Tractors - recommendations

[Asha]

We where broken into the other week, and the scumbags stole my quad, complete with my spraying equipment. Gutted.

As quads seem to be on the top of every thieving ......... wish list,i thought id look at alternatives.

What tractors do you all use ? ideally id like something to pull the arena harrow, roll the fields, and do the weed killing. It would also be amazing if it could lift pallets.

Something thats not as easy to steal

 

[turnbuckle]

MF135 or really anything old and around 30to40hp (£4000to£7000), although they won't be able to lift a really heavy pallet safely, unlike a Kramer or a telehandler.

New compact tractors more, although not as much as you would think. But they cost to fix when they go wrong.

But a quad is much kinder to fields.

Cheap alternative might be a SORNed 4x4 (£1000 or much less if you are lucky), will harrow the school, you can mount a sprayer and could possibly pull a roller if you have fairly flat fields.

 

[Asha]

Thanks Turnbuckle, I hadn't thought about an old 4x4. The pallet lifting is in an ideal world as we have a forklift. I will have a google, thanks

 

[PercyMum]

We bought a relatively new John Deere lawn tractor that had had its cutting deck trashed and so only cost £450 off fleabay. We've only got 2 acres but they are grotty clay ones and its done really well with all the rolling, harrowing and leaf sweeping we have to do. Does the arena happily as well. We put slightly more heavy duty tyres on it but it doesn't damage the fields and has a power thingy so we can spray if we wish.

Might be a cheaper alternative and pretty sure nobody is going to nick it!!

 

[ironhorse]

Lots of tractor options - worth having a chat with your local ag dealer to see what might be coming in, especially if he has a groundcare division - now's a good time to buy as councils get their budgets and may be part exchanging older kit. MF and Ford tractors are quite collectable to may be over-priced.
Beware of cheap 'oriental' tractors that are marketed at horse owners, getting parts can be tricky! Kubota are pretty much bullet proof, and Kioti are worth a look, but only if there's a dealer nearby as parts are less common. A lot of them will come with a loader especially if they've been used by a golf club etc as a workhorse. 30hp is your minimum to be any use for field work.

 

[Hack4fun]

I have a Fordson Major with a front loader. You can find them occasionally with fork lits but more likely on the rear linkage. Cheap - £2-3000. Easy to get parts. Looks out for a decent one. Or a Dexta. If you will use PTO get a Power Major or Super Major as they have a twin clutch so the PTO can be controlled independently from the wheels.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Second the suggestion for a Sorn'd 4x4. We retired our yr 2000 Shogun to field and arena maintenance duties two years ago, and it's done sterling service with the arena leveller, grass harrows and ballast roller ever since. You can get trailed sprayers, I believe.

 

[Damnation]

Currently in the same dilemma, but I have decided to buy a cheap 4x4 on a SORN.

Much cheaper, and who would steal a banged up 4x4? We've had harrow's stolen etc. So wasn't keen on a quad as you've said, people love to steal them..

 

[Keith_Beef]

You could pick up a Renault 651-4 with a front loader for pallets or with a scoop for around €4500 to €5000.

 

[case895]

I recently bought an 18 hp Kubota to maintain my arena as when the surface company came last month to add wax to the surface, they advised me to stop using my Case as it's too heavy, it's agri tyres were damaging the surface and it's turning circle meant the harrow didn't touch the fence almost at E/B.

I discounted quad bikes as they are nickable, death traps and can do nothing but tow. ATVs good but expensive. So, Kubota with grass tyres and linkage tow hook (adjust height of harrow as you go). Surface now looks amazing.

 

[Asha]

I recently bought an 18 hp Kubota to maintain my arena as when the surface company came last month to add wax to the surface, they advised me to stop using my Case as it's too heavy, it's agri tyres were damaging the surface and it's turning circle meant the harrow didn't touch the fence almost at E/B.

I discounted quad bikes as they are nickable, death traps and can do nothing but tow. ATVs good but expensive. So, Kubota with grass tyres and linkage tow hook (adjust height of harrow as you go). Surface now looks amazing.

Fab, ive heard of the Kubota range before, are they expensive ?

 

[Asha]

Second the suggestion for a Sorn'd 4x4. We retired our yr 2000 Shogun to field and arena maintenance duties two years ago, and it's done sterling service with the arena leveller, grass harrows and ballast roller ever since. You can get trailed sprayers, I believe.

Currently in the same dilemma, but I have decided to buy a cheap 4x4 on a SORN.

Much cheaper, and who would steal a banged up 4x4? We've had harrow's stolen etc. So wasn't keen on a quad as you've said, people love to steal them..

You could pick up a Renault 651-4 with a front loader for pallets or with a scoop for around €4500 to €5000.

thanks all,i will have a look at some old 4x4s, have to buy my lad a car soon, so could maybe look to get something to do both.

Thanks Keith-beef, will have a look at that as well

 

[Mule]

I have a David Brown 995. It was made in the early 1970's. I bought it about 15 years ago from an old farmer who has since died. It doesn't even have a cab because it's so old. It even has a choke. It's in good working condition and hasn't given any trouble.

I don't know if something like that is still easily available. I use it for transporting manure and I've pulled a harrow and a roller behind it. I use a bale lifter on it aswell. It's useful for transporting stuff around, like pallets, jump poles, plastic etc, I would definitely recommend an old tractor. They're really useful.
It's also good for getting about in boggy land.

 

[Bob notacob]

I have a David Brown 995. It was made in the early 1970's. I bought it about 15 years ago from an old farmer who has since died. It doesn't even have a cab because it's so old. It even has a choke. It's in good working condition and hasn't given any trouble.

I don't know if something like that is still easily available. I use it for transporting manure and I've pulled a harrow and a roller behind it. I use a bale lifter on it aswell. It's useful for transporting stuff around, like pallets, jump poles, plastic etc, I would definitely recommend an old tractor. They're really useful.
It's also good for getting about in boggy land.

A choke???? Surely its diesel .

 

[case895]

Fab, ive heard of the Kubota range before, are they expensive ?

It was more than a second hand quad, but considerably less than an ATV.

 

[Mule]

A choke???? Surely its diesel .

Oops I meant a stop switch

 

[dominobrown]

We have just bought an old db similar to mule. It was quite cheap but needs a bit of work but has a front loader, bucket, muck grab yhingy, bale spike and weight. Fingers crossed its good!

 

[Keith_Beef]

It doesn't even have a cab because it's so old.

OP doesn't mention if she's ever driven a tractor before, or what her fields are like...

I would be very wary of driving one on steeply sloping land without at least a roll cage. And old guy down near our house in the south west killed himself a few years ago when his old tractor rolled over.

 

[paddy555]

I have a David Brown 995. It was made in the early 1970's. I bought it about 15 years ago from an old farmer who has since died. It doesn't even have a cab because it's so old. It even has a choke. It's in good working condition and hasn't given any trouble.

I don't know if something like that is still easily available. I use it for transporting manure and I've pulled a harrow and a roller behind it. I use a bale lifter on it aswell. It's useful for transporting stuff around, like pallets, jump poles, plastic etc, I would definitely recommend an old tractor. They're really useful.
It's also good for getting about in boggy land.

they are becoming collector's items. We sold both our DB's to collectors to restore. Having had tractors, ie fordson majors, DB's and now a case we also have a New Holland 24TC compact tractor and it is the best thing ever. It is hydrostatic drive which means you don't have to change gear either. It harrows, rolls, spreads fertiliser, splits the logs and has a box on the back for mucking out dung off the fields. It is 4WD but can work on the fields when the big tractor cannot as it is very kind to the grass and leaves very little in the way of tyre marks. It has tractor pattern tyres on for traction not turf tyres.
Some of our fields are steep but it has a roll cage. A beginner could drive it, so easy especially compared to the proper tractor.

 

[Asha]

OP doesn't mention if she's ever driven a tractor before, or what her fields are like...

I would be very wary of driving one on steeply sloping land without at least a roll cage. And old guy down near our house in the south west killed himself a few years ago when his old tractor rolled over.

our fields are pretty flat, but clay.

 

[honetpot]

Most of the small newer tractors are made for the Japanese market, reconditioned and sold on in the UK. When we looked they were about 6k. We managed to buy one off FB, but soon realised it was just too small, I could hardly get my feet in. We sold it on no problems and then bought a Dexter, which is small but has a loader and we can put things on the back, fail, pallets forks, box etc. They are cheaper than MF 135, which have a real following. For the area I would get a small old car, I have harrowed a paddock with a normal car.
Ebay is a good place to window shop, they chaps selling them tend to look after them well, and they are not so attractive to steal as they are so heavy, so factor in delivery.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Here's an article about tractor auctions that I read last year, and just remembered about.

 

[Mule]

OP doesn't mention if she's ever driven a tractor before, or what her fields are like...

I would be very wary of driving one on steeply sloping land without at least a roll cage. And old guy down near our house in the south west killed himself a few years ago when his old tractor rolled over.

I've also heard of deaths from tractors rolling over. My one has roll bars so it's ok. But it is something to be careful of

 

[Mule]

they are becoming collector's items. We sold both our DB's to collectors to restore. Having had tractors, ie fordson majors, DB's and now a case we also have a New Holland 24TC compact tractor and it is the best thing ever. It is hydrostatic drive which means you don't have to change gear either. It harrows, rolls, spreads fertiliser, splits the logs and has a box on the back for mucking out dung off the fields. It is 4WD but can work on the fields when the big tractor cannot as it is very kind to the grass and leaves very little in the way of tyre marks. It has tractor pattern tyres on for traction not turf tyres.
Some of our fields are steep but it has a roll cage. A beginner could drive it, so easy especially compared to the proper tractor.

I better mind the David Brown in that case. It might be valuable one day