Tractor Sizing is it enough

[buzzard103]

Hey all I was wondering if any of you had any experience with an nh 1520. I am looking at purchasing a tractor and really like the 1520. but i;m a little worried that it won't be able to handle an attachment that is all that heavy. Like a heavy duty rotary cutter. Does anyone know the "limit" on the little tractor. The dealer tried to point me toward a wimpy looking 5 foot rotary cutter when i looked at the tractor. just want to make sure it'll handle something more than a light or standard duty cutter thanks in advance

 

[F1520]

I have a Ford 1520. Are you wondering about the weight of the rotary cutter or the tractor having sufficient HP at the PTO?

The rear lift capacity is 1,635 lbs., but you are more likely to be limited by the PTO, which is ~20 hp. (19.7 observed, as stated in the manual, if you want to be technical about it.

If you're going to cut heavy or thick stuff with the rotary cutter, I'd say 5' is the biggest you'd want to go. In really heavy stuff, a 4' rotary cutter would be better. The width of cut would be just inside your tracks, which is about 52" with R1s.

I've run a 6' finish mower on a "golf course" type of lawn with my 1520. (In pic at left.) It handled it well, but on moderate slopes I had to put the hydro trans in L and on the steepest climbs with the PTO engaged the tractor was laboring. When I buy my own finish mower, it will be a 5'.

In my humble opinion, there's no such thing as too much power. Check out a 1620 or 1720 if you're in doubt.

And feel free to ask away or PM me if you want to know more. I've really put my 1520 to the test with a variety of borrowed implements to find out its limitations.

 

[Gary Fowler]

F1520: your statement about never having too much power is kind of how I feel however when I went shopping for a 50 HP cab tractor with the big 4 in mind and then found the new LS tractors and saw that I could get the P 7010 (72 PTO HP)for about the same price as the 45-50 hp orange, red, green, or other blue, I went with the big 72 HP LS model because "You cant get too much power", however when the dealer made an offer to sell me the P7030@ 88 Hp for just a few thousand more, I had to pass. It is the same frame size with a cranked up fuel and air system. I had to pass on that, it was just TOOO much HP. The 50 HP was more than I truly needed, but I wanted a cab and not many models come with a cab with anything less than 50 HP. At 6675 unballasted weight it is not a yard tractor for sure, but then I have machines for that.

 

[F1520]

Hey Gary, I agree! I was going to change that statement a little bit when I was posting it, but I didn't. Usually, money runs out long before "too much power" becomes a concern, so I thought it was true enough.

"Buy as much HP as you can afford" may be a better guideline.

Within the next few years, I too will be looking for a ~50HP cab tractor. I have already done some window shopping and I agree, a 3+ ton tractor with 88 HP would be too much for me, too. :confused2:

 

[Soundguy]

I agree.. 5' cutter is the max for hp.. lift weight is fine.. though I'd want front ballast if you intend to lif tthe mower all the way up / off the ground.

soundguy

 

[Gary Fowler]

Definitely a good and correct statement F1520. Buy as much HP as you can afford but limit yourself to what you can still effectively use. If I planned to mow my yard with my tractor, I would get a rear finish mower and a SCUT or small CUT tractor. A heavy duty shredder type mower is probably overkill for a 20 HP tractor. Medium duty with a deck metal thickness of about 3/16" would be plenty heavy enough qualitywise to withstand whatever you put to it. The heavy duty ones are usually 1/4" thick with lots of stiffeners and slightly higher HP gearboxes, but basically you are paying for the extra metal. If your tractor motor will effectively operate it in heavy cover, it should also be able to raise it with the hydraulics. If it wont pick it up, that is a pretty good sign that you are trying to put too big or too heavy duty rated piece of equipment on your tractor.

 

[dmanes778]

I agree.. 5' cutter is the max for hp.. lift weight is fine.. though I'd want front ballast if you intend to lif tthe mower all the way up / off the ground.

soundguy

I do agree with you friend

 

[drivadesl]

If you go with the 1520 consider that you can put a mid mount mower on it. Works out well for cutting the lawn, I ran my 1520 like that for years on my 2acres. Then it frees up the 3pt hitch for other things, and you won't be needing to take it on or off for other uses. Best of luck with your purchase, I was very pleased with this size machine made by Shibaura.

 

[EquipmentJunkie]

My Ford 1520 is powering a 72" Befco finishing mower. Like F1520 said, it only needs more horsepower on the hills. (mine has the 9x3 gear transmission...which has a bit more hp than the hydro) I would say that the older Ford 1320 & 1520 are the biggest little tractors around. When we were shopping for tractors back in 1988, the Ford's specs and ergonomics blew most everybody out of the water. We didn't even bother with a demo of a Deere or Kubota. Our dealer first brought us a hydro tractor to try but we felt that it was just a bit too "doggy". In hindsight, we probably should have sprung for hydro, but of course we're now seeing 20-20!

I think that one of the new, New Holland T1510 or T1520 tractors would be excellent since they are essentially the same as the old chassis with just a bit more displacement & horsepower.

 

[F1520]

Well, it looks like there are a few of us around here with Ford 1520s.

The OP's "last activity" was less than an hour after his post that started this thread, so who knows if he's ever been back to see our replies. :confused2:

Sounds like you are the original owner of yours. I was wondering how many hours it has and if you've had to do anything other than routine maintenance on it.

I don't think you're too far away from me, EquipmentJunkie. Have you ever been to Wolgemuth Auction? Or Long Lane Tractor?

I agree with you that this is the biggest little tractor around. I was very pleasantly surprised with its capabilities as I tested out various PTO-driven implements with it. The implements were all bought for my uncle's JD 4410 with its 35HP Engine / 29HP PTO, which has quite a bit more power, and my 1520 did a very respectable job.

I've put 35+ hours on it since I bought it a few months ago and am very happy with it. I'm looking forward to using it to clear the driveway of snow real soon!