Where are you? (If you put it on your profile we'd already know)
Thank you, 50/50. I agree. In talking to the dealer today, 60 PTO might be able to get most things done. Then we're looking at other things such as ability to pull large fertilizer bins/spreaders and do some of that kind of heavier work. The cost difference is substantial between a 60hp vs 90hp PTO tractor, but there's also heavier build, different frame type, antilock brakes, ANSI certification, etc. that may be meaningful.
Sorry, catching up. Southern Missouri.
No, most of those secondary and tertiary things aren't very meaningful. Look at the implements you want, figure out the HP needs, and then buy the best tractor you can afford, and by afford I don't mean like a car, I mean afford as in what you produce with it will at worst help you not be in the hole for long with it.
All the "real farmers" have already put up their hay (round bales) and may get a second cutting this season. Beautiful round bales on farms with green grass, now, vs the tall stuff I wade through and trip over daily when moving sheep. <grrrr> So the desire/need(?) to cut my pastures for hay is substantially related to my mobility issues and the challenges associated with rotational grazing of sheep (they move to new grass every 2-4 days). The ticks in this tall grass and trips/falls from it are one reason for wanting a tractor to hay the place. Ticks can be mitigated to some degree but the grass causes a lot of trip-ups (can't pick my feet up, stumble, though physical therapy coming up should help). The stupid (awful!) Premier1 mesh fences I have to move cause a lot of trips, too, and are downright dangerous to me if I fall (7 inch steel spikes sticking out if I have fence on the ground to put up or put away). When my flock of sheep is big enough to justify woven wire cross fence, I'll put that in.
Yes, the insulation on wiring has protein in in it. Last year I spent $6,000 on my Mercedes roadster and $2,000 on my tractor repairing rodent damage so I've cone some research. As for what attracts rodents it's not garbage or trees, it's any food source. If you have livestock you have feed in some manner stored. Hello, ever seen a rat hole in a feed sack. Same as for your pasture. Ever see a hawk sitting on a fence post or light pole? Guess what he's hunting? Rats. They're in your pasture eating the grain out of manure for one thing. You won't kill all of the rats but you can control them. Lots and lots of bagged poison and small traps baited with snickers bars and then spray equipment and such with Tomcat rodent spray monthly. I've trapped only one rat since I started this routine and cleared them out.
Thank you, and yes...always have to consider want vs need. I need winter stockpile for hay and why would I ever want to buy that when (if) I can hire someone to give me my own weed-free (or at least, MY weeds and nobody else's) hay? I also want to not have to rely on an unreliable hay guy. He's making money haying bigger acres than what I need for winter, so I suspect the minimal acreage I need for stockpile hay is of little interest to him when he can make more money elsewhere. I have a renter's cattle out on everything else outside of my ~6 acre sheep/hay pasture, year round, but starting next year I will not. So the hope is to hay that remaining acreage and sell it until my sheep operation grows to fill most of those acres. A number of folks have remarked I have really good hay here, and I'm trying to keep it that way (haha). But yes, will need to be able to market hay next year since I plan on no longer renting the acres that are not running my sheep.Is renting a tractor an option in your location? That would also solve storage and maintenance problems. If I had your problem of too much grass for the animals foraging, I would consider bringing in some stocker calves to harvest, either by leasing to someone on a short term basis, or buying calves and reselling them when the grass is down to a reasonable amount. It sounds like you have movable electric woven fence for containment, so they would need to be trained to respect that, but the good thing is trained cattle on sufficient forage can be contained with just a single hot wire. Much easier to move.
I get the impression from your posts that a tractor is not so much a necessity as it is a desire. We all find ourselves rationalizing purchases from time to time. If you really want a tractor, and you can afford it, just go for it. What the heck. Some people around here pay that much for toys like ATV's and enclosed trailers, just so they can haul them to the dunes a few times a year. Get yourself a big tractor if you want it, and cover it up with a tarp if you think it needs protection until you are ready to build a shed. Of course now you will need a mower and a rake (and or tedder), a hay baler. Probably will want at least a bucket on the front and maybe a back hoe. The list goes on. Better make it a big tarp.
80K for a tractor... and you're running your sheep on six acres? How much hay ground do you have? I'd never buy an 80K tractor unless I had a way to pay for it with the hay I can sell. I suspect that would be at least a section of good alfalfa...
Yes, that's where I'm coming to. As mentioned before, I'm not afraid of buying something nicer and hanging onto it for 30 years (yes, that is realistic). But yes, a premium tractor, for me right now, is overboard.
You didn't say how many acres of hay you're going to be cutting.
