Tractor Tilling 101

I am looking to buying a small tractor for our 2 acre farmette. Our property was farmed over 20 years ago so lots of overgrown quackgrass and uneven yard.

I have been looking at some older Ford tractors and don't know exactly what implements I might need since I have never used farm equipment.
I would like to grade, plow, and turn up the soil for planting and weed pulling.

I have been told that I would need a plow, box blade and rototiller. Doesn't seem to be too many rototillers available. Using a small 5 hp walk behind would take me all summer to finish tilling.

Any suggestions?

Deb

I have both a 1964 Ford 4000 (same thing as an 861, just painted different!), and a Kubota L225. While the Ford easily handles a 2 bottom 14 plow and a 5' brush-hog, it does go a little too fast for a roto-tiller, even with 5 speeds. (8N's have only 4). The little 'Bota (about 24 hp) is MUCH better suited for the 5' tiller! Heck, a 5' tiller won't even cover the tracks of the Ford, so I had to offset it to cover one and make multiple passes for the other. And every pass packs the soil more and more! The 'Bota will BARELY move forward in L1, and makes "flour" out of the dirt for a seedbed!
I'd look for a used Japanese compact -> and bear in mind that John Deere compacts are made by Yamnar! Just BE CAREFUL you don't get a Grey Market tractor! No parts or service, even though they are Kubotas ot Deere's. Here's a link that may help you stay away from them!:
Link

A smaller older massey ferguson would be better, many of them were made with the optional High and Low ranges of speed.

Ther plow will leave the ground lumpy - will need more effort with a disk and drag to smooth out. The rototiller will be very slow, and as others said an older Ford tractor (N series) is not best suited for a rototiller - something with a slower 1st gear.

If you get pto implements with an older tractor, search here for 'over running clutch' or 'orc' and learn why those are _very_ important safty features on an older tractor without live pto.

--->Paul

Most older Fords run way to fast even in low gear to till properly.

Used tillers are an iffy proposition for novices that don't know what to look out for. If you're gonna be at it for a while, do yourself a favor and spend the money on a new one. And if you're gonna get one, get the best: Howard.

If you truly need to save some money, I've also heard good things about certain models of King Kutter and Landpride tillers. Get the heaviest duty one you can afford.

If you're stuck with a used one, check the gear box carefully for chipped/broken/missing gear teeth, shot bearings and leaking oil seals. Check the chain drive (if it has one) for disintegrated chain rollers, chewed up sprockets, bad bearings and leaking seals. Check the spline on the end of the tiller shaft for wear and twisting. Check the tiller shaft for straightness. Look at the teeth, a full set will be expensive. Check the slip clutch. Don't even think about buying one without a slip clutch.

If any of the above mentioned stuff needs work, parts are expensive. I chewed up a chain drive on mine. Two bearings, two sprockets, two oil seals, a hunk of chain and a gasket cost over $400, and I shopped HARD for the best prices. Figure about the same to rebuild a gearbox. A new tiller shaft came in a $600, I passed, I'll run the twisted one until it falls apart.

Thanks for the info. I have been looking at Ford 8N, 9N as well as 601 and 901 diesel Ford series plus I have started looking at Yanmar and Mitubishi compact tractors too. I want to get a tractor in good shape since I don't want to deal with repairs right away. I be sure to look at how slow can the tractors go.

A farmer renting land next to our property turned over 80' x 120' recently but left sod pieces 5" x 3' or longer. I have been trying to throw out the long sod pieces by hand into a compost pile 40' away....but I'm looking to start another compost pile NEAR the garden!

I have been using a 5 HP rototiller to loosen the soil more in the turned over new garden....but it's taking a long time and still leaving the ground uneven. I am looking at getting some compost spread over my new garden plot by a local compost farmer...with a dump truck.

I would like to turn over another 1 acre or more but it's too difficult unless I get a tractor with the right attachments.

My rear engine lawn tractor is no help in the garden so grading the garden is a lot more physical hand work than I realized without the right equipment.

I would like to eventually get a manure spreader (maybe it's cheaper next year to contract out with my neighbor?) and a weed sprayer.

I thought the bigger tractors could handle universal implements where the compact tractors probably require their specific and expensive attachments.

Deb

Also, you could have sprayed the sod with Roundup herbicide before the farmer plowed it, and then let it decompose in place.

• TractorByNet

Garden tractors and VERY small compacts use Category 0 hitches, and do indeed require special implements.

By far the most common hitch for small tractors and hobby farmers is the Category 1. There is a virtually unlimited array of implements for Cat 1 hitches. The range of Fords you are looking at use Cat 1 or sometimes Cat 1/2 hitches.

Cat 2 and larger are for much larger equipment than you are ever likely to need.

So, what I'm saying is if you get a tractor with a Cat 1 hitch, you are all set. Most modern compacts of any brand will have a Cat 1 3PH.

I still think you'd find a diesel compact much more useful than the older Fords, but that's a personal opinion. John Deere, Massey-Furgeson, CaseIH, New Holland, Boomer and Ford all have good machines that are re-badged oriental imports. Or, you could "skip the middle man" and look at a Kubota, Yanmar, Mitsubishi, or Iseki.

The most important thing is dealer support, so look at what's common in your area and check out the dealers to make sure you can get service when you need it.