Help! Looking for tractor.

[DerekA09]

Hey all. I'm looking for the smallest tractor I could get away with moving a round bale. I acquired a 1980s John Deere 660 PTO tiller (Seen less than 5 acres use in its lifetime) that would be the horsepower requirements. (Just FYI the tiller would not be breaking any ground and would go to til a spot that is in a garden every year. ) I know these newer tractors have much better hydraulics than an older unit. I'm looking small as possible for maneuverability. Thanks in advance!

 

[jeff9366]

You can move round bales with a bale spear on the Three Point Hitch, or a SSQA bale spear mounted on the FEL in lieu of a bucket.

You cannot lift round bales more than a few inches using a bale spear on the Three Point Hitch, but you can transport bales using a relatively small tractor.

Lifting round bales on the FEL, high enough to stack bales or load trailers, requires are 65% to 80% heavier tractor to provide stability. Damp round bales can weigh 2,000 pounds.

Contemporary tractors have relatively powerful hydraulics but requirement for tractor weight, to decrease likelihood of tractor rolling over when lifting with the FEL, have not changed.

If you have not operated a tractor before you will be surprised how dangerously unstable tractors are transporting heavy FEL loads over rough ground.

What do you need to do?

A new tractor capable of lifting/transporting one ton round bales on the FEL will cost around $25,000.


Roto-Tillers do not require much PTO horsepower, nor tractor weight, to operate.



SSQA = Skid Steer Quck Attach, a universal standard.

 

[DerekA09]

I'm just wanting to move bales out to put in a bale ring to feed. I wouldn't be stacking or hauling them anywhere. I'm wanting something around 15 years old at the most to 5 years old at the newest. I found a Deere 4040 with FEL for under $20,000 I would go that route before I would ever buy a smaller tractor just so I could get something newer and be under powered to the point of being dangerous. I'm opting out of a FEL so I could afford to get something newer.

 

[jeff9366]

Here are MOVING ROUND BALE threads from the TBN archive: Google


If you add a city to your TBN profile, someone near you in Illinois may contact you through TBN with a lead on a good used tractor meeting your requirement. This happens regularly.

 

[DerekA09]

Thanks!

 

[DerekA09]

She still earns her oats some days. Haha.

 

[TomSeller]

She still earns her oats some days. Haha.

And a little dog chow too? Or does Purina sell oats? . Beautiful tractor !!! Very nice.

 

[DerekA09]

And a little dog chow too? Or does Purina sell oats?

It's Accuration starter feed for the heifers. lol BUT I do have a picture of that barn being built with Oats in the field behind it.

 

[TomSeller]

It's Accuration starter feed for the heifers. lol BUT I do have a picture of that barn being built with Oats in the field behind it.

Cool ! What year was it built ?

 

[DerekA09]

Cool ! What year was it built ?

1948. The old barn burned so they had to build a new one. They had mules back then and a Case SC. My 730 wasn't even produced for another 10 years.

 

[Wagtail]

Here's some info on your 730: TractorData.com John Deere 73 tractor information

The site says that your 730 would mount a JD 45 FEL if you could find one and your tractor can certainly handle a round bale... as long as it isn't frozen/soggy.

I specifically bought my 4105 (with FEL) to handle round bales. I do a wee bit of pyramid stacking at home but can end-stack 2 high if required.

 

[TomSeller]

1948. The old barn burned so they had to build a new one. They had mules back then and a Case SC. My 730 wasn't even produced for another 10 years.

Very nice. I think that ancient tool in the third picture is what they called a hammer. It was designed to hit and drive in a nail without air or electric power. Amazing.

I have no idea what those people are doing to that truss arch in the second to the last picture.

 

[DerekA09]

Here's some info on your 730: TractorData.com John Deere 73 tractor information

The site says that your 730 would mount a JD 45 FEL if you could find one and your tractor can certainly handle a round bale... as long as it isn't frozen/soggy.

I specifically bought my 4105 (with FEL) to handle round bales. I do a wee bit of pyramid stacking at home but can end-stack 2 high if required.

I'm wanting something smaller. (Fit into the barn as you can see my tractor is quite a bit taller than that opening) I was just hoping that if I got a second smaller tractor that it could lift a bale with the 3 point so I could retire the old girl for the winter. I have a 3 point scissor attachment for the bale spear to lift bales onto a trailer. That's not my issue. I just figure if I bought a second tractor to fit into smaller places that with the hydraulic power of newer equipment that it would be able to move a bale off the 3 point in the winter to feed so I wouldn't have to use the 730. My dad had a John Deere 430 which worked perfect for this. I was just thinking if I got something newer about the size of a 430 that with advancements in hydraulic power of newer vs a 60 year old tractor that it could lift a round bale.

 

[DerekA09]

Very nice. I think that ancient tool in the third picture is what they called a hammer. It was designed to hit and drive in a nail without air or electric power. Amazing.

I have no idea what those people are doing to that truss arch in the second to the last picture.

Haha yeah that was a few years ago. Lol the picture looks like work lol back before you paid people to do things and just did them yourself. The one with the hammer is my great grandpa. My grandpa & great grandpa was on the left of that pic of them lifting the truss.

 

[beenthere]

Very nice. I think that ancient tool in the third picture is what they called a hammer. It was designed to hit and drive in a nail without air or electric power. Amazing.

I have no idea what those people are doing to that truss arch in the second to the last picture.

Tom.. those people are raising that "arch" into place, likely after nailing it together on the hay-mow floor as shown. That date was even pre-electric "skil" saw at that time. We had a barn nearly a duplicate of the one shown. Had one cow, one pig (with a litter of 7), and one beef calf. The place was in Waterloo, IA where that 730 was "born".

 

[jenkinsph]

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1948. The old barn burned so they had to build a new one. They had mules back then and a Case SC. My 730 wasn't even produced for another 10 years.

I liked the Case SC, that was our first tractor when we moved out of the city. I would think having one in 1948 was "uptown". Ours had the eagle claw hitch, the rear 540 pto that was much higher than later tractors and had rear hydraulic double acting remove valve. The hydraulics used type A transmission fluid and were good enough to run a hydraulic winch loading pulpwood.

 

[motownbrowne]

If you're forgoing a loader I think you can definitely buy a machine that will move round bales on the three point for pretty cheap. Of course, unless you already have a nice loader, I'd strongly recommend getting one.

Another thought, why not a skid steer? Just about every farm around here has one for moving bales and haylage.

 

[TitanSkidsteer]

If you're forgoing a loader I think you can definitely buy a machine that will move round bales on the three point for pretty cheap. Of course, unless you already have a nice loader, I'd strongly recommend getting one.

Another thought, why not a skid steer? Just about every farm around here has one for moving bales and haylage.

I completely agree. You can find a lot of attachments for skid steers at a much lower cost, and they can handle anything an FEL can. Seems you can find a slightly older model at a very affordable price and would more than likely fit your height requirements.