Bought the Farm- need a tractor

[Turbo5upra]

I bought a house with 140 acres in central NY... Never thought I'd say that but a foreclosure just fell into my lap-

Anyway- I spent the past 9 or so months rebuilding the house as it was let go for far too long... End of last year I borrowed my grandfathers case 300- gas and upper 20's for hp... I've mowed his 30 or so acres with it in the past with a very tired 4' rotary cutter- when I got it here the gearbox was leaking so I went and bought a 6' cutter with plans to upgrade the tractor this spring- the new 6' mower mowed SO much easier.

Anyway- I've got about 60-70 acres that I'm trying to reclaim for someone to either plant corn or hay so I don't have to mow it-I got about 20 of it done last fall.

The women who was previously here had a pig farm and I'm trying to clean up the fences and outbuildings and make the property presentable.

I know I want MFWD and with a loader I'm thinking around 50hp at the PTO should do the trick and as of right now I don't think I want a cab as I want to go in the wood for firewood and think it will create more issues than it will help

I'm thinking I'd like to go 10-15 years old to avoid emissions and other such things as I want to maintain it myself.

After I clean up the property I will be having someone else use the bulk of the land and just cleaning the tree lines and wet areas and doing firewood for myself.

After doing a bunch of research I and I think I've narrowed it down and I find common faults with the tractor of choice- what would you guys suggest as a limited frills work horse tractor?

Thanks!

 

[newbury]

something like this:

Kubota M4700, 4WD 50HP eng. 42HP pto.
$11,500 when I bought it w/ about 1400 hours on it in 2013

 

[jeff9366]

Easy answer.

No frills Kubota MX 5800: https://www.kubotausa.com/products/tractors/economy-utility/mx


You are seeking a modest sized tractor for the amount of land you have. If you foresee spending a lot of hours operating this tractor consider a model with deLuxe kit rather than no frills. Your body will thank you. Most of the deLuxe features increase productivity.

 

[Turbo5upra]

Orange Huh?

I have most brands within 20-30 minute drive of me but the local kubota dealer and mahindra have been the most welcoming. I was thinking green for ease of parts but the local salesman seemed to be a jerk since I wasn't looking to dump 30-40k on something brand new.

I know they are well established and not going anywhere but how are the parts for older machines to get?


thanks!

 

[LouNY]

go red

 

[Turbo5upra]

which shade of red and is there a particular machine you suggest?

 

[Tractorable]

Kubota MX5800 or Yanmar YT359 (they're red too!)

 

[Semper Paratus]

New Holland 3930 (blue) has about the right HP is substantial on the order of 7k pounds. But the real question is who/what is around you for parts and service. It does not matter the color if local service sucks you will regret it.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Figure out what you mean by "reclaim" and what it is going to take to reclaim it.
Disking, plow, what do the locals do and how far has the field gotten away from it?

If you just plan to plant something, let a local lease it from you if they have a big HP tractor to engage the hard ground. You might have to pay them to "reclaim" it but then lease it back as part of a package deal. this can get the land on agricultural tax base if that is how NY does it.

I personally wouldn't want anything less than 75 HP MFWD. More if you insist to reclaim and raise a crop. This will be your main machine. You will want a smaller tractor to be the "weed eater" for doing close in smaller chores. You should look at about 25-35 PTO hp and better if MFWD too. Front end loaders are a huge help. Can't stress this enough.

Pick your color by what dealer near you has the best reputation and their proximity to you. How many parts do they stock for common replacement items. What would they charge to do a service call to your place?

Good luck.

Post back with your thoughts and questions.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Orange Huh?

I have most brands within 20-30 minute drive of me but the local kubota dealer and mahindra have been the most welcoming. I was thinking green for ease of parts but the local salesman seemed to be a jerk since I wasn't looking to dump 30-40k on something brand new.

I know they are well established and not going anywhere but how are the parts for older machines to get?


thanks!

TBN consensus:
Deere and Kubota are generally consided to be the top tier for parts availability (for CUTs). That does not mean that all other brands are impossible to get parts for.

However, some of the Chinese and Indian manufacturers might give me pause.

 

[Creamer]

I am definitely thinking larger than 50 hp. Kyle is about right with 75.

 

[Turbo5upra]

I live pretty central to most dealers- I have 2 Kubota dealers, John Deere, New holland, Case, Kioti, TYM, Yanmar, New Holland, Mahindra, Bobcat within 20-30 mins of me. I drive past or near a bunch of them on the way to different job sites.

I would compare "reclaiming" to a pasture- mostly weeds with some small brush and a few small diameter (2-4') trees sprinkled about. I thought about going bigger but once the land is up and running I felt it would be overkill.

My plan is to finish getting the brush and fences down this summer and the following spring to have someone come in and take over from there. I don't want to make the investment in enough power to plow or disk it.

 

[fishheadbob]

I like your thinking about at least 50 hp at the pto, MFWD, and no cab. I was in a similar situation a long time ago and that did the trick for me. If I were you I wouldn't limit myself to a particular brand but rather look to see what becomes available on Craigslist and at local dealerships. Personally I'd restrict myself to a big brand tractor like Deere, Kubota, Case-IH, or New Holland, and watch for whatever turns up. Some of the other brands come and go, or at least the dealerships do, while somebody always wants a franchise from one of the big boys. I am also a big fan of weight whenever I purchase equipment. Yes a heavier tractor will leave bigger ruts, and no you can't mow your lawn without tearing things up some, but more weight gets more power on the ground. 140 acres isn't the place for a suburban homeowners dream tractor. I wouldn't consider any tires except Ag for your needs.
A utility size tractor should also provide you with a pretty good hydraulic flow rate which you will find useful at some point, look for a machine with some remote hydraulic outlets, they won't add much if anything to the cost and you'll thank yourself later.

 

[oosik]

OK - so those two pictures show a portion of the 140 acres. I'm on board with Kyle and would recommend at least 75 hp. If you plan on mowing everything down and cleaning it all up - you will appreciate the added power.

I understand your wanting an older tractor to stay away from pollution controls. It might end up being a choice between an older tractor needing repairs/maintenance or a new tractor with Tier 4 and a warrantee. Today's tractor has a lot of the original pollution control problems ironed out - so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

The only reason I mention the older vs the newer is because around here - used tractors and implements are like trying to find a full set of hen's teeth.

 

[Turbo5upra]

The pics are of the rougher area that needs to be cleaned up. Once it痴 cleaned up I expect to have 10 acres of wet area and otherwise un-tillable that aren稚 woods.

I壇 prefer to keep the purchase under 25k Which would limit me to older higher horsepower units and new 2nd tier manufactures.

 

[oosik]

AH - completely understandable. I hope, NO, I know, you will have better luck finding a suitable used tractor back in your area than around this area. Around here its basically two choices - one that's 25 hp with mid-mount mower( basically a lawn mower) OR 400 to 550 hp that wouldn't even fit down a normal driveway or a country road, for that matter. There just isn't much choice in-between. Folks buy mid sized utility tractors and keep them forever.

 

[Turbys_1700]

What is your budget? I would suggest looking at Tractor House and Craigslist. When you find something you like let us know. Lots of knowledge here.

I'm a Ford guy in older tractors. You are fortunate to have dealer support local. If you get a good unit it won't matter.

My opinion. Buy blue, green, or orange. That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee.

 

[Turbo5upra]

thanks for the coffee! lol

I would like to keep it below 25k.

I was looking at green 5205 but found limited reviews with 2 people saying they broke font axles. I've beaten craigslist to death lol- I'm about 4 months out from purchasing unless the perfect deal falls in my lap.

 

[ovrszd]

I have 170 acres. 20 acres hay ground that my neighbor takes care of. 80 acres of timber and waste land. 70 acres of seeded area that I manage and brushcut. I started with a 45HP Kubota 4WD with FEL. Realized after two years it was too small. Sold it and bought a 95HP Kubota 4WD with FEL. Three years later I bought a second tractor, 47HP Ford 4WD without FEL. Now I'm properly equipped. The larger tractor does the FEL work and heavy tillage or brush cutter work. The 47HP tractor does all the lighter chores. I put 4 hours on the 47HP tractor for every hour on the 95HP tractor now that I am caught up and just maintaining the property. Your heavy FEL workload is probably less than mine was in the beginning. My original 45HP tractor breathed a sigh of relief when it left my property on the buyer's trailer. I worked the snot out of that CUT and it was not going to be able to maintain that level of work for very many years without failures. In my current evolutionary state I have little use for a 45Hp tractor with an FEL. Considering your budgetary constraints that's probably where you need to start though.

Keep us posted on your progress. Welcome to TBN.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

thanks for the coffee! lol

I would like to keep it below 25k.

I was looking at green 5205 but found limited reviews with 2 people saying they broke font axles. I've beaten craigslist to death lol- I'm about 4 months out from purchasing unless the perfect deal falls in my lap.

Anything can break if you push it past it's limits. Never heard of front axle breaking. Wonder what conditions caused it? Most of the larger deere have a Spanish cast front axle which I know I've put ours to the test, hauling post oak trees to the burn pile.