New guy needs advice

pmoon · Apr 7, 2005

So many tractors! Please help me narrow my search. I have 40 acres. About 5 to mow. Want to do a good bit of brush clearing (15 acres?). Have 120yard driveway to plow/grade. Have 1/2 acre pond and a couple of streams. Just bought the place and it hasn't been taken care of in quite a while - need to do a lot of clearing. I'm 6'5". What do I need? Thanks!
Pat

Maka · Apr 7, 2005

Where are you located?

Maka

pmoon · Apr 7, 2005

Watkins Glen NY

Bird · Apr 7, 2005

Welcome to Tractorbynet, Pat, and you need to tell us more if you want valid recommendations.
What experience, if any, do you have with tractors?
When you say mow 5 acres, are you talking about a finish mower (lawn mower)?
Do you want to do the finish mowing with the same tractor?
When you talk about clearing brush, what kind of brush, are you talking about stuff that can be mowed with a brush hog; i.e., 1" or 2" diameter, what size, or are you talking about pushing down or pulling small trees?
Do you need to dig up the roots or stumps of the brush you clear?
What do you want to do, if anything, with the pond and streams?
Are you going to be crossing those streams with the tractor?

Just for a purely generic response, I think I'd be looking for a tractor of 30-40hp with a front end loader and box blade to start with. I'd prefer the width of the bucket on the front end loader and the width of the box blade be the same and both just a little wider than the outside tread of the rear tractor wheels. I'd want R1 (Ag) tires. I'd want a brush hog of the same width as the box blade. My personal preferences (which may differ from yours) is for a finish mower for the 3-point hitch rather than a mid-mount mower and for a hydrostatic transmission rather than a geared one.

But more importantly, start visiting dealers and trying out different tractors to learn what you like best and which ones are most comfortable for you.

And a very good place to start learning is to buy Muhammad's book, Compact Tractor Buying & Basics
.

Maka · Apr 7, 2005

I agree with Bird.

Maka

pmoon · Apr 7, 2005

O.K. great...I'll try to get more specific. I have very little experience with tractors. I am refering to a finishing mower. There is quite a bit to manuver around - trees,barn etc.(which has made me think a mid-mount might be better suited for that job. In terms of the brush - I think some of it could be taken care of with a brush hog. There are lots of little saplings that might be too big for a brush hog - I don't know how much a brush hog can handle. Very dense but not much thickness in general. I want to clear out the brush and leave the nice trees. No current plans with the pond except to mow around it. Don't think I'd take the tractor through the streams too steep - have other ways around and over them. Would like to landscape around them. Hope this helps - let me know what other info would be useful. I'm going to various dealers soon - just wanted to arm myself with info on something close to what I might need. Was thinking jd 4000 - nhtc - kb B???

Soundguy · Apr 7, 2005

So you've got 5ac to mow now.. and what? another 15 you are removing brush from.. that makes 20 mowable acers.

My sugestion would to get a rotary brush mower for the bulk of the work.. and a small rider mower like an 800$ murray for a small belt of grass around the house. Alternately you could get a 4' or 5' finish mower for your tractor as well.. they run about 1000$ and up.

As for tractor size? I'd think somewhere inthe 40's for comfort.. though one in the 30's would still get you some decent amount of work done.

Soundguy

DocHeb · Apr 7, 2005

With your height you will really need to try the tractors. I am 6'3" and found some brands' shuttle shifts hard to work since my legs were so long they wouldn't bend back so the tractor would go in reverse. I am very happy with my TC40D New Holland, and the HST pedals are ergonomically placed. The tilting steering wheel and easily movable seat are also nice - look at the Class III Boomers

GATC35 · Apr 7, 2005

I agree with Chris. I'm also in the 6'3" height range. I found the New Holland allot more comfortable than the others. I liked the AGCO tractor, and have a dealer 5 miles from me. But the AGCO just wasn't comfortable. So I also went with a New Holland TC-35D, which is a class III Boomer and the same physical size of Chris's TC-40.

Soundguy is right on also with a seperate mower for the nice grass. The price you pay for a good finish mower you can get a Murray from Home Depot . I have 2 acres around the house that have trees. I use a Toro ZTR for this, and leave the bush hogging of field's, woods and around the pond area to the TC-35.

Good Luck !

Welcome to TBN...lots of good folks here.

Bird · Apr 7, 2005

( a mid-mount might be better suited )

That's the reason they make both kinds; I prefer the other, but lots of folks prefer the mid-mount. Either one will do the job.

( I don't know how much a brush hog can handle )

It depends on which one you buy. Most of the manufacturers make light, medium, and heavy duty models. I've actually seen a light duty brush hog (rated for 1" saplings), on a 29hp tractor, cut down little trees in excess of 2" diameter with no apparent damage. Of course, if you buy a heavy duty model, you can cut bigger stuff, but may need more tractor horsepower. I'm not recommending any particular brand (there are lots of good ones), but just as one example, Bush Hog has a heavy duty 6' one (model 406) that's rated to cut 4" saplings, has a gear box rated to withstand 125hp, but recommends a minimum of 45hp.

Now it also depends on what you call "clearing". A brush hog will cut them, but leave a little stump. So I don't know whether you want to get rid of those, too, or not. Brush hogs have relatively dull blades (compared to lawnmower blades) so they tend to shatter the little stumps so that does frequently make them decompose quicker, but for awhile after cutting, they might damage a tire if you run over them.

Paddy · Apr 7, 2005

Price range and realistic land use are key too. You can do a lot with an 8N for $3000 to $4000. You may be new to acerage to. Most of us would not consider to finish cut 5 or even 15 ac. I would finish cut 2-3 ac around the house weekly and bush hog the rest as time alowed, 2-3 times a year. Country boys used to say "if the tractor could push it over the bush hog would cut it". I'm not sure I would take such an extream look at it.

Clearing land will be a gradule thing. Clear around the house site and then work on what can be seen from the house. Soon you will have what you want. I just replaced one of those nice old tractors with a China made KAMA 454. It's a 4 wheel drive 45Hp. Don't have much seat time yet but she is clearly quite the work horse. They cost much less but you may/will need to turn a wrench once in a while.

So welcome to the tractor shopping mall and to your new ownership of your land.

Patrick

pmoon · Apr 7, 2005

How do I get rid of the stumps? What attachment? By the way...everybody's been really helpful - thank you much! Also I downloaded the Compact Tractor ebook - nearly read the whole thing!

GaryE · Apr 7, 2005

How do I get rid of the stumps? 

If you are planning on using your tractor, a BH is the way to go.

Gary

burnetma · Apr 7, 2005

Hey pmoon,

Welcome aboard. I am a relatively new member also, but have been involved in agriculture nearly my entire life. I live about 25 miles south of Watkins Glen, near Waverly NY. Thus I am familiar with the area and some common issues.

A couple of questions, is your land primarily flat, rolling hills or some steep banks? Dry or wet (WG is notorious for bogs and marsh soil)? What is your driveway surface and how does it lay? Is this going to be a year round home for you or a vacation spot?

I am in agreement with everything written so far. A lot will depend on your budget and priorities.

I used a 1957 IH 350 Utility with a bucket loader, tire chains and a 6 foot bush hog for 7 years on my 100 acre horse property up in northern Rensselaer County with good results. Total initial investment ~ $4000. Annual repairs ~$300 for miscellaneous items. Required knowledge of basic mechanics and trouble shooting. Also some patience.

If time and timing is important to you, buying a newer tractor might be your best bet. If you don't mind delays in your schedule for repairs and/or prefer spending money on property improvement, then a classic might be OK. Generally you do not loose money on a classic tractor, if you take care of it. A new tractor will depreciate.

Enjoy the hunt for a new/new to you tractor. It is a ton of fun. I am finally getting my new unit tomorrow after nearly 3 years of shopping.

frank_f15 · Apr 7, 2005

1st of all welcome to the forum /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif and 2nd i don't think you will be happy with a smaller machine, i would think something in the mid 30hp range at least. at 6'5" you ain't going to be real happy with a small tractor and also u have to many tasks to be done with a sub cut(just mho) you really need to get out and try a few ALL COLORS and see what you like and feels good to you.

pmoon · Apr 7, 2005

Burnetma - I'm north of WG up on the hill so wet isn't a huge issue (except the small streams that run through the property - two are year round one is more seasonal). Because I'm up on the hill above the lake the land is sloped. One of the streams has steep banks. Hard for me to say - because I haven't lived there yet - as to how wet the ground is on a year round basis - but it's not like I'm down in WG bog land. Driveway is dirt/stone about 100yards long and has a little incline to it.

Soundguy · Apr 8, 2005

( How do I get rid of the stumps? What attachment )

Cut em this year.. let em rot till next year then pop them out with a chain and your 3pt lift.. or the bucket curl on your loader. After a year of rot.. they should pull out easilly.

A small application with a spray bottle of stump killer wll help them rot even faster.

I also agree with Frank mid 30's to mid 40's is going to be a good size.

Soundguy

burnetma · Apr 10, 2005

pmoon,

Sounds like a nice piece of land. If you tell me you have a view of the lake I will be eternally jealous! Just note that even the higher laying land may have a small area of bog, but you should be able to see it fairly easily. It will be an area with no trees. It may feel solid by foot or tractor, but may just give way all of a sudden. Just don't bury your new tractor in it. We have a spot like that and have buried every tractor we own in it at one time or another.

Sounds like you have funding for a new/modern machine. This is a good position to be in. I generally know how the land lies. Proper ballast will be important to you due to the hills. Every CUT will be a little on the light side. You should plan on adding a front weight bar with suitcase weights, loading the tires, adding wheel weights and possibly a ballast box (or box blade) which should be kept as low as possible. You will need to change what ballast pieces you use based on which attachment you are using.

With only a 100 yard driveway, you have several legitimate options for moving snow. Using any tractor, with a 3 point hitch, a backblade will work and it will help you maintain your gravel driveway. There are also snow plows available for front mount for most tractors. A snow blower obviously will move a lot snow a little faster, but if the drive is rutted up it will be difficult to do a clean job (keep shear pins handy). My personal choice is the front end loader for moving snow. It allows you to stack the snow where it is out of the way and where the melt off won't be a problem. It can be slow in DEEP snow. Just one more piece of advice, do not get too ambitious with the land clearing until you consider snow drifts and wind chill around the house. It is amazing how a hedge row will break the wind and make living on the hill much more enjoyable.

Go drive the tractors and have fun! Get lots of quotes from multiple dealers on similar tractors.

Varmintmist · Apr 11, 2005

Another option for getting rid of the 1-2 in stumps would be a plow. After a year of being cut, roll them under.

Since you are mostly mowing, and brush hogging, with some landscaping tossed in. You could probably go down to 25 hp at the eng. Smaller tractor = bigger time, so decide how much you want to spend. 30-35HP would be plenty for anything you have listed so far.