Spec out a tractor

SetterNut

SetterNut

New member
It is time for me to start looking for a tractor and other implements to do some work around the farm. I could use some advice and suggestions from those of you that have some experience.

So here is the background:
I have a 1/4 section in the tall grass prairie of the Flinthill in KS.
It consists of 100 acres of pasture. and 60 acres of crop ground.
The crop ground consists of a 20 acre alfalfa field, a freshly planted 19 acres of alfalfa that has a 30' buffer of milo planted around it, two smaller fields that are planted in wheat that is going to be cut for cattle feed, and a fallow field with milo around it that will be used for a pollinator plot.
There is currently no cattle on the pasture, and the fence will need fixed before that happens.

There is a lot of hedge row and plum thicket around the crop fields and much of the pasture.

I am in the process (I hope) of getting an Equip contract for tree removal, a pollinator plot and prescribed burns.

The crop field are cash rented to a friend a the equipment to till, plant, cut and bail for cattle forage. He also has a skid steer with a tree saw. He will be doing most of the tree removal in the pasture.

Here is what I think I need in a tractor and other items:
A smaller tractor in the 40-50 hp range.
Front loader on it.
3 point and PTO

I need a brush hog to mow my fire breaks
A sprayer mostly for water while doing the burns. But also spray work around habitat work.

There are a number of out of the way areas on the property that would make good food plot, pollinator plot or brooding/nesting areas. I would need something to work the ground in those areas. My wife would also like a big garden. So I was thinking about a tiller.

What do you think I need, besides a lot bigger wallet ;)
 
mid 40's tractor.
landpride APS seeder and a roll of ducktape(to tape over the cups in the inside of the seed box)
broadcast spreader
Douglas welding post puller( Kip, KS.)
rock bucket or the like
 
Not much has a broader use than a small disk. Also, an old grain drill would make you more successful with planting chores. Some of those can be had for the asking when found in neighbors tree rows or iron piles. Many can be fixed up with some elbow grease. The duct tape is a given! Taping over every other or 2 of 3 holes in the drill to widen the row spacing to 21 inches for Egyptian Wheat or forage sorghum is a good bet.
 
I would get power steering with a loader. Get a quick detach loader, so you don't have to drag it around, bogging down the front end and the vision! Diesel and utility version, most newer tractor people get nervous the higher up vision on a high crop, or row crop tractor. I use Massey Ferguson 35 and a 135, mostly, Perkin's diesel, PTO 35-38hp. I would not hesitate to use them as you planning to. Easier to get on and off a trailer, lighter weight, etc. I used a neighbors New Holland "Boomer", It was fabulous, great vision, front wheel assist, economical, but it will cost a lot more than the Massey's! As said, get a Van Brunt drill with a grass seeder 0-500 dollars, ( at 500 it ought to have paint and ready to use!). An 8-12 foot "heavy" disc, mine is a bog disc, at least weighs 100's # over others I have seen. Looks like a lot fun, but you are treading on a dangerous surface! Rather than being a hunter-gatherer, you will know the joys of producing quail rather than just hunting them! There is always a project.
 
Sounds like you've got a good start on what you want. Since it's not obvious if you're aiming to buy new or used, make sure you get power steering.

Not sure if you'd have a use for rear hydraulic remotes, but something to consider since it's easier to buy a tractor with them already installed if needed. My local PF chapter has a planter and I've got friends with discs, both of which I can't use since they need rear remote connections and I don't want to reroute my FEL hydraulics.

Disc vs tiller, I'd take a disc. Tillers work great in previously broken ground or the right soil, but a disc works in a much broader range of places. The only places I prefer the tiller are working in tight quarters, which I suspect in KS there isn't too much of. Make sure to get a heavier disc though. People tend to get lightweight, angle-frame ones and try to use them prior to any primary tillage (plow, etc) and then complain when they don't break the ground well. The real trick is getting enough weight per disc and breaking ground isn't as bad. And the disc is a great tool for disturbing soil to encourage a wide variety of forbs for game birds!
 
Steve

I suppose you want the tiller for the garden. This year I bought single bottom plow and harrow for the Garden and sold my tiller. Will never regret that decision.
 
I assume you would really "need" a tiller about once a year, for tilling up your garden and that's about it??? I would loan you mine for that purpose. I think it's 5' and they recommend a 40hp tractor. It does a really great job for gardens, but not really necessary for much else. I use my tiller for food plots also, but it seems like a bit of overkill...

I have FWA on mine, but I have only used it once or twice when it was really sloppy on the road. For my purposes, it is also overkill. Kinda like 4wd on your vehicle... Since I don't make my living from the land, and I don't have to do things as efficiently as possible, I could honestly get by with anything in the 40hp range with a PTO and 3pt.

I wish I had a front loader, but I don't need that either. :laugh:

For now, I lease out my tillable acres. My opinion of tractors would be very different, I'm sure, if I did all the farming myself.
 
I ran a JohnDeere for a lot of years before buying a Kubota. Ive traded it on a skid steere now but. I still rent occasionally. A tiller, especially a reverse tine is hard on a tractor. The rental redlines the temperature gauge every time. Without the tiller you might be able to drop down to a 38 hp?
 
Thanks guys, this is all good information for someone that has not dealt with this type of equipment.

Sounds like the Tiller may be lower on my "needed" list of toys :D
 
Steve, to discuss discs, you kind of need to know what you are going to ask it to do to decide what kind you want. If you are going to work only with broken ground, a good tandem pull-type or 3 point disk may well suffice. If you are going to be breaking sod out or working over high trash crops like Egyptian Wheat or forage sorghum, you may well want to go with an offset disc. I have both here, but the offset gets most of the work. I do a lot with fire breaks and am working sod or in brush, so I also opted for notched blades as they are more aggressive. You may be able to find used stuff, but I ended up getting a new Amco disc a couple of years back to replace a very under engineered Vassar that's frame broke repeatedly. The Amco is the real deal and has yet to give under the pressure I've put on it. My best advice is get a heavy disc that is not over-sized for your tractor. Sometimes you need a little extra speed for the tool to do it's work efficiently. If your tractor is unable to pull it all the way in the ground or in heavier soil/material, you won't be able to get the results you want.
 
I recently bought a New Holland 65 Workmaster.
3 pt with lots of options, enough weight to handle a heavy 3 pt disk.
Small enough tractor but big enough that you can go out and get some work done. Loader would be great, I use my Bobcat for loader stuff and bull dozing.:)
I'm thinking a 40-50 horse may be a bit small for what you want to work with on a quarter?
 
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