Tractor Sizing HP Advice

[HEC]

My flat 35 acres of use to be pasture land isn't real smooth either and believe me my 57 hp Kubota is the only one for me for mowing each summer . I have a mower for the 26 hp also , but the ride would break my back before I got 35 acres mowed . Tire size makes all the difference in the world . I have r4 tires on both , ag tires would give an even better ride on either one I suppose .

 

[MESSMAKER]

Mowing 17 acres is not that big of a job. A 35hp tractor with a 6 foot mower will do it in a couple short days (maybe 10-12 hours total) Loader will be great and you will use it a lot but I don't think you will have enough jobs on 20 acres to justify the purchase of a backhoe. You can rent an excavator 2-3 times a year for quite a few years and be money ahead. I have seen it done and removing a backhoe that is frame mounted is about the most difficult attachment to work with. I saw a cab recommended and that is fine, but I think that is just a nice to have option. You can get by for about 20 grand or spend 40+. The choice is yours.

 

[TomIre]

Thanks. Pretty much agree with you. Settled on Mahindra 2638. Would love a cab but won't go that route. Will probably get the backhoe only because I have one big job to do and like to nibble away at it rather than rent and grind it out in a day or two

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks. Pretty much agree with you. Settled on Mahindra 2638. Would love a cab but won't go that route. Will probably get the backhoe only because I have one big job to do and like to nibble away at it rather than rent and grind it out in a day or two

You can rent a mini-excavator for a weekend for less than $300. How much is that backhoe going to cost you? Several thousand dollars! It boggles my mind that someone would spend 10 times the money for a two day job. :confused3:

 

[TomIre]

I agree makes no sense for a two day job.

 

[paulfun9]

Mowing 17 acres is not that big of a job. A 35hp tractor with a 6 foot mower will do it in a couple short days (maybe 10-12 hours total) Loader will be great and you will use it a lot but I don't think you will have enough jobs on 20 acres to justify the purchase of a backhoe. You can rent an excavator 2-3 times a year for quite a few years and be money ahead. I have seen it done and removing a backhoe that is frame mounted is about the most difficult attachment to work with. I saw a cab recommended and that is fine, but I think that is just a nice to have option. You can get by for about 20 grand or spend 40+. The choice is yours.

What particular tractor have you watched someone remove a backhoe from?

I question this because watching others with tractors and knowing my own machines very well I would have to say its harder to attach and detach my snow blower or finish mower from my tractor than it is to remove or attach the hoe.
My friends with other brands built within the last decade are all just about as easy with only one exception but that's probably more due to the fact that he built his own sub-frame so he could use his old backhoe from a much older tractor.

 

[DK35vince]

Removing my frame mounted backhoe is easy. 3-4 minutes.
Installing my backhoe is a little more difficult. 5-10 minutes.

 

[LouNY]

Proper procedure for any Tractor no matter the type of trans would be to stop turn around and back down the hill when you have a load in the front bucket!

I would never recommend anyone back down a hill with a load, most people have a hard enough time backing up, get a load pushing you drop a tire in a hole or hit a rock, or the front end starts to come around. Just gear down start down with the load low and be ready to put your bucket down into the dirt if need be, you are much more in control driving forward then backing up. And if it gets out of control backing you have lost it, forward you may ride it out.

 

[terryknight]

I would never recommend anyone back down a hill with a load, most people have a hard enough time backing up, get a load pushing you drop a tire in a hole or hit a rock, or the front end starts to come around. Just gear down start down with the load low and be ready to put your bucket down into the dirt if need be, you are much more in control driving forward then backing up. And if it gets out of control backing you have lost it, forward you may ride it out.

i'm with paul on the one. i was taught to back down if you get in trouble you can drop the loader and it will straighten you out if need be. i had a large poplar limb in my grapple and i felt very much in control backing down the hill. i don't feel very in control driving down the same hill empty

 

[Gale Hawkins]

40hp at the PTO minimum, so 50-ish HP total.

Sounds good to me. We have older heavy stuff like the Ford 3000 and 3600 (47 engine HP but more like 40 at PTO) and MF 265 60/50 HP.

Any heavy demands at the PTO begs for the most HP possible. In hobby usage taking time to use a low HP tractor is OK but I find 20% oversize is better than 20% below the hardest tasks is 100% better.

 

[paulfun9]

I would never recommend anyone back down a hill with a load, most people have a hard enough time backing up, get a load pushing you drop a tire in a hole or hit a rock, or the front end starts to come around. Just gear down start down with the load low and be ready to put your bucket down into the dirt if need be, you are much more in control driving forward then backing up. And if it gets out of control backing you have lost it, forward you may ride it out.

You do what you want but the proper procedure is to keep the load on the upside of the hill! the tractor is more stable and the weight on the front isn't overloading the front axel when doing it proper. If your still not able to control it due to wet slippy/muddy ground then you already did something else wrong like didn't chain up or went down a hill you shouldn't have to begin with.
I have fired operators who thought they knew better after they destroyed things and cost me money but the funny thing is those who listened and did it the right way never cost me a cent.

 

[paulfun9]

i'm with paul on the one. i was taught to back down if you get in trouble you can drop the loader and it will straighten you out if need be. i had a large poplar limb in my grapple and i felt very much in control backing down the hill. i don't feel very in control driving down the same hill empty

In most cases it will straighten you out, act as a break and the likelihood of getting sideways with two tires in the air is reduced greatly.

I once watched a guy going down forward get the rear up. He dropped the bucket a little too hard caught an uneven spot on the hill and set the machine sideways as it didn't grab the hole bucket. He ended up rolling all the way to the bottom destroying my very expensive machine. what I don't understand is we worked the job for 6 months after I fired him and no one lost it going down the same hill with any of the other machines. Yes we had some slides and buckets down when it rained but we didn't have any more damage, injuries or anything that one would even remotely call close.
Last year my neighbor did the same thing going down forward on his steep drive only to end up rolling his Kubota into the ditch. I have been running threw there for longer than he has been alive and always turn around and back down when any substantial weight is up front and haven't lost control once.
Lets not forget how much weight we transfer to the front axel when we go down forward with a load, is it rated for it? its honestly just a matter of time till it breaks faster than one can lower the bucket and you end up in a roll scenario.
SO let him go down forward all he wants I will send flowers to the funeral parlor when he finds the weak link in his hypothesis!

 

[redman135]

Tomire , when purchasing your tractor get adjustable rims and set them to the widest practical width for your operation. You will find that a modest increase in width makes a big difference in sideways stability.
Whichever way you jump for the backhoe, consider a "pick" (single leg ripper) to break the ground or loosen rocks and stumps. It will beat using a small bucket in most cases. Also I have found that a pick is great for breaking stumps into smaller sections for ease of handling.
Good luck.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

After all the "do this....do that" in this thread, plus the fact that you already decided what to get,,,a couple of things stand out that hardly anyone mentioned...suggest you get R1 Ag tires...they'll handle better and last longer and have them loaded when you buy the tractor. Bunch of folks will say get "beet juice"...personally, I use methanol (most tractor places do and its the most economical of the possibilities). Bunch of folks say get the HST...so be it...but I prefer 8 or 12 speed shuttle...with syncro gears. Especially if you ever decide to use any REAL ground engaging stuff....also I've got the Backhoe as well...I haven't put it on in a couple of years, but if the $$ doesn't bother you get it with the tractor and have the dealer put it on before you buy...(the real issue is the subframe...I did it myself with the help of a couple of friends...and a good impact wrench...). Anyhow... good luck. PS: I'll probably get flamed for taking the contrarian view on most everything, but most of what you are gonna do, I've been there///done that. BobG in VA

 

[LouNY]

In most cases it will straighten you out, act as a break and the likelihood of getting sideways with two tires in the air is reduced greatly.

I once watched a guy going down forward get the rear up. He dropped the bucket a little too hard caught an uneven spot on the hill and set the machine sideways as it didn't grab the hole bucket. He ended up rolling all the way to the bottom destroying my very expensive machine. what I don't understand is we worked the job for 6 months after I fired him and no one lost it going down the same hill with any of the other machines. Yes we had some slides and buckets down when it rained but we didn't have any more damage, injuries or anything that one would even remotely call close.
Last year my neighbor did the same thing going down forward on his steep drive only to end up rolling his Kubota into the ditch. I have been running threw there for longer than he has been alive and always turn around and back down when any substantial weight is up front and haven't lost control once.
Lets not forget how much weight we transfer to the front axel when we go down forward with a load, is it rated for it? its honestly just a matter of time till it breaks faster than one can lower the bucket and you end up in a roll scenario.
SO let him go down forward all he wants I will send flowers to the funeral parlor when he finds the weak link in his hypothesis!

YOU HAVE YOUR METHOD THAT SUPPOSEDLY WORKS FOR YOU
I will run my equipment my way you run yours any way you want, I have a feeling I have worked more hills then you will ever.
Lou

 

[MossRoad]

Tractor Mike says back down the hill....

You fellas need to keep an open mind, listen to what people are saying and why, analyze the data, and make a smart decision. Sometimes, just because you've been doing something for a long time, and maybe your dad and your grandpa did the same thing, it might be time to re-think it. Watch what this fella shows, and listen to what he says and why. It makes good sense.

 

[PILOON]

OK. I have lots of hills that I drive my CUT on.
After a couple of hairy rides (you never learn the first time) I always now go down hill in 4 wheel drive.
Reason being that the rears are relatively light and the fronts (most CUT's) do not have brakes so the rears brakes simply are not effective.
In 4 wheel drive the engine compression is your friend.
Failing all that you simply drop your FEL and pray.

LOL, for a wild ride fill the FEL and drive down a steep hill in 2 WD, (wilder ride than an amusement park rollercoaster.)

 

[Code54]

LOL, for a wild ride fill the FEL and drive down a steep hill in 2 WD, (wilder ride than an amusement park rollercoaster.)

Never done that but I bet you are right!!!! That would be rather exciting....

 

[TomIre]

Hills and wild rides are why I'm getting out of my Ford 8n. Dropped out of gear once too often for me. I always had a bailout plan (I'd cut the flat area at the bottom of the hill so I could see where to go) and never really in danger but yep quite a wild ride alright!

 

[paulfun9]

YOU HAVE YOUR METHOD THAT SUPPOSEDLY WORKS FOR YOU
I will run my equipment my way you run yours any way you want, I have a feeling I have worked more hills then you will ever.
Lou

At My age and the amount of years I have run my business I would doubt you have even been alive half as long as I.
Its not my method, its the way any reputable training program anyplace in the world would teach safe operation of which I had a big part in for many years.