Need advice on starting up cattle and hay business/extra job
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farm boy00
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2014
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- 1,296
- Location
- Howard City, MI
- Tractor
- John Deere M&MT, Case 1030 comfort king, Sears ST16, Craftsmen 6000, homemade articulation mini-loader
Why not start out with older tractors? ? I love my older ones. They are cheap to get, easy motified, easy to work with hydraulics (possibly not live hydraulic though) and again cheap to get.
My grandpa runs a small heifer farm with a H, M, super M, and a M with loader. He at one point a few years ago had I think over 30 head
My grandpa runs a small heifer farm with a H, M, super M, and a M with loader. He at one point a few years ago had I think over 30 head
TomSeller
Super Member
Yep. Old iron, properly selected, can save a ton of money. If it all pans out, a newer tractor can be bought frown the road, while the older girls switch to maintaining the brush hogging, raking, feeding, etc. duties. Gotta be smart about buying the old iron though.
Its a lot harder than you think to find a tractor of ANY age at my price of <$15k, 50+hp pto 4wd with less than 3k hours and FEL. I may be asking for too much for the budget I got, but I believe I can find it.
paulharvey
Veteran Member
Those sound about right for a late 80s industrial machine. If you don't Have to have 4x4, it really opens your options up. Friend up the road from me, 3 brothers, run a 60-80 head operation with no tractors newer than maybe 1990, newest is a 50 hp Kubota 2WD, no loader. The loader machine is an industrial Massey, and they have a David Brown 990?. All are 2wd,
CDennyRun
Gold Member
I guess it depends on your soil, and how soupy your property gets during the winter. Around here I can find a 1970-80 50-ish HP 2wd loader tractor for around $7k. If you could get away with a 35-40HP tractor, I see early 2000's 4x4 loader tractors for around 13k. They could pull a small baler, and move round bales, but probably not run a round baler.
Lawnman TX
Bronze Member
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- Nov 27, 2008
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- 89
- Location
- Whitewright Texas
- Tractor
- Oliver 1800c Diesel, and Kubota 7040
You could get along with an older bigger tractor 100 hp and a loader for around 10 k. A loaded is handy, but I started with an Oliver 1800 without the loader. 4 wheel drive is nice, but unless your in swamp land an older big tractor can probably make it to put out hay in the mud.
If you need to lift bales higher get a scissor lift bale spike on the back and you can load deck over trailers.
If you need to lift bales higher get a scissor lift bale spike on the back and you can load deck over trailers.
AGRIMAN
Platinum Member
I'm not sure if you are ready, but prices are down right now and it's a good time to buy. I went to a cow/calf sale Friday night and came home with 15 mommas. Four with calfes and the others will drop sometime over the next weeks.
AGRIMAN I know prices are down and its making me more anxious by the day. And no I'm not ready. Not even close. Still need to find a Tractor. Seem to be seeing better deals this month. Then got to bush hog, seed and put up a fence. I'm a lot of $ and work away. I want it and want it NOW but I got to believe God has a plan and it will all come together when He decides.
farm boy00
Veteran Member
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- Jul 17, 2014
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- Howard City, MI
- Tractor
- John Deere M&MT, Case 1030 comfort king, Sears ST16, Craftsmen 6000, homemade articulation mini-loader
This is how you have to look at it. My father has looked at his business the same way, but don't have the cash access like you. Just need to take it slow
AGRIMAN
Platinum Member
I'm with you brother. Put all you faith in God and his plan and doors will start to open. I'm a very blessed man and owe everything I have or will ever have to him.
CDennyRun
Gold Member
Amen! The Lord will always provide. It's so amazing how he works!
roadhunter
Elite Member
Creamer
Elite Member
Interesting chart. thanks!
Creamer
Elite Member
Interesting chart. thanks!
Took me awhile but I finally figured out a way to post pics of my new (to me) set up. Kubota 6800 w/FEL 900hrs with a new 7' Bush hog, 23' deckover trailer.I've had my 2500hd. Its coming to together. Need to make a little more $ and I'm buying hay equipment next. Financed the Tractor and trailer. Everything else is and will be paid cash.
jibe717
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2016
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- 97
- Location
- NW, Minnesota
- Tractor
- MF 4610 MF 2615 MF 1726E AC WD45 Husqvarna PZ-60 ztr
In 2014 I bought 40 acres of field. I couldn't resist since it attached to 10 other acres I had and it was a half mile from where I live. I heeded a bigger tractor for my nursery business so I bought that about the same time, my 4610 MF. So I put a ton into a tractor. One can find some decent 100 HP tractors for half of what my new one was but with everything else I have to do I don't want to be wrenching in the near future and I had the money to but new. My 40 needed to be seeded in so I also bought a plow, disc, harrow and cultivator. These totaled $2,500. My JD round baler cost me $5,500. A NH disc mower was 6k and I found a nice NH side rake for $400. That puts me at 14k for the equipment. I haven't found a wagon yet, so I borrowed one to move bales off the field. So if you go 15-20k on the tractor that puts you in the mid 30,000 for equipment, unless you buy all junk that needs a ton of work as one of my neighbors did. All He does is wrench.
As I said I had to reseed mine and this year when that was factored in I made about $2 an hour. That doesn't include equipment costs, only fuel, seed, twine, etc. Last summer I also rented 15 acres across the road so I will have more next year to do. Haying is farming and I don't see you making a ton of money on it. You do it for the love of what you're doing is mostly what you get out of it. I'm making money with my nursery and using this farming as a place to keep my money from the IRS as best I can.
What part of NGA are you?Took me awhile but I finally figured out a way to post pics of my new (to me) set up. Kubota 6800 w/FEL 900hrs with a new 7' Bush hog, 23' deckover trailer.I've had my 2500hd. Its coming to together. Need to make a little more $ and I'm buying hay equipment next. Financed the Tractor and trailer. Everything else is and will be paid cash.
