Re: Re: Re: City Slicker Needs a Tractor
[ View Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Return to Tractor Talk ]
Posted by DavidL on November 07, 1998 at 02:24:36:
In Reply to: Re: Re: City Slicker Needs a Tractor posted by Gerald on November 04, 1998 at 21:02:04:
: : : A husband and wife team are moving from San Francisco to farm country in Maine and are now responsible for mowing 6 acres and plowing over 150 feet of drive. : : : Looking for a tractor, mower, plow, and wagon. Do I need anything else. Any quality used equipment I should consider/avoid? HELP! : : My ten cents worth is to get yourself a late (1952) Ford 8N, that's mechanically sound. You'll have to pay $3500 or more but it will appreciate in value and is an indestructible machine. It's also easy to work on and starts in the snow if you keep plugs, points, carb in good shape. It has a 3pt hitch and will take the implements you need for mowing and snow clearing. You might want to contact Gerard Rinaldi who owns the N Newsletter in Chelsea VT. He'll give you all the contacts you'll need. Good luck. : I've tried an 8N with a blade in Iowa for moving snow on a 90 foot driveway. Tain't heavy enough and with a blade in snow country you run out of places to push the snow. Surely down east is going to be snowier than here. : My next attempt was a JD 112 garden tractor (47" mower deck) about 10 hp and a single stage snow blower. It was better except in the wet snows of October and April which continually plugged the thrower. Tire chains were absolutely necessary (won't move at all without them) and a couple hundred pounds of ballast out back (besides me) helps a lot. A two stage snow blower would be a whole lot better. Probably on something like a 16 hp garden tractor with about a 60" mower deck. 5 or 6 acres is the worlds worst size of patch to mow. Often too small for haying and it can cause a weekend of mowing, EVERY weekend all summer. Better it was planted in alfalfa and sold standing to a farmer who could take the responsibility of mowing, raking, drying and baling probably three times a summer. Might produce 25 big round bales a year, probably worth $15 or 20 a bale sold as standing hay. Then the mowing tasks around the place are reduced to mostly trimming and around the house. With care maybe half an acre that would take less than an hour with a 48 or 60" mower deck. : I found the MF-135 with loader much more capable in snow than the 8N, but then it weighs 2.5 times as much and I had tire chains to fit. Costs a little more than an 8N and is far more capable. Its capable of farming 25 to 40 acres, including plowing and all the field work, but I figured out after 11 years doesn't have the ground clearance for decent cultivation. This year I did all the field work with a JD4020 (gas, cost about the worth of the MF-135) and drastically improved my organic production of corn and beans. Last year I had a planting and emergence problem (planted too shallow for dry conditions) and this year the corn did 4 times better, the beans 46 bushels to the acre without chemicals. Mostly because of better seed bed preparation and better cultivation. : Now I've moved the MF-236 loader from the 135 where it was oversized to the 4020 where its survived earth moving and tree chopping. : Been there, tried these... : Equipment dedicated to snow blowing such as a self contained snow blower and to mowing such as a riding mower can also do these jobs well so long as the whole 6 acres isn't being mowed. For that, serious mowing equipment with at least 5' of coverage is essential to keep from spending all weekends at mowing. My 6'3" JD flail mower takes most of the 35 hp of the MF-135 when mowing at 6 mph. Then I cover over 4 acres an hour but I sacrifice smooth mowing for speed. : Gerald Wow, yer right Gerald, but then you know a LOT more about tractors than I do. Sounds as if you do this full time where as I'm an ex-city slicker. I Like the Ford 8N because it's simple enough to work on for a city slicker like me. I grew up spending summers on other people's farm and riding other people's tractors, but never actually had to do the work all the time. Now I guess I'm trying to recapture my childhood or something. By the way my '47 JDB is running just fine - off to buy a bush hog thismorning. Best, David.
Follow Ups:
Post a Followup
|
