Buying Advice on Used Tractor for Hay and Manure Handling

[SunHeart]

Hi all,

I've appreciated these forums over the years and have learned a lot reading old threads on various topics, but this is my first time posting. I have worked on many farms with many different sized tractors (10 HP Allis Gs, Ford 8n, up to 100 HP for field work and loader work, older and newer), and have also worked real horsepower (1-4 horse teams). I currently own an '01 35 hp Antonio Carraro TTR 3800 HST that I'll be putting on the market soon as my needs have changed. The Carraro was nice for my old hilly farm for mowing slopes and pastures, and working a few acres of vegetables (alongside a skid steer for loading), but I am starting a new farm focusing on hay and cows.

The property is 90 acres total, about 20 wooded (mostly hemlocks) on peaty soil and 70 open, well drained sandy and silty loams. It is very flat. I will be starting a small beef herd that will graze the land and use some hay, with the rest of the hay being sold locally. I will be custom hiring the work for the hay to be made into round bales. I have no plans to own any hay making equipment.

The main tasks the tractor will be called to perform are:

1. Loading and unloading bales to/from a round bale wagon. Yet to be purchased, but probably 26', holding up to 8 tons to be pulled on flat ground to be unloaded into a pole barn with approx 16' eaves at the entry. Bales will be 4x4 weighing approx 600-800 lbs. Will handle 700+ bales each year at least once, many twice.
2. Feeding hay out to cows in the winter. There is a long covered feed bunk that a bale can be unrolled into.
3. Scraping the feed yard where the cows have wintered. It is concrete base, and enclosed by short 6-8" walls on 3 sides and the barn on another. The feed bunk is 12' from the walls on the long side and 8' at the one end.
4. Making compost piles from the winter cow bedding and manure.
5. Turning compost piles.
6. Loading manure spreader and spreading manure with an approx. 100 bushel PTO spreader.
7. Mowing field edges with flail mower, most likely 6'.
8. Clipping some of the grazed pastures with flail.
9. Plowing snow: semi-circle driveway and barnyard in winter ~ 600' driveway space total.
10. Handling delivered logs to be loaded onto firewood processor.
11. Various unloading/loading of pallets and other large items.
12. Possibly some tilling for vegetables and small grains, under 5 acres.
13. Preparing ground for, planting, and maintaining an orchard and berries, homestead scale (20 trees or so).
14. Mowing around house yard and barnyard with flail.
15. Pulling a 5 x 8 trailer to haul things around.
16. Maybe a little woods work to clean things up here and there, but no plans for logging

I am looking at hopefully keeping the cost to $25,000, but if the right tractor is available/needed I could go to $30,000. I am interested in used tractors, of the last 15 years or so. I know manufacturers offer low/no interest financing, but don't have any need for new and like buying something already partially depreciated.

I am not very mechanically inclined, but I get by. Ease of use and reliability are important. I can change the oil and diagnose things, but my time is better spent elsewhere so I'd be hiring anything in. I'd rather pay more so I can do a better job more comfortably than struggle with something that mostly works and needs constant attention.

I'm thinking something in the 45-60 hp range with loader, like in the grand L or M/MX series Kubotas (but am open to all other brands/suggestions). HST transmission. Will the lower end of this range cover my needs? I don't think I'll need much more PTO HP for the spreader and 6 flail.

One place I have a question is in scraping the yard and turning compost piles. Will I have enough break out force to get in there, especially the bedded pack? Will it be more of a power or a traction issue, or both? Can I reasonably address this in this power/size range? I would be open to renting a skid steer once a year if needed too. I'd like to keep it in this size range if possible I think.

Any thoughts on cab/no cab? Might not have much choice given what's available, but open to thoughts.

Thanks for any suggestions and advice. I'm happy to provide more info as needed.

 

[RustyA]

55+ hp for manure spreader and in case you end up wanting to cut and bale yourself. Cab for winter feeding and plowing, less debris when handling manure. Quick attach loader for bucket, forks, and manure forks. Handling manure with bucket gets frustrating fast when mixed with waste hay and bedding. Tined manure forks work better. Your price range is very close to new ls or new holland 55hp utility.

 

[RustyA]

https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/198036597/2020-new-holland-workmaster-55

 

[Hay Dude]

I would go with a used Kubota M95x,M100x or M105x MFWD and cab. More HP than you are thinking, but they are heavier And will carry the logs, pull a heavy wagon and won’t leave you wishing for more HP when haying.
I have 2 Ms and a larger, but similar list to yours. Great, simple tractors.

 

[SunHeart]

Thanks for the replies.

I don't plan to own or run any haying equipment. If some day I do, I'll get another tractor to do so. Happy to hire it in!

Does a manure spreader really take 55 HP? I was thinking 30 hp at the PTO maybe? It will be spreading compost, not strawy stuff with lots of chunks, but even then, that much? I might be mistaken.

How about the ability to pull an 8 ton wagon? Everything is flat, relatively smooth fields, not a long distance. I'd guess its mostly the start and stop?

I understand what a larger tractor gets me, but also see that it means bigger and higher off the ground, two things which I'm not as interested in. Even a longer wheelbase of 10" means wider turning radius in moving bedding pack and turning compost, loading and unloading bales, seeing what I'm doing, etc. But maybe better to see and load/unload bales off the wagon that are stacked on top?

Also, once you get into the larger frames its usually no HST. While I'll be doing some mowing, it's mainly edges and not a lot at a time. Lots of loader work with hay bales and manure though. I've never used a shuttle shift, only gear and HST. Any thoughts?

I appreciate the manure forks comment. Have any you like/recommend?

Also, I'd like to spend $25K, and Maybe up to $30k, and used, so while new is tempting it is another $7-12K that could buy some implements etc. Farming ain't making anyone rich as far as I can tell, at least folks doing the work

 

[sea2summit]

So you have a skid steer and need a tractor if I read this correctly?

I would use the skid steer for cleaning out the bedding, turning compost, loading the hay wagon, loading the manure spreader, snow plowing, and maybe some of the log handling depending on where that takes place.

Seems like the MX is as small as I'd go with what you describe, M would probably be a lot better. You want it to pull an 8 ton hay wagon, that is gonna be you're litmus test as the MX 'supposed' to max out at 7,700 pounds of trailer which is less than half what you're talking about wanting to pull. I think you'd run out of traction pretty quick with the MX and an 8 ton trailer if there had been any recent rains or the grass has dew on it, the MX just doesn't weigh enough.

You mentioned turning radius as a concern, I don't think there is a noticeable difference is turning radius between my MX and M4 as it relates to getting work done....mostly because the M4 is easily grabbing twice as much material as the MX is so backing an extra 2-3' to make a turn it's still doing more faster than the MX.

Last note from me is the shuttle shift is stupid easy to operate and if you're routinely moving material across 90 acres with a tractor it's probably even preferable to HST.

 

[fried1765]

I would go with a used Kubota M95x,M100x or M105x MFWD and cab. More HP than you are thinking, but they are heavier And will carry the logs, pull a heavy wagon and won’t leave you wishing for more HP when haying.
I have 2 Ms and a larger, but similar list to yours. Great, simple tractors.

Aren't those Ms kinda big for just simple grass mowing?

 

[SunHeart]

I HAD a skid steer. Sold it recently as it wasn't getting enough use and am hoping the new tractor with loader would take over most tasks

 

[SunHeart]

Where do you find specs for how much trailer each model can pull?

 

[sea2summit]

Where do you find specs for how much trailer each model can pull?

tractordata.com has a lot of specs but for trailering I had to look at the manual. Most manuals are on the google box if you poke around.