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  • From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] tractors
  • Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:38:30 -0500

David

It is my experience that you WILL need 4WD if you plan on using it as a loader or stirring manure to compost.

My suggestion would be a 50 to 70HP regardless of manufacturer.  40 to 50HP if you go 4WD.  The problem is that I recommending this based on what we do and the size of our property, not knowing what you really need.  We have 300 acres and our 70HP New Holland with grapple is mainly designed for hay work (grappling 10 bales and loading them onto a trailer).  I have found that even with a tractor this size, if you do not have 4WD as soon as you get weight into the bucket/grapple/whatever you start to loose traction.  So you then need a weight box, which balances things out, but adds more weight.  4WD adds HP in terms of what implements you can pull and it will help when you get weight forward of the tractor.  Situations like these you'll spin, even in in wet grass with a slight grade.

Keep in mind also that if you set your tractor up for 30" centers for working rows it quickly becomes easier to tip when managing heavy loads in a bucket on the front end.  We have a single tractor (a Russian Belarus) set-up for 30" centers and it does everything requiring that.  Our NH with hydraulic arms is designed to fit an skid loader attachment (something else to think about...any attachment we have that is not high-flo will work on both vehicles) and we have the wheels out as far as they will go allowing us to work on a slope as steep as 18 degrees (3 to 1 roughly) even with 500 to 700 lbs up front (like when we lift square bales).

The other thing to keep in mind is that if you do not mind purchasing a foreign tractor (not that most small tractors are made in the US to begin with), but there are some  European companies that are staples overseas but brand new over here.  They are sometimes offering fantastic deals, even if the dollar is trading down against the Euro. They want to break in and have good gear.  I am not loyal to any brand (though we do buy a lot of New Holland it seems) so I look over a lot of these companies.  Try to make it to a larger farm equipment expo and see for yourself (every State has 'em usually in the autumn and winter months).

These days I use a Bobcat 753 and a brush clearing grapple attachment and a 250 bushel PTO manure spreader to help compost manure.  :) 

Hope that helps.

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106




On Jan 21, 2009, at 3:04 PM, david purpura wrote:

Hi All.  I'm in the market for a new tractor this year and would like to hear suggestions/experiences/warnings, etc.. 

We're using old farmalls for tillage, cultivation, mowing, etc.  I'm looking for a tractor to use as a loader for making compost, to pull a transplanter, and possibly a plastic-layer.  Future uses might be rototilling, or attaching a backhoe.  I have sandy, well-drained soil, I don't think I need four wheel drive, and don't need a lot of horsepower.  I'm thinking about the 5000 series JD, or similar 40 - 50 hp machine.

thanks,
dave

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