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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Small tractor suggestion?

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  • From: Burke Farm <burkefarm AT gmail.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Small tractor suggestion?
  • Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:43:21 -0500

I have about an acre of vegetables right now and a hoophouse, I also
plow up a couple other 2 - 3 acre fields for pasture/ fodder crops for
the livestock. My 1953 ford NAA is perfect for the size I'm at, the
price was right, and the basic implements (not the specialty veggie
farming ones) are real cheap because lots of people have them rusting
in a field somewhere. I got a 2 bottom plow, disk, and a blade to
plow snow included the purchase price of mine. I see equivalent
tractors on craigslist all the time, so if mine were to blow up and
need expensive repair it wouldn't be that hard to just replace it.

The later models have a bit more horsepower, which is useful when
mowing 6 foot tall ragweed. As the other posters mentioned, whatever
you buy, a 3 point hitch is really important so that you can attach
standard implements. I think a PTO is really good too so you can mow,
although it's less important if you have 4 legged beasts doing the
job.

On the Ford 8ns, 9ns, etc specifically, one thing you can't really do
is rototill- they don't go slow enough. And unless you want to have a
battery charger hooked up all the time, do find one that's been
converted to 12 volt. Mine starts every time with no fooling around.
I also have the advantage here in central IN of being about 50 miles
from an 8N restorer, N-Complete, so I can get most any part I need the
same day. (Or buy a completely "new refurbished" 8N for 10 - 20
grand...)

My next tractor will be something bigger that can straddle 2 beds,
pull a tiller, has a front end loader, and is diesel.. but that's a
few years and dollars off.

Lisa Burke
Farming Engineers LLC
z5 Central IN




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