Tractors?

badabinbadaboom

Hello I have some questions about tractors That ye fine people may be able to answer.
Ill be buying a tractor next year hopefully when I setup my own business, but really I know very little about them, I have a fairly good mechanical knowledge just no experience whatsoever with tractors.
Anyway heres the lowdown the tractor will be used for road transport,loading un-loading, has to be small enough because I dont have much space and Is it possible to have a PTO winch fitted to the back and still tow a trailer?
Also any advice on which type might suit hoping to buy secondhand and not spend more than 10,000!!
Any advice would be much appreciated:)

reilig

badabinbadaboom wrote: »

Hello I have some questions about tractors That ye fine people may be able to answer.
Ill be buying a tractor next year hopefully when I setup my own business, but really I know very little about them, I have a fairly good mechanical knowledge just no experience whatsoever with tractors.
Anyway heres the lowdown the tractor will be used for road transport,loading un-loading, has to be small enough because I dont have much space and Is it possible to have a PTO winch fitted to the back and still tow a trailer?
Also any advice on which type might suit hoping to buy secondhand and not spend more than 10,000!!
Any advice would be much appreciated:)

Road transport of what? Are you pulling a trailer, low loader, transport box?
Loading / unloading what? Do you need a front loader?
Small enough? How much space do you have? Some people would consider 100hp to be small, others would classify 30hp as a small tractor - really depends on what you're going to do with it.
2wd or 4wd?
It is possible to have a pto winch and pull a trailer but it depends on the size of the winch, how it is mounted, and whether you have buffers on it or not.
To be honest, if you're buying a tractor to do haulage/roadwork on a daily basis that you will be relying on to make a living, then €10,000 will probably only buy you a mechanical nightmare.

badabinbadaboom

Hi thanks for the reply. Ok so to clear things up, Ill be pulling a flatbed trailer with about ten ton on board, probably less. Yep would be using a front loader to load crates on to the same trailer. I think about 90hp would do? 4wd drive ideally but I could maybe manage with 2wd and now that I think of it an electric winch might do the job just fine.
Im going mussel farming you see. So I need it to drive on to beaches load the the trailer then tow it to wherever they need to go. And do some light winch work.
Hope that clears things up and thanks for your help

reilig

badabinbadaboom wrote: »

Hi thanks for the reply. Ok so to clear things up, Ill be pulling a flatbed trailer with about ten ton on board, probably less. Yep would be using a front loader to load crates on to the same trailer. I think about 90hp would do? 4wd drive ideally but I could maybe manage with 2wd and now that I think of it an electric winch might do the job just fine.
Im going mussel farming you see. So I need it to drive on to beaches load the the trailer then tow it to wherever they need to go. And do some light winch work.
Hope that clears things up and thanks for your help

Sure, no problem.
If you're pulling 10 ton up a beach, you're bound to need a 4wd. I saw guys in Waterford (near Dunmore East) with trailers after 150hp Valtra's doing the same and struggleing to pull 7 ton trailers off the beach. A 90hp won't go too far with 10 ton behind it - especially if you go off road.

A front loader would work for the crates if you had pallet forks on it.

I have seen small hydraulic winches mounted on the front of tractors in the past - might be an option.

The price is what's going to cripple you. Have a look at www.farmandplant.ie and you will get an idea of the cost of a 90hp tractor. You'll be going well back into the 1980's if you only have €10k to spend. A new front loader costs approximately €7k. A second hand loader can add €3k - €5 k to a second hand tractor. You'll get feck all for €10k - unless you go for a Zetor or an Ursus (serious reliability issues with them).

Hope it helps

Dan

johnbk

Have to agree with Dan. You would need to be spending 18-20K to get something half decent. Was just looking at tractors from TFM with loaders and came up with something around your budget.
http://www.tfmltd.com/?p=viewitem&filter_cat=1035&mf_id=691438#
Its only 75 odd horsepower and is old.

badabinbadaboom

So how bad or Ursus/zetor I was always under the impression that zetor were OK?
Think I'll need to increase my budget!

scottbag

http://www.farmandplant.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=2007084

its an 87 john deere 3050 its only 2wd but there a gr8 tractor wit a front loader 7,500!!!

scottbag

oh and forget tractordata.com for hp etc. on all tractors!!

il gatto

Zetor are a good workhorse. Ursus I'd be less sure about. You must have 4wd for that job. I know people who farm shellfish and 2wd is a no-no. How far from shore are you? Would it be possible to load the trailer on land by bringing the crates back one at a time?
You'll also need to budget for a good power washer (€1000+ minimum). No tractor will last p1ssing time in sea water unless they're washed down daily.
Tbh, you need a tractor that will not let you down as tides and shipments do not wait. Either spend more or buy one for €7,000 and a spare for €3,000. 90hp would be the smallest feasible.
By the way, remember to switch the engine off if you're going to be in one spot for long. Otherwise you'll have a fancy fishbowl instead of a cab:D.

GERMAN ROCKS

something like this and buy a second hand loader for it








http://www.farmandplant.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=1846302

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for 10k, id say have a look at an early 90s Fiat 110-90 (110hp) or an John Deere 3050 (100hp). The Fiat was in production for nearly 20 years, parts are pretty cheap. they are a basic machine, but buy a pair if ear muffs, very loud machine!!

For 10K, you will have to get a fairly old machine. If you have to get an old machine id say stick to Ford, Deere, Fiat and Massey. they are the most common tractors bought in the late 80s to mid 90s. Bring a mechanic who knows their stuff before you buy though, could literly save you thousands

meathstevie

Have a look here : http://www.witham-sv.com

They deal in ex- British army stuff and sometimes it's surprising to see the sort of stuff they come out with.

red menace

meathstevie wrote: »

Have a look here : http://www.witham-sv.com

They deal in ex- British army stuff and sometimes it's surprising to see the sort of stuff they come out with.

Only thing close on that was

http://www.mod-sales.com/direct/vehicle/,27,/16890/JCB.htm

would be putting ag tyres on it.
Good loader for the money.

Not really suitable for the job I know but looks good.

MTL79

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

something like this and buy a second hand loader for it








http://www.farmandplant.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=1846302

That Old ferguson would be a good buy, reliable and rock solid, and thats not a bad price, its about 110hp and they pull like a train 10 ton would be no problem, that perkins engine is bullet proof, a simple gearbox too, tops 20mph and no troublesome electronics...especiially when you Know little about Tractors.
Ring 'Ross-More engineering' (they are near Thurles), they will collect your tractor and fit a new loader (they manufacture them, and attachments e.g pallet forks.) and drop it back in your Yard, you can get they're number In any of the Phone Books.

www.rossmoreeng.ie

reilig

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

something like this and buy a second hand loader for it








http://www.farmandplant.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=1846302

The MF 2640's gave serious back axel problems - could cost as much as you pay for it for parts and labout to repair it. They also weren't great on wetter ground which may rule the beach out. On the road, they literally burned the front tyres off as you went along - even if you disengaged 4wd. Personally I wouldn't touch one - they were a popular contractor's tractor so if you get a good deal on one, it is likely to have a good bit of work done and turn the parts man in your local MF dealers into your best friend.

irish_bob

reilig wrote: »

The MF 2640's gave serious back axel problems - could cost as much as you pay for it for parts and labout to repair it. They also weren't great on wetter ground which may rule the beach out. On the road, they literally burned the front tyres off as you went along - even if you disengaged 4wd. Personally I wouldn't touch one - they were a popular contractor's tractor so if you get a good deal on one, it is likely to have a good bit of work done and turn the parts man in your local MF dealers into your best friend.

+1 . the 2640 were not that hot of a yoke , why not look for the likes of a 3650 john deere from the late eighties , thier about 140 horse power but you will pick them up for half nothing as really big old tractors have no market , they are really awkward around a farm yard but for pulling in a straight line , perfect , the 3650 or even the smaller 3350 john deere would be way better than any massey of that era , stay away from any kind of ford from that era