New 60-acre Hobby Farm Owner, Looking for Impliment & Equipment Advise

[Filson]

Hey there folks,

A little background; we bought a 60 acre little farm in NE Washington. Roughly half of the land is timber, the other half is field, not including the ~3 acres around the house/garden/shop. The property is all sloped, with the exception of some random little flat-ish spots here and there.

My soil is roughly half sand, half silt with about 5% clay (estimated results of the old mason-jar-half-full-of-dirt test). The ground is VERY hard, and has a large amount of rocks in it from golf ball to shoe box size.

My knowledge of tractors and equipment is fairly basic, and I'm looking for some general advice to get me pointed in the right direction.

I have 2 main areas of concern; the approximately 3 acres around the house and garden (all raised beds in sort of a terrace-fashion). And then the big pasture itself (I estimate it at roughly 22-24 acres). I'm not planning on doing much with the forested part, aside from some tractor-trail maintenance and occasional brush mowing along a couple paths.

For around the house and garden, I could really use something for plowing/blowing snow, leveling gravel, moving dirt/gravel, mowing some rougher areas, post-hole auger for fencing, tiller for garden beds, and some back blade work. Of course, a FEL would be a huge benefit.

The way my garden is, and around my house/shop, I need something small but stout and a Kubota B7100/7000/6100/6000 or similar has really caught my eye, and have seen them in my price range around my area. Any opinions on them from anyone on here? I think the 4wd would be really nice considering my sloped property, and from what I seen, I think something along those lines would work well cutting some small brush (knee-high, 1/2" stocks) in the woods, maybe with a flail mower. Thoughts?

For the big pasture, my main concern is getting it smoothed out. It is full of big ruts, bumps and ground squirrel holes. It's bad enough, I'm concerned about an accidental tip over with my current tractor, if a tire should find a big hole and throw the weight sideways or something. I'd like to get it smoothed out for sake of safety and aesthetics. Then later maybe get a couple head of cattle on it for beef or put in a small orchard/vineyard on a part of it or something, maybe make some hay.

Currently, I have an old (late 40's, early 50's) Case VAH which is a high-crop model that I bought from a neighbor down the road. It has a FEL, but the brakes don't work for nothing and it leaks a large amount of hydraulic fluid when in use. I bought it, along with an attached newer 4' rotary cutter for $500 and figured it'd be worth getting for the price.

But I'd like something that would be more stable, and that has enough power to break up the hard, rocky ground I have and for general work afterwards. I could really use some advice on this in terms of tractors/equipment. Would an old 8n or something that sits lower be much better? I've been here for 3 years and haven't got up in the field with the tractor once due to concern of rolling it lol. The weeds are really out of hand and I need to get on it.

I appreciate any advice y'all could give me on what sort of tractor(s) I should look into and any implements that I should have around the place. Thanks, and sorry for the long post :confused2:

 

[jeff9366]

We bought a 60 acre little farm in NE Washington. Roughly half of the land is timber, the other half is field, not including the ~3 acres around the house/garden/shop. The property is all sloped.

I have 2 main areas of concern; the approximately 3 acres around the house and garden (all raised beds in sort of a terrace-fashion). And then the big pasture itself (I estimate it at roughly 22-24 acres).

My soil is roughly half sand, half silt with about 5% clay (estimated results of the old mason-jar-half-full-of-dirt test). The ground is VERY hard, and has a large amount of rocks in it from golf ball to shoe box size.

Grapes like sloped, stoney ground but the development cost and time for vineyards are high.

Is the ground very hard when dry but workable when moist, even if you have to wait for rain? Can you push a spade into the dirt with foot pressure? Someone worked the field in the past, although not necessarily with a tractor.

For around the house and garden, I could really use something for plowing/blowing snow, leveling gravel, moving dirt/gravel, mowing some rougher areas, post-hole auger for fencing, tiller for garden beds, and some back blade work. Of course, a FEL would be a huge benefit.

How much snow?

The way my garden is, and around my house/shop, I need something small but stout and a Kubota B7100/7000/6100/6000 or similar has really caught my eye, and have seen them in my price range around my area. Any opinions on them from anyone on here? I think the 4wd would be really nice considering my sloped property, and from what I seen, I think something along those lines would work well cutting some small brush (knee-high, 1/2" stocks) in the woods, maybe with a flail mower.

Good sturdy diesel tractors. Some with power steering, some without. Some with 4-WD, some only 2-WD. Parts readily available. Fine little tractors for three acres around your house, hopeless for hard pasture.

No tractor has brakes on the front wheels. Brakes on the rear wheels only. To have adequate braking going down hill you need 4-WD which gives braking pretty similar to four wheel brakes.

For the big pasture, my main concern is getting it smoothed out. It is full of big ruts, bumps and ground squirrel holes. It's bad enough, I'm concerned about an accidental tip over with my current tractor, if a tire should find a big hole and throw the weight sideways or something. I'd like to get it smoothed out for sake of safety and aesthetics. I've been here for 3 years and haven't got into the field with the tractor once due to concern of rolling my equipment.

This is classified as "ground contact work." For ground contact work tractor weight is almost everything, tractor horsepower means relatively little.

You are going to need a tractor with at least 4,000 pounds bare tractor weight, 5,000 pounds better, 4-WD and a Category II Three Point Hitch. Heavy tractors have big wheels/tires which bridge many small holes and ruts, keeping the rear mounted implements relatively stable. Heavy tractors are more stable than light tractors under all conditions.
You will have to wait until the soil is relatively moist before working it. Might take you years, but you seem patient. Depends on how you evaluate your opportunity cost by taking years.

You will probably need a Three Point Hitch mounted two-tine Subsoiler and a Rear/Angle blade at the minimum.
Also useful: Offset Disc or Disc Plow.
Maybe a Grading Scraper?
MONTROE TUFLINE (4)
1) Subsoilers | Tufline
2) TLO Series Offset Lift Disc Harrows | Tufline
3) TDP2 Series 2 & 3 Blade Disc Plows | Tufline
4) DS1 Series Wheeled Box Scrapers | Tufline

Here are numerous threads from the TBN archive on SMOOTHING HARD GROUND:
Google

The alternative is to hire this work out to an experienced bulldozer operator. You will have to do plenty of finish smoothing after a bulldozer.

Currently, I have an old (late 40's, early 50's) Case VAH which is a high-crop model that I bought from a neighbor down the road. It has a FEL, but the brakes don't work for nothing and it leaks a large amount of hydraulic fluid when in use. I bought it, along with an attached newer 4' rotary cutter for $500 and figured it'd be worth getting for the price.

Would an old Ford 8n be better?

Ford 8N tractors date from 1938 and are gas. No power steering. No ROPS/roll bar. All are 2-WD and have inflexible clutch and gear three or four speed transmissions. Difficult 'first generation' Power Take Off. Not suitable for sloped ground. Some love these oldies but I would never recommend an 8N to a tractor newbie. Tractors, like cars, have made progress since 1938.

My knowledge of tractors and equipment is fairly basic, and I'm looking for some general advice to get me pointed in the right direction.

 

[Filson]

The ground turns very soft during the rainy seasons (mid spring and fall). The ground is soft enough at these times, that you sink in a good 2" just walking around.

When it's dry, a hard stomp with a pointed shovel will usually only sink in 1-3", and I'm a big guy. A spade would dig about as well as a hammer. During the rainy season though, you can sink the head of the shovel all the way in with one stomp.

It sounds like the little Kubota would be great for around the 3 acres, especially if parts are easy to come by as needed. I've always assumed I'd need 2 tractors, one small one like the Kubota, and a larger one for handling the pasture with any realistic efficiency.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[ericm979]

Due to the lack of power steering the B7100 is not as manuverable as you'd think. I replaced mine with a much larger Branson 3725 and with the Branson's power steering and sharp turning angle I can get it almost all the places I could operate the B7100. However if you're limited to a narrow width tractor for the terraced area and can live with the lack of power steering the B7100's not a bad option. Ones in decent shape sell fast around here.

It's not that good as moving dirt especially when it's hard and full of rocks. You need weight for that. I moved the rear wheels out as far at they go for better stability on slopes. The 3725 is much better but I got it with smaller tires for a lower CG, and rear wheel spacers, so some of that stability is due to those changes.

 

[oosik]

Welcome to TBN & the forum. I assume you are on the East side of Lk Roosevelt and East of Hwy 25. So all your land slopes toward the mountains to the east of you, into the Colville Nat. Forrest. I ride my motorcycle up in your area all the time.

Anyhow - you want to grade, blow a little snow, grading etc. I think you would find something in the 25-30 hp range would be a little better. Particularly when you start smoothing out that big pasture and see what implements are available. You are right - 4WD will keep you working rather that digging out from being stuck.

You want to be sure you are looking far enough ahead with the planned use for a tractor. Remember, a well maintained tractor can last a lifetime. Cattle & orchard - you might be looking for something bigger than 25-30 hp.

Visit neighbors who have orchards & livestock and see what they are using. Talk to them and see what they say about their equipment.

Locals will be your best source of information on what might be the best for your situation.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Unless you just are not doing anything else but working on your property and are in no hurry at all, something with 40hp and uses 6' implements at a minimum.

Just my :2cents:, good luck. :thumbsup:

 

[jeff9366]

The ground turns very soft during the rainy seasons (mid spring and fall). The ground is soft enough at these times, that you sink in a good 2" just walking around.

When it's dry, a hard stomp with a pointed shovel will usually only sink in 1-3", and I'm a big guy. A spade would dig about as well as a hammer. During the rainy season though, you can sink the head of the shovel all the way in with one stomp.

It sounds like the little Kubota would be great for around the 3 acres, especially if parts are easy to come by as needed. I've always assumed I'd need 2 tractors, one small one like the Kubota, and a larger one for handling the pasture with any realistic efficiency.

DID YOU OPEN AND READ THE LINK IN POST #2?

Are you retired so you can devote all your time to your property when the ground is moist and can be worked by a 4,000 pound (bare) tractor?

With your update on seasonal moisture I do not think a bulldozer is necessary. A tractor should do.


KUBOTA WEB SITE (2)

1) http://www.kubota.com/product/MX4800/MX4800.aspx

2) http://www.kubota.com/product/LSeries/L60.aspx


AVAILABLE USED AS WELL AS NEW.

 

[Filson]

So much great info and help so far, thank you so much guys!

I do indeed live about 5 minutes off of HW25, not far from the Gifford-Inchelium ferry =)

Snow-wise, it obviously varies from year to year, but last winter we had snow on the ground before Halloween and it wasn't gone until late April. We average about 45" a year, though this last winter was much more, but I do not know by exactly how much.

I am not retired, I'm 32, and yes, I'm very patient. I'm trying to think out to 5-10+ years. It'll take time to get the place as we want it, but step by step, I know we'll eventually get there through hard work and perseverance.

As stated previously, I'm assuming from the start, that I'll be needing 2 different tractors. Even my Case VAH which isn't much bigger than an 8n, is way too large to maneuver around in my garden.

The lack of power-steering that was mentioned on the b7100 and similar may make things a little harder, but then again, it'd probably help keep my wife from wanting to drive it around and bust it up. :laughing: :thumbsup:

I have not yet read the links you provided, as I'm hoping on here during slow points at work, but I'll be reading them when I get home this evening. Thank you for digging them up and linking them to me.

I'm not at all "set" on the 8n or anything, was just using it as an example. I'd love to have something new, though that'd be way outside of my budget. My budget could grow if I waited longer, but I'd like to keep things within reason of time and cost.

I'm expecting a small 4wd tractor like the b7100 with a FEL will run me about $4.5-6k based on a handful of local sales I've seen.

I'm not sure what I should budget for a bigger, used 4wd tractor. Thoughts? Thanks again everyone!

 

[jeff9366]

I'm expecting a small 4wd tractor like the b7100 with a FEL will run me about $4.5-6k based on a handful of local sales I've seen.

I'm not sure what I should budget for a bigger, used 4wd tractor. Thoughts? Thanks again everyone!

Here are tractors currently for sale on eBay, unfortunately none too close to Zip Code 99131:
Tractors | eBay

Here are SOLD tractor transactions on eBay, some close to Zip Code 99131:
Tractors | eBay

 

[Rustyiron]

I'm with post #6, and gardening for just your family with a rototiller (no tractor).
fwiw, I have a Filson "tin cruiser" I'm still trying to break in after a good 15 years:laughing: any relation to the company?