Best Tractor for light farm use

Dickie10

i am looking for a tractor, second hand to replace my 73HP case 685, this tractor cant lift wrapped silage bales but i have a teleporter but if i diidnt i would be screwed. also want to cut out contractors work, so i ned a tractor to agitate sllurry and put it out and be fit to drive a 1200-1600 gallon tank. also would want to be able to pull a load of say 10 2 year old cattle in a cattle trailer if i ever take land away from the farm. also want to be able to collect loads of straw or hay when i buy out of field in summer. say 10 bales at a time or somethin

what horsepower would i need for these jobs and what year and make would people recommend? im willing to pay 15,000 along with hopefully 4-5 k with my own case should have 20k to spend.

bigroad

You will be looking at something around 100hp.

Miname

Landini 110. You'd get a reasonably clean one around that money. Most of what your talking about for it to do seems from what I'm reading, as a justification for you to buy it, sit down and weigh up the costs, do you need it or just want it?

Reggie.

Miname wrote: »

Landini 110. You'd get a reasonably clean one around that money. Most of what your talking about for it to do seems from what I'm reading, as a justification for you to buy it, sit down and weigh up the costs, do you need it or just want it?

Or maybe a landini blizzard. Old but Great machines for their age

Bullocks

For 20k you will have a good choice of tractors. Do you have all the other gear you mentioned ( agitator , tank , cattle trailer , bale trailer ) ? If not you will want another ball of money to buy them just to do extra work with the tractor .
Did you put front weights on the 685 ? I thought it would manage a round bale without lifting too much

blue5000

I think you need to decide first would 2wd do you or not? Sounds like it's only going to be needing 4wd for slurry, how big is your tank? Some ppl say if you need 4wd to spread slurry you shouldn't be at it, unless your land is hilly. Different ballgame then.

Greengrass1

blue5000 wrote: »

I think you need to decide first would 2wd do you or not? Sounds like it's only going to be needing 4wd for slurry, how big is your tank? Some ppl say if you need 4wd to spread slurry you shouldn't be at it, unless your land is hilly. Different ballgame then.

Wouldn't agree 2 wd makes a complete mess of fields.

I said

How many hours would you use it a year?No point spending 20 grand if ya can get something a bit older and cheaper to do the same work and use spare money on other things around the farm if it needs it

ganmo

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Wouldn't agree 2 wd makes a complete mess of fields.

Any turning with the 4wd engaged on our 390 rips up the ground much more than when it's in 2wd

farmerjj

ganmo wrote: »

Any turning with the 4wd engaged on our 390 rips up the ground much more than when it's in 2wd

That shouldn't happen, could there be a problem with the4wheel drive,sounds like something that would happen if you forgot to turn the diff lock off

Dickie10

to be honest im very conservative when buying machines, the brother is on to me this 4 years to but a tractor! i suppose i do need it, im using my cousin to haul hay, straw and silage bales every year for me because i dont have the tractor to pull trailers, also i use a licensed haulier for bringing cattle to factory and marts but sometimes i might only have 2 or 3 for factory which is near enough (12 miles) but still costs 12 -15 euro a head.

i do know what you guys mean about making sure i really need it and i prob should think a bit more. I suppose i am going on neighbours and relations telling me i should buy one! My cousin farms 40 acres and has an array of machines cattle trailer,agitator ,1600 gl tank and a 07 john deere 6420 , i farm 120 acres with my 1987 73 hp case! i know this means feck all but i am heavily relaint on the jcb teleporter for feeding and cleaning out sheds and this does most of the farm work. just on that point i highly recommend a farmer having one there some job on a farm.

i suppose i might not need to have such a high budget wgich would be great, i dont want anymore than 110 hp and no less than 100 hp, but my big fear would be buying in an old and worn out tractor that would give me hardship within a year, but i suppose it wont be doing huge heavy work, would 12-15 k get me a decent yolk, i really am not much of a machinery nut so all advice appreciated.

i came across an article in farming indo about this topic from 2013 and it said that the forde 7840 could be got for around 12k , they look very impressive machine although a bit old now 94-97 i think

lakill Farm

Last sept I bought a 4wd McCormick cx105 with loader for very little more money than your budget. it was 2006 with 3200hrs

Its comfortable for the size tractor. Handle bales, slurry, trailers etc. pulled 16t with it.

has a electric shuttle which is great for loader work


Stay away from the favourites like MF390, NH 7740 and JD6400. they are good tractors but 20 years old at this stage

tomwaterford

lakill Farm wrote: »

Last sept I bought a 4wd McCormick cx105 with loader for very little more money than your budget. it was 2006 with 3200hrs

Its comfortable for the size tractor. Handle bales, slurry, trailers etc. pulled 16t with it.

has a electric shuttle which is great for loader work


Stay away from the favourites like MF390, NH 7740 and JD6400. they are good tractors but 20 years old at this stage

Some lovely examples of them mccormicks on adverts lately well within the op price range

Pity about the Perkins engine though...once it's minded I guess

lakill Farm

tomwaterford wrote: »

Some lovely examples of them mccormicks on adverts lately well within the op price range

Pity about the Perkins engine though...once it's minded I guess

No issues with engine my end. its due a service now as have it 12 months last weekend and 200 hours on it

Dickie10

so the advice might be not to go for anythin older than 00? even with a good name? would 15 k buy a good tractor eaerly 00s?

lakill Farm

Dickie10 wrote: »

so the advice might be not to go for anythin older than 00? even with a good name? would 15 k buy a good tractor eaerly 00s?

yes.

but a bad time to be buying a tractor and loader as its coming into silage feeding time

I bought line early Sept for end of October delivery. Dealer was away and 2 small jobs had to be done on it, hence reason it arrived late October

Bellview

Dickie10 wrote: »

so the advice might be not to go for anythin older than 00? even with a good name? would 15 k buy a good tractor eaerly 00s?

this year I bought a 07 Lambo 874-90 4WD for a little less than budget with 2200 hours on it. tractor was genuine and with care will last a long time. the Lambo don't hold their value well but we have used them in the past and found them good machines... there were a few on Done deal that may be worth checking. the fresher tractor will see you through a longer time.. any tractor pre 00 is 15 years now so tougher find a clean one

bogman_bass

Dickie10 wrote: »

to be honest im very conservative when buying machines, the brother is on to me this 4 years to but a tractor! i suppose i do need it, im using my cousin to haul hay, straw and silage bales every year for me because i dont have the tractor to pull trailers, also i use a licensed haulier for bringing cattle to factory and marts but sometimes i might only have 2 or 3 for factory which is near enough (12 miles) but still costs 12 -15 euro a head.

i do know what you guys mean about making sure i really need it and i prob should think a bit more. I suppose i am going on neighbours and relations telling me i should buy one! My cousin farms 40 acres and has an array of machines cattle trailer,agitator ,1600 gl tank and a 07 john deere 6420 , i farm 120 acres with my 1987 73 hp case! i know this means feck all but i am heavily relaint on the jcb teleporter for feeding and cleaning out sheds and this does most of the farm work. just on that point i highly recommend a farmer having one there some job on a farm.

i suppose i might not need to have such a high budget wgich would be great, i dont want anymore than 110 hp and no less than 100 hp, but my big fear would be buying in an old and worn out tractor that would give me hardship within a year, but i suppose it wont be doing huge heavy work, would 12-15 k get me a decent yolk, i really am not much of a machinery nut so all advice appreciated.

i came across an article in farming indo about this topic from 2013 and it said that the forde 7840 could be got for around 12k , they look very impressive machine although a bit old now 94-97 i think

I wouldn't go buying just because people tell you you should. If the case is working ok for you let the contractors and hauliers wear their machines for you.

A 73hp tractor is plenty when you have a teleporter too. Is the Case working ok?

Dont know how youe cousin can afford all that gear on 40 acres.

Dickie10

neither do i, he didnt use it for the first 3 weeks he got it! and he just bought 20 of them acres 2 years ago! ah well the AI men must be on some dosh, in fairness he dosent mind getting drinks in when im on the social scene! yeah a fresher tractor would do a long time, id be afraid of anything under 00 now or 98 at most. in fairness i prob need one for hauling bales or even feeding if anything happened the teleporter as its the brothers and he sometimes has it off on a site but usually not in winter but some weeks it might be gone. i wont be purchasing this winter anyway, prob next spring /summer but good to get a lowdown on what i should look for

madlad7530

JD 3050, great tractor, dual power can't go wrong, correct me if I'm wrong but I think there around 110hp? Have a 2wd one and ye can't fault it

Nekarsulm

3050 nearer 90hp. Very hard to get a safe one now. Classic status driving price too high for what they are.

Greengrass1

tomwaterford wrote: »

Some lovely examples of them mccormicks on adverts lately well within the op price range

Pity about the Perkins engine though...once it's minded I guess

Had 3 landini here over the yrs and I certainly could not fault the perking engine. Never gave us a days trouble in that regard

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Had 3 landini here over the yrs and I certainly could not fault the perking engine. Never gave us a days trouble in that regard

Perkins here too in the 398 and no problems from it only general wear and tear

blue5000

What sort of money would a later MF 399 with shuttle be?

Reggie.

blue5000 wrote: »

What sort of money would a later MF 399 with shuttle be?

Could be anything from €12000 to €20000 depending on condition

tomwaterford

Reggie. wrote: »

Perkins here too in the 398 and no problems from it only general wear and tear

They are good engine in them (rubber oil hoses aside)

But the modern engine Perkins in the cx McCormick are too troublesome IMO

selectamatic

If you have relatively flat good land a 2wd 6 cylinder tractor would be a solid option for ya OP. Firstly your 685 should definitely lift silage bales, just put on plenty of weight at the front or get one of the early quickie power loaders fitted to it. They're very strong loaders and are very cheap 500 would buy ya a decent one, then when the time comes to lift heavy silage bales half fill the loaders bucket with sand and you should have no rearing up problems. I would recommend keeping your 685 for nice light field work such as topping, rolling putting out fertilizer etc. You have you're teleporter for yard work and other farm jobs. I've also seen teleporters tow mid size bale trailers handy enough.
A 3rd gen case 956xl with a 40k box would be a very good tractor for ya, as they are great on the road, pull like a train and are above all getting very cheap when you consider the bang for buck you're getting. You are also used to the layout of ih's so that's another plus.
4wd although great is actually rarely needed on good dry land however if you're from certain parts of the west such as where I'm from then 4wd is the logical choice. The point about older tractors being more worn out is debatable older tractors are by enlarge easier to service and maintain due to their being less to go wrong in them and this is especially true in older 2wd machines and theres also a good chance of getting a nice refurbished tractor with a refreshed engine. 10k will buy ya a very good 40k 2wd 956xl i'd actually be looking to spend less there's actually a fairly clean off farm mk1 version on dd for 4-5k but when ya have the cash available I'd recommend a 40k variant.
tractors from 00 have been on the go a while at this stage so there's equally as much of a chance of getting a dogged one and the thing is a modern dogged tractor is dearer to put right than an older one.

Dickie10

sorry its a 585 looked again this evening, as u can see my interest in tractors is cultlike!

selectamatic

Should still be well fit for chopped fusion silage bales just a matter of getting some weight up front and since it'll have power steering the weight wont be a hindrance around the yard or in tight turning situations. when you see the price of proper ih weight frames and jerry can weights it may make more sense to get a handy little power loader for it (the original quicke ones were popular on ih's) even though ya have the teleporter a loader on a tractor is fierce handy and the quicke ones aren't too hard take off so it's not like it'd have to be a permanent fixture.
With regards getting a bigger tractor only you will know which option will suit ya best but if you're a suckler farmer it'll be a good long time before you see a return on you're investment. Hence why I wouldn't recommend rushing out spending big bucks on a big tractor. But if ya have the work for it and more importantly the disposable income then it could prove a worthwhile investment.
Alot depends on how good you're land is, how much road work you plan on doing and the size of you're cousins machinery and whether or not 100hp+ is truly needed as said with six cylinders they'll have the low down torque and weight to warrant going a tad less than 100hp i.e ih 956xl etc.
http://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/case-international/10708977?offset=4 2wd mk3 956xl
http://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/international-956-tractor/10349971?offset=11 4wd mk1 956xl
http://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/international-956-xl/10654835?offset=5 2wd mk1 956xl

Also if you aren't going using your cousins machinery than I'd strongly recommend just putting some cash towards some smaller handier machinery to suit your 585 you can still do the same work it'll just take a wee bit longer.
At the end of the day it's always said that livestock and produce are for making money, and fancy machinery is for spending the money.

Dickie10

thanks il prob wait it out for another while , i have to buy in cattle now anyway so thats the monney gone

lakill Farm

selectamatic wrote: »

.
http://www.donedeal.ie/tractors-for-sale/case-international/10708977?offset=4 2wd mk3 956xl
.

jaysus stay away from this lad in loughrea in galway

Went to look at a 6400 John deere easter 2014. Told me it was a genuine clean tractor, 40k, low hours and tidy

It was only fit for dismantling. An awful waste of a day out.

selectamatic

Good to know I just linked it on as an example as it looked clean and was a mk3 956xl, I don't go near dealers for anything as they're nearly always too dear! And there's a few of them who are well noted as being absolute cowboys :P

blue5000

https://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRxqFQoTCJODy_y58sgCFUeeDgod8FcP_g&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mascus.com%2Fagriculture%2Fused-tractors%2Fnew-holland-ts110%2Fgfih5tan.html&psig=AFQjCNE1eSA8ClPmNrYgVlef8nQTq5VNNA&ust=1446578223331218

NH ts 110, we have proof.