Help Deciding on New Tractor

[rvb]

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My situation:
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I have 10 acres. I have 8 acres to mow; a good portion of it is field. I find myself wanting to use the tractor more and more and am wanting a Front End Loader (FEL).

I bought my current tractor with my house. I paid $7500 for the tractor, a Woods 72" finish mower, and a Mill's Pride manure spreader. The tractor is a New Holland TC30 standard transmission.

I am trying to figure out if it would make more sense to trade the tractor in on a new one with a FEL than to get an FEL put on mine. I tend not to cut my large field as often as I should and it really bogs down the mower.

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My questions:
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1.) Would I gain anything buying a new tractor with a FEL vs. putting an FEL on mine?

2.) My mower bogs down in high grass. Would a more powerful tractor give me the ability to cut higher grass or is that just a function of mower height?

3.) I'm sick of getting my private parts slammed around (my fields are rough), do newer tractors have better ride quality?

4.) Does a Hydro-Static Transmission still have low gears to pull me out of much and handle steep, sloppy conditions or am I better off staying with a standard transmission?

Thanks for any help to get me going on my quest.

 

[Neophyte]

Here's my 2 cents.

1. To properly make a decision, you are going to need to price it out both ways. Get a price on the NH 7308 loader. You could also get a price on a 3rd party loader such as Bush Hog. I believe the Bush Hog 1846QT costs around $2600. Then get a price for a new tractor with loader, including your trade-in.

2. It sounds like you are mowing pretty tall grass. Finish mowers are not made for this; you should be using a rotary cutter. Buy a used RC or work a new one into your loader/tractor deal.

3. I can't really help you in this department. I can tell you that the new tractors don't come with suspensions, however, they do have spring-ride and air-ride seats available. Also, a heavier tractor with larger tires will bounce around less. What type of tires do you have and are they loaded? R1 Ags, R3 Turfs or R4 Industrials? Do you have weights on the front of your tractor or on your wheels? Additional weight may help.

4. HST tractors usually have 2 or 3 gears, one of them being a low or crawler gear. I have already used this gear to get me out of a few situations and to give me more grab when using a box blade. I love my eHydro and, despite potential drawbacks to Hydro that some may list, you couldn't convince me to go back to a gear or even a power reverser.

 

[Egon]

For pulling from a dead stop the hydro allows maximum RPM and maximum pulling. On a gear tractor you have to slip the clutch till it's moving.

If the field is bumpy it will remain so till it is cultivated and leveled.

As stated the finish mower may not be the proper choice for your application.

 

[jbrumberg]

rvb:

Welcome to TBN ! I agree with Neophyte and Egon. I mow between 7-9A's with a NH TC29DA depending on how on top I stay with the "lawn". The TC29 has specs that are somewhat lower than a TC30. My "29" has a 3 range HST, weighted R-1's, and I have had no difficulties mowing my hilly, steep in places, rough lower field with a 60" rotary cutter, and/or pulling myself out of sloppy mud, ice, and snow. From your description of your property it appears your bogging down is more a function of the design of a RFM. I had a old geared Ford 1100 (13/11PTO HP) that I was able to manage this same property with for 22+ years with a 40" Woods M-40 rotary cutter. My upgrade was a major improvement as to the convenience of more power, a FEL, HST, and the seat's adjustable suspension system. The TC30 is a real workhorse. It is an older design than the newer TC**DA series of tractors, but it should do the job with the right attachments (and more cheaply ). If you want to spend your money we at TBN would be more than willing to help you spend your money as well as provide you all the reasons you will need to justify the purchase with your "comptroller" . Jay

 

[rvb]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I was just quite tired last night I guess. I went out and raised the finish mower to it's full cutting height (5 1/2 inches) and cut that big field pretty well.

I really like my tractor, it just doesn't seem big enough since I've had it over a year. Although, it's probably perfect because I can get into all kinds of smaller spaces with it that I might not be able to get to in a bigger one.

I have the 9x3 transmission. It looks like I have R4 tires all around: 25 x 8.50 - 14, 6PR, R4 in the front, 15-19.50, 6PR, R4 in the rear (What does the 6PR mean?).

Anyways, that's it.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

If I was you I would get a 'suspension seat' and a front loader added to your tractor. There is probably no reason to move to a larger tractor but you may want to mow the grass more frequently to keep it from getting so long that it bogs your tractor down.

 

[Neophyte]

\(What does the 6PR mean?)

I think it stands for Ply Rating. 6PR is a 6-ply tire. My rear tires (R4 Marathoners) are a 4PR rear tire, which is a 4-ply.