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

[claitner]

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.

Cab is a must

I have a 2007 Branson 6530, 4wd with loader and cab, I bought new and one of the reasons was the Cummins licensed engine (now described as the Kukje engine)....all mechanical. Not sorry.

Recently I was looking for another tractor, used, in the same or slightly larger HP and found used TYMs with a couple of different engines which were built prior to the Branson buy-out. The engines were first class, just not Cummins licensed (Yanmar and Perkins). Thought seriously about pursuing them but being fairly new and distant, I looked for something older and closer which I found in a Case-IH 895 with cab.....cheaper and delivered.

I run a 5x4 round baler that produces at least an 800# bale (weighed one once) and the 65 HP (57 PTO) is necessary for running that baler. A 4x5 bale is said to be heavier if considering that. Square balers have low HP requirements and a 35 HP tractor can get that work done.

The cab with AC and heat and both are nice baling and delivering bales in the winter. 4 WD is pretty common on newer tractors these days and I had a 100 HP JD 4230, 2WD having bought implements for it to use and I can use them with my Branson in midrange gears as was the case with the JD.

Open station tractors are usually easier for a lot of get-on, get-off work and of my 7 tractors (25-84 HP) most are open station.

I bought my farm as a city boy in 1979 and I am still learning something new just about every time I do something. Maybe that's why I like farming.....not boring.....something different every time you attempt something and problems require thought to get solved.

Good luck on your pursuit.....and be safe......don't take chances.

Buyers who start with an open station and later buy a cab machine very often say they wish they had started with a cab. You will use the tractor more often and will benefit greatly with not having to shower after a 2 or 3 hour task and not having to freeze on the coldest winter days. And then there is noise...I might have avoided hearing aids if I had a cab the first 10 years of tractor ownership!
In our area the local farmers who have haying equipment will cut, rake and bale for reasonable fee or % of the hay they put up and so I sold my rake, baler and wagon after a few years...I kept the sickle bar mower for road bank mowing. Disk mowers are better for haying; but much more costly to buy.
I would start with a chassis size equivalent to a 5000 series Deere, a little larger than being discussed I believe. I like a 65 hp class tractor as it is conservative on fuel usage; but sufficient for my needs. Large diameter front tires really smooth out transport across a less than flat field.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I wear noise cancelling earbuds on the tractor and listen to music. I wear hearing protection with a lot of power equipment in fact. You can still avoid hearing loss by taking precautions

 

[ericm979]

I have 32db ear muffs sitting on the joystick of the tractor. They go on my head before I start the engine. My hearing is still good after 4+ decades of motorcycles, chainsaws, guns and loud music because I wore hearing protection most of the time.

 

[RiverHill]

For the majority of my adult life, we've lived places that needed little to no outdoor work; apartments, townhouses, etc. Now that we finally have some land I'm back to doing things like cutting grass, that I haven't really done since I moved out of Dad's house. I've been putting my headphones in and turning up the volume, which may in fact be worse for my ears. I recently bought a set of bluetooth hearing protection headphones for use on the zeroturn so I hope any further damage will be limited.

 

[Williy]

Being in the service we never had any thing like head phones etc. And being around jet planes kicking in the afterburner and large prop planes it does a number on your hearing. Being in a
cab cuts the noise down and with my head phones you can barely hear the tractor running.

willy

 

[RiverHill]

Delivered this afternoon. Unfortunately I had too much scheduled at work and didn’t have much time to play. I’m really looking forward to getting a lot done with this thing.

 

[K5lwq]

Very nice. I am sure it will serve you well for many years to come!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Now you just need a hydraulic top link!

 

[Molalla1]

Very nice RiverHill . . .

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Nice beehives!

 

[RiverHill]

Nice beehives!View attachment 858560

I sure enjoy this hobby. Planning to add to it yearly.

 

[jlbart]

View attachment 858546View attachment 858547

Delivered this afternoon. Unfortunately I had too much scheduled at work and didn’t have much time to play. I’m really looking forward to getting a lot done with this thing.

Riverhill nice tractor. I'm curious what the noise level is like in the cab? Can you talk on the phone? I have a New Holland C337 track loader and it's much to loud in the cab to comfortably listen to radio or talk on the phone. On the other hand the bigger, 200hp, John Deere tractors are quiet enough in the cab to talk on phone, etc.

 

[RiverHill]

Riverhill nice tractor. I'm curious what the noise level is like in the cab? Can you talk on the phone? I have a New Holland C337 track loader and it's much to loud in the cab to comfortably listen to radio or talk on the phone. On the other hand the bigger, 200hp, John Deere tractors are quiet enough in the cab to talk on phone, etc.

I only have about 3 hours in it, but it’s not bad. A phone held up to your ear or on a Bluetooth headset would probably be fine, but on speaker in the cup holder wouldn’t likely work. Radio at a reasonable volume is fine up until you have to bring the revs up very high. 540 pto speed may be a bit loud for the radio, but 540e should be fine.

I downloaded a decibel meter in my phone. I’ll update after I do some work in it next week.

 

[2515R Dude]

BY ALL MEANS, AVOID BRENSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yander]

Well, I pulled the trigger this weekend on a TYM 5520Ch. I will post pictures whenever I take delivery this week; I know the rules.

I bought from the farther TYM Dealer, but they're second generation and they also sell McCormick and a ton of other attachments. I don't expect them to go anywhere and they seem to have great reviews service wise. I went with Ag tires for the traction and the hydro to make it easier for my wife and other helpers. They're also adding a third function valve, filling the tires, and I bought a box blade for the drive. Though I'm debating calling and having him throw on a set of pallet forks too. I haven't been able to find any used locally and even the rural king ones are pricey. It's almost spring auction time though, so I'll probably just keep an eye out at those events for a deal.

I actually had a little bit of a hard time deciding between the legacy Branson Tractor and it's TYM counterpart. The T594 had a much larger cab, but the bulk in things like axles, as well as the 4 range hydro made me pick the Branson. They also had a used JD 3720 and 4720 that I looked at closely, but they were 20 years old and approximately the same price. As much as I'd love to rock the traditional green, I am not at all convinced it's worth the upcharge.

Congrats! i would consider a TYM from a dealer like that also!

 

[Flogger]

My first patriot guard mission began on a balmy 6 degree morning. I have ridden year round in Kansas and I find that by the time my core gets unbearably cold my hands and feet are more than ready for a coffee break!