How much PTO HP do I need

[twhman]

I am looking a buying a used tractor for a small farm about 34 acres. I will use the tractor for bushhogging (like a 6-7'), maintaining the gravel road and removing snow (7' or 8' rear blade, running a auger for fence post holes, and moving some hay rounds on a fel for our horses (probably 1000-1300 lbs.) I was looking at tractors with 4 wheel drive and sychro shuttle in the 45 pto range - like a ford 3930, agco 5650, mf 243. I don't want to buy a larger tractor than I need since the shed for the tractor is small and I will not be using it for any real heavy work. But by the same token I don't want to overwork one that is to small. I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

After reading the comments on the site about rear blades I will probably get a Monroe. For the bush hog I am looking at the Bushhog 270 series or a Medium duty Woods. Any comments related to these choices would be appreciated.

 

[looch]

My friend does well on his 20 acre farm with an MF 65 gas. He runs a small square baler, side delivery rake, 7' snowblower, and a 6' rear blade. It has an MF loader. He maintains a 1500' driveway and collects the odd round bale from neighbors up the street when required.

With that said, he is looking to upgrade to something like a MF 165. I think with 65 hp, there wouldn't be too much you couldn't do on a small farm. Another thing, the older used tractors in this size don't really require 4WD because of their weight.

 

[Darren]

The back blade may be the contolling implement. Find out how much hp you'll need to effectively use an 8' blade. Keep in mind to rotate the blade 180 deg the back blade will hang behind the tractor 4+ feet which means you'll need enough tractor and possibly counterweights to handle that much weight. Just from the size, the forces working on 8' of blade will mean it will have to be built much more hefty than a 5 or 6'. That means a lot more weight hung off the back of the tractor.

The 9' blade I have extends almost six and a half feet behind the ends of the tractor lift arms. You'll need not only the hp but also enough weight in the tractor itself to counterweight possibly over a thousand lbs. way behind the tractor.

 

[gerard]

45 pto should do all you asked for and then some. 8 foot blade should also not be a problem. I use a 7 foot on my 27 hp (24 pto) 4wd kubota and wouldn't want anything smaller. You usually have it angled anyway so you 8 footer effectivelt becomes a 7 footer or less if you max the angle. Hit an immovable object when balding (rock) and you spin the tires, no problem, kind of a built in slip clutch /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Woodbeef]

The big thing I'd worry about is the 1300lb bale hanging off the loader,you might need a bale on the back for stability. A 50 pto hp or so mfd tractor should be adequate for your needs,and size constraints

I'd say take a look at either the new "A" series from Valtra USA

Or the new 6000 from <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mahindrausa.com/>Mahindra</A> is another very good candidate.

You'll be surprised by the price of both of these tractors new vs. the major brands used

 

[JohnMiller3]

<font color=blue>…bushhogging (like a 6-7')…</font color=blue>- 50-60 PTO HP Utility size with lots of torque
<font color=blue>…maintaining the gravel road and removing snow (7' or 8' rear blade,…</font color=blue>- 25> HP snow, 35> HP gravel
<font color=blue>…running a auger for fence post holes…</font color=blue>- 20>HP
<font color=blue>…moving some hay rounds on a fel for our horses (probably 1000-1300 lbs…</font color=blue>-45>hp Utility size preferred

<font color=blue>…For the bush hog I am looking at the Bushhog 270 series or a Medium duty Woods…</font color=blue> Also check out Rhino and Brown rotary cutters…

 

[Slippy]

I suggest you check out the Mahindra 5500 or 6000. I should be all you need but you better check the height of your building and the height of the tractor. However, unless you want a canopy, they come with folding ROPS if you don't mind the hassel of lowering when you put it away. As mentioned, you will be supprised at the price, quality, and how heavy duty the tractors are built.

 

[earthmaster1]

i agree with the Mahindra sugestions, look at the 4500, 5500 and 6000 all now avalible in 4wd and 2wd, all very heavy built and good quality. and priced alot less than you would think. You might actually spen less for new or atleast the same price range and get 3 year warranty and 3 year 0% financing.

 

[Nik]

I use a WOODS 6' medium duty rotary cutter with a L3710 HST Kubota (engine - 38 HP, PTO -30 HP). Have cleared 10 acres of thick brush and saplings up to 2" . The tractor and mower performed well but I did go slower in the thicker stuff. The 72" WOODs is rated for 30 to 65 Tractor HP (? not sure if they mean tractor or PTO Hp in their brochure.) The WOODS cutter is well-built and I have been very pleased with it. The loader on the tractor is rated for around 1300+ pounds lifting capacity and may be able to handle a round bale. The newly redesigned Grande L kubota is supposed to have even more lift capacity. You could also use a rear spear for the round bale as the 3710 has about 2200# rear lift capacity.

 

[rf33]

Why is it that many members feel the need to promote a particular brand (usually Chinese or Korean) whenever someone asks a question? I have no particular problem with any brand of tractor, but why is it that when someone asks a question regarding the availability of a tiller or box blade, someone always has to chime in with just how well a particular brand of tractor would pull that implement? I hope that this post does not offend anyone, but I really do not understand why so many of the owners of these fine tractors feel the need to post about how wonderful they are on EVERY SINGLE THREAD, whether they have anything to do with a particular brand of tractor or not.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

HI,

I have a kubota, but I think it may be for the same reason that First Choice attachment owners pull the First Choice name into discussions...

Because they feel that the product they bought had a good price/performance ratio!

I could be wrong...but that is the read I take.

Bill in Pgh, PA...more or less...

 

[rf33]

Macher,

you are probably right about this one, and I was probably just being silly, it just seems that some of these owners really feel strongly about their purchase. Maybe I should have bought one too? I guess it is just excitement over their good decision. Sorry if I came across as too blunt.

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>Why is it that many members feel the need to promote a particular brand (usually Chinese or Korean) whenever someone asks a question? I have no particular problem with any brand of tractor, but why is it that when someone asks a question regarding the availability of a tiller or box blade, someone always has to chime in with just how well a particular brand of tractor would pull that implement?</font color=blue>
Ron, not that it applies in this particular thread but something else to consider. Perhaps these posters are not 'regular' members. Even though they might appear as such, maybe they are dealers. When I read such posts, I head to the member's profile and typically find almost nothing. If all the person does is post generic recommendations for one brand, i.e., they don't share any personal experiences, don't ask questions or answer any (except to tout a brand or a dealer) then I begin to wonder. There are many reasons why people do not fill in their profiles and having a blank one doesn't mean someone is a dealer. However, when combined with a recurring style of post, I generally begin to ignore their posts all together.

By the way, there's no way to stop dealers from doing this. Anyone can register and begin posting. However, if they think by making such posts will cause me to buy their brand of anything, or buy from the dealer they claim to be so happy with, they are wrong. /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif

 

[Kiohio]

I think alot of it has to do with the fact that alot of them are very fond of the product they sell. Yes, some are trying to make sales but I think some are just fired up about their tractors. Some are very sincere about what they say but may come across pushy. This is word of mouth on a grand scale.
KO

 

[MikePA]

<font color=blue>I think alot of it has to do with the fact that alot of them are very fond of the product they sell. Yes, some are trying to make sales but I think some are just fired up about their tractors. Some are very sincere about what they say but may come across pushy. </font color=blue>
KO, I have no problem with anyone who is fond of their product or fired up about what they sell. That's the way dealers should be. If they aren't excited and proud of what they sell, then they shouldn't be selling it. I just prefer dealers, or anyone else who might have a financial motivation for their recommendation, to identify this motivation.

 

[Soundguy]

I do agree that there are probably more dealers than we know of lurking, I think that some people post brand /size of tractor / impliment when commenting to give an idea of what 'x' tractor with 'y' horse power will do, etc.

Not all 20pto hp tractors are going to behave equally well. many factors ( weight / fuel, etc ) will influence attatchment selections.

For instance, there are pto attatchments that I would not put on my 50 year old gas 26 hp 8N, that I might put on my 22yr old diesel 21 hp ym1700. and vice versa.

Soundguy

 

[soarkrebel]

I have a woods 60 ,which is standard duty. it is built like some medium duty cutters. i run it with a kubota l3000dt which is 27 pto hp. i have been very pleased with it . i did look at the bush hog 285 med duty for the diff . in cost i couldnt justify it.
I considered and really would have liked to have gotten a 45 hp tractor . i came real close to the L4300dt. just couldnt make the budget fit.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Check out the Kioti line of tractors. A lot cheaper than the green or blue ones and seem to be just as good.
And in perspective to some of the previous posts in this thread... I am NOT a dealer, nor do I even know a dealer very well. Some of us consumers just like a particular brand of tractor. Not taking any offense at the posters referring to dealers in this subject. I have seen the obvious dealer posts too. I do know that a DK35 Kioti is about 5K cheaper than a comparable green tractor,and from all I have learned personally and off of sites like this one on the web, just as good.

Just my opinion and observation.

Make a good choice on your purchase and then enjoy it. One tip... if you can afford it always buy a slightly larger tractor than you think you need.... you WILL find uses for the extra power/weight.