Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Addicted to My New (old) Tractor and What implements do we need

Man o Man - THATS a nice tractor.

http://www.kubota.com/f/products/M5040specs.pdf
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It's the 6040. 62hp 55pto. I am NOT a turbo fan and wanted 200 cu.in. With 40 hrs. we couldn't be happier! The 7' mower sure got small quickly on 30 and 40a sunflower fields. Does great around the ponds. The ATI 4in1 bucket is an absolute blast on brush work and even post pulling. Biggest surprise is fuel economy, must work HARD all day to use 10 gal.





It feels like more than 62hp...for sure. The Armstrong "Heavy-duty" boxblade is already in need of repair.

Does anyone have an opinion about this tractor for general use mowing, road, woods, and pond maintenance?

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/detail.aspx?OHID=5120194&guid=6d835b833f014e2aafbaaf1f902dc1af

It includes the trailer.

GW,
I see the attached box blade, but does it come with a shredder also? If not, I'd factor in the cost of a shredder if you're serious about buying that tractor.

How much work will you be doing? 45 HP is good for many overall maintenance tasks, but big jobs might require a bigger tractor

Thanks davatsa. It doesn't come with a shredder.

We've been looking at small tractors because the size would be best for maneuvering in the woods (60 acres). I just talked with Cindy about the limitations of this type of tractor for working crops. It's my understanding that the wheels are too narrow to work well with standard farming implements. She has decided that she would like to be able to work the field (14 acres) fairly efficiently in case she decides to do it herself.

One consideration is that we need hydrostatic drive if she's going to drive it. I haven't done much research yet, but I'm thinking that an agricultural model isn't likely to have hydro.

I understand that it's better to have more power than you might need, but I can also see some advantages to staying with a compact tractor.

edit: One of the reasons for getting a tractor with less HP is expense. We're trying to get one that will do a decent variety of tasks but not go over $20K, or at least not much over. If a job gets too big we can always hire it out. Our goal is to have a tool that will do most of what we need and not necessarily all of what we might need. I hope that doesn't sound defensive, I'm just trying to explain our goals. Thanks for the imput!

Another example of "Everything's big in Texas!" It's too small for David, and too big for me!

How big is the right size is, of course, relative to the size of the job. A 45 HP tractor like that begs for a large mower in order to be able to mow fuel-efficiently. Put a 5 foot mower deck on it like I use, and it'll burn 2x the fuel needed for the job. If you have a large enough area to mow, you can throw a 15' or so wide mower on the back of that machine and really make time.

Here's what (on the big side of jobs) I know that 45 HP tractor would be able to do, GW:

-Pull a 3 bottom plow
-Run a small or medium sized round baler (up to maybe 1500 lbs bales)
-Handle a three-point backhoe attachment on the back (with front end weights)

It will of course handle smaller jobs, too, but less efficiently and more expensively than a smaller tractor. If possible, figure the size of your work and buy to match.

I too doubt anything that big has hydrostatic drive. Driving a stick on a tractor IS notably easier than in a car, because one rarely has to change gears while moving. You can start from a full stop in any tractor gear. Maybe that would make enough difference for Cindy; it does for my Son.

Some comments on that particular tractor:
-Box blades are wonderful for dressing gravel driveways and top dressing fields. My wife loves hers.
-That front end loader has seen a fair amount of use for 756 hours. Note the left front tire is low. It IS possible to ruin a set of front tires with hard and/or inattentive front end loader use in even less hours than that. So check out those front tires for damage, wear, and leaks if you look at buying it. The good news is, front tires are a lot cheaper to replace than rears.
-Trailer looks nice. If it's in good shape, it's useful for lots more than just hauling the tractor.

GW
I have no experience with NH (maybe 4-5 hrs total), but you may want to read this:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/nh-buying-pricing/104396-do-not-buy-tc40-45-a.html

Theo lots of HSTs out there to 55+hp.

aint nothin gets between a man and his tractor
a landscape rake for the back grait for finishin work and a root rake for the front cant beat it for gettin up trees and stumps.

gw i beleave i know this fela my home is only 20 mins from jville i would be happy to look at it fer ya newholands aint the old fords but not abad tractor.

That's the problem with the "antique farm machinery" business, Al, I don't know sqwuat about anything made after about 1990.

GW,

I have the same tractor except 35hp.

It has 500h on the meter, and it's been good so far. I think the 45hp will handle mowing and maintenance real good up to 15a, but 20a would be pushing it, depending on the chores. My 35hp is almost maxed out on a 6' bush hog and 55" disk harrow. I think the 45hp model will pull a 7' bush hog and a 6' disk harrow just fine. It will pull a 9' finish mower no sweat. The 17LA loader is a good implement, and I have really punished mine.

The reason I chose NH over the other popular brands was the tractor size. For a given HP, the NH has bigger tires and a bigger frame. Compared to the NH, the other 35-45hp tractors look a lot smaller.

GW, my thoughts: 14 acres kinda indicates about a 20 to 25 HP tractor and less expense. I have a 39HP 4WD JD, bought new, with hydrostatic and turf tires. While it has done just about everything I have ever wanted to do, I regret the choice of the hydro and turf tires. Once you get the absolutely necessary liquid added to the rear tires, it leaves a footprint just like the farm tires. They just don't give as much traction. They also slip more in mud and, even with 4WD, my son in law got it stuck. The hydro seems to limit torque which shouldn't be much problem on your place. With the hydro and turf tires, I have found farm implements that I couldn't pull when smaller tractors with farm tires and and standard transmissions could. Again, I doubt that you will run into that problem.

I got along for years with an old Ford 8N until I realized that advancing age necessitated a front end loader which necessitates 4WD and power steering and $. I still have both tractors. In 6 years, I still don't have over 250 hours on the JD and it is just about right for what I want to do on 205 acres of heavy brush and planting 25 acres of wheat for deer hunting.

I've seen lots of guys over buy on tractors. As is often said here, define your needs and goals and match the tool(s) to the job. Check on the price and availability of implements for your tractor. It's a lot cheaper to occasionally rent or pay someone to do that job that you're underpowered for. Excess power is good for putting hair on your chest but not much more. Heck, Meadowlark has built nice ponds with a small dozer. It takes more time but he has the time. For big jobs, call in the heavy artillery and keep your money in your pocket.

45HP is still a utility tractor and they cost a lot since there is a good market for them. I doubt that you would lose $ on a resale.

I wouldn't give that post much weight. The same poster also complained that a Rhino rotary cutter was junk. Anyone that's used a Rhino knows better. The whole thing sounds suspicious to me. Some people could find a way to dismantle a cannon ball.

Thanks for all of the help gentlemen.

letsrodeo, that's a very generous offer. It would be great if you could find time to look at the tractor, I'll just have to figure out how to thank you. No hard feelings if it doesn't happen for whatever reason.

All: Planting any crop may be 5 or more years down the road, or maybe never. At this time Cindy leases the field to a neighbor. Our first thought was to get a utility tractor that could get by on the 14 acres, even it it wasn't best suited for it. The truth is Cindy may never want to work that field. It's just as likely that it would get fenced in with some goats to do the mowing.

Now we're thinking that we should just focus on the best machine for everyday maintenance of the 1 mile road, two ponds, and the woods. Another neighbor leases the 6 acre Pecan orchard so he mows it, but if he ever retires we'll probably be doing the mowing ourselves. Cindy can always buy a used basic tractor just for working the field if she ever decides to.

As for the hydro, I would like it as much or more than Cindy. I'm the one that will probably be operating the tractor most often. Even though I don't have experience with tractors I'm sure I could work with a regular transmission after enough practice. The reason I'm leaning towards hydro is that I think I'll be using the front loader a lot and my impression is that it's much easier with hydro. I drove a kubota HST and I liked the way the foot pedal worked. Come to think of it I'm not even sure if all brands use a foot pedal for the hydro...

bobad: do the above comments change your idea of the sizing of our tractor since we won't be doing much on the 14a for now?

avhatsa: thanks for the link. I want to hear differing viewpoints. I've also found several threads by people who were very happy with this model tractor. I have to say that if Cindy were buying a new tractor it would be a Kubota. In fact there is another tractor that looks interesting but unfortunaltely it's at the opposite corner of the state. It's a 2005 Kub L5030 HST, front loader, 4wd, 300 hrs, dual rear remotes and the dealer is asking $19,800. The problem is getting there to look at it.

gw i will try to hook up with tomarow my em is in my byo i see you are in sw ga. i am from the miller and baker conty area.

Thanks letsrodeo, I couldn't see your email address so I sent you a PM (private message).

GW,

Unless you will be plowing >3a or bush hogging the whole 24a, it should be fine. If you're like me, anything more than 2-3 hours in a tractor seat is torture.

After factoring out the 14 acre field the longest chore would be mowing the 6 acre orchard and that won't happen until the neighbor stops leasing it. Other than that it will be road work, forestry and pond maintenance.

Here is another tractor that I'm looking at. It's the one that is in the opposite corner of the state, but other than that it seems like a good tractor.

Kubota L5030 HST, 50 eng. hp, 300 hours, $19,800 firm.

Don't know about the price, but you generally can't go wrong with a low hour Kubota (or Deere, or JD, or NH, or Case-IH)

I want to warn you about the ag tires in case you aren't familiar with them. They can really wear you down after an hour or 4 of mowing. Also, you have to be careful mowing in 4WD when on soft-ish ground. The front tires can really shred the turf when you make a turn. Most owners prefer R4's unless thay do a lot of plowing.

Thanks bobad. If we were getting a new tractor it would have industrial tread. Maybe we could find someone to trade tires with if we get one with ag tread.

The prices seems pretty good to me. The loader is a skid steer type and the tractor has 2 rear remotes. I haven't seen any Kubotas in this HP class for much less, not with the loader.

GW: is it 4wd?

I bought an L5030 HST about 2 years ago. I have 22 acres and have been very pleased with it. I'm new to the tractor (and pond) thing but I would recommend a Kubota.

After doing some research I narrowed it down to JD and Kubota. Partly due to my needs and their reputation reputation but also due to the proximity of the dealerships. Seems JD wanted a few more $$ just for the green paint and the local dealer didn't seem too interested in my business. My local Kubota dealer was great and I believe I got a very fair price.

Thanks Rob. Yes it's 4WD.

We also have JD and Kubota as the 2 local dealers. I half thought that Kubota would be more expensive but I learned it isn't that way. I've probably owned more American made cars/trucks, but I have a lot of respect for Japanese vehicles.

OK since you guys have this discussion going, let me get your advice on this one. We've been looking for a compact tractor. Don't know anything about them. We only have 3 acres with .25 acre pond, but we have a lot of trees that were piled up when the pond was dug. And a lot of other small project we'd like to do. We got a phone call about a 1999 Kubota L2350DT with a loader that might be available. It is a 4-wheel drive, I do not know how many hours. What would you think this is worth, do you think it might meet our needs???

Pond Girl, I think it would fit your needs but as for value; it all depends. Hours are important but so is the history of those hours and the maintenance. If it has been used daily by a landscaping crew, it might not have been treated as well as a single owner tractor.

If it has spent all day, every day, in mud or deep sand it could have issues. Look carefully and if it has a fresh paint job you might need to ask why. New furniture like hood or fenders could indicate rough treatment.

The least expensive maintenance is a grease job every 10 hours and oil change every 50 hours. Are there any records available?

Compact utility tractors are expensive and handy as the pocket on a shirt. Might become available sounds like a pending trade in. Ask yourself and the seller just why it might become available. If someone is trading for a larger tractor, they might have used it on more than it could handle.

With all of the above negatives out of the way it might last for the rest of your life. It is probably a good fit for your needs. Price and value don't always match on these tractors.