Tractor Horsepower

[rancherbob]

Folks, I am new at this business. Have been trying to buy my first tractor with loader for a 40 acre farm. Intend to do some disking, light plowing, shredding and moving round bales around. I have lost several opportunities because I can't decide on the horsepower. Could someone advise me on what is the minimum horesepower I can go with. I would rather be over powered than underpowered. I am now looking at a Massey-Fergurson, 471, 2004, 60 hp, 1,000 hrs. Lost a chance at a John Deere 4020 and 4030 in the past few weeks. Thanks

 

[dun]

50 horse would be my minimum, 75 would be ideal.

 

[Subsoil]

I would think that massey would be a fine choice. The 4020 would be a little big I'd think for that acerage. The Massey will be more modern and more efficient.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

60 hp minimum.

 

[alabama]

Find you a JD 6300 with front end loader. It is about 75 HP.

 

[RiverSide Cattle]

Keep in mind there is more to tractors than horsepower, look at frame size and weight.

Take JD tractors for example The JD 6300 that alabama refers to is an excellent choice. But a JD 5520 or 5530 are similar horsepower but much smaller frame and lighter built tractor.

 

[dun]

Keep in mind there is more to tractors than horsepower, look at frame size and weight.

Take JD tractors for example The JD 6300 that alabama refers to is an excellent choice. But a JD 5520 or 5530 are similar horsepower but much smaller frame and lighter built tractor.

I've got a 5510 that's all the tractor and weight I need. PUlls an 8 foot new gorund sisk, hauls a 435 baler, handles 1500-1800 lb round bales. ABout 3 times a year I wish it had 4WD.

 

[rancherbob]

Thanks everyone for your input. This Massey-Fergerson 471 has a loader but is not a 4-WD. Has no leaks, runs real good but appears to have dry rot tires in the front. I am also concerned about parts for it. Haven't seen a Massey dealer in a long time. Are they still making Massey tractor parts? Dealer want's $14,900 and won't budge. Kind of high for me but I think I afford it. Any advise? Thanks

 

[Caustic Burno]

Folks, I am new at this business. Have been trying to buy my first tractor with loader for a 40 acre farm. Intend to do some disking, light plowing, shredding and moving round bales around. I have lost several opportunities because I can't decide on the horsepower. Could someone advise me on what is the minimum horesepower I can go with. I would rather be over powered than underpowered. I am now looking at a Massey-Fergurson, 471, 2004, 60 hp, 1,000 hrs. Lost a chance at a John Deere 4020 and 4030 in the past few weeks. Thanks

One of the hardest worked tractors on this place is a 30 year old Massey 65 hp with nearly 10,000 hrs on it.
Hard to beat a perkins. Had to replace the injectors last year contacted Massey to see if it was still under warranty. You should be able to do what you need to do on that size place with a 50 or 60 hp no problems.

 

[jfont]

I wouldn't go less than a 65hp. I have a 90hp Allis Chalmers and is more than I need. My neighbor has a 930? case thats a 65hp and he uses the same size dics and shredder as I do. About the dealer, if I'm not mistaken, Agco bought out Allis Chalmers as well as Massey- Fergurson.

 

[MikeC]

Folks, I am new at this business. Have been trying to buy my first tractor with loader for a 40 acre farm. Intend to do some disking, light plowing, shredding and moving round bales around. I have lost several opportunities because I can't decide on the horsepower. Could someone advise me on what is the minimum horesepower I can go with. I would rather be over powered than underpowered. I am now looking at a Massey-Fergurson, 471, 2004, 60 hp, 1,000 hrs. Lost a chance at a John Deere 4020 and 4030 in the past few weeks. Thanks

Depends.

1- Depends on what implements you have access to now.
(Buying larger implements for a larger tractor might not be cost effective, and vice versa)

2-Depends on time constraints
(A smaller tractor will sometimes do the same work but take twice the time)

3-Depends on your budget
(small tractors may use less fuel per hour but more for a given job than larger one)

As for me, I would buy the biggest, most comfortable one I could afford. ;-)

 

[novatech]

Folks, I am new at this business. Have been trying to buy my first tractor with loader for a 40 acre farm. Intend to do some disking, light plowing, shredding and moving round bales around. I have lost several opportunities because I can't decide on the horsepower. Could someone advise me on what is the minimum horesepower I can go with. I would rather be over powered than underpowered. I am now looking at a Massey-Fergurson, 471, 2004, 60 hp, 1,000 hrs. Lost a chance at a John Deere 4020 and 4030 in the past few weeks. Thanks

Depends.

1- Depends on what implements you have access to now.
(Buying larger implements for a larger tractor might not be cost effective, and vice versa)

2-Depends on time constraints
(A smaller tractor will sometimes do the same work but take twice the time)

3-Depends on your budget
(small tractors may use less fuel per hour but more for a given job than larger one)

As for me, I would buy the biggest, most comfortable one I could afford. ;-)

I agree. It just depends on what you need it for.

And Mike I had to laugh at your last statement. I know you would. I just read your post about putting in posts with a track hoe. :clap: I invision you putting in a garden with a D8.

 

[hurleyjd]

I have been using a 4610 Ford and a 4100 Ford for the last 25 years. Both have served me well. I shred with them. I disk with them, I bale with them, and I cut hay with them. I feed the cows in the winter with them. The 4610 is 52 HP and the 4100 is 45 HP. I have a little over 250 acres of pasture and produce all of my hay, 450 bales this year, and run a 65 head cow-calf operation. There is no certian field set aside for hay production I only cut where there is surplus grass. Last year was pretty good. 2005 and 2006 were pretty rough. These Fords have never let me down. I use a 5400 Rebel baler to bale and cut with a New Holland 499 Mower Conditioner and two
I-H 1300 sickle mowers. Which cutting machine depends on what I am cutting. Grass is Tifton 85, Bahia, common and costal bermuda. There is not any pasture plots over 25 acres. Every time I go in to buy a baler part or a mower part the tractor salesman hits me up to trade for a new Kubota. He will say if I had your kind of money I would buy a new tractor, and I tell him that if I had a new tractor he would have my money and I would have his tractor. Sometimes it gets tempting to trade but when I look at the $35000 for a new tractor the temptation goes away.

 

[MikeC]

And Mike I had to laugh at your last statement. I know you would. I just read your post about putting in posts with a track hoe. I invision you putting in a garden with a D8.
novatech
GURU



Not a D8!!! What do you take me for? Some type of fool?

We use the little D4 for the garden because it has a cab and air!!!!! :lol: :lol:

 

[somn]

I wouldn't go less than a 65hp. I have a 90hp Allis Chalmers and is more than I need. My neighbor has a 930? case thats a 65hp and he uses the same size dics and shredder as I do. About the dealer, if I'm not mistaken, Agco bought out Allis Chalmers as well as Massey- Fergurson.

AGCO
is short for the Allis Gleaner Company.

 

[Calman]

My thoughts are it's better to have the horsepower and not need it than to need it and not have it.And I am a firm believer in 4wd wheither it be truck,atv, or tractor.

Cal

 

[KenB]

My thoughts are it's better to have the horsepower and not need it than to need it and not have it.And I am a firm believer in 4wd wheither it be truck,atv, or tractor.

Cal

I am also a firm believer in 4wd, I have it on my pickup, atv, and tractor.
If you have 4wd you can get by with alot less hp.

 

[ironpeddler]

You can use a disc mower or drum mower, tedd, rake and round bale with a 40 PTO HP full size tractor. You will have more capacity using the same equipment if you have 50-60 PTO HP but that is enough PTO HP to get every thing done.
HayMAXX- 280 9' disc mower mower- 42 PTO HP

Vermeer 5410 round baler- 40 HP

 

[jfont]

Look Bob, you've got two pages of advice about tractors now, so the way I see it there's two options.
#1 Go buy you a big daddy 150 hp, 4x4, big grips, tractor that can pull or attach to anything you can barrow or steal and that can run over anyones truck that poks fun at you. Something that says, Bob has arrived, something that beer commercials are made out of........or..

#2 Start going through the used tractor adds and find something that will do what you need for a few thousand dollars, that has been taken care of until you know this is what you want, get going, and upgrade later. Heck, my tractor's old, but it does what I need, so I never upgraded.