Tractor Sizing The right size?

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm trying to figure out what size of tractor I need to buy. I've got 45 acres, 20% wooded, the rest open grassland. I plan on using a brush hog, auger, box blade initially with the possibility of baler later on. I've looked at smaller "utility" sized tractors (30-45hp) but I'm a little concerned it might be too small on the lower end, not to mention the cost of a bigger tractor (45-60hp) is cheaper. I'm not set on any particular brand, but I'm looking hard at IH and JD and am somewhat limited on $$. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[ejb]

I'd think you should be looking at the 5000 ten series (now called the 5000 twnety series I think?), i.e. 5210, 5310, 5410, 5510.

45 acres is a lot of grass to cut, you are probably going to want a wide rotary cutter. My recommendation would be something like the 5410 (or the 5420 if thats what it is called now). Plenty of horsepower, but still a manageable size. 5510 has a couple more options and 10 more HP if you think you'll need it. Not cheap, but if you take care of it you can amortize it across your lifetime (unlike a car which cost about the same and maybe lasts ten years)

 

[Gatorboy]

You will want at LEAST a 50 HP PTO tractor. With that much acreage to mow, you will want a 15' flexwing mower, and you will need the horses to run it.

If you are interested in a Kubota or not, this thread could be of use to you: <pre> ~ Purchase Grand L Ten or M Series? Need help... </pre>


Regards,
Dave "Gatorboy" Hoffmann
Fallston, Maryland

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks for the input....I failed to mention I was looking at buying used vs. new, don't know if that really changes your view much, but just thought I should throw it out there. My only cocerns were buying too big for what I needed and at the same time, too small for what I want to do.

 

[Bird]

When you mention a hay baler, that makes a difference. You'll find long discussions already on baling hay on the forum. Of course, I don't know whether you're talking about a square baler or round baler, but be careful of getting too small a tractor if you want it to pull a round baler

And whether you buy new or used makes no difference as to the size I'd recommend.

Bird

 

[ejb]

Dave..what did you pay for you 15' batwing mower? I have a 7 foot rotary cutter and it takes me darn close to 40 hours to cut my place...couldn't use the 15 foot everywhere, but it sure would cut down on the time in the wide-open areas...

 

[Gatorboy]

I think they are about $12K new. If you can find a used one, you may find one for $3-5K.

I am very surprised how easy I can manuver that puppy. Give me 15' 4" and I can get it through -- forward or backward.

I got mine, well, uh, for free. I just had to pay the shipping up here to Maryland from Florida. My father has a large mowing business and this was one of his many backup mowers that he let me have.

Regards,
Dave "Gatorboy" Hoffmann
Fallston, Maryland

 

[Chris_VA]

If you are interested in used and of the size you are talking, you might be interested in some of the older second generation Deeres. Most are not FWA but do offer pretty cheap HP. Something like a 4020 powershift would be very nice. Do you need FWA? Will you be wanting a loader? I just recently purchased a 3010 at a pretty good deal.

Go to greenmagazineonline.com and search their classified if you are interested.

Chris

4400HST, Canopy, 72" Deck, 516 Cutter, 420 Loader, 6' Blade, Homemade Sprayer, Boom Blade

1958 JD 620 Restored

 

[rf33]

I have a 5520 MFWD Deere and I just love it... Plenty of power. I just use an 8' Deere MX8 cutter, but I can move along pretty quick with it. If you plan to use a round baler, you would probably need to go with the smallest size baler you can find, and no smaller than a 65 PTO HP tractor. If you plan on doing any box blade work, I would definitely get MFWD. I use a 7' box blade, and an 8' disk, and I think that without having four wheel drive, I would really limit what I could do.

rf33

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[Robert_in_NY]

Any reason you went with an 8 foot disc? Your tractor can easily handle a 12 footer and have a few extra horses to pull a crumbler behind it. I pull a 10 footer with a TN 65 thru moderate clay and have no problems unless it is too wet then I just wait a few days.

<font color=blue>Robert Turk Jr.</font color=blue>
<font color=blue>Whitetail Splendor Deer Farms</font color=blue>
<font color=blue>Silver Creek, NY</font color=blue>

 

[PaulinSD]

When I lived in Northern Michigan, we had 78 acres, and mowed 44 of them. I traded the Ford 8-N in on a Ford 3000 diesel. We also had a 5' rotary cutter, and a 5' flail mower. I could mow the entire palce and trim it in 24 hours, or about 3 eight hour days. The 3000 had 38 HP at the PTO, and we paid $3500 plus the 8-N. Greaty machine. Live hydraulics and PTO. I certainly could have used a much larger mower, but I took a couple of years off work when my dad died, so I had plenty of time. The guy who had a small farm across the road had the same tractor, but a gas job, and baled with a JD 14T and pulled one hay wagon on gently rolling land. At that point in time, it worked very well for us.

Paul

 

[Bird]

Paul, tell me why you had both a rotary cutter and a flail mower, which one you used for what, etc. I've never seen a flail mower used except along the highway right-of-way in West Virginia, but a rancher neighbor recently watched one mowing a pecan orchard and thinks he wants one, so I've been trying to learn a bit more about them.

Bird

 

[rf33]

I went with the 8' disc because I use it to work the dirt in some more confined areas like round pens and riding arenas, and I think that a 12' disc would be a little harder to get in and out through the gates. If I were only using it in open fields, I would probably have a 15' flex wing disc.

rf33

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[PaulinSD]

We bought the rotary first, and kept the tall grass down with that for the first year. On a visit to the Ford dealer, he had a 5' flail demo, and the price was right. The flail will cut down to 1" high, I usualy mowed at 2". It is more of a finish mower, and did produce excellent results. The Ford model we had, placed 2 flail blades back to back in each mounting bolt. the result was not a T, but a Y. 96 of these on a 5' unit, and being reversable, turn them around and twice the cutting life. This mower, like many other flails, had the 3 point offset about a foot so the right side extended past the right rear tractor tire, you could mow very close to objects, and keep trimming to a minimum.

Paul

 

[Bird]

Thanks for the information, Paul. The more I learn about flail mowers, the more I think I'd like that, but it definitely not in the budget in the near future (might be for my neighbor though).

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks to all for your input, you've be a great help!