What size tractor should I get?

[atomdata]

OK...I am looking for a tractor for our "adopted Grandpa".

He is 85 yrs old and raises/breeds cattle. he has around 20 acres and 17 cows. He does not cut any of the land for hay but does buy round bales from neighbors.
He has been using a very old, huge tractor that a neighbor lets him use. the problem is it is difficult for him to climb up on it and it beats the tar out of him. and he wont let me use it as it is borrowed.

I am going to buy a used tractor and keep it over there for him to use.

We need it to move/haul round hay bails. Want one with a front loader to clean out barn area where he feeds (i suppose a grader box would work....been a long time since i did that). Bush hog (he has a 6')

What in your opinion should be looking for in HP, mfg and age?

This is one I am looking hard at; asking $12500
1999 New Holland 3415 Diesel Tractor with 2005 Woods 1009 Front End Loader with bucket, Agri Cutter 6 ft Bushog, 6 ft Grader Box with cutters, 500 lb Seed/Fertilizer Spreader. Has less than 400 original hours.

Any help is greatly appreciated as that beast he is using now is gonna kill him...

Thanks,

Randy

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

sounds good but will you need 4 wheel drive ? it will definetly raise your safety level and resale value there a ton of low hour tractors out there for sale i'd look around for a lower priced tractor :2cents:

 

[tcreeley]

Ask his advice on what you should buy for yourself!
Don't buy something he can't get on, gear or hydro- which is easier for him? My arthritis does better with gear as I don't need to constantly use a pedal. Good luck.

 

[flusher]

My neighbor is 89 years old. He climbs up on his JD 2640 pretty nimbly. It has an FEL with a 6-ft wide bucket. It's mid-1980s vintage. You probably could find something similar on eBay or Craigslist for under $10K.

I'm 72 years old and I haul my carcass up two steps to get into the seat on my 2008 Mahindra 5525 that has an FEL with a 6-ft wide bucket. A spry 85 year old would have little trouble saddling up on this tractor. Paid $19K for it new 5 years ago. It's probably selling in the $12K range now (it's a Mahindra, not a JD).

 

[flusher]

Another thought. Since you're looking for used iron, you might find a nice pre-owned field tractor with the right kind of FEL and then make a few simple modifications to lower it so it's more convenient for Grandpa.

For example. Here's my 1964 MF135 diesel--a normal size field tractor that has been lowered to work in the olive orchards around here. Paid $3600 for it in July 2006.



The normal 28" dia rear wheels have been replaced by 16" diameter wheels that carry BF Goodrich 6 ply 18.4-16A rubber (18" wide, 16" dia rim, 40" tall overall). The front axle spindles have been replaced by shorter versions to level the tractor. Those rear tires are readily available at tire stores that service farm customers.

The MF135 is not a particularly good FEL tractor (weak front axles and lousy power assisted steering) so I wouldn't recommend this tractor for modification. But there are other older tractors out there that would be suitable for this type of project.

Good luck.

 

[redman135]

Work out the weight of the heaviest loads you will be lifting eg round bale wgt 350-450 kg range so round up to half tonne lift requirement minimum. If you are lifting round silage then you need 1 tonne lift. That is the wgt of my silage bales.