Initial look, picking a size

[MtnMess12]

Hey folks. I know the "what do I need" and "which is better" is beaten to death here. I have been reading the last couple days trying to find an answer and have some ideas so want to open it up for comments. I have 80ish acres in northern Arkansas, of which 40-45 acres is fully wooded and out of control. About 30-35 acres is pasture being recovered. I say being recovered because the pasture was let go before we bought the place and us, being more city/rural folks, did not fully understand the size of equipment required to maintain our new place, let alone recover it from being let go

So here we are today. I know am the proud owner of a small collection of undersized equipment:

• BX2660 (bought used with ~200hrs on it)
• Honda Rincon (used with ~350hrs on it)
• New Holland L565 skid steer (used with ___hrs)
• Tow behind Swisher 44" rough cut (also bought used)
• pole barn full of hand tools :laughing:

After two years we found a local guy we mesh up with who has a M7060 and a 10' rough cut who has been spending the last six months cleaning up the place. Things have come a LONG way and still have a long way to go. We are working on a deal with our mower to let him run hay on some of the pasture which would give us free mowing. The mower also asked if I was interested in letting two of his friends run a few head of cattle on our place by one of the creeks. So far I do not see a reason not to allow either of these as it would get me some 'free' maintenance and more people on my place when I am not there. Did I mention someone liked several thousand dollars of my stuff more then I did?

I am not a rich man and have already bought several items that are not sized to what I need. I have put out word of mouth that for the right price I would be willing to part with my skid steer. This would give me some cash to, maybe, talk the wife into letting me get a new tractor. She LOVES sitting on the BX and going in circles on the top pasture for hours as it is totally different then our normal lives. So I do not think I could sell both the skid steer and the BX. I expect to have the mower out on our place once a year on the big M7060 to keep it under control, which should go faster after this initial clean it up mow.

So what do I need? I want a way to feel useful on my own place I want 4wd to deal with the hills, a 5-6' hog, a wood chipper, a 5-6' box blade for drive work, auger for fixing fences and planting trees, a drag harrow to smooth out the areas where a dozer umm... angle bladed is what I think he called it. The dozer guy did an awesome job fixing the ankle twister holes but there are dozer tracks all over a couple acres I had him cleanup so I could plant some peach trees. I basically want to have the ability to "assist" in working on my place when I make my weekend trips. I am not looking for something to replace the mower or dozer guys.

I know that 10+ years from now when I am actually living there I will be getting a large tractor in the 7060 range because I see how useful that is. Between now and then my mower guy has even offered to lease me his for a week at a time, once I know how to use it . Until then would something in the 30-40hp range suit my needs? Again, I know this is not a lifetime purchase but instead a trade in a skid steer (and some cash) on a tractor I can use ~100hrs a year and then trade in on a big tractor about ten years from no.

 

[bigbull338]

well you and your wife need to sit down and really talk things out.tractors are only going to get higher.so if you think a 7060 will be the biggest tractor you need then i would try and buy a new 7060 now.

 

[oosik]

I agree with big bull. Remember - with proper maintenance a tractor will last a LONG time. Your great grand kids could easily be using the tractor you buy today.

 

[nybirdman]

If you have access to a 7060 ,I don't think you need another.A 40-60 HST(easier for the wife and you) would be plenty of tractor to maintain and pull 6ft.implements.

 

[MtnMess12]

My issue comes down to money. The wife does not like loans. We typically save up and pay cash and while the main colors all have 0% when she looks at the details you pay more for the base tractor to get the 0% so all you are doing is front loading the interest. This is her talking as she does numbers for a living so she runs the books and I ask "may I?" every once and a while

I know the BX is way undersized but the wife loves it for now. She has not worked the confidence up for anything larger. Our goal is to always have two tractors, a his and a hers. This way come days we are working she has one she is comfortable driving and one I am comfortable driving. My hope is given time she will step up from the BX since her long term 'assignment' is to keep the top 10 acre pasture finish mowed. I would think a larger tractor would go faster then the BX would. If that becomes the case I can use the little BX as trade in for a tractor for me one day instead of a 30-40 hp ranged one.

The other issue I have is critters getting into the tractors. We only visit our place 8-10 times a year and not every time does every piece of equipment get started up, we do have battery tenders. And I have a hard time forking over $40k+ to let something sit for 10 years only running maybe 100 hrs per year. Now, if I can actually sell the skid steer and put down say $5k on top of that we are playing in an entirely different ballpark.

I fully understand buy one size up from what I think I need and be done with it. But I do not farm for a living and with the daughter in college our money already has a place to go for the next several years

So maybe better to just leave things the way they are until five years from now? But then I do not get the satisfaction of doing anything other then being a lazy land owner who pays others to mow for him. If I could mow some of the lower pastures maybe I knock enough off of our mowing bill over the next 5-10 years to off-set a $5k investment? :confused3:

 

[jeff9366]

My mower guy has offered to lease me his M7060 for a week at a time, once I know how to use it.

I estimate a fair rental price would be $30 - $40 per engine hour, with YOU paying for insurance and fuel, however I would call rental companies and check out local tractor rental rates. "Ideal" for most people with 80 acres would be a big tractor for the big jobs and a BX or B for everything else. Renting the M7060 you will not have downtime for maintenance, you will not have to worry about tractor theft, which is a BIG problem, and your will accumulate tractor operating experience on a tractor sized for 80 acres.

I would pursue the rental option.

You can buy any implements you need, new or used. Critters are not going to bother implements and attachments.

If you are not going to pasture animals, I would invest in a HEAVY Landscape Rake, rather than a drag/chain harrow. Everythingattachments (ETA), a sponsor here, makes one of the best.

If you have a FEL on the BX I would purchase a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment from the T-B-N store.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ratchet+Rake

My hope is given time she will step up from the BX since her long term 'assignment' is to keep the top 10 acre pasture finish mowed. I would think a larger tractor would go faster then the BX would.

I do not know why you want to finish mow ten acres, but a BX can pull a 3-Pt mounted 72" finish mower.

LINK: Farm King Y630 72" 3Pt Finish Mower,Rear Disch:BEST QUALITY & BEST IN INDUSTRY!

 

[bspeedy]

Even if you eventually decide on a large machine, you will still be able to make use of a CUT. Look for something in the 40 hp range with SSQA. Used is a great choice for you since you want to pay cash. Maybe a New Holland TC40 or a Kubota Grand L in the 40 hp range. This will give you experience with a larger tractor and a machine that will still be useful around the house and driveway once you upgrade. I would not rent something that expensive from a friend or acquaintance. What happens when you take on a slope that is too steep and the machine lands on it's side? Who pays? What happens if the FEL arms twist when lifting something wrong / too heavy / off center? What happens if the hydraulic pump goes boom while you are operating? All these possibilities are spelled out in rental companies' contracts, but will typically be neglected in a handshake agreement. I wouldn't lend my (much smaller) equipment to anyone for any reason. I've found that those who will lend have taken less than great care of their equipment and are looking for someone to blame a breakdown on... YMMV.

 

[MtnMess12]

Interesting points on renting from a friend. Good points I need to take into account and I agree that it may be better to simply let him operate it.

 

[bspeedy]

I probably come off as a pessimist sometimes. I consider myself a realist, but I think the line gets blurry.

 

[TJP89]

Interesting situation, but I think you can swing it. I agree, dropping 60K on a brand new 7060, although a great tractor, isn't the smartest thing when you have one around already. I would think an about 40HP tractor would be about right to do the lighter common maintenance, and the BX to do landscaping etc, and when something really big comes up, call your friend. I have no idea what a skidsteer goes for, but if you put your money in a big CUT or small UT, I think it would be the best thing in your case. You would also be able to sell off your other used equipment, as it would now be obsolete, and that money would help too. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MtnMess12]

If you are not going to pasture animals, I would invest in a HEAVY Landscape Rake, rather than a drag/chain harrow. Everythingattachments (ETA), a sponsor here, makes one of the best.

I am looking into trying to lease out one, maybe two of the pastures to get some return from this place over the next 5-7 years. One pasture is ideal for running hay and the lower pasture is close to the creek and would be good for cattle. I have had people ask if they can run cattle and hay in the past so two of the pastures may end up caring for themselves. But that is only ~20 acres and leaves me about 20 acres of pastures, and ~40 acres of woods, that needs maintained. I'll look into the heavy rake.

If you have a FEL on the BX I would purchase a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment from the T-B-N store.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ratchet+Rake

OK, I WANT this thing! That is awesome!

I do not know why you want to finish mow ten acres, but a BX can pull a 3-Pt mounted 72" finish mower.

Well out top ten has an awesome view of the mountains to the south and the sunset over the rolling hills to the west. To the east we have an ok sunrise, nowhere near as good as the west/south views. But we want to keep things looking nice because the drive will be coming up behind the house on the south side and the long-term pole barn will be north east of the house. So we want to keep that entire area clean. Maybe 'finish' is the wrong term. We want to keep the top ten mowed short with around the house/barn/drive looking finished. So maybe 5 acres == finished and 5 == frequent rough cut? And I guess once the buildings are all built and the drive is in the total grass area will be well under 10 acres. So until then we just need it to not get out of control and have a small 2ish acre area for picnics and kids playing on the top.

 

[varmint]

Consider that if you buy a good, clean used Kubota, take care of it, and don't beat it or leave it baking in the sun, in several years you will be able to sell if for essentially what you paid for it- if you buy it at a fair price. At least that's been my experience with the two used Kubotas I have purchased, used, cared for, made small improvements to, like LED lighting, etc., and then re-sold. It takes thousands of hours of use to "wear out" an otherwise cared for tractor. In the meantime, you will have a useful tool at your disposal, and gain experience that comes only with use. I don't know if you stated if you had a covered storage area, but you need that. Even a run-in shed would work, if neighbors can provide security for the times you aren't around.

 

[jeff9366]

Here is a semi-complete list of 3-Pt. implements you may be interesting in, developed by LSU:

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonl...45263BDD8/11557/pub2917tractorimplements1.pdf

 

[jenkinsph]

I have never been a fan of leasing out pasture to others for growing hay. Repeated removal of the hay over the years depletes the soil and results in poor ground. Much better for the land to keep it clipped a few times each year and run a landscape rake over it each year to smooth it out over time. I would also recommend you call your county agent to get some help with things you can plant that would improve the soil over the next 10 years. Take some soil samples to find which amendments you need, these are cheap and performed by most big ag schools.

For a tractor I would get an older model about 60 to 90 hp and a used pull type mower. If taken care of it will cost you very little to own for the next ten years. When you plan to be there full time you could consider a new tractor if you still have the interest in this.