New Farmer - Tractor(s)

Dhosera

New User
New farmer here. You guys have been a wealth of advice and likely don't even know it thru searching the archives. I tracked down and purchased my grandpas John Deere 720D this spring and after many headaches got her back up and running. Still some items wrong with her such as 3 point doesn't work, yet the aux hydraulics do for whatever reason. She will be my main tractor and ran the haybine (Hesston PT-10), Baler (NH 273) and JD 14' Disc without much trouble last year.

My question is I'd like to expand beyond my 40 acre farm. I would like something big enough to handle a small 4 row planter and tillage equipt to plant the neighbors 80 in row crops. It'd be nice to have a Cab with Heat/AC and a loader for all the odd jobs that come along with the farm. What makes the most sense? Smaller compact with loader for chores and loader type work and then get a bigger 40 series JD for tillage/row crop stuff. Or drop the coin on a 4WD 75HP minimum type with cab & loader. Just wondering what the general consensus would be.
 
A cab tractor ia a solid advantage. 120 acres is not enough to make a new 50 HP cab tractor pencil out unless the farming is a second income. so finding a 4010
or 4020 qith cab would be good. Jim
 
I was talking with my local John Deere dealership this past week, and he told me there is a shortage of
tractors, especially small compact tractors with loaders. He went on to say sales are 4x higher now than
they were a year ago, and people are paying the price for these tractors. Expect to pay around $1,000 per
horsepower for a cab loader tractor in the 40-70 hp. range.
 
A good used KUBOTA M7060HDC12 would make you a good tractor. 71HP and can be purchased in the 35K range with cab and loader.
That's what one has to spend these days! It's a lot different than 4 years ago.
 
75 hp 4x4 air heat 38k
cvphoto79278.jpg
 
I am going to assume the 720 is like the 60 my Dad had,, you have to have a set of different "Tips" that go in where the remote couplers are at now,, they block off the flow to the remote and send it to the rockshaft,, and vice versa, and that meant either the remotes worked or the rockshaft. seemed like there was a "lever" you moved and they would slide out to change them,, one thing though if this is how yours works,, always lower the rockshaft fully before pulling them, or you will get a oil bath,,
cnt
 
Just saw Machinery Pete on RFD last Saturday and he showed the same thing about purchases of equipment - up 70% from last year, January vs January. Good time to be selling used tractors. Maybe not so much buying one though!
 
There are plenty of the early CaseIH maxim and
magnum tractors out there that can be bought for
25-40 grand. Decent cabs, reasonable tractors to
operate, and the engines are really good. You can
most likely find a 100 hp tractor for less money than
a 70 hp tractor. I would just buy the one bigger 4x4
tractor with loader and a cab, rather than buy a
smaller tractor with a loader and another bigger
field tractor. Your bigger field tractor will be able to
do your loader work, but will not justify its expense
to own it for 80 acres of crop land alone
 
This all depends on your budget, how much time you have to spend on your farm work, and how much you value you place on having modern equipment. If you're
wanting to cover 120 acres in the evenings and on the weekends you'll want to be able to cover ground quickly. If I were in your shoes (which actually I am)
I'd be looking for an older large-frame 100+ hp tractor for the field work (like the JD 40-series you mentioned) and something smaller for a loader. I
recently purchased a nice IH 986 with cab, A/C, and duals for under $10k which will allow me to get the work done in the relatively few spare hours I have.
And, it's heavy and powerful enough to handle things like a 15-ft no-till drill should equipment like that be in the future. Personally I'd separate the
loader and field work into two different tractors. For $20k you could have both a field tractor and a smaller loader-equipped utility tractor, both
appropriately sized for the jobs they are expected to do. This budget won't allow for a cab and 4WD on the loader tractor (or 4WD on the field tractor, for
that matter) but "real" farmers managed without this for years and many still do. (My FIL has never had a cab-equipped loader tractor and he's farmed full-
time his whole life.) It's all just a matter of how much you're willing to spend on creature comforts and fancy features over and above what is required to
simply get the work done.
 
I just recently saw a Machinery Pete video on YouTube this past weekend, where he said used John Deere tractors are up at least 70%, some almost double in price from a year ago, according to his records. The Dealership I spoke with the other day are sold out of tractors, both new and used, and have to contact other Dealerships to try and find something that their customers are looking for.
 
Best advice I can give you is be willing to farm with what you can afford. Many farmers have lost their tails trying to go too fancy too soon. None of us older
farmers that made it likely started out with what we wanted but what we could afford. At least I know I didn't. Smart decisions early result in easier decisions
later while bad decisions early result in someone else making your decisions later.
 
You need to figure out how much you think your farming will gross dollar wise in a year,then subtract known production expenses,then take out how much profit you want for your work if anything.What you have left will be how much you can afford to put into tractor(s).
 
You don't say anything about the finances so I assume that is not a problem. I would get a nice 100 hp. fwa. with cab and loader. With that tractor pull a 16/18 ft. field cult. Hook the 720 on the 4-row
planter and gitter done.
 
If you get that 3 point hitch fixed, you can culitvate corn with that, you could pick up a 4 row rear mount cultivator for a song, unless there all gone,and there are a few good 494A JD planters around too!
 
To make money you have to get your seed
into the ground evenly and the right
depth. And covered. That said. Your
priority is a good planter. With 30" rows
for corn and 15" rows for beans. This
means at least a 6-30" maximerge John
Deere 7000 or Kinze. With finger pickup.
And singulater bean meters. Look at your
neighbors big planter. Also think no till.
Can pull it with anything. The tractor we
use the most is a compact 50 hp JD compact
with 4x4 Loader cab and air. It will pull
a 6-30" no-till planter.
cvphoto79319.jpg
 
I do not usually do this but I am going to foo foo Jims recommendation on a 4020. The JD 4020 is the golden child of the ..new generation.. Deeres. Because of this they generally sell at a higher average price. Dont get me wrong, they are a good solid reliable workhorse. But quite often you can find a 30 or 40 series for a few more grand and get a nice sound guard cab to boot. Just my two cents.
 
Cab tractors are nice, but just beginning you need a good planter. Dad taught me the planter is most import implement on the farm. If you do not get your crop planted correctly, nothing else you do will increase your bottom line results.
 

I have not payed any attention to what used tractors are selling for so I looked mine up a 2013 Kubota. The asking price is at are above what I paid for it new. SHOCK
 
A White or Kinze planter with the disks are much simpler and less maintenance to to plant accurately and much cheaper than the Deere. The 720 would pull an 8 row if neded though for 80 acres a 4or 6 row will work. The 8 row might be cheaper than the 4 row now days though. That 720 will do the work to plant 120 acres alone and find your other tractor later.
 
Casenutty 1660 - Man I was hoping that was the fix as it would make sense to me why the Aux works yet 3 pt doesnt. Ill have to mess with it more here when it warms up. That and my baler needs a fuzz of adjustment, so Id be thrilled to have those 2 items fixed and behind me. Last year I replaced 5 bearings on that d*** haybine that were junk and had that thing running very smoothly there at the end.

Thanks so much to all that have tossed their 2 cents in. Seems the general consensus is do whatever I think or whatever I can find. Since some have asked Ill elaborate a bit. Im a young guy in west Michigan area and work full time, so this is more/less a hobby for me. I bought the farm a few years ago and leased it to a real farmer for the 1st couple years and didnt have a real good experience with that whole situation so last year I planted it to Hay and harvested it. (Only 1 crappy cutting). I have been watching for used tractors and generally have a sense of what the market looks like in the area. Ive got some funds set aside for some EQUIPT this year such as a decent planter, Tedder and possibly a down payment on a tractor if one becomes available in the area.
Looking forward to the snow to melt and to get out there and play in the dirt again. -Derek-
 
Probably. He could have a wide variety of income levels and just not care. I just like the solidity of those 40 series. Jim
 

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