(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

custom farming

R

rlp in Co.

Well-known Member
Is there any money in custom farming?
I have a Ford TW 35 and was thinking of buying a jd 360, 28' disk. JD says 225 HP tractor to pull it. Mine is 187hp; will it pull it?
What is in the most demand that I could do with this tractor?
 
I made pretty good money with a 200 gal tank and 32 foot spray boom doing pastures. And CRP. Gas Miser 90 HP Farmall 95 4cl Turbo engine.
 
Depends. If you need to own the equip anyway for your farm then it is a way to pickup a little extra cash. But if you are buying the equip solely for custom work I don't think it would pay. I do some custom organic farming for the neighbor. I had all the equip for my own farm so right now I make more off the custom then I do on my own. I do have to clean the equip. when going from my conventional to his organic. But I charge him for cleaning and he is glad to pay it.
 
You could disc corn stalks with that rig, or maybe real heavy flat ground. But 24' would be a better fit.
 
Most farms already have their own equipment but are short on available labor at peak times. Consider working directly for one or more farmers and run their equipment, possibly doing tillage on the night shift. You will be operating newer and more comfortable equipment and your financial risk will be much lower. People are more likely to tell you about all the obstacles and hazards in a field when their own equipment might be damaged.

One rule of thumb is never do custom work for a cheapskate, they are always find something to complain about and then don't pay.
 
True but it gets your foot in the door on potential land opportunities. We've been custom farming since 2004 and have acquired 2,000 acres that way.
 
(quoted from post at 12:31:59 10/06/17) Depends. If you need to own the equip anyway for your farm then it is a way to pickup a little extra cash. But if you are buying the equip solely for custom work I don't think it would pay. I do some custom organic farming for the neighbor. I had all the equip for my own farm so right now I make more off the custom then I do on my own. I do have to clean the equip. when going from my conventional to his organic. But I charge him for cleaning and he is glad to pay it.
Click to expand...

This ^^^.

If you already own and have the tax benefits for the equipment, then custom work is just extra income.

Grouse
 
My grandfather and uncle started custom farming in the mid 90s. In our area at the time there were a lot of older farmers and landowners who were retiring but still wanted to put crops out. It was a good niche market for a while. Grandad was/is a pretty good businessman. He showed me how he made a spreadsheet to know exactly what his costs were and made sure he made money on every acre he worked. He also had a fair amount of his own ground, so the custom work helped justify better equipment. Eventually, those landowners died off or sold to developers, and the market went away. But my uncle still farms a lot of that ground now, renting it.
 

I guess you could say I do custom farming even though it is mostly bush hogging. I also do garden tilling, plowing, disking, and skidsteer work. One area I could get into is haying as there are a lot of small lots around here that the owners need baled up. Looks like one of the main guys around here is hanging it up and retiring, so if anyone is looking for work I'm sure a lot of people are worried who is going to put up their hay next year. This guy ran two 6040 Kubotas and NH equipment....and a Dodge truck never more than a couple years old.
 
As others have said, I would not try to pull that disk with the TW 35. With older tractors need to find smaller implements and lighter loads due to metal fatigue. Custom work pays if it is additional income from something you have for your own purposes. Am a small farmer myself and you are constantly looking for opportunity to supplement your income. These opportunities are few and far between.
 
It's already got duals with water in the tires, but they only have about 25% tread left and the factory weights which look really heavy. The auction for the jd360 disk was today so it's too late for that.I might have gone if I thought it would pull it.
Good advice on getting a job first but then the price of the implements probably double when I have a job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
Oliver 252 disc HP needed
Replies
4
Views
494
DavidT1
D
J
Plant and harvest BOTH with 2.7 Million Dollar "Tractor"
Replies
8
Views
660
Mule Meat
Mule Meat
M
Tractor question that's really about implements
Replies
15
Views
666
M. Doud
M
C
Ford 8N question
Replies
12
Views
566
Fixingfarmer
Fixingfarmer
H
Need a Red Tractor
Replies
10
Views
428
hoosier43fan
H
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top