[pinwheel]

Advice needed. I\'m in the market for a tractor. Bought one.

I'm getting close. I've been selling extra tools & other things I didn't want to sell so I can buy a tractor. (moma says it's not coming out of the general budget). I've still got a few more tools to sell, but I've got a pretty good chunk saved.

Here's what I think I need, but feel free to offer other suggestions. We're going to have 40 acres of open ground after this growing season. I've got it in the works to sign as much as possible into quail buffers & riparian plantings. These are only 40 yds wide around the edge of the fields, so I'm still going to have quite a few acres to food plot. Quite a few acres will be in clover, so I know mowing will be on the agenda. I would like to be able to buy & pull a pretty heavy disc (around 10-12'. Be able to pull a no till drill like the NRCS offices rent, use for firewood cutting & skidding some select logs out of the timber. A front end loader would be nice, but I'm not sure I have enough budget for it at this time. I've been told I can buy 80-90 horse tractors as cheap as 40-60 horse , but I don't think I want something with that big of a footprint. I've got around $5000 to spend, what will that buy me?

Even though I've always lived in ag country, I don't know much about tractors. I've got some experience running a tractor & quite a bit of experience with bobcats & backhoes.

OK, I'm done talking now & ready to hear what experience you guys can offer.

 

[Mailman]

Pinwheel...my father-in-law had a mid 70's model Ford 3000 gas three cylynder with a bucket on front. It could haul two big bales of hay off the fields at one time. One on the front on forks he installed inside the bucket and regular bale hauler on the back on the 3 point. It was a real workhorse for a 47 hp engine. I'd love to have one for my place. They run from $3000 to $5000 depending on what comes with it. Here is a pic of one that is selling on E-bay right now for under $4000.

 

[novicehunter]

If you have another $80,000, I would recomend this John Deere 7420. Putting up hay is a walk in the park when you have A/C. and AM/FM stereo. It's not so fun when you have to get out in the heat and fix some type of problem after being in the A/C all day. This brings me to my real point. What ever you buy, check parts availablity locally. Having to run far away or order parts is a real pain in the hind quarters. Good luck.

 

[pinwheel]

Oh gee thanks novicehunter, if I had an extra 80,000, I'd be building my house on my farm already. :roll2:

Mailman,
Ford 3000 had been recomended to me before, I just never knew what it should sell for. Thanks,

 

[rat]

Ford 4200 SU is a good utility tractor if you can find one... similar to Mailmans post..

You want a gas tractor?? or diesel?

 

[Redonthehead]

I'd look sharp in that Deere!

For sure get a diesel - an old Ford gas tractor always seems to need work done on it.

Our club finally pryed open their wallets and bought a Deere 5300 MFWD with 1200 hours. Wasn't cheap. We needed the MFWD (4x4) part to get back in our duck bottoms. Just today I bought a 10 foot Minn. Moline disc for $500 at auction. Gonna be a pain towing it 80 miles....

Passed up a AC 330 four row planter for $200 (no cyl). Rather not have sword openers.

 

[rat]

Good advice...

But i thought he said he was on a budget...

Anything green is expensive.. used or not.

 

[huntforfunnfood]

i have to say those 7420 are sweet to opperate father in law has one but this one here is the real workhorse

probley a bit big to plant 1-2 acre food plots though:bangin:


your going to find that for the hp smaller (under 40) horse tractors are overpriced.....however they are nice for getting around and in all honesty will probely do all you need but i don't think a 10 ft disc would be able to be pulled if you got something like that in mind you probley better look at the 50-60 hp range. and theres nothing wrong with old tractors my old man still has 5 old olivers and they work great. most of ours are 60-80 hp and for them old olivers your looking at about 6000-7500 bucks market value. of course there are some you should stay away from the 10 series jd were junk like the 3010, 2010 ect..... i would just keep an eye out and not be in a hurry and you can find a good tractor for a fair price

 

[SmokinBarrel]

Link:
Tractors For Sale

I keep dreaming! One day I'm getting one myself. I've been watching this site for years, and it has some great deals and tractors. I'd like to get an Allis Chalmers D15, but they're $$$$$. Those Allis Chalmers seem to be popular! My cousins have 3?, but they also know how to work on them. Not sure how hard it would be to find parts. Another brand I like is Oliver, great trators too. And of course Deere. My other choice would be Ford. All of these seem to have a reputable resale value from what I've seen over the years.

How would you rate the following tractors / brand / reputation/ word of mouth, etc... in order of preference?

Oliver(1)
John Deere(2)
Allis Chalmers(3)
Ford(4)
Casd(5)
M Ferguson(6)
Farmall(7)
Kubota(8)
Other(9)

My picks:
2, 3, 8, 4, 1, 7, 5, 6 , 9

 

[Wooddust]

Since you are in CP33, consider a few issues you will face:

On the buffer edge, you will have fescue under the trees/brush that needs to be killed out...probably take 2-3 years of using roundup to work that down. Best practices being discussed currently is for a October/november spraying of that timber side edge.

CP33 contract requires noxious weeds be controlled and you have to keep fescue out of the native grass...the fesue can be managed with the same oct/nov roundup application. Noxious weeds will require a bit more management till the NWSG is fully established.

CP33 also says you have to either disk or chemically stunt 1/3 of the buffer each year after year 3...

Bottom line is that when you buy the tractor, consider a good quality sprayer....

 

[pinwheel]

Anyone know much about Allis Chalmers wd 45? There are a couple in the paper this week for less than $3000. Wonder if I can get by with this for a while & upgrade later? I could probably get by with a smaller disc, but I have to establish a firebreak around my 5 acre crp & thought a heavy disc would make that easier. I do have access to a 4020 JD if I need it to pull the great plains drill from the NRCS office.

Wooddust ,
Thanks, that was some very useful info. I haven't actually been aproved for the cp33 yet, but it's in the works. I hope. They move like molasas over there. Most of the area that is being considered is currently planted in soybeans. So I've got a headstart on the fescue. I've already been working on fighting back the reed canary grass. Got scercia in my crp that I mowed the other day. Now I gotta get some remedy up there & try to stunt it back. Great joy being a landowner.

 

[Cherokee]

My in laws farm 5600 acres. They swear by John Deere. Farming has been in their family for generations. The first tractor they had was a Waterloo steam tractor (early 1900's). After that it has been all John Deere.

Not saying that other brands of tractors won't hold up. They have had really good results from Deere.

 

[Mailman]

Allis Chalmers WD-45 is a basic work horse. Handles smaller duties on smaller farms but wouldn't tackle anything over 100 acres. Sets fairly low to the ground and is a bit safer to handle in sloping terrain and turns fairly well. You see a lot of them at tractor pulls.

 

[rmr]

pinwheel sorry i took so long putting my .02 in
wd 45 s are good little tractors, just make sure it has
3 point hitch some of those old allis tractors had a
weird 2 pt hitch and you have to have two pt hitch
disc etc before it will work. also those things are really old
make sure you have access to parts,
That aleast one arguement for getting a ford, Jd or Ih
is parts. My old Jd 3020 was built in 67 and a 40 years old tractor will break down, one last thing I think deisel
is more dependable than most gas tractors. Good
luck with your search .

 

[henry]

I think one thing that is being over looked is the horse power you will need to pull one of the heavy no-till drills you mentioned. I don't think you will find the 40 horse tractors adequit for that chore,,,those drills pull pretty hard. If I were you I would much rather over horse than under horse, as long as it is'nt to wide a big tractor will handle a smaller implement better than a small tractor will handle one thats to big.

:cheers::cheers:

 

[Goldtip]

Heck I'lll throw in my opinion, I've got a Allis Chalmers (gas) D-19 at 65 hp. I paid 3,000 dollars for it and I haven't put any money in it since I've had it(3) years now. It has no problem pulling the NRCS no till drills, It pulls a 3 bottom plow and 12' john deer disc with ease. Orange for the most part is reliable and cheap. Much cheaper than green. I've got nothing against green, blue, red, yellow or any color, I've drove em all and love em all. The farmer I help to earn my hunting rights is strictly green, and I can tell u this when it comes time to get parts and I go down to the dealer the bill is high, but the parts are always there when u need them. The important thing to watch on some allis chalmers is the transmission, especially the xt190 they have a tendencey to pop out of 3rd gear. Oliver is another good HP tractor for decent money. Diesels are nice but but higher, I suggest since your on a budget go with gas for now. My dad's has had a Allis chalmers WD with a WD 45 motor in it for 24 years now and we have never had a problem with it but it is just to small to do what u want to do. I will tell u about a month ago he was thinknig about selling it to buy my D-19 and he was going to sell it for $2000 dollars with new tires all the way around, wide front, 12volt, 3 point, and 4 year old paint. You can generally pick up a good wd 45 gas for $1500 dollars. A D-17 would also suit u well and they are around 2200-2800 dollars. Ok I will shut up now and if I see something I will let u know, I talk to probably 50 to 100 farmers a day.

 

[huntforfunnfood]

wd -45 are great tractors when they came out they are the strongest tractor made for there weight......they do have a backwards 3 point system but you can get adaptors......honestly it would have to be in great great shape to be worth 3000 unless you were a tractor collecter i think that is to much...I love wd-45 thats the tractor i learned to drive but most of them have no power steering..unless converted they were 6 volts with an generator despite the fact i love them you can find somthing better.



there is a ford 3600 setting in the edge of fulton right now it looks to be some ones town tractor.....pretty sharp i don't know very much at all about fords so can't tell you what hp it is or how good of a tractor they are i would guess it probley a 30-35 hp there asking 5200 for it don't seems a bit high but it looks in great shape and they may come down...

 

[Sparky]

Here is a good place to start lookinghttp://www.fastline.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

I agree that a D-14, 15, or 17 would be quite a bit better than a WD.

 

[novicehunter]

That Catapiller is sweet, but can you even get it turned around in a 1-2 acre food plot?

 

[Hoytshooter]

I use an Allis Chalmers D17 and I'll agree with the above posts...GREAT tractor for food plotting, especially for the money.
We bought the tractor, two bottom plow, 6' brush hog, 10' disc, and a 7' 3 point blade all for $3000.

These are good tractors, no problems on my end other than a hydrolic cylinder that leaked and had to fix and it's been running strong for several years for us and who knows how long before that.
The only downside I can even think of is no downpressure with the 3 point hitch, but I'm not sure why you would need it for food plotting especially.