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rustybottoms88

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I have a small beef cattle farm here in North Central Arkansas. I have been using my brothers tractors for the last year and it is time for me to buy my own. The land is hilly and steep so I really need a FWA or 4x4 tractor. The main uses of the tractor will be feeding 5x4 round bales, spraying pasture and pulling a 15 foot batwing brushhog. I am on a tight budget but have set my max price at $10k. Given my budget I am going to have to buy a older tractor which I am fine with. I am mechanically competent so some repairs are not a problem. I would like to have one with a cab and a/c. Given all that i would love to hear what tractors some of you would suggest i look for. Thanks!!
 
Is Bar-B Tractor still in business up in Cabool Mo? Might want to give them a call and see if they have something in an Oliver or White that would fit your needs. Last time I was there,they had the nicest selection of tractors there from the 70s and 80s that I've seen since the 70s and 80s.
 

The 15' batwing mower is going to take some ponies. I don't think you will find a tractor in your price range that has the power you need PLUS front wheel assist.
 
(quoted from post at 10:28:57 02/04/17) I have a small beef cattle farm here in North Central Arkansas. I have been using my brothers tractors for the last year and it is time for me to buy my own. The land is hilly and steep so I really need a FWA or 4x4 tractor. The main uses of the tractor will be feeding 5x4 round bales, spraying pasture and pulling a 15 foot batwing brushhog. I am on a tight budget but have set my max price at $10k. Given my budget I am going to have to buy a older tractor which I am fine with. I am mechanically competent so some repairs are not a problem. I would like to have one with a cab and a/c. Given all that i would love to hear what tractors some of you would suggest i look for. Thanks!!
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I think you are going to have to downsize your mower to get a tractor in that price range....
 
My guess is that a fwa is more of a want than a need at this point. Get yourself something a little older and sturdy
with a set of duels. IH 1066? JD 4020? Case 970? Oliver 1650? They are nothing fancy but you could add a wl 40 loader
and have enough tractor to feed cattle and all those lifting jobs as well as move a little dirt and manure.
 
$10,000 for a FWA is going to put you into the old, clumsy, nearly antique and unreliable category.
Your going to have to either lower your sights on a good tractor or open the purse strings a little more.

20K may get you into a high houred 7110/7120 Case IH without FWA but give you everything else you want. Reliable motor,
transmission and brakes. Nice enough cab with AC and Heat, Frame weight and HP to handle your implements on steep terrain. Also,
dual pto shafts are handy and most come factory with 3 hyd remotes for loaders with a grapple. You could also look at CaseIH 5120s or the
1896/2096 tractors with the Cummins 5.9L engine. With 10,000 down you can finance the rest no problem. Might be farther ahead in
the long run considering repairs and down time and clumsiness of an older tractor.
 
I bought this one from a dealer for $5800. 1973 model. Handier than a shirt pocket.
a150618.jpg
 
if you don't get a lot of snow you won't need front assist. i am getting by with 4230 jd and would get a 2290 case if i had the money . i live in the hills and have 2+feet of snow and chains are a must. front assist cost more than a higher hp 2 wheel drive and the added weight makes it not as bad. case seams to be the cheapest for hp around here
 
If you look around a bit you might find a 1650 4wd for that price or a bit more. An 1850 or a 2-85 or a 2-105 2wd will do anything you need and can be had for $10,000 or less too.
 
I wouldn't doubt you but what are all the details? Bought it for $5,800 recently or 20 years ago? Before or after the paint job? With or without the loader? I also don't see many of those around here pulling round balers and 15' batwing mowers on steep slopes. He really needs 100+ hp for what he's wanting to do with it. Darn nice tractor though. Wished it was mine.
 
Four years ago,with the loader,I painted it,otherwise it's like I bought it. Dealer delivered it.
 
How many acres do you have to mow, and how steep are the hills? My brother bought a brand new 2815 Bush Hog bat wing, his Ford 7710 2wd is just a little above the minimum hp recommendations for it. For a 15' batwing something around 120+ hp would be much better.
 
My IH 886 pulls the 15 foot batwing just fine. It will make it grunt if it gets into heavy stuff. I use it to feed and don't find situations where I need
FWA although I do use the tractor with it on occasion because a two wheel drive tractor will make ruts like crazy in wet weather. The front end is
just heavy on those narrower tires. Other than that I don't use a FWA tractor for chores. An 886 is around a 90 horse tractor. I kind of ended up
with a Cadillac with only 3000 hours from the original owner. I wasn't looking for one that nice, but I went a little over my budget when I found
one that didn't have any welds, leaks, or cab needs. It has been bulletproof, but I grew up with IH and knew it would be.

In the summer I rake with it. This last summer I was contracted to mow a piece I had never been on before. In most places it was so steep I had
to brace myself against the windows to stay in the seat. Stability is in the weights you use and the setting of the tire width. A FWA tractor set too
narrow isn't any more stable than a two wheel drive model.

As someone who farms with only green tractors (the 886 only fertilizes and hays), I will tell you to get JD out of your mind. A nice 4040 would be
the cats meow for you, but would run you double your budget. They make a product just as quality as the others, but they hold their value like
no other. Their parts seem to be about in sync with others now that everyone else has gotten stupid with their pricing, too. They just have value
the others don't hold.
 
(quoted from post at 10:49:38 02/04/17) what tractor is working for you now?

Does it pull the batwing?
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the tractor I am working now is my brothers and only here for a ffew weeks out of the year. However it is here long enough to run the batwing. So maybe I can mark the batwing off the list of prospective duties for the new to me tractor.
 
(quoted from post at 11:13:23 02/04/17) My guess is that a fwa is more of a want than a need at this point. Get yourself something a little older and sturdy
with a set of duels. IH 1066? JD 4020? Case 970? Oliver 1650? They are nothing fancy but you could add a wl 40 loader
and have enough tractor to feed cattle and all those lifting jobs as well as move a little dirt and manure.
Click to expand...
I have driven a 2wd and a FWA on the farm and the FWA is needed in places. I used it a couple times today.In a 2wd tractor I would of been stuck in a bad way and i was going straight up a hill. I am willing to do with out the cab if i have to but the FWA is something I think I should keep on my want list.
 
Coleman Machine in Ohio has an AC 6080 on it that is in your budget. I have run a 15' Degelman and Schulte batwing mower (heavy built
machines) with my 85 hp NH 7635 tractor but would not want less power than that. My tractor has been good so far (4600 hrs) but unlikely to
be found for under 10K with loader and cab.
 
http://www.external_link.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/16999329/international-784
what do you all think of this one? Good ways from me tho.
 
thank you i will look for it. What do you all think of this one? Maybe over budget by the time i put a loader on it. http://www.external_link.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/16999329/international-784
 
I don't think you're going to find a unit that won't be a mountain of problems in your budget. They're out there, but you'll look long and hard to find one. Better to get a good 2wd tractor for $10k than a shelled out junker 4wd for $10k.

I can guarantee that your farm is not steeper than mine and I don't have a 4wd tractor. I do sometimes wish I did, but I have gotten by without it for 13 years. You just gotta know how to drive a tractor & 2wd with diff lock will get you by 99% of the time. My next tractor will have 4wd, but my budget will be $35K.

Also, A/C is very nice, but $10k is not likely to get you working A/C. I bought a 210hp 2wd tractor for 16K last April with working A/C that crapped out on it by July. Cost me $1500 to fix it. Cabs without working A/C are just about unbearable to work in. You might be better off with a 4 post canopy tractor in your price range.

Guess I'm saying you either need to raise your price range or lower your options requirements.
 
(quoted from post at 22:10:50 02/04/17) I don't think you're going to find a unit that won't be a mountain of problems in your budget. They're out there, but you'll look long and hard to find one. Better to get a good 2wd tractor for $10k than a shelled out junker 4wd for $10k.

I can guarantee that your farm is not steeper than mine and I don't have a 4wd tractor. I do sometimes wish I did, but I have gotten by without it for 13 years. You just gotta know how to drive a tractor & 2wd with diff lock will get you by 99% of the time. My next tractor will have 4wd, but my budget will be $35K.

Also, A/C is very nice, but $10k is not likely to get you working A/C. I bought a 210hp 2wd tractor for 16K last April with working A/C that crapped out on it by July. Cost me $1500 to fix it. Cabs without working A/C are just about unbearable to work in. You might be better off with a 4 post canopy tractor in your price range.

Guess I'm saying you either need to raise your price range or lower your options requirements.
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I would be willing to call in that guarantee. Lol I went up a hill yesterday steeper then a cows face that had loose rocks and some wash ditches on it. I had to put the New Holland in FWA and locked the diffs in to make it up it. I have been driving tractors all over this farm for the past 20 years. 10 of them driving my grandpas Ford 3600 and for the last ten whatever my dad or brother had handy and most of them FWA. I know I can get by with a 2wd maybe 90% of the time and be safe but like all of my neighbors I prefer a FWA so I can tend to the whole farm not 3/4 of it. You make a good point I am probably asking to much for not enough money. I am willing to do with out the cab and a/c or maybe a smaller tractor that will pull say a 10ft hog but I think it would be wise of me to try for a FWA.
Again thank all of you for the responses I am considering each one. I am in no hurry to buy and maybe it would be better to wait till I have more funds but until I find one the hunt sure is fun.
 
If you have so much land that you need a 15 foot batwing you are chewing up a lot of forage. Why not get those acres put into grass hay or alfalfa?
 
(quoted from post at 11:19:08 02/05/17) If you have so much land that you need a 15 foot batwing you are chewing up a lot of forage. Why not get those acres put into grass hay or alfalfa?
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its cheaper to buy hay then make it on farm. The pastures are in grass but some have been neglected for yeaars. we cant afford to spray every pasture in one season so we are rotating spraying pastures so we don't have to hog every field every year. Hoggin is a recreational activity IMO there is much more weed control in spraying and grazing management.
 


I'm in NC Arkansas myself and I'm familiar with steep pastures, Sure keeps a guy from gettin' bored. :wink:

Have you considered rotation grazing on the steepest parts? If it's sectioned off and they don't have a huge area to pick and choose from it's amazing what cattle will clear off before they are moved to another paddock.

Sheep are better yet and will graze things that a cow won't touch.

Good luck on your tractor hunt and please post what you find.

Walt
 
(quoted from post at 10:13:10 02/06/17)

I'm in NC Arkansas myself and I'm familiar with steep pastures, Sure keeps a guy from gettin' bored. :wink:

Have you considered rotation grazing on the steepest parts? If it's sectioned off and they don't have a huge area to pick and choose from it's amazing what cattle will clear off before they are moved to another paddock.

Sheep are better yet and will graze things that a cow won't touch.

Good luck on your tractor hunt and please post what you find.

Walt
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Hi Walt you know what I am talking about then when I talk about these hills! Your absolutely right about rotational grazing. I have had good luck getting them to eat ragweed,sagegrass and other things when its small, but I have not been able to persuade them to eat the thorn bushes or the blackberries. We rotate as much as our water sources will allow and in the long term plans we hope to develop some springs and maybe even push out a pond or two. Speaking of pushing I thought maybe some of you might appreciate my dozer.
20160630_082828_zpspqji8hec.jpg
It is one of the reasons my tractor budget is so tight! Thanks again for all of the replies. Some good discussion going on here.
 
(quoted from post at 10:53:01 02/06/17)

I am deeply and sincerely jealous of that dozer!
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Thank you, I don't regret buying it. Its A D6C with powershift. I wish it had hydraulic tilt and the bigger 3006 turbo engine instead of the D333 but it does what I need to do. I enjoy running it. BTW this is a picture before I bought it, I have since loosened the tracks. lol
 
Well I am still lurking not quite ready to buy yet. I am waiting to see how profitable my calf crop is going to be and how many cows bred back. But I will be buying something before next winter. Some locals own a Zetor parts dealership and they say they deal in used tractors now and then and said they will keep a eye out for me if they come across something they think I can use.
 

What town in Ark are you close to. I grew around the Hector area and we used a 2WD tractor everywhere there even on the steep stuff. We just went straight up and down with no issues.

Side hills will get you no matter what you are driving if to steep.
 
I am close to Yellville, AR. I have driven a 2wd tractor all over but I would prefer not too. My pocket book may not allow me the luxury of 4wd.
 
(quoted from post at 10:28:57 02/04/17) I am on a tight budget but have set my max price at $10k. Given my budget I am going to have to buy a older tractor which I am fine with. I am mechanically competent so some repairs are not a problem. I would like to have one with a cab and a/c.
Click to expand...
There are some really great suggestions above, particularly the Olivers. But to be realistic it will be hard to find something with the hp you need plus a cab w/ac for 10k or less in good condition. If that will be your only tractor and you want to spend more time farming and less time turning a wrench then you might consider a ~15 yr old Kubota w/ 50-60hp maybe with a loader and a warranty for something close to that figure.
 
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