Buying Advice Bought a farm, looking for a tractor...and help choosing!

[Soundguy]

that's what a road trip is for!

 

[SuperDave]

Here are my 2 bits. I have 100 acres, rolling hills with a driveway 1 mile long. Have had a B7800 for the last 6 years and it has never failed. With a 5' bucket, 5' brush mower, 5' king kutter tiller, 5' rear blade and 5' box blade I have gotten all the jobs done. Yes there are times when '10 more horsepower' would have been great, but I just take a little extra time. So I guess I'm saying that 30 horse has done the job.

 

[D7E]

i know people that has a 5+ ac yard.an they mow the front yard an backyard side an along the driveway with the riding mower.an then mow the rest with tractor an finish mower.an they do that once a week.

Absoluteley , I never hitched the finnishing mower up last year the wife does 5 acres of lawn with a Cub cadet LT1045 once a week . When i add in the time hitching and messing around obstacles and the mess a tractor makes when wet i will rather have two riding mowers .
And that way wife and kids can mow and don't keep bothering me to do it !

 

[bigbull338]

well they used to mow that 5ac yard twice a week with the riding mower.then the owner got to old,so the son started mowing most of it with the tractor an finish mower.

 

[toddol1971]

I think the ag tractor such as a jd 2020, mf 65, 165, 135, ford 800, 3000, 3600, ih 566, 686 I could go on, would be what you need. I have a distinct feeling you'll be doing more yard mowing than tractor driving. That means you need a good ztr. There all good and reliable so just close your eyes and point. Get a 2 or 3 yr old one for 4 or 5 grand, then spend the rest on a massey 165 with fel and rear remotes or something similar. Then in about 6 years you'll know exactly what youre missing. You may be able to sell the mf and buy you a good used cut or utility tractor. I got 40 acres and sure I wish I had a nice new 4x4 50hp tractor, but I cant seem to part with the money when the old 65 is still doing a good job. I have a badboy ztr by the way.

 

[curdy]

There's a Ford 2000 with FEL for sale 10 minutes away for $3500. I'm thinking of swinging by there today to take a look.

 

[Reg]

Just bought a farm out in south central PA and I'm trying to figure out what tractor to get for it. I'll do my best to describe what I'll be doing and any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated on what I should be looking for!

I'm a used equipment type guy, I don't like paying more for brand new things unless it really really makes sense for me to do so. Especially since I'm just getting started out, and my needs may change some as I go along, buying used probably makes the most sense...not to mention that I need to really watch my expenses (who doesn't these days right?). So I also want to keep maintenance costs in mind (just because something is lower priced up front, doesn't mean it is long term.)

The property is 50 acres, rolling terrain. Our interests are in pastured livestock.
IMO, these are my needs as I see them now:

Priority
Mowing (around 2 houses, under 5 acres)
Loader work

Secondary needs
Brush cutting
Driveway grading

Loader
Given the frequent need for both mowing and loader work, I think a loader with a quick detach/attach is a must.

Trans
With obstacles around the houses and barn areas, I think a hydro trans is going to be the most ideal. I haven't operated a tractor with a shuttle shifter before, so let me know if that would be good for my needs and if it would be less to maintain.

Size
My loader needs should stay under 1000 lbs and I have a good neighbor with a big loader for the occasional need for anything over that. My thought would be that a shorter frame would be helpful for the mowing with tighter turns, and my lighter loader requirements doesn't require a larger frame. I also think having it a bit lighter (around 2k)

Power
Not sure of my HP needs. I'd rather not just 'get by' on power and find that I wish I had more. Occasionally its OK, but not often. I'm thinking 30 HP is a good #? I won't be brush hogging large fields, just along fence lines and some smaller areas, so I would think 5' should be good.

$10k is my top # for the tractor, FEL, and mower. There was a JD 955 with under 900 hrs, FEL, and 72" MMM for sale locally that I found about a week too late. It sold for $9700. That would have been pretty ideal I think. I was disappointing when I called and found it had sold.

Need some advice on what models would accomplish what I need and open to any other advice on things I should be considering. I'm not in a bind where I have to find something right away, but I think before spring would be ideal. If anyone knows of something for sale, let me know. I am fine with traveling to get a good deal.

Thanks so much in advance!

Tractors are VERSATILE tools, but their range has finite limits.
The "Lawns" vs R1 tires debate rages here in many threads, lawns vs weight, etc.

My suggestion is a mower for mowing (zero turn, hydro, etc.) and a tractor for field and loader work (almost anything in the FULL cat 1 range, say 35 to 50 HP.
Then you can have WEIGHT in the tractor and however "aggressive" tire pattern tread you want or feel you need and GENTLENESS on the "Lawns" {and any putting greens you may decide on putting in later (-: }

Look for repos, a lot of Cat 1 tractors & ZTMs were bought on impulse when those on the suburban/rural fringe thought they could keep up with payment books.
You might find something that has been used for Saturday morning rides to the mail box (to impress neighbors) and not much else.

 

[toddol1971]

FORD 3400 40 HP to 99 HP For Sale At TractorHouse.com http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6031099&
I dont know if that link will work, but I think a 2000 is a little on the small side. 3000 would be the smallest. I would try to find a 4 or 5000 in my price range. Dont forget about massey they make great tractors. I think in the end, your main problem will be your budget. If you'd allow say 13 or 14000 then you'll find a nice size tractor/loader and still have enough left for a mower. Maybe even add a finish mower to the tractor for the larger open parts of the yard. I see you have said what size for what job. Here is how I see it. The differece in physical size between say a 2000 and a 4000, or a 165 and a 185 is not a whole lot. So I would want as much hp & weight as I could get say up to 85 or so horsepower. That way no matter how big or small the job you'll be covered. I guarantee the more youre on that tractor the more stuff you'll find that you just have to do:laughing: Soon you'll be wanting to pull a disc or a chisel plow to renovate the field. I know you have a neighbor with a bigger tractor, but borrowing will get old fast for him and you. I wont borrow a neighbors tractor...................... If I need his tractor he comes and operates it. My luck the neglected part will break shortly after i get in the seat. No thanks. I have a 65 massey with 49 pto hp and I want a bigger tractor. I'd like to get around 80 to 90 hp. Of course I'd love to have a 4x4 but I doubt thats gonna happen. Also as a sad side note. Tractor prices for used equipment is up in the stratosphere. It sucks......... If you search hard or are in a good area with a lot of the same model #'s then prices might be lower. Remember you can't go wrong with to much hp but you can go home with to little. HP = :licking::shocked::cool2::cloud9::drink::dance1:

 

[toddol1971]

Look for repos, a lot of Cat 1 tractors & ZTMs were bought on impulse when those on the suburban/rural fringe thought they could keep up with payment books.
You might find something that has been used for Saturday morning rides to the mail box (to impress neighbors) and not much else.[/QUOTE]

I've found the only way to capitalize on those deals is to be the one to buy off of the owner. Banks arent stupid. They usually enlist a dealer or some other party to sell it and at least pay off the note, but usually I find there higher than should be.

 

[Soundguy]

There's a Ford 2000 with FEL for sale 10 minutes away for $3500. I'm thinking of swinging by there today to take a look.

if it's a 3 cyl.. that's a steal.. if a 4 cyl.. not a ripoff or steal.. just average.. but should be in great condition at that price, and preferable the 5 spd tranny.

post some details!

soundguy