Overloaded, need insite on tractor purchase

[Weedy Fields]

Bought approx. 50 acres. Will be building a house on it. Land has approx 35 in tillage (corn) and remaining in hardwoods. House is going into one of the fields. Approx 10 acre cornfield.

1st thing is to have a driveway put in. Driveway will be approx 2200 ft long and change in elevation up approx 100ft in maybe 600ft of total distance. Driveway is going to be done by a hired excavator. The long term plan is to plant approx 5-6 acres that surround the house to native grasses and forbs. Plant corners and edges with conifers to block wind for house and other trees/bushes for wildlife habitat. Am going to use low mow lawn around house. Small garden. I already have a JD riding mower for yard and a Troybuilt tiller for garden.

I'm going to need a tractor I'm thinking.

1st thing I'm going to need to do is prepare ground along driveway for planting of cover crop. Maybe a 50 ft swath on either side of the drive where the excavator will have the land torn up from driveway installation. Some sections of this will be slopped pretty decently so I want to get it prepped and plant so to avoid any erosion. I can leave the majority of the length as its relatively flat. This land is somewhat rocky also. Has areas with rocks that are approx 1 ft on dia. Again, this land has been growing corn as of this past summer. Corn has been cut but the stubble is still there. So will I need a spring tooth cultivator and a disc harrow to get it ready?

So after I get the sides of the drive done I'll use the tractor to prepare corn field for planting in spring of 2016. I have been advised by seed supplier to disc field for one season approx every 3 weeks during growing season to deplete seed bank and allow any unwanted herbicide to dissipate. So again I'm using the disc/cultivator.

I don't plan on plowing the driveway. Right now I have a 800 ft driveway that I have a service do. It costs approx $500 a year for them to do it. So maybe it'll cost me $1000 at the new place. I don't know if its worth the time and cost of equipment.

I do burn wood and would plan on making/getting a trailer to haul firewood.

I do plan on making/mowing trails on land. Then I'll want to get a Flail mower. May also need this in 1st couple of years after planting of native grasses to knock down annual weeds while native grasses/forbs get roots established.

The larger 20 some acre field will be leased out to a local farmer for the 2015 season. After that it will be planted partially in native grasses/forbs and remainder in trees. Lots more work for the tractor.

My thought are this for the tractor. I'm sure I'll end up using it alot more than I think. I think I'm going to need the cultivator and the disc harrow right away. Maybe a front end loader. Don't know if I'm going to need a back hoe, but I'm sure I could use one if I had one.

I can see spending 20K. I'm pretty mechanically competent. I'm a retired Tool and Die maker so I know my way around wrench. New would be nice but not necessary. I don't have a problem will used. But I don't want used up. I'm thinking 30-40hp, 4 wheel drive, don't need hydrostatic. I have been driving manual shift stuff for 40 years.

Within approx 1/2 drive there are Deere, Kubota and other dealers.

Any words of wisdom, this all new to me, been doing a lot of reading and I'm overloaded. Help me focused.

Thanks

 

[motownbrowne]

First off, welcome aboard.

I recommend a 40+ HP 4wd tractor with loader at least. At that size you increase loader capacity quite a bit over the next size down. It's gonna be though to accomplish with your budget, but if you stretch it a little you can get there. For me, having the front end loader is now something I wouldn't want to live without, especially with pallet forks. Regarding the planting and implements, there's tons of disc harrows on craigslist for cheap. Personally I'd buy a rototiller before a disc and drag harrow, but that's me. Also, leaving that field fallow for a whole season seems excessive. Maybe a few fillings before cover cropping, but not all year.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[Sprinklerman]

Loader is a must . It will save your back plain and simple . Plus its fun to play with

 

[Coyote machine]

Kioti DK-40 or larger, with loader and HST. You won't be disappointed in going to a hydrostatic trans from shifting. I run their largest backhoe, digs to 8.5' down. $20K is going to be difficult to get what you want/need. More in range of $25-30 with a hoe and loader. Spend what is needed and you won't need to upgrade to higher HP/ loader capacity for many years. The name isn't as familiar as some others, but they make excellent tractors with features you'll pay more for in other brands.

 

[nybirdman]

You are on the right track.35-40hp,4wd and fel 3,000+lbs.for sure.I would have second thoughts on the back-hoe.Adds a big expense to the purchase for something that "may"not get a lot of use after the first year.
Implements;rear blade,box blade,I prefer a tiller over disc on tractors this size.As long as you have a tractor you may as well do your own snow removal.Rear blade and maybe down the road a front blade.
I like HST tractors myself but we do have a L3000DT(Kubota) which is gear and it's a work horse.
Do all the reading you can on this site,lots of good free information.

 

[DABSGT]

You are on the right track.35-40hp,4wd and fel 3,000+lbs.for sure.I would have second thoughts on the back-hoe.Adds a big expense to the purchase for something that "may"not get a lot of use after the first year. Implements;rear blade,box blade,I prefer a tiller over disc on tractors this size.As long as you have a tractor you may as well do your own snow removal.Rear blade and maybe down the road a front blade. I like HST tractors myself but we do have a L3000DT(Kubota) which is gear and it's a work horse. Do all the reading you can on this site,lots of good free information.

I agree with nybirdman, I like a HST tractor, after years of shifting I still will use an older tractor but as I get older the Hydrostatic trans is nice. Also agree you can clean your own snow the $1,000 a year you pay can go into your tractor, I could have had someone plow me out for years with what I put into my tractor but why pay someone to have all that fun. Hope you find what you are looking for you won't regret a FEL. And welcome to TBN.

Sent from my iPad using TractorByNet

 

[jeff9366]

40-hp minimum (50-hp better) and minimum 4,000 lbs. tractor weight before FEL. 4-WD for certain.

With 4,000 lbs. tractor you will be able to pull seven foot implements.

You will need a Disc Harrow with at least 24" diameter pans in order to chop stubble and till in one pass.

It is rare to see a Flail Mower on a farm. Rotary Cutters (Bush Hogs) do the same work and are much less complex.

You can transport firewood in the FEL bucket.

I recommend budgeting for a Utility Vehicle and all terrain trailer to partner with your tractor.

Consider if a <$400 Bucket Spade will meet your initial needs, rather than a $8,000 Backhoe.

A $400 Ratchet Rake is useful for trail creation and light grading.

Keep an open mind on HST transmissions. Max torque when starting with an implement is a great thing.

There is a lot of used equipment out there. Good luck.

BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR.

 

[Threepoint]

Welcome to TBN! Sounds like you'll have a lifetime of projects for your tractor at your new place. Very exciting.

I'm assuming your driveway will be crushed stone rather than paved. You say you're thinking of hiring out the snow plowing, but if it's stone, you're also going to need to maintain the surface throughout the year. 2200 feet is a whole lot of driveway. A rise of 100 feet over a 600 foot run is a 17 percent grade, so you're looking at some occasional washout in heavy rain. I think you'll quickly decide you need a box blade. To pull an 84" medium-duty BB full of material up a grade that steep is going to require good traction, a fair amount of hp, and low gear. I myself wouldn't go lower than 45 hp, and given your other uses, I'd go 50 or 60 if you can. I'd for sure add a loader; you'll be kicking yourself later if you don't, guaranteed! Your $20 K budget strikes me as pretty light if you're looking for new.

As Jeff says, buy enough tractor. You have the property and projects to justify it, and you don't want to be saying woulda coulda shoulda a year from now with such an important piece of equipment.

BTW, for a full season of snow plowing, I'd say $1000 would be a very low estimate for that driveway in your neck of the woods, unless other neighbors are on it as well and you're able to share the cost. If you have the time, doing your own plowing would pay for a very nice 84" rear blade in one season.

 

[Olympus]

Brand wars aside, you will DEFINITELY want 4wd and a front bucket. Those two things will prove to be worth their weight in gold.

Best advice is to spend as much time researching and test driving as possible. Research all the dealers in your area and don't forget there are other great brands aside from the "big names". Find a reputable dealer that treats you well and has a solid reputation.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Once you have deciphered all the first TBN info in this thread, decide what is the furthest that you would consider driving to look at a machine, new or used. Once you have made that decision, go to every single tractor dealer within that range. Not for pricing purposes,(although you can do that also) but to actually look at, feel, set in the seat, try to get a feel for the different tractors. They are all just a bit different and some or one may feel better than another to you. If you look at the similar sizes , they all have about the same capabilities. Yes some are a little less or more than another, but until a person is using it to make a living, they all will do about the same thing in the same time frame more or less.

I personally would be looking in the 50hp range for what it sounds like your needs will be.

Good luck