To get those criteria, I cannot justify paying for a Deere or a Kubota. I’m a fan of both and would buy either if I find a deal, but new prices are astronomical and I have yet to find a good deal on a used one. My local Massey dealer is also way too expensive, and I had a very bad experience with the local LS dealer when they came to look at one of my late father-in-law’s tractors that we sold.

We have two TYM dealers within a reasonable drive. I like both and they have led me to the Branson 5520c. (I don’t like the layout of the TYM T’s.) There is an open house at one of the dealerships in two weeks, at which I expect to purchase.

We do have a local kioti dealer and I will check them out before pulling the trigger, but I like the thought of the kukje engine in the Branson with minimal electronics, and I’m partial to red.

My question for you all then, is whether this is a good fit, a good tractor, or if there are better alternatives to consider.

Thanks in advance!


TLDR.

Need to brush hog, maintain gravel road, and lift a round bale on 26 acres. Pick me a better tractor than a Branson 5520c.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I can’t. Solid unit.

 

[K5lwq]

What brand and models did your FIL have? They seemed to work well for him and should give an idea of what you need as far as weight and power.

The 5520C is a nice tractor but hard to say if it is the right one for your needs.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I think being in PA your gonna NEED a cab..
Trying to maintain a road in Dec./Jan. is not gonna be fun in an open station.!!!
Good luck with your searching..

 

[RiverHill]

What brand and models did your FIL have? They seemed to work well for him and should give an idea of what you need as far as weight and power.

The 5520C is a nice tractor but hard to say if it is the right one for your needs.

My mother-in-law, our only neighbor, still has quite a few cows and has my FIL’s JD 5525 and a diesel Ford 4000. Neither have a front end loader, but she also still has a 65hp skid steer.

Since we moved in I’ve been borrowing those to get things done over here as needed, but I’d prefer not to use those for my stuff.

The Ford was somewhat a base of my criteria decisions.

 

[RiverHill]

I think being in PA your gonna NEED a cab..
Trying to maintain a road in Dec./Jan. is not gonna be fun in an open station.!!!
Good luck with your searching..

Clearing the road with the JD 5525 back in January was rather chilly.

 

[LHF2019]

I think being in PA your gonna NEED a cab..
Trying to maintain a road in Dec./Jan. is not gonna be fun in an open station.!!!
Good luck with your searching..

Why is that? I do it all the time. NWPA here.

 

[RjCorazza]

Everyone has different tolerances for operating in inclement weather... My tolerance tanked when I hit 50 years old.
I plow about 1 mile of residential driveways, and an open station tractor would not suit me at all.
Plus I like listening to my 60's - 80's tunes while I work!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I use earbuds, and still enjoy the cold on my face.

 

[RiverHill]

I have yet to see anyone with a cab express regret about getting it. But I do wonder if stepping up in size to a comparably priced, but open station Branson 5835 might be a worthwhile tradeoff.

I’m hoping I’ve overestimated my needs with the 5520, but don’t want to shortly replace this tractor because I bought too small.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I'm in northeast PA. and my situation is almost exactly like yours. I have 25 acres, a mix of woods & fields, and maintain 1.25 miles of private gravel road.

My first tractor was way too small but for $$ reasons, I bought a 17HP Kubota B7100HST with FEL & hoe. I made do with the machine, and although it took more time, it did the mowing, plowing, excavating and grading jobs for almost 20 years.

I've since worked my way up to owning two tractors, a L6060HSTC with cab and an open station MX5800HST for doing woods work.

I've never heard anyone complain about having too much HP so IMO, get something in the 50-60HP range. A cab is very nice for heat and A/C during weather extremes, but can be an issue when working along tree lines or in the woods.

Don't forget a FEL plow and stone rake for maintaining the road and doing landscaping.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your choices!

 

[tacticalturnip]

Excellent tractor, but I've got to suggest you also look at the Kioti NS5310 or 6010.

When I was buying it came down to Branson and Kioti for me; Kioti edged out on ergonomics and dealer in my case.

 

[Torvy]

I have the T574 cousin. I liked the additional features, myself. Uses the exact same engine as the 5520. No complaints so far.

Check into the dealers.

 

[zzvyb6]

Pick a brand associated with a dealership network very close-by, and one with a likelyhood of existing in 20 years. That leaves just a couple.

In my case, I have 4 JD dealerships within 15 miles, a Rural King, and several TSCs. I have a 35 HP CUT and do my own hay with a square baler, 9' haybine mower, and a 56 bale pick-up stacker wagon. Plenty of power for all this plus can run a pto generator for all needs.

I'd look at used machines from an estate sale because they most likely run, perform, and are already depreciated.

As for options, a machine without a loader is not going to be very useful to your cause. A Q.A. implement system is a must for bucket, fork, and snow plow ease of operation. I never saw a need for a cab and still don't. Make sure it's sized for all adult members of your family to be comfortable with. Yes, there is 'too small' and also a 'too big'. Go sit on some to see what I mean.

 

[RiverHill]

I will certainly check out the Kioti's. My dad has a BX Kubota and I almost went that route a few months back, but I'm certain I would have been disappointed in the capabilities of a tractor that small with my property.

I live out in the boonies, so not much of anything is closer than 45 minutes. If I were buying today, I'd likely get the 5520 from a TYM/Branson and McCormick Dealer an hour and twenty away. My FIL bought a McCormick from them, which they bought back after he passed. They treated my MIL very kindly.

The other is a Kioti Dealer approximately 45 minutes away. That dealer has three locations and also sells TYM/Branson and Mahindra. I stopped at their location an hour and 45 minutes away when I happened to drive by, to check out the TYM's. They service all brands that they sell at all locations.

We also have a JD and a Massey, both about 45 minutes out. We also have a Rural King 30 minutes down the road, but the financing terms effectively make their tractors more expensive than a similarly equipped TYM or Kioti.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Also, RK, though made by TYM do NOT have the Kukje mechanical injected diesel. They are common rail/ECM. RK also has a bad service reputation for their tractors. Id go straight to TYM

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

The 5520 chassis is the same as the 4820. They are really compact and heavy. It's about a foot shorter in length than the TYM 494, but the same weight. Without the tiller it's around 5000 pounds. A chunky bugger indeed. Hydraulics are very fast as well. I was reminded yesterday as I did a little loader work.

 

[IndyIan]

I can tell you 42 gross hp doesn't run an old MF 1440 4x5 round baler very well as the humidity goes up! Did surprisingly well before then, but it was to hard on my tractor for regular use.
If you want to round bale then you need to size your tractor for your baler or one you are likely to use in the future. So 60-90 gross hp depending on your baler.
For hobby use I would skip the cab if you have to think at all about the extra cost, as you probably aren't going to do enough hours in bad weather to make it worth the hassle? If $6-8-10k is barely a drop in the bucket for you then get a cab for sure, but you would be much happier with that money in better hay equipment and other implements, if you have a limited tractor and implement budget.
I don't do much in the rain. And there are few jobs that go well in the rain anyways, and no tractor job has been that time sensitive. A decent oversize rain suit keeps you dry in wet snow if you have to plow in it, but even that is pretty rare for me, and the summers aren't really too bad here, especially if I avoid the middle of the day.

 

[RiverHill]

The 5520 chassis is the same as the 4820. They are really compact and heavy. It's about a foot shorter in length than the TYM 494, but the same weight. Without the tiller it's around 5000 pounds. A chunky bugger indeed. Hydraulics are very fast as well. I was reminded yesterday as I did a little loader work.View attachment 855860View attachment 855861

That's a good looking tractor and one heck of a tiller!

 

[RiverHill]

I can tell you 42 gross hp doesn't run an old MF 1440 4x5 round baler very well as the humidity goes up! Did surprisingly well before then, but it was to hard on my tractor for regular use.
If you want to round bale then you need to size your tractor for your baler or one you are likely to use in the future. So 60-90 gross hp depending on your baler.
For hobby use I would skip the cab if you have to think at all about the extra cost, as you probably aren't going to do enough hours in bad weather to make it worth the hassle? If $6-8-10k is barely a drop in the bucket for you then get a cab for sure, but you would be much happier with that money in better hay equipment and other implements, if you have a limited tractor and implement budget.
I don't do much in the rain. And there are few jobs that go well in the rain anyways, and no tractor job has been that time sensitive. A decent oversize rain suit keeps you dry in wet snow if you have to plow in it, but even that is pretty rare for me, and the summers aren't really too bad here, especially if I avoid the middle of the day.

By the time I realistically get into making hay, I'll have two sons at hay throwing age. Round bales aren't super high priority.

My biggest thought with the cab is honestly health and safety. I'm prone to burning in the sun and would prefer to have my ears and lungs fully functioning as I age. Realistically I'm not going to consistently wear hearing protection or a mask when in heavy dust, and I'm known for forgetting sunscreen. The warm and dry are just gravy to me. I also have little use for the tractor in the woods, so I don't need to worry about cab damage from above.