Ideas for a small tractor

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Marigold4

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PurBee said:
Any smaller john deere’s i can wholly recommend - they are such great, well-made workhorses.

Through pure luck we managed to find a JD855 - 3 point linkage full rear PTO - its only 24hp engine and 19hp PTO - so its really efficient on fuel.

Its just a wee bit bigger than a ride on mower so will fit into a shed. The rear wheels are larger than mowers and is literally like a mini JD tractor - we once used it to rescue our 2 ton land rover out of a muddy situation:

View attachment 83819
In the pic above we were using the land rover to move a 30 foot static caravan into position in the pis*ing rain! It had been dry but then, as usual, the heavens opened and didnt stop, so we had to get on with the job regardless before the continuous rain made the land even boggier.
The land rover eventually failed traction in the mud, so we hooked up the little JD to pull the landy which was pulling the caravan - it worked! lol!!! Then the JD helped pull the land rover out the mud at the end of the verrrrrry muddy messy job as it has a super ‘oompf’ 4 wheel drive function.

The JD can run a small flail mower, small topper, a rotavator, its pulled trailer loads of rocks of 1.5 ton around the farm. For such a wee thing you wouldnt think it had the power to run these PTO machinery but it really does it well. We have a rake and roller too for it which it handles very well.

Engine-wise and build quality is just A1 - we’ve had it 10yrs and have been meaning to give it some kind of full service for yrs, even recondition it and spruce it up….yet its run every year no issue, being stored outside …quality metalwork of over 40yrs can withstand mud/wet etc. Theyre built very very well.

The downsides:

Question what is your land like? Flat fields or very undulating and hilly?

Small tractors like this are not suitable for very sloped ground - they are narrow and if youre going across a slope, youll feel top heavy and lose traction with the highest wheel…almost toppling over. If you drive up and down the slope, going with the slope, you’ll lose PTO power as the engine labours to pull you up the slope. Yet down the slope gravity helps and there’s no loss of power, while running the PTO.
A larger, more power, conventional, heavier tractor is more suited to heavy sloped land of 45degrees+. It takes some experience to know how to safely execute a drive route across undulating, sloping, odd field shapes. If you have land like this its best to hire a local farmer to come in and do the few jobs essential.

The other issue with smaller compact tractors is finding the PTO equipment for them. Its an insane market and because compact tractors are not the ‘usual’ size - youll find very few attachments to buy secondhand. New price for such small PTO equipment are eye-watering. Like a mini round baler is 6k+. The 1.2m flail mower i use new was 3k - just to cut grass!! You wont find a small square baler to use with such a small tractor.

In hindsight - as i want to (now) make hay from more land - i’d get another small tractor. like a massey 135 upwards. 35hp - can use a small square baler, you’ll be able to find more choice of attachments secondhand from farmers dirt cheap. The masseys are a lot bigger in footprint for your shed, but do a measure-up and youll be surprised still how compact the masseys are. If you want to make hay, dont go for a 25hp machine - go up a level to a cheap, old but workhorse type tractor like a massey 135, - then youll be able to easily buy a tedder, topper, small square baler, on the 2nd-hand market.

Our JD came with many attachments so we use it for rotorvating areas to re-seed, flail mowing 7 acres, rolling, raking/de-thatching in spring and using a trailer to shift stuff around the farm. Also move big round bales tied on the back 3 point link forks! So its very useful due to its tiny size we can get it in amongst trees etc, small pathways around the farm, for doing land maintenance work and general small farm work. But if you want to regularly shift 2 ton loads and make hay aswell, and you have very sloped land, go for a more powerful machine, you’ll find it easier to get PTO attachments on the 2nd-hand market.

ETA- we also use the JD855 to pull a conventional small flicking-type muck spreader and fertilise the land - it manages it fine! We werent sure if it would…i have a wee video somewhere - but it does it great, and we have soft land here to pull 1ton+ loads through - so its a tough little machine.
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Thank you! That's really useful. Our land is fairle gently sloping and my electric wheelbarrow can cope with the incline so think small tractor coukd too. Need it to be able to move mobile field shelter too.
 
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sport horse said:
Small agricutlural tractors are like gold dust! You do need rear hydraulics (up and down things at back), PTO (spinny round thing) - both of these to operate a topper. a 4 x 4 will not give eiyou these. Local farmers are fine but as others say they will fit in your small jobs around theirmuch bigger jobs and this may not be at the time you would like. Their machinery may well be much too big to use on smaller paddocks

I am very lucky in that I am surrounded by farming neighbours. They do my hedge cutting, hay making, muck heap removal, spraying (although their sprayer now means driving down one paddock and just reversing back up as it is huge!) and any other larger jobs that come along. We do our own harrowing, rolling, topping, arena maintenance etc It is great fun and two of my girls grab the tractor at the first chance! The arrangement is great and when the farmers have need of a small set of equipment they come and raid our yard!

Currently have a Kubota with a front loader ( super for doing muck heap!) and a Massey Ferguson. Our neighbours helped us source them and were kind enough to visit the local
Agricultural agent with us., Great thing about farmers is that they hate horses so over the many years their children have kept their ponies here and we are soon heading towards grandchildren!! I love good neighbours.
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You have two tractors! I do like the look of the Massey Ferguson.
 
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paddy555 said:
there is a bit of a difference between a case and a compact tractor. Quite a lot of difference. If they feel happy driving a garden tractor then I am sure someone would be happy and safe driving a compact which is what OP is enquiring about. Any machinery can be dangerous you only have to look at quad bike accidents for that or the girl who was killed on the Polaris. It is always a case of being careful..

there are disadvantages to the local farmer. Firstly you want your field harrowed when the weather conditions are right ie the ground is right. Not to book it in and have the farmer turn up 3 weeks later in the pouring rain when the ground is a mud bath because he was too busy in the dry weather.

The other thing is that compact tractors leave a very light footprint on the field surface compared to a farmer's tractor.
I used to harrow and roll mine with a Case. There were always tyre marks left and many horse paddocks are relatively small so more turns. I now use a compact and can often not even see it has been there.
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Our Case is small 70 bhp - perfect for small horse paddocks.

Without a PTO / pick up hitch etc. most of the gadgets won't work. A quality topper is PTO driven and harrows are pressed down by the gadgets

If you just want to tow a harrow / rolls then perhaps a SORN old 4 x 4 would be best.
 
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Marigold4 said:
You have two tractors! I do like the look of the Massey Ferguson.
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Yes I have two tractors!! Both 4wd - one with grass tyres and one with all four ag tyres!! (That is just how they came) I am actually managing 50 acres and a yard of 20 horses so need machinery. The Kubota has a front loader so that can do the muck heap and lift big bales of straw/hay and haylage. The massey does the harrowing, rolling or as very often happens the land goes from too wet to get on to too dry to have any effect within 24 hours we set off with harrow on one and roller on the other and we become 'real' farmers!!

The farming world is pretty insular so my greatest compliment was when one of my neighbours said 'you are one of us now'. Yay I had arrived!!!
 
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Marigold4 said:
If I used a Land Rover, could I still top the field? I thought I needed a special fitting at the back of the vehicle to make the topper work? Or would I just buy a different type of topper? If so, which one please?
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I have a Wessex topper, something like this. I bought it second hand for less than £500. Google 'self-powered topper' or 'quad topper' and you should come up with the right thing.
https://www.zarosmachinery.co.uk/we...-vIvb6t-NpY78UYQOoliPrxeJw1Qtc6AaAjudEALw_wcB
 
PurBee

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Marigold4 said:
If I used a Land Rover, could I still top the field? I thought I needed a special fitting at the back of the vehicle to make the topper work? Or would I just buy a different type of topper? If so, which one please?
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Its possible to have a rear PTO fitted to a land rover….a few people do it for topping, powering wood saw-tables etc:

1638885869767.jpeg

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/series-pto-rocking-horse-poo.206695/


It costs a small fortune to convert it though. Youd want a land rover with a solid chassis….which is like gold dust ??? as older ones rust to dust…unless you find an old military one, who used galvanised ones in their manufacturing.
Changing chassis is 5k.

As the PTO and 3 point link will all be bolted onto the chassis rear cross member, and be under load using the PTO equipment, you’d want that part of the chassis really solid and strong.

I’ve a vintage defender in the forest here if youre interested! ??

Seriously - cost of an old LR - cheap one will be a rust bucket + cost of repair and cost of adding a PTO - you’d save money by buying an older massey thats specifically made for the job. If you have muddy places to traverse, tractor wheels 4x4 far out-do land rover wheels 4x4. My 25hp john deere mini tractor rescues my 90+hp land rover from mud many times!
 
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Marigold4

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Polos Mum said:
Our Case is small 70 bhp - perfect for small horse paddocks.

Without a PTO / pick up hitch etc. most of the gadgets won't work. A quality topper is PTO driven and harrows are pressed down by the gadgets

If you just want to tow a harrow / rolls then perhaps a SORN old 4 x 4 would be best.
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I mostly need topping
 
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^^ looks like a good buy. The 3cyl Perkins diesel engine is the one to have. Starts easily and strong as an ox. The 4cl one is apparently a bit of a bugger and requires easy start, which is no good for an engine.

This is similar to mine, and every time I walk into the shed I know it will start and do the job I ask of it.

It sounds like they've put in a lot of work, which is great. Take someone who knows them to have a look, and try the hydraulics, lights and PTO fully before you part with your money. You can bid safely, because it is being sold as working, so you can back out if it isn't. I wouldn't worry for two seconds about the cosmetics, but if you do fancy tarting it up, that is the easy bit. You can even buy shiny new panels if you want.
 
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scruffyponies said:
^^ looks like a good buy. The 3cyl Perkins diesel engine is the one to have. Starts easily and strong as an ox. The 4cl one is apparently a bit of a bugger and requires easy start, which is no good for an engine.

This is similar to mine, and every time I walk into the shed I know it will start and do the job I ask of it.

It sounds like they've put in a lot of work, which is great. Take someone who knows them to have a look, and try the hydraulics, lights and PTO fully before you part with your money. You can bid safely, because it is being sold as working, so you can back out if it isn't. I wouldn't worry for two seconds about the cosmetics, but if you do fancy tarting it up, that is the easy bit. You can even buy shiny new panels if you want.
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Thanks for replying. I'm thinking of leaving the appearance like that so it's less likely to get stolen.

Any idea what type of topper I would need so I can check out prices?
 
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I started my life on old fergies, Fordson majors and the like.

Now I drive this. If I wanted to take a tractor to a rally, love and adore it I would chose the fergie or similar. As I want the tractor to work I chose this sort.
This tractor has the advantage of hydrostatic drive. Although that may seem a lazy way of doing things it is lovely. It is also 4wd and has tractor tyres plus a roll bar.

Not suggesting this particular advert, I know nothing about the vendor nor this tractor. Just this sort of tractor. There are lots similar, lots of Kubotas for example. I have just seen an old Kubota on e bay which comes with a small trailer and topper. Just needs a new set of tyres.




https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28446506...TUMyOEbPioSAbN7Xs%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2563228
 
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Marigold4 said:
Thanks for that link and for your advice. That looks just the job and is only 20 mins away from me. Does the topper look too small though? I have 5 acres to do. I don't need the trailer but could sell it to pay for new tyres?
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difficult to tell the width from pic which is on angle, I would guess it is a 3ft or 4ft one. It looks to be a reasonable size for that sort of tractor. If you look on youtube under compact tractors and toppers you will find the sort of width of toppers on these tractors.

Have you ever sat on one of these tractors and driven one? If it is close why not go and just have a look at a compact tractor, topper and see what you think. Ask them run the topper for you.. They probably can't cut anything if it is wet and muddy but they can attach it to the tractor and you can see and hear it running. Ask them to show you how much ground they cut with it.

I'm sure you could sell the trailer. Get the make and model of the tractor and ring your local tyre depot to see how much a set of tyres would be. That will be a consideration with the price of any tractor you buy and how much you negotiate the price down.

Do you poo pick your grazing? for anyone using the old fashioned method of poo picking with a wheelbarrow these compact tractors are wonderful. :D
 
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paddy555 said:
difficult to tell the width from pic which is on angle, I would guess it is a 3ft or 4ft one. It looks to be a reasonable size for that sort of tractor. If you look on youtube under compact tractors and toppers you will find the sort of width of toppers on these tractors.

Have you ever sat on one of these tractors and driven one? If it is close why not go and just have a look at a compact tractor, topper and see what you think. Ask them run the topper for you.. They probably can't cut anything if it is wet and muddy but they can attach it to the tractor and you can see and hear it running. Ask them to show you how much ground they cut with it.

I'm sure you could sell the trailer. Get the make and model of the tractor and ring your local tyre depot to see how much a set of tyres would be. That will be a consideration with the price of any tractor you buy and how much you negotiate the price down.

Do you poo pick your grazing? for anyone using the old fashioned method of poo picking with a wheelbarrow these compact tractors are wonderful. :D
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I have contacted the seller to go and view it!

I have an electric wheelbarrow for poo picking - slow but a very useful bit of kit.
 
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PurBee

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Keith_Beef said:
Your post reminded me of an article on the BBC website:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36479610
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Thats a great article keith, thanks for sharing it. I never knew about the auction in cambs! Good to remember…

OH and i were discussing the other day if we were to relocate to south america or likewise far distant countries, would we take our JD855, land rover and other farm equipment with us. We’ve been mulling it over as shipping and import of vehicles is a relatively high cost, but possibly worth paying if buying locally would be an equally high price tag due to it likely coming from uk/eire anyway. Probably there’s not much difference in cost when all worked out? At least with machinery we already use, we know its history/longevity potential etc.
 
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Asha said:
We used to use the local farmer for rolling/topping, but as paddy555 mentions we would have to wait our turn, and quite a few times theyd come and just miss the perfect conditions. (Especially when rolling)Plus their huge tractors couldnt always get into the smaller parts / paddocks.
We bought a kubota compact this year and its fab. I can now just crack on when i want. Ours has come with turf tyres, and the dealer has recommended to wait and see before we buy agri tyres, as he thinks we may just get away without. Time will tell. I topped the fields the other day and had no issues in the wet muddy parts. Just need to get myself a roller for spring now.
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Can I ask which model of Kubota compact you bought please?
 
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Marigold4

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I viewed two Kubota compacts today. Really liked the first one with proper tractor tyres. From a dealer so hopefully would have some rights if it went wrong. Have to pay VAT though which makes it over-priced.

With the second one, we also tried a 4ft Tecma topper on the PTO - the type on wheels - possibly called a finisher?

What type of topper do people recommend. I have 5 acres to do. Gently sloping field. Some parts of the field have been left for a while - perhaps 9-12 ins high?

I feel that I need a flail topper rather than this "finisher' type. What woukd you experts recommend?
 
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We have a Kubota LA480 and its brilliant. We only have 19 acres and to try and a local farmer/contractor to do our fields was difficult. Their prices were high and our gate ways are quite small and often their equipment would fit through. I'm 5'3 and my OH is 6'2 and we both happily drive it. Over the past few years we've bought a bale spear, chain harrow, time harrow, topper and other equipment. We bought it 2nd hand and in the last 8 years its only needed a new tyre and the usual servicing, which my OH does. It isn't road worthy but doesn't need to be.
 
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