• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

Tractor/equipment for up to 5 acres

red

red

Being a lake bum in Texas
Messages
2,028
Reaction score
1,761
Location
Lake Brownwood, Texas
Starting to do some looking around and wanting guidance on this. What size tractor would be the best for up to 5 acres of general use land? Uses for the tractor would be mowing, digging, snow plow, and lifting are the main things I'm thinking of.

Older equipment doesn't bother me as long as parts are still available, diesel is what I would highly prefer. For attachments figure a backhoe, front end loader, set of forks (pickup pallets and that stuff), and something for mowing. When it comes to lifting I'd like it to be capable of 1000-2000 lbs, figure anything heavier the wrecker will take care of.

Newb to tractors (not equipment), any particular brands to avoid?
 
How deep does the snow get? My tractor weighs around 1,600# and is good up to about 20". Above that I am ramming the snow and beating-up myself and the equipment. So now I also have a small garden tractor with a thrower in case it gets that deep again.

Toward a bucket, don't completely cheap-out on the tractor. Smaller size tractors have the ability to run a bucket, but lack the power to do any real work.

For the deck, if you have 5 acres that need mowing, consider a 72" deck.

In terms of brands, you generally get what you pay for. Good used ones are out there. Red, green, blue, orange; does not really matter.
 
Who is the best dealer nearby (maybe not for you but would help resale). Budget is the biggest issue. I consider older than ~1975 8Fx2R transmissions pasture type tractors good for mowing and scraping fast (if you go that old get one with power steering). A little newer with more gears is better. Then shuttle type transmissions. Hyrdostatic is the next level ( better for maneuverability and loader work). 4x4 preferred.

As you are shopping it takes a while to learn all the brand models so check out tractordata dot com for specs and info and look up models on tractorhouse if they don't give you info in the ad. That way you'll sorta know what it is.

I dislike john deere loaders because of the proprietary quick connect (limits you to deere buckets/forks etc). More availability for deals with a skid steer connection. You could change the connection out.

Just stay away from the cheapy tractors like the ones they sell at NorthernTool Nortrac I think or Branson tractor.
 
Here in Utah the snowfall is usually less than 1ft per storm unless your higher up in the mountains (lands I'm looking at are not) or big lake effect. It's also not as wet/dense of snow as what yall get in the east.

Inclined to agree about Deere. More expensive parts from what other mechanics have mentioned (proprietary) and their fanboys remind me too much of the Dodge fanboys. Seems to be a good product, but with the way they act it just pisses me off haha.

Would something around 30-40hp be too large? Friend of mine has a family member with 2 old International tractors kinda rotting away in his field. One of them has a front end loader and backhoe on it, guessing 1960-70's for the age.

Most brands use the common SAE bellhousings on these correct?

As for budget, realistically cheap haha. Planning on a budget of 10k unless I go back to working in the oilfield again for a few years once I'm done at the university.
 
About 30 PTO HP is pretty much what you'll be happy with. Get a 6' wide bucket loader with live rear PTO. For rough mowing a 6' 3pt rotary is best but for finish mowing consider getting a Garden tractor with 54" deck rather than spending bucks on a finish mower for the loader. You simply can't go wrong with one of the older JD units but they ARE proud of their parts... But they are always available going all the way back in years past the 1960s. For your area I agree on looking for who is closest. As for the old IH tractors, they also are pretty good on parts but if they've been sitting they might have some big troubles you don't need. As you get closer to zeroing in on something, let us know.
 
X-3 on the comments about having good shop / dealer support.

My local shop is ~30 minutes away and turns out that the parts manager lives about a mile away. Whenever I need parts, I pay over the phone, he voluntarily drops them off at my house, and he happens to find some form of thank you item(s) waiting for him :)


If there is any grade on the property, 4x4 is the way to go. ROPS too.


Seeing as this is starting to look like a cart before the horse scenario, might consider finding the property first and then decide on what tractor fits the needs.
 
I have 6 acres and use my uncles 2 wheel drive JD 5103 (50HP) with a front end loader (512). It does everything that I need around here. I agree that the 6’ attachments are what you’ll want for 5 acres. If you want to lift around 2000lbs with the bucket or forks and want a backhoe attachment then I would look for something in the 40-50 hp range. 4x4 helps push and pull when trying to clear land.

Picture my wife took after I got done tilling our 3 1/2 acre yard. My son loves riding on the tractor

8A68605A-367F-4EC8-9546-870F5FBAD95F.jpeg
 
Like the others said, cant go wrong with 30 some horsepower or bigger like up to 45 to 50HP, if one can afford it. Of course when you go up in HP and 4x4, the cost goes up. I am in the mountains here and 4x4 is very nice, we have a small 38 HP Massey Ferguson 4X4 now, although I ran just 2 wheel drive tractors for years. Had the 2 wheel drives stuck more than once.

I couldn't say which brand is best there are a lot of Kubota's and John Deere tractors around here along with Massey Ferguson and New Holland. A Mahindra Dealer just opened up about a couple of miles from here, I think their the only new ones that don't use the DEF now?

Nice helper and yard you have there @Jaryd, at least your yard is flat ground. What do you mow that with?
 
Have a NH TC29 with Woods loader uses quick attached like Bobcat. Mine is not the delux(hydro) but it is a tough little tractor. upkeep 18 acres 72in mower runs it ok. Heavy weeds/grass will have to slow down. I added dual rear hydraulics you want a hydraulic top link! snow.. I may never know! lol
 
BIGR said:
Like the others said, cant go wrong with 30 some horsepower or bigger like up to 45 to 50HP, if one can afford it. Of course when you go up in HP and 4x4, the cost goes up. I am in the mountains here and 4x4 is very nice, we have a small 38 HP Massey Ferguson 4X4 now, although I ran just 2 wheel drive tractors for years. Had the 2 wheel drives stuck more than once.

I couldn't say which brand is best there are a lot of Kubota's and John Deere tractors around here along with Massey Ferguson and New Holland. A Mahindra Dealer just opened up about a couple of miles from here, I think their the only new ones that don't use the DEF now?

Nice helper and yard you have there @Jaryd, at least your yard is flat ground. What do you mow that with?
Click to expand...

I bought a used 44” cut zero turn lawnmower when we were building the house. It’s a little small for all the yard I have to cut but it’ll get us by for several more years I hope until we can afford a bigger mower.
 
I think it might take more than 5 acres to get bigbud turned around hahaha.

When it comes to dealers, land I'm looking at is mostly around Roosevelt, Utah. There's a Massey Ferguson dealer there. In the big city area about 1.5 hrs west there's a bunch of dealers there.
 
Like I said the idea with the k5 crossed my mind, but that aint gonna happen haha. Could get a loader and backhoe on it yes but the truck aint built for that and it's the offroad toy so not gonna happen.

There's a few in the 30-40hp range available out here, seems to be a common size. Also like that they are small enough that my wrecker can tow them on a trailer without going overweight. That's nice because I do own a 1/2 acre down in Lake Brownwood Texas that's undeveloped. Might develop it might not but would certainly help being able to carry the tractor there if needed.
 
Sounds good Red. If it's level ground you can get by with a 2 wheel drive, still just gotta watch what your doing you can get one in a dangerous situation and get hurt.

I know of several good men that lost their lives in this mountain region on a farm tractor, most were roll overs.

My brother in law turned a 30 some horsepower, 4 wheel drive Kubota tractor over a few years ago, all I can say is, a higher power was watching over him, it was not his time to go.
 
Several years ago a friend of my family was bush hogging and the tractor flipped over and the bush hog got him pretty bad. His wife went looking for him later that evening since he didn’t come home and she walked up on a site that nobody wants to see. He had to have a closed casket at his funeral.

Point is, Be careful because accidents can happen.
 
I hate tractors. They look cool, hut hate how they operate. There is a guy in Vegas that has a monster collection of older John Deere. At the truck equipment shop we rebuilt a couple for him, then got into doing kore at his house.

Just moving around felt sketchy on a couple. Hooked up to stuff and doing accidental wheelies wa second time was enough for me. Give me a backhoe anyday over a tractor.

As a kid I loved 3 wheelers and quads- now hate them too. Just seen too many things go wrong. Long, wide and heavy is good. If I could have wheels on a tank...
 
Will L. said:
I hate tractors. They look cool, hut hate how they operate. There is a guy in Vegas that has a monster collection of older John Deere. At the truck equipment shop we rebuilt a couple for him, then got into doing kore at his house.

Just moving around felt sketchy on a couple. Hooked up to stuff and doing accidental wheelies wa second time was enough for me. Give me a backhoe anyday over a tractor.

As a kid I loved 3 wheelers and quads- now hate them too. Just seen too many things go wrong. Long, wide and heavy is good. If I could have wheels on a tank...
Click to expand...
You were much smaller then Will. :)
 
yea everything has risks to take into consideration. Thought about a backhoe, but the versatility of a tractor wins for my plans. Maybe a skiddy (skid steer), but absolute pain in the ass to work on those in my experience and I'm not a big guy at 165 lbs 5ft 10in haha.

I'm dangerous on a utility/hunting 4 wheeler, never have more than 2 wheels on the ground. Might be the front 2, back 2, left 2, or right 2, but always on 2 wheels hahahahaha. That's one of the things I like about the k5, if it rolls all I gotta do is hold on and try to dodge the stuff flying in the cab haha.

Reminds me of the vehicle rollover simulators, the MRAP and humvee ones
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top