Looking to buy the right tractor the first time!

jagjag · Aug 28, 2004

This is my first post, so go easy. I've been reading through this site for a few days and have gained several insights and perhaps should already know the answers to my own questions, however will throw them out anyway.

My wife and I have a 155 acre property approx. 40 miles NE of Denver, CO. We have lived here for about 5 years.

We have 50+- acres in alfalfa and 100+- acres in dryland - wheat or oat hay, etc. Thus far we have had neighbors do the farming for us. We share crop the dryland and pay $1.10 per bale for the alfalfa to be cut, baled, and stacked in small square bales.

We currently have 4 horses which we keep in a couple acre pasture area. We have a 75' x 120' arena area, a barn with 4 stalls and a paddock area. Our driveway is gravel, 1000'+-.

We have a JD LX-255 lawn tractor and a Ford Jubilee with bush hog, 6' back blade, disk, sprayer, and post hole digger. The PTO on the Ford has a problem where it will not shut off (are told is a fairly significant fix, $500-1,000). This is not the safest situation and we don't want to put that much into that to fix it, so are phasing out its use.

We are looking at buying a new tractor with a FEL to keep up on general maintenance of the propety. We are not sure if we will take on any of the farming. If we did, it would be the haying of the alfalfa. We have head a lot of different ideas about what size tractor it takes to do hay, from 40 hp to 80 hp mininmums.

At this point we are thinking of something in the 55 - 65 hp range as something that might do everthing, well most things. We are concerned that any smaller precludes the ability to do hay, and that anything larger is cumbersom for the general maintenance and FEL work. We also want it to be user friendly for my wife, me too, so are interested in HST. I thought we were 100% sure of this until I read a post here that specifically recommended against this if any farming was involved. Does HST not perform well in farming applications?

We have looked mostly at the Kioti DK 45-65's and the JD 5320 and 4720. IF we were to choose today, it would be the JD 4720 w/ FEL. We can get this for about $29K. We will also probably get a manure spreader, box blade, a small ripper and 60" tiller. I don't consider myself a mechanic so are looking to buy new. The JD dealers in the area seem to be much more full service than the Kioti.

I hope I have provided a good enough picture our situation. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Thanks

beenthere · Aug 28, 2004

Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you have a little bit of heaven there in CO. Pictures would be very welcome. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

You will go to the head of the class with the Deere 4720. The company, the quality, the long-term value are all positives, and if you have a positive on the Deere dealer where you are at, you could make almost everyone envious.

HST will only fall short if you are going into heavy duty land tillage, such as plowing. For the most applications, the HST will be the best for you, IMO. Not all agree, but with most FEL jobs, and all-around utility uses, HST is best.

RICHARDG · Aug 28, 2004

O.K.,,,you see all,,I do not recommend a jinma chinese tractor in this situation,,even though the 40 h.p. will run a baler and you can get fels and backhoes with them,,,he has got alot of tractor work he needs doing,he needs a big three or four,,,down side is,,,,,29,000 dollars,,,its all a matter of money,,,but in this case,,you got to have the tool to do the job with,,,thingy had to add,40 h.p nortrac,,,12,000 dollars,,free shipping,,,with fel,it don't say,,,probably,,,about 3,ooo more,,,so,,16,000 lets say,,,,,that sure beats the other price,,,,,but it ain't to girl friendly,,,not sure what that really means though,I mean there are girls and then there are girls,,,thingy again

Bird · Aug 28, 2004

( I thought we were 100% sure of this until I read a post here that specifically recommended against this if any farming was involved. Does HST not perform well in farming applications? )

You have to remember there's always personal preferences and personal opinions involved. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If it were me in your situation, I'd go back to being 100% sure of the HST for the variety of jobs you mentioned. You'll certainly like it better for the FEL work and tiller, and my own personal preference is for HST on the other jobs. Now if you told me you were going to pull a plow in the ground all day at a constant speed, or spend all day lots of days spreading fertilizer where you want a constant speed to get even distribution, then I'd have a different opinion and would go with a geared tractor.

DieselnHooters · Aug 28, 2004

Like Bird said and also why a CUT for such an acreage? You say 55-65Hp range and then you lean toward a CUT?
You posted on a compact tractor site so naturally people on here will approve of a CUT,some on here believe a 4720 could farm half of Kansas but if you wanna buy right on your first purchase and not lose on trade-ins after trade-ins,then go for a utility like the 5000 JD series like you mentionned.

Maurice · Aug 28, 2004

There may be some confusion on the HP numbers with the origional post and the decision for CUT.

JAGJAG,
usually the HP numbers associated with an implement are stated for PTO HP not overall tractor HP. I'm not sure if you picked up on this or not. If you are not used to the tractor world this would not be an intutive thing. However you may be quicker than I am and already picked up on that PTO HP thing /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Glenn9643 · Aug 28, 2004

Do yourself a favor and check out the New Holland TN series. I believe you would be well served with a TN70 for what you describe.

OrangeGuy · Aug 28, 2004

For what you describe, a CUT is too small. I would recommend something in the 60-70 HP utility tractor or bigger. Even the new JD 4720 is too small when it comes to traditional farmwork.

OrangeGuy

P.S. Don't be afraid to look at used tractors. Generally there is a good supply of less than 1000-2000 hour 60-70 HP tractors in the market. Less than 1000 hours would be a low houred tractor.

rebelmedic · Aug 28, 2004

You could also concider new holland TC48da or TC55da the are a little smaller than full size but concidered a class IV. I have the TC48DA and what little i`ve used it so far i realy like it a lot. I got it with the 18la FEL for 22,000 in my area

RedDog · Aug 28, 2004

( We have looked mostly at the Kioti DK 45-65's and the JD 5320 and 4720. IF we were to choose today, it would be the JD 4720 w/ FEL. We can get this for about $29K. We will also probably get a manure spreader, box blade, a small ripper and 60" tiller. I don't consider myself a mechanic so are looking to buy new. The JD dealers in the area seem to be much more full service than the Kioti. )

If you are dead set on Hydro,, forget the Kioti. I believe the 4720 Deere is to small for your application.

I'm still in sticker shock mode with that $29,000 price!! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif I believe you could get the DK65 with cab for about that price and have much more tractor than the 4720!

I do agree with you about the JD dealers being more full service.

If you choose Deere,,, go bigger.

RedDog

Kyle_in_Tex · Aug 28, 2004

( We are looking at buying a new tractor with a FEL to keep up on general maintenance of the propety. We are not sure if we will take on any of the farming. )

The 4720 will excel for general maintenance.

( If we did, it would be the haying of the alfalfa. We have head a lot of different ideas about what size tractor it takes to do hay, from 40 hp to 80 hp mininmums. )

The 5320 or better yet a 5420 will hay much better, but not as nimble for general maintenance.

( We also want it to be user friendly for my wife, me too, so are interested in HST. )

This makes me recommend the 4720 and leave the majority of the haying to the neighbors, although a 4720 could probably hay with the right size equipment (which is expensive if purchased new)...BTY, you can get a 4720 FEL combo about $1600 less down here. Maybe not worth traveling but something to consider.

Shadow_River · Aug 28, 2004

I think you will be very disappointed with a CUT for your situation. The John Deere 5320 would be ok but I would jump to the larger 5420 or 5520 John Deere. The extra HP is there if and when you need it and with a 150 acres I'm pretty sure you will find a lot of uses for the extra ponies. The physical size of the 75 pto hp 5520 is within an inch or so of the 55 hp 5320 and just a heck of a lot more tractor for a little bit more money.

Best of luck on your decision

MarkV · Aug 29, 2004

Welcome to the forum and as you can see there will not be just one right answer to your question so here is another opinion. It sounds to me like the tractor size issue all revolves around whether you do the haying or not. It also sounds like you are not sure if you will do that even after you get a new tractor. If you haven’t looked into it yet, haying equipment will be pretty expensive. I would suggest you consider a smaller tractor in the 35 hp range to handle all the general maintenance and FEL work at your ranch. It would be more user friendly and easier for your general maintenance tasks. If you decide to do the hay work, get a used full size ag tractor. In many areas of the country you could about stay in the same price range you mentioned with a new smaller tractor and a used Ag full size tractor. While haying it would also be handy to have a second tractor to rake with and pull wagons. Now if you would like me to spend some more of your money stop back anytime. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

MarkV

Woodbeef · Aug 29, 2004

Hmmmm........not too sure if a CUT will cut and bale hay for any length of time. But you say you want a hydro tranny though. So unless you want to get a Fendt 400 series or Deere 6420 shiftless is out of the equation. If you decide to go with a light utility tractor and want something on the smaller size also check out the Zetor,Mahindra,Valtra,MF,FarmTrac,NH,and the AGCO GT which is the sleeper of the bunch.

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

RedDog,

If I recall correctly, I was quoted about $35K for the Kioti DK65C with cab and fel. It has more hp and some other nice features as well. Think it is about the same price as the JD 4720 w/o cab. More comparable to the JD 5320.

Thanks,

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

DeiselnHooters,

Thanks for the reply. As Maurice has pointed out, I was using engine hp as the JD 4720 is only 50 hp PTO. Sorry.

Can you direct me to a forum such as this for larger tractors? I would love to get the feedback from that side of things as well.

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

MarkV,

We have had the exact same thoughts about going the two tractor route. My concern is getting too small on the CUT side of things. We have looked at a JD 2030 gas that we can get for around $5k that would probably take care of the farming aspect of things. Aside from cost, what would the advantage of a smaller CUT than the 4720 provide?

Spend my money wisely,

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

Kyle in Tex,

The actual quote was $27,748.00. Not that much different.

Thanks,

JAGJAG

jagjag · Aug 30, 2004

Woodbeef,

Thanks for the response.

I tried to look into the JD 6420 at deere.com and could not realy tell what the transmission configuration is. Can you explain it better and compare it to the e-hydro that is on the 4720?

We have looked at the AGCO GT 55. It is inbetween the 4720 and the 5320 in specs and in price I think. Not as user friendly as the 4720. The GT 65 is not turbocharged and the GT 75 is getting on the big side. We have been told that at our altitude it is important for diesels to be turbocharged. ?

JAGJAG

Robert_in_NY · Aug 30, 2004

Is your land hilly, being near Denver I thought everything was a mountain there. If your land does have a lot of hills and you want to bale never look at a Compact again. I bale with a TN 65 and on hills it is fun. We only have one steep hill but going down it with a baler and wagon is a lot of fun. I am looking for a larger tractor in the 100 hp range to take over for the TN with the large chores. If you want to do baling look at the New Holland TL 100-A it is a nice tractor that will run the balers well and is heavier then the TN which will let you stop them easier but is also not very big and is quite nimble. You can use the same loader on the TL-A that you can use on the TN-A if you want or you can jump to the larger 52LC if you need but I don't think you need that big of a loader from what you describe and the 32LC will save you some money. I like NH tractors because they have a lot of models so you can find a tractor that fits your hp/weight/size requirements. JD has nice machines also but I don't follow them too much anymore as I have a good relationship with my NH dealer.

Now for your situation, you only have 4 animals and a lot of hayfield. I would forget baling hay as you will tie up a lot of money in equipment or be working on your baler while the rain is destroying your hay on the ground if you buy cheap equipment. It is much easier to talk to a custom baler or local farmer and work a deal where you get the hay you need and they keep the rest or pay them a little and they keep the rest as it does cost some money. Some people will cut your hay for the rest though. If you do forget about baling then get a Compact to do your work. Then if you ever have to get into the larger farming scene you can look for a good size used (or new if you can) tractor and equipment then if need be.