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Need a tractor recommendation.

11K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  farmer 
#1 ·
Howdy folks,

We just bought 60 acres in central Texas. It is a nice combination of open pasture, wet weather creek with nice hardwoods and a nice but small tank/pond. It is fairly level. I am looking for recommendations on a small tractor that will allow me to do the following:

Shred/Brushhog about 30 acres of natural grass (thinking 5 or 6 ft. bed)
Plow/cultivate about a 10 acre game plot
Enlarge the pond (might farm this work out if too much for a small tractor)
General farm/ranch duties

Thanks for your help!
 
#2 ·
Craigslist, you can find restored vintage tractors around here (central fl) for around $2500-up, some with new tires. Might not be as comfortable as a new one, but your grandkids can still be using it 50 years from now. Those old Fords, and Farmall's don't know the word 'quit'.
 
#4 ·
Having a front loader is the way to go. Being able to lift and move material is a necessity around a large acreage. Buy a 45+ HP tractor. 4WD is the way to go. Check local dealers of Kubota, New Holland, Mahindra, and Deere to see what suits you best. Give them a try before you buy.

Have someone dig your pond for you with heavy equipment.
 
#5 ·
I have a 1953 Harry Ferguson TO-30 (30 hp) I found on craigslist. Paid $1100, with tire chains and a back-blade, and delivered 70 miles.



It will do everything you need. I use it to grade my road, drag felled trees, and dig holes for fence posts. (Notice the 3-point post hole digger on ground behind tractor). Works great for all those things and seems incredibly strong when pulling trees, I have no doubt it can pull a plow. In the spring I want to gt a plow and disc. They used these tractors to plow fields 50 years ago and they still work for that purpose today.

Things to keep in mind:

Diesel is more efficient, gas is easier to start in winter
minitruck is right, the old tractors are tough, inexpensive, and easy to work on
If I wanted to put a FEL on the tractor I might get a bigger tractor, but that means more fuel used. I also have a backhoe, so I don't need another FEL.
Make sure you get a working PTO and 3-point hitch.

I don't know if 4wd is necessary, depends. My 2wd is hard to stick, only did it once when pulling a tree and got high-centered on a hill.

Edit: You can find these old tractors with FELs.
 
#6 ·
100% agree on the FEL and 4wd.

A tractor with a FEL is about the handiest tool you'll ever own. You can get a set of pallet forks that attach to the bucket which makes it even more useful for moving stuff like piles of brush, logs or lumber.

Just this weekend, I needed to pull some old t-posts to relocate a fence. Chain around the post and other end around the tractor bucket, pulled them straight out with ease. That would not have been an easy job to do by hand.

I also highly recommend the 4wd, it's more useful than you think. Makes a big difference when using the FEL for moving dirt around or plowing snow.
 
#7 ·
We have a Mahindra 41 hp 4 wheel drive we got about 8 years ago and are very pleased with it. You definitely need a front end loader and box blade. After that you will find a lot of use for assorted attachments. We get a lot of use out of the hole driller attachment that works on the PTO. We also have a single point plow for it, a cultivator, a road grating attachment, a brushhog, forks to attach to the front bucket, and some other assorted things sitting out in the field. :)

If you have much of a sandy area, 4 wheel drive is a huge benefit. Our previous tractor was not 4 wheel drive and did get stuck from time to time.
 
#8 ·
You didn't mention a price range. $15-20000 will get you a nice used 4wd w/loader in the 32-45hp range with under 500 hrs. These are nice for less than 10-15 acres. I have an 08 L3400hst. Very user freindly. It works great for brushhogging, loaderwork, road maintence, food plots, barn clean outs, etc. For 10K or under you can get more hp, but usually not a loader or 4wd. Tractors such as a jd 3020, jd 4020, ford 4000 and ford 5000. Those are actual farm tractors and can be used as such. For under 5k, 40-50 hp ish tractors such as the mf35, mf50, mf65, and ford 3000. These can be had in gas, diesel or propane. Below 3k is going to be ford 2n, 8n, 9n, and ferguson TO-20

I've operated most all of the tractors listed above and they all have their advantages and drawbacks. I suggest figuring out your intended purpose and price range first.
 
#10 ·
Check the chinese tractor brands - Mahindra, Jinma, Yuchai - you can get one of those brand new for less than 1/2 the price of a similarly configured John Deere, Kubota, etc.

FWIW, I bought my Jinma 354 (35hp) about 6 years ago, other than a handful of minor issues it has served me very, very well. 4wd, front-end loader, 6' bush hog and an 18' tandem axle trailer to tow it all home on for just under $13,000 brand new.

Here is a 25hp Jinma, including FEL with 4-in-1 bucket, 5' brush mower, 6' blade, 9" post auger and clamp-on bucket forks for $14,800 NEW
http://www.kenotractors.com/component/techmart/?vpid=572
 
#11 · (Edited)
I am going to recommended something like an old ford 4000 or 5000, preferably a 70's model. Why? Well we have a nice ford 4000 with a fel that turns 42years one month today and purrs like a kitten. These cost about $8k to $10k here in Australia, probably a lot less for you.

Why?
Midsized and heavy. Small enough that it's nice and maneuverable, heavy enough that it's got great traction.

An original ford fel is built like a beast, like the rest of the tractor.

Cat 1/2 3 point hitch, some big heavy impliments call for cat 2, handy to have.

Available with independent pto, very handy. Most the ones around here have a live pto of some sort, however the base model doesn't.

Easy parts availability and easy to fix. You will break something, it happens.

Very good value, will probably out live you even if it is already 40 years old!
 
#12 ·
any reason your wanting to plow a game plot? check out this site on food plots http://www.shooterslegacy.net/articles/foodplotbasics.htm

enlarging the pond depends on several things. one is how is the pond fed? what is the ground like? a good pond has a good clay base to keep the water in. deeper is better then wider. and you have to also keep in consideration is aeration. so check to see if the pond has anything like corp of eng requirements and approvals.

a small jd 3032e would be perfect IMHO or something like it. its small enough to work in small spaces. has a pretty decent lift capacity and we use it to maintain 160 acres of the shooting range. the 6' brush hog takes a while to mow that much but it gets the job done.
 
#13 ·
Having spent half my life on tractors (not quite but my rear feels like it) I've got some ideas.
1. As a general principle stay away from Chinese motorized vehicles. :mad:

2. You'll get a MUCH better deal for the dollar with an older tractor. There's many farm tractors that are 60 yrs old and still going strong. Of course, anything mechanical will wear/break but the older tractors (esp. the popular ones) have well established track records plus (and this is important) parts are still available. John Deere and International/Farmall have solid support and tons of knowledgeable people to help if something goes awry.

3. Some of the older tractors while rock solid don't have the most convenient controls (Popp'n Johnnies) or lack conveniences like power steering, "live" PTO, "live" hydraulics, adjustable implement attachment system (2 or 3 point hitch).
Farmall (IH) introduced the nice conveniences in the mid '50s with the Century or Hundred series, i.e. 100 - 400. More power and comfort came a few years later with the 60 series, 460 and 560 being most common.

The old Poppn Johnnies have a hand clutch and brakes that are a royal PITA not to mention starting (w/o electric start). John Deere made a huge leap from its 2 cyl poppers to catch up with IH with the 10 series (2010 - 4010). Both companies continued improving and adding horsepower as time went on.

4. For a small operation or yard tractor a gasoline engine is more convenient than diesel. Although if you're willing to wait for the diesel to warm up its not a big deal but earlier diesels can be hard starters. Diesels really come into their own when running long hours under load in the field.

5. As mentioned a hydraulic loader can perform many jobs and is almost a necessity. Some form of rear mounted scraper is very useful too, i.e. maintaining the driveway.

I'm not real familiar with other brands since our area was red and green. There's a lot to consider when selecting a tractor, almost too many to get into. PM or email me if you have questions.
 
#14 ·
ive got tractors that are in the 20-35 hp range without live pto and they just plane suck compared to my 50-70 hp tractors with live pto for bush hogging. without live pto an over run clutch needs to be added so when you push in the clutch the tractors stops moving. without one the inertia of the bush hog blades will keep you moving till it feel's like letting you stop. so I wouldn't waist my time with anything that isn't live pto. as far as a FEL stay in the 50-70hp range. there heavyer and can just plane do more work then a lil tractor that just sits and spins when you drive into a pile of rocks or dirt. another thing to look for is power steering. trust me you don't wana pick up a bucket full of dirt and drive around much without it, just to heavy on the frontend to turn Armstrong style.



I never seen a 20-30hp mini tractor do this before. tractors are like air compressors, buy one bigger then you think you need and you'll be glad you did
 
#15 ·
Yes I had a JD 2440, 60 horse diesel that'd do just about anything you could ever want to do on 60 acres.
But if I buy another tractor I'd be replacing my Deere 1520 gas tractor.not as big as the 2440 but just as versatile.
That type of tractor also had the free-wheelin' pto so a still spinning brush hog wouldn't power you into a ditch! (Ask anyone who owned an early Ford tractor.)
The 1520 (or 1530) might set you back about 4 grand, but it's a solid piece of machinery.
 
#16 ·
Restored IH 706 w/loader...value example

Here's a good example of what you can get for $7500 in a restored vintage American-made classic with a very good track record.

If I wasn't already in the middle of a tractor restoration, sucking my $$, I'd be all over this. But then I like Red. Seriously though, this is far more tractor than some new ChiCom.

http://siouxfalls.craigslist.org/grd/4147789956.html

 
#17 ·
I would look for used, if you wanted good cheap and reliable, but not fancy, we did most of that work with an old Ford 3000 forever and still do. Cut and rolled a lot of hay with that thing. Of course a FEL and 4x4 is nice to have, but I have honestly maybe used it once but didnt really need it. We currently have a New Holland 2wd with a FEL and its been really great. Think it was 16,000 brand new. Cannot remember the model off the top of my head. But like I said, an old Ford 3000 or any older tractor can do what you need except the pond. I know I would personally prefer an old Ford, Massy or JD to any new tractors for a small farm. Can use the extra money on implements.

Also check out farm equipment auctions, they hold about 4 a year in different tobacco warehouses around here. Spring is normally the best time because most professional farmers are on a tighter budget then and you can usually snatch up small stuff for cheaper.
 
#18 ·
another thing to look for is a tractor company that's still around! like JD or IH ,massey fergason, ect. some time you are going to need parts!!! our allis got swallowed up into agco and is a lil hard to get some parts for. after having my tractor shop for the last 3 years I think I would lean towards and IH kinda like that 706 pic above. IH parts arnt neer as costly as JD's parts and easy to get anywhere.
 
#19 ·
tractors

it all really falls on what you are doing we got 20 tractors in the 70 year life of the farm, ill tell you this you take a new tractor rated in the 35-40hp range is not the same as a 1960s rating the 1968 john deere diesel 1020 has twice the pto torque as a new Kubota 3800 4x4 at 38hp, the john deere will kill rear tiller over time, we put up hay with a new holland kicker square baler with a 1956 farmall 350 diesel 90 bale wagons FOR years used the john deere A's and 50 to rake, 9nford and john deere L was THE garden tractors, AFTER GOING TO ROUND bales had a 1957 820 john deere, then got a 3020 john deere, I feed round bales with a 1953 john deere 60 , the hills are steep here and snow gets deep the john deere 60 is a tank, its weight keeps it from sliding over the hills in winter I feed 6x5 round bales in 4ft deep snow with tire chains on steep hills no problems ,
 
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