Shopping for CUT for Small Ranch

[InThinAir]

New to the forum, lot of great information on here to review.

I have a small piece of property that I will have horses on. I will also be leasing access to adjacent property, 2 Sections, for running a small herd of cattle. In SW Colorado I will have to feed them in the winter. So I will need to move around some round bales or large squares. The terrain is a little difficult and I have a steep graded road to get down with the bales to where I will winter the cattle. Around me is a very large Kubota dealer and a smallish JD dealer. So I am focusing on those brands. I don't want to spend over 20k for the CUT with a FEL, and a small manure spreader (<30 bushel).

What would you recommend? I am totally open, hoping to buy in the spring.

Your input is appreciated

---Doug

 

[cowboydoc]

If you have to feed cattle in the winter a small cut less than $20k isn't going to get it done unless you are looking at buying used. NO way in the world you're going to move round bales or big square bales up and down a steep grade. I've pushed my 4600 to the limits and on flat ground or slightly hilly terrain it's ok but marginal. On sidehills or slippery ground with slopes forget it you are a goner. To safely handle that kind of terrain and in the middle of winter you are going to need to step up to a utility tractor.

 

[MMM]

You spend $20k on a CUT to do this work, you'll be sorely diapointed. You better think 80lb bales or a bigger machine. I really like industrials for loader work due to beefy front ends, built in ballast and low center gravity.

 

[InThinAir]

That wasn't what I was hoping to hear. I hate to have to buy a huge tractor for just moving a round bale 1/4 mile once a week. I guess my best bet might be some sort of 4 wheel cart behind the CUT? Just set the heavy stuff on there and then hook it up and drive it to the feeder, unhook and unload? I am assuming your 4600 is around 45 HP? And it can barely lift a round bale? or barely drive around with it? I was hoping to stay under 20k which puts me in the under 40hp range? Could something like a 4410 lift a round bale and move it from a barn to a cart?

Thanks,
Doug

 

[cowboydoc]

Doug,

I don't know what size bales you are planning on lifting but I'm at the limit with the 4600. The 6x5 round bales I don't do on any kind of a hill and I have to have a bale on back to lift it. As long as the ground is flat it's no problem but getting on hills is tricky. With the 5x5's it's a little easier but still you have to be careful and I would not even attempt to go up and down a steep slope with one. I don't see anyway that a 4410 could do the job.

What I would do if I was in your shoes is buy an older Case, IH, etc. full size tractor to move my bales. Alot of those can be had for $5k or less. Then spend the $20k on your 4410. Even an older wore out one will last you for many years just moving bales and such. You'll never be sorry you have two tractors.

 

[Evasive1]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I was hoping to stay under 20k which puts me in the under 40hp range? )</font>

If you are talking John Deere or Kubota you are probably right. If you can open your eyes up to outside the big three you have several options.

I paid $17,700 for my Century 3045 with heavy duty loader and 6'box blade. It is a 48 gross hp tractor. It weighs 5215 lbs with the loader. The 3 pt has a 2,580 lbs lifting force and the C-50HL loader has a 2,540 lb lifting force at the pivots.

Still not sure if I would drive it up a steep hill with snow though with a big square bale. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Kioti and Mahindra also make some nice tractors in this range for less $$$ than the big 3. Shopping is free.. I think there are still some options out there for you if you do your homework.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree with the others... You are looking at a minimum of 48hp.. preferably much more. Tractor frame size will play abig role. I'd also have a bale spear for the fel, and the rear. depending on which way you have to tote those bales. I think you are not going to be happy unless you are in the utility area.. perhaps 60+ hp. That gives you a big tractor to move bales.. and extra hp when you need it.

Go to a dealer.. look for trade ins.. that are only 1-2 years old. I got a steal on my NH 7610s as it was traded in on something smaller.. the orchard owner kept hitting tree limbs with it.. so it had some bent sheet metal and super low hours.. I got a huge discount on a brand new large tractor that way...

Soundguy

 

[frank_f15]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I guess my best bet might be some sort of 4 wheel cart behind the CUT? Just set the heavy stuff on there and then hook it up and drive it to the feeder, unhook and unload? )</font>

you still have to load those bales on the cart! i think u might be wll advised to go larger and pre-owned to fit your needs and your budget.

 

[MMM]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 2 Sections, for running a small herd )</font>

Are you planning on haying this (you need a fleet of utility tractors) or having this custom hired? Bigger operators offer wrapped bales. You might could go with wrapped bales in a fenced feed area and never move a bale, or move bales just outside a fenced of storage pen. Best separate cows and hay. It doesn't take them long to figure out what's under the plastic and get into them. There are a lot of guys who don't even put hay up or wrap it down here. It sits out all winter and they lose around 10-15%. Possibly less for CO as you get more frozen precip. Doc or one of the other cattle operators could probably give you other advice. I don't raise cattle, but hire out to the neighbors quite a bi during hay time.

 

[Glenn9643]

I will also be leasing access to adjacent property, 2 Sections, for running a small herd of cattle.

Doug,
When you said "2 Sections", did you mean it as two sections as in land measure at 640 acres each or two "parcels" of some other acreage? That might have an impact also.

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> On sidehills or slippery ground with slopes forget it you are a goner. To safely handle that kind of terrain and in the middle of winter you are going to need to step up to a utility tractor.
</font>
As Richard said, slippery and slopes don't go with a compact and round bales. It sounds like you need a 50-60 horse utility tractor. How many acres are we talking about here?

 

[bugstruck]

Doug, The others here forgot more than I know about round/square bales but here's a thought... A co-worker of mine bought a Case 2 wd tractor this summer with 57 HP and FEL for just under 21,000.00 new. I don't know about 2 wd for what you are describing but chained up and off the asphalt it might work???

You do need the larger tractor for what you are asking of it.

Good Luck,

 

[glawall]

Doug, As Chris was saying, a 2 WD Tractor may do your job. The attributes you need in a tractor, to do the job you want, are weight, and a wide stance. Not necessarily horse power. Weight and width will increase your traction and stability. I don't know if you are near a Mahindra tractor dealer, but the Mahindra 4500 4WD is a 5742# tractor with 45 horsepower, 3968# lift at the 3 ph, and 2480# lift at the loader. This tractor should be able to be found near your price range. Any tractor brand with weight and lit capacities near the Mahindra 4500 specs should do the job for you. Hope this imfo has been helpful.

glawall
Your Mahindra Tractor Dealer
Batavia, NY

 

[Keith_B]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( New to the forum, lot of great information on here to review.

I have a small piece of property that I will have horses on. I will also be leasing access to adjacent property, 2 Sections, for running a small herd of cattle. In SW Colorado I will have to feed them in the winter. So I will need to move around some round bales or large squares. The terrain is a little difficult and I have a steep graded road to get down with the bales to where I will winter the cattle. Around me is a very large Kubota dealer and a smallish JD dealer. So I am focusing on those brands. I don't want to spend over 20k for the CUT with a FEL, and a small manure spreader (<30 bushel).

What would you recommend? I am totally open, hoping to buy in the spring.

Your input is appreciated

---Doug )</font>

I noticed you talk about steepness in relationship to the road you will be using. If you are not going to have to be traversing along the sides of the hills with the round bales then a larger CUT should work fine. Your post doesn't say you will be doing this, so I am going on that assumption.

FWIW, I have been researching the purchase of a larger CUT and the information I am relaying is what I have discovered in my research.

You should be able to pick up a used ground driven manure spreader that would service you just fine.

In regards to the CUT I would look at a Kioti DK45, which is more like a utility than a CUT, a Mahindra 4110 if you want the most bang for your buck in the CUT lineup for around $20K. Mahindra also sells the 4500 utility in a 4WD, which Bill's Tractors in Texas has listed a few months ago in the $20K range.

A New Holland TC45D would likely work OK, and would exceed the $20K cap unless you find a good used model. A TC45A, TC48ATC40A, which is the no frills version of the New Holland Boomers, may be close to the $20 range.

It will be difficult to find a John Deere that is anywhere near the $20K range in a CUT to do what you want. The 990 is going to be there in price, but unless you use a 4X5 round bale the loader may be hard pressed to handle bigger bales over the long haul. Perhaps some 990 owners could speak to this issue.

Deere does sell a series of value priced tractors. They are no frills units that come only in 2wd. You should be able to get a larger utility with a loader for your $20K that will handle the bales easily enough.

The Kubota lineup's largest CUT is the L4330 (new one is the L4430?) or the L4300/L4400. They are essentially the same, but the L4300/L4400 is the no frills gear version. The L4300 or L4400 may be had for your price range, but I haven't seen any prices for the L4330 that are close to $20K.

I am not familiar enough with the Kubota line of utility tractors to know their prices for the utilities.

 

[InThinAir]

Yes, I mean 2 sections. total 1200+ acres. I will not be doing anything with the 2 sections except trying to find my cattle on horseback. I will not be doing any haying, the cattle are free range.

I appreciate everyone comments. I think I will have to look for something big and used. I do believe that I don't need a lot of horsepower, and that is the issue, because to get a big stance it seems like you need a bunch of HP.

The grade I need to go down has a road cut into it and is pretty level, but is steep off the side for about 100 feet. And gets real greasy in the mud season(s). Getting a semi load of bales down the road is probably too much to ask a delivery truck to do. Otherwise I would just have them set down there and put up some fence around the bales and not have too far to move them.

I haven't looked too much outside of the the 2 makes since I can't seem to find a dealer anywhere near me. But I will widen my search to look at all makes in 50-60 HP used.

---Doug

 

[MMM]

I'd be on the lookout for a verifiably restored or low hour utility or industrial from late 80s 0r early 90s. You can find some really nice power and stability for $8-$15k.You might have enough left to buy a little tractor to clean barn and mow yard with. A little exxtra hp isn't going to hurt you since your not plowing or doing much "grunt work" to worry about fuel. You didn't give the size of ownrd property (small... compared to 2 sections?), but a big cutter might come in handy.