Tractor Sizing Newbie needing advice for first tractor

[RanchGuy]

Newbie here

Hey folks, great to be on board here.

My family recently purchased 80 rural acres on the Texas panhandle. I'm not a farmer/rancher, but we have a few horses. The surrounding properties are open cattle land. Our property is all flat, with some uneven terrain and potholes. There is a mix of wild prairie grass, cactus and weeds. We get a few snow storms in winter, and frequent thunder showers year round. The only entry road is a 2 mile hard packed dirt County road. After a big rain or snow drift melt, the road becomes thick mud. We have 4x4 trucks, but we have almost got stuck more than once. A wench is useless because not a lot of trees. So we are in dire need of a 4x4 tractor which will hopefully be able to pull us down the road to the paved highway on occasion with my tow straps and D-Ring Receiver.
We also need a wide deck for grass cutting, a front loader, a snow plow, and a sun/rain canopy. I'm a newbie with tractors, and I don't want to spend big money. Hopefully a good used JD or Kabota, which are the 2 brands we see out here regularly.

If yall can give me a few model recommendations that would be so helpful. Regarding the towing, I need enough horsepower/torque to tow a Ford F-150 out of thick mud/snow.

Thanks!

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum Ranch Guy. Glad you joined with us.

Yes, Amarillo is flat with very few trees and a lot of wind. We had a joke in the Air Force about Amarillo AFB that went some thing like this: You could be gone from the base for 3 days before they would count you as AWOL since they could still see you off in the distance.

I used to love watching Texas International Airlines (TIA) land in Amarillo because they would have to start their decent 10 miles North of the runway because by the time they landed the wind would have pushed them over the runway.

Enough about the "Yellow City." Everyone will happy to spend your money and everyone will try to get you to buy what they have. Be sure and go test drive some different models to see what you like. That way you can get a feel for what you want and you don't have to purchase to test them out.

Keep us informed as you look and ask any question that might come up.

 

[bindian]

I think your need around 100hp or bigger tractor for the fields. You might wanna raise wheat or hay. Used Internationals are good. Buy bigger than you need. You will probably, eventually have a large farm tractor and a smaller utility tractor. Buy the brand that has dealers in your area. Up there, it seems JD has a dealer in every other town. JDs are big up there. My Dad was raised on a 580 acre farm 130 miles or so northeast of you in Higgins. Grandpa just had 2WD tractors and never had problems. My uncle bought the farm in 1973 and only had a huge 2WD cabbed JD. No loaders at all. But I love my loader. I'll never have another tractor without a loader, unless it is just to pull a baler or batwing.

A must have for a loader is skid steer attachment, so you can use anything a skid steer uses. Get one more hydraulic remote for the rear than you think you will ever use. You will find a use! For plowing and such, the more gears in the transmission...........the better.

In the Panhandle, with only a barbed wire fence between you and the North Pole...............you need a cabbed tractor............and from spending summers up there..................air conditioning for long days in the field haying! A two way radio for cab is a good safety feature in an emergency......or to coordinate lunch with the Mrs. Unless you have good cell reception.

I'd buy a used zero turn mower for the lawn grass. 10 foot wide or batwing for the pastures. My uncle always rode fence on a motorcycle. They are fun chasing jackrabbits also!

A post hole digger or post pounder is a nice extra to think about for all those miles of fence posts. If Y'all don't know the county's road grader operator, a good land plane will work for keeping the two miles of unpaved road open.

Check out the Richie Brothers Auctions up there for you tractor, attachment, and machinery needs. I think RBAuction.com is gonna have a Ft Worth auction in September. I picked up a well worn 9 foot Amco offset disc at the Houston auction for a song.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jeff9366]

I'm a newbie with tractors, and I don't want to spend big money. I need enough horsepower/torque to tow a Ford F-150 out of thick mud/snow.

Hopefully a good used JD or Kabota, which are the 2 brands we see out here regularly.

If yall can give me a few model recommendations that would be helpful.

Here is a LINK to the Kubota web site. Neither the Kubota 'BX' nor 'B' series has enough heft for your requirements.

Research within the 'L', 'Grand L' and 'MX' series.

I understand you are budgeted for used. This will get your product research started.

LINK: http://www.kubota.com/product/LSeries.aspx


Tractors of suitable size for towing a mudded F-150 will not have a midmount mowing deck. Compact tractors use a Three Point Hitch mounted Finish Mower.

VIDEO: tractor finish mower - YouTube


Here is a LINK to used tractors in Texas for sale on eBay. Nothing close to zip code 79101 today, but this will give you an idea of used tractor pricing:

LINK: eBay Search: Advanced Search: tractors

Good luck.

 

[daugen]

A wench is useless

Welcome Ranch Guy. You are starting off all wrong this way, a good "wench" is priceless!

Certain implements, like bailers and ten foot batwing mowers suck up at least 50hp; Bindian suggests 100 and I bet she's right for your area. As long as you aren't maneuvering around trees in woods or other obstacles, the size of your tractor is usually bigger is better, within reason. And if you are mowing fields in your heat, you sure might want to prioritize a cab model with a/c. Several dozen TBN members from Texas; you have lots of local members to give you advice.

Tractor numbers usually go up in size. An M Kubota is bigger than an L or a B. You likely need an M. John Deere uses numbers, 1 through 9, you probably want to look at a 5 or 6.

You could easily spend a third to one half the value of your tractor on implements; tractors don't do much by themselves. Here's a site to poke around: TractorHouse.com | Used Tractors For Sale: John Deere, Case IH, New Holland, Kubota.

 

[AxleHub]

RanchGuy,

I'd suggest you put more detals out in order yo prevent a feeding frenzy of ideas and opinions that you can't use. Here are some suggestions of info needed:

1. You say you don't want to spend alot of money . . Put a number out.

2. You said "the family" acquired 80 acres. Is that a single? household or are there other relatives involved? Will numerous users be part of the decision ?

3. Is there a house and good outbuildings or more a cabin and old barn? In other words . . Will people live here or spend weekends here or be there infrequently?

4. Will you have a real lawn and maintenance . . or is this just "whatever grows" cut the area once every 2 or 3 weeks ?

5. Do you plan to grow any crops or hay or ???? Or is mother nature in charge of scrub brush and wild pasture ?

6. Is there a desire to build buildings etc. that you would use the tractor for ?

My point is simple . . you described some needs which sound like mostly land and access needs and not permanent living or farming/rancher needs. And already responders are assuming much more than you've described. The more you describe in your plans . . the better will be your responses. Jmho

 

[RanchGuy]

Wow thanks for all of your responses folks!
As far as further detail about our needs, here are some:

We will be living on our 80 acres full time, and eventually have a second home built. We are on well and septic.

I'm only plan to buy used, hopefully under $20k.

I'm not a farmer. We will be leaving maybe 50 acres natural, and 30 acres developing. We will be clearing/cutting these 30 for further small buildings to house a tractor and other ranch equipment, and a padock for the animals. At this point I'm not planning on farming hay/grass myself. We have hay delivered for the horses.

I will be doing some light duty projects so a bucket front loader is a must, as is a wide deck cutter for routine grass/weed trimming.

AC is preferred but not a must, but a sun canopy is a must.

A snow plow is a must.

Enough HP/torgue for pulling our F-150's out of mud is a must.

I'm willing to buy an older model, maybe even 15-20 years old, provided parts are easily available for repairs, and our local dealer can quickly do repairs. I realize a price limit of only $20k might not be realistic, but hopefully someone can offer some models to look at.

 

[varmint]

Ranchguy, it just doesn't seem right that you will need a snowplow, but then, I don't know squat about Texas! Seems like you will want 4 wheel drive, and a rear mower deck. A SSQA loader will handle a front snowplow, and I think that's how you want to go- rear blades get old, and with a front plow, you can handle gravel lanes better. Try Searchtempest.com for locating used equipment on Craig's List, and Tractorhouse.com, as was mentioned. I wouldn't worry too much about buying used, if you think you can judge whether something has been maintained and works. Tractors are pretty reliable, compared to cars and trucks, and minor, regular service isn't hard to do, if you have a modest shop to work in. A 30 hp 4wd tractor with a larger frame (like our old Kubota Grand L 3130) will pull a surprising load in low. Which reminds me, HST vs. gear drive: if you plan on doing much loader activity, HST is good! I love Kubotas, but Deere and some of the other major brands (will vary by area) should be well supported in terms of parts and service. Hopefully, you won't need much beyond fluid and filter changes, and it is best to do those yourself.

 

[AxleHub]

While I'm sure you'd like to buy a used tractor from a dealer . . I'd guess with your budget that you'd be better off with a private party purvhade and be able to get their implements included . . As tractor and implements at the dealer would push the numbers up a fair amount.

Knowing how with my 25 hp sub compact I pulled my pickup up our steeper driveway last year once . . I would think a 35 hp to 40 hp is going to do what you may need. Suggestions of 100 hp units are eildly larger than your description would require imo.

And I'd agree with othrrs that a rear finish mower would allow you to cut wider and cheaper as well.

20k budget will require some real discipline and patience . . But that is how it works. If it was easy . . everyone would do it

 

[RanchGuy]

Awesome! This is exactly the info we need guys. I will start researching a good used tractor with your mentioned suggestions!

 

[bindian]

I'm not a farmer. We will be leaving maybe 50 acres natural, and 30 acres developing. We will be clearing/cutting these 30 for further small buildings to house a tractor and other ranch equipment, and a padock for the animals. At this point I'm not planning on farming hay/grass myself. We have hay delivered for the horses.



AC is preferred but not a must, but a sun canopy is a must.

A snow plow is a must.

Enough HP/torgue for pulling our F-150's out of mud is a must.

I'm willing to buy an older model, maybe even 15-20 years old, provided parts are easily available for repairs, and our local dealer can quickly do repairs. I realize a price limit of only $20k might not be realistic, but hopefully someone can offer some models to look at.

Keeping acreage natural will require mowing from time to time for good pasture. If not sage brush and other non nourishment growth will overtake the pasture. That will take a mighty long time to mow if you do it with anything smaller than a batwing. Get with Farm Bureau or county ag agencys to see what all it takes to keep the land in natural grasses. You can do it, but it takes work. Remember................large herds of bison used to roam there.

If no cab, buy an insulated aluminum canopy. They don't fall apart after years of vibration and sun baring down on it. I put a thermometer and lights on front and back of my canopy.

Don't know about a snow plow. My relatives never had one and they were a mile from paved roads. Only the county had snowplows in Liscomb County. I would ask neighboring farms all these questions. Local advice is way better than what you can get on here.

$20,000 for a used 4WD tractor with a loader will be a feat to fine. It will have hours on it. Years on bigger tractors don't mean as much as hours, except for the rubber parts. Large tractor wear is measured in hours. Remember that summer and harvest season are busy time for dealers. Longer wait times for repairs in the summer or early fall. Don't just buy a bargain of a tractor. Good dealers are worth their weight in gold when you break down. Know your dealer and his service manager and especially the mechanic before break downs. Check out all the estate auctions up there. They are everywhere. RBAuctions even does it for larger estates.

In a few years..................you won't say "I'm not a farmer".

I invite you here.... http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...xas-spring-summer-thread-644.html#post4536533

lots more North Texans on the thread.
hugs, Brandi

 

[DieselBound]

A wench is useless because not a lot of trees.

Assuming you mean winch ...

Find yourself a big Danforth anchor. I was going to get one but I always seem to have enough things to lash on to to get myself unstuck: an extreme example was getting a 9k lb excavator buried to the top of its tracks on the other side of a ditch- cable puller (More Power Puller The Wyeth-Scott Co. - portable winches | cable puller | come along winches) attached to the back of my truck.

 

[MrFoPow]

I'm gonna agree with the member that suggested a L4701, L4760, or a MX5200 or MX5800.

The MX will be a little heavier of a tractor which may or may not come in handy to un-stick a truck.

Go to a few dealers. Most will demo one for you or even let you test drive it.

 

[paulfun9]

While I'm sure you'd like to buy a used tractor from a dealer . . I'd guess with your budget that you'd be better off with a private party purvhade and be able to get their implements included . . As tractor and implements at the dealer would push the numbers up a fair amount.

Knowing how with my 25 hp sub compact I pulled my pickup up our steeper driveway last year once . . I would think a 35 hp to 40 hp is going to do what you may need. Suggestions of 100 hp units are eildly larger than your description would require imo.


I have towed trucks out with everything from 20 to 150 HP machines and can clearly tell by the description that he isn't talking about a short pull up a short driveway! Yes in theory a 35 to 40 HP machine will tow an f-150 along until you add in the deep mud and snow. Been there done that and when you add in the acreage that he has and the time it will take clearing a field with 35 to 40 HP and being limited to a 6 or 7 FT cutter its sort of like taking on a 10 acer yard with a push mower.

A while back someone posted a pic of themselves towing a truck and trailer out of their yard with a BX and they were proud of it but when I looked at it I saw that I would have been able to use our box store lawn mower and got the same results not to mention that 2 men could have given just as much push and accomplished the same thing. The problem was the tractor didn't have to sit in deep mud itself as it pulled something heavier than itself out. Yes it makes a difference!