Tractor 101 for 40 acre farm owner

[Belhaven]

A little background. I currently own a 40 acre farm...10 acres are woods and not of issue.

The remaining 30 acres is my concern. I have a horse farm so about 20-25 acres of this land are pasture.

All of this land is VERY hilly...

10 acres is one large field not currently used for grazing but I like it mowed 'tidy.' I will try to post a couple of photos to see.

The remaining 10 is grazing pasture for horses, VERY hilly again...I want to keep this very short as well.

I have 3 tractors and would like to understand if these are suitable for my needs or if I am better to sell, swap, consolidate, etc

The farm has grown from 9 acres to the current 40 so needs have changed and equipment has not.

Is there some place I can learn about tractors in simple language? For example, the hp needed to use a certain attachment...or what is HST and when is it suitable?

I have so many questions I dont know where to begin.

I am happy to post the tractors I own (and equipment) if that would be suitable.

 

[bp fick]

This is the right place to learn and get informed.

HOWEVER..... You'd be much better served starting several, specific, separate threads concerning specific questions.

-HST/Shuttle
-HP
-Cab
-Implements
-etc

Otherwise you will get a bloated, long winded, generic thread that is awfully hard to read through and take away meaningful sense.

Break down your questions into 4 or 5 specific questions and you'll greatly benefit. Again, TBN is your place!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[ctgoldwing]

Welcome Belhaven!

I am hardly an 'old timer' on this board but from my experiences you can really learn a lot here :thumbsup:

I see information here broken down in two catagories: appliance info and nuts & bolts info. By appliance I mean you will find very helpful info on suggested tractor size, types & use of attachments, pricing info, etc.

The nuts & bolts info available here is pretty amazing. You can easily find help in repairing, creating & maintaining all kinds of equipment here. The knowledge base is pretty substantial.

I'd suggest you post some specific questions you have. Listing your current tractors & attachments will help anyone here give you good advice. The members here have really helped me spend some $$$ :laughing:


ahhh, I see BP beat me to a response - great minds think alike

 

[Belhaven]

OK I will work on specific questions...I am reading some articles to get some idea of what to even ask!:laughing:

I currently have:

1. John Deere 4300 hst, 4WD (1580 hours): purchased new in 2001(?) with 60 inch belly mower and 'matching' JD seeder


2. John Deere 850, 2WD (402 hours): came with 20 acres of land I bought, immaculate condition

3. Mahindra 2615 hst, 4WD (582 hours): purchased new in 2005 with 'matching' seeder and 4ft finishing mower

Additional equipment

4. a bushhog that came with the JD 850-I will get the size...5 ft I believe

5. 6 inch wood chipper

I do not have nor do I intend to purchase a FEL


My pastures are already well maintained-no need to mow sapplings, etc.

The biggest issue is THICK spring growth of fescue/bermuda. I am in Georgia.

So my first question is am I too 'same tractored'-in other words, are these tractors different enough to keep each? Or am I double covered? If that makes sense?

 

[TripleR]

OK I will work on specific questions...I am reading some articles to get some idea of what to even ask!:laughing:

I currently have:

1. John Deere 4300 hst, 4WD (1580 hours): purchased new in 2001(?) with 60 inch belly mower and 'matching' JD seeder


2. John Deere 850, 2WD (402 hours): came with 20 acres of land I bought, immaculate condition

3. Mahindra 2615 hst, 4WD (582 hours): purchased new in 2005 with 'matching' seeder and 4ft finishing mower

Additional equipment

4. a bushhog that came with the JD 850-I will get the size...5 ft I believe

5. 6 inch wood chipper

I do not have nor do I intend to purchase a FEL


My pastures are already well maintained-no need to mow sapplings, etc.

The biggest issue is THICK spring growth of fescue/bermuda. I am in Georgia.

So my first question is am I too 'same tractored'-in other words, are these tractors different enough to keep each? Or am I double covered? If that makes sense?

 

[Belhaven]

Are you crying because no FEL?:laughing:

Let me explain...I have owned my farm since 1997 and never had one so am guessing I don't need one now

I have a very good friend with a bobcat that does any FEL work for me.

Not saying I would NEVER get one but it is not a requirement for the tractor.

I don't scoop manure, don't grade or move land-only the occasional spreading of sand for my arena or gravel for my drive. The cost of using my friend is cheaper than paying for a FEL.

And to explain-someone else was in charge of the tractor choices, etc for the time I have been on my farm-I managed the horse parts.

Now the responsibility is mine and I am tired of sounding like a chick every time I ask a question or go into a tractor dealer or service center...so want to learn all I can. :thumbsup:

 

[TraderMark]

Welcome to the forum Belhaven from another Georgian!

I'm a lot closer to the coast evidently since there aren't any hills around here, but I'm certain you'll be gleaning the information you want and need in no time.

The search function is one of the handiest tools on the site. You can find tons of information on almost ANYTHING with it.

Mark

 

[flusher]

A little background. I currently own a 40 acre farm...10 acres are woods and not of issue.

The remaining 30 acres is my concern. I have a horse farm so about 20-25 acres of this land are pasture.

All of this land is VERY hilly...

10 acres is one large field not currently used for grazing but I like it mowed 'tidy.' I will try to post a couple of photos to see.

The remaining 10 is grazing pasture for horses, VERY hilly again...I want to keep this very short as well.

I have 3 tractors and would like to understand if these are suitable for my needs or if I am better to sell, swap, consolidate, etc

The farm has grown from 9 acres to the current 40 so needs have changed and equipment has not.

Is there some place I can learn about tractors in simple language? For example, the hp needed to use a certain attachment...or what is HST and when is it suitable?

I have so many questions I dont know where to begin.

I am happy to post the tractors I own (and equipment) if that would be suitable.

Any of those tractors would be fine for handling a 6-ft wide flail mower to maintain your pasture. Here's my flail mounted on my 2008 Mahindra 5525 (54 hp engine, 45 hp pto, 2WD, gear tranny, power steering)



Got the flail from Value Leader in Creswell Oregon

Value Leader Implements

$1350 (I picked it up at their dock), add about $350 for shipping.
Caroni is another popular flail

Value Leader Implements

Just be very careful when mowing hills. You don't want to be rolling your tractor. And if it's very hilly as you say, be sure you're tractor is equipped with a rollover protection (ROPS) system. You can see the ROPs on my 5525 in the photo (the black U-shaped structure). I attached an expanded metal safety screen to the ROPS using hose clamps (you don't want to drill into or weld on the ROPS--can cause weakening of the structure). You can get expanded metal from Home Depot, Lowes or most weld shops.

If you don't have a ROPS, the next best thing is a low-slung tractor with wide wheel track. Here's an example--my 1964 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel



This 135 is a field tractor that's been modified for use in an olive orchard-16" diameter rims instead of the usual 28" dia; shorten front axle spindles; wide high flotation rear tires. It would be difficult to roll this tractor while mowing reasonably hilly areas.

I'd advise to adjust your rear tires to the widest track position and see if you're comfortable mowing your hillsides. If not, consider changing the rears to a dually configuration for added stability.

HST = hydrostatic transmission (look it up on the Web)
HST comes in handy when you're doing a lot of back and forth movement with the tractor (example-FEL work). And it's very helpful in hilly situations.

Hope this helps.
Good luck.

 

[TripleR]

Are you crying because no FEL?:laughing:

Let me explain...I have owned my farm since 1997 and never had one so am guessing I don't need one now

I have a very good friend with a bobcat that does any FEL work for me.

Not saying I would NEVER get one but it is not a requirement for the tractor.

I don't scoop manure, don't grade or move land-only the occasional spreading of sand for my arena or gravel for my drive. The cost of using my friend is cheaper than paying for a FEL.

And to explain-someone else was in charge of the tractor choices, etc for the time I have been on my farm-I managed the horse parts.

Now the responsibility is mine and I am tired of sounding like a chick every time I ask a question or go into a tractor dealer or service center...so want to learn all I can. :thumbsup:

Actually, that is not crying, it is an eek; very different.

I grew up farming and never had a FEL; didn't think I needed one. Several years ago we got our first tractor with a FEL. Since then every tractor except one has had a FEL. Now I do have uses for it such as moving dirt and gravel, trees etc. Even with other FEL equipped tractors available, I still pay the money for one on each new tractor as I really don't want to have to go to one of our other farms to get one.

It is just hard for me to imagine running a farm without a FEL equipped tractor.

I must add that I don't need a backhoe which others see as indispensable. I have come to this conclusion after owning a backhoe for years; actually we still own one, we just don't use it.

I do accept that you know your own needs better than me, but you did ask for advice.

 

[flusher]

Oops--here's the Caroni flail mower link

FLAIL MOWER 73 WIDTH W/ PTO SHAFT - Agri Supply=