[Mitch Patterson]

OK folks, here?s a question to all of you land owners?

We bought an 85 acre piece of land for dog training. What size/hp/make of tractor and bush hog type mower do you use??? I?m thinking of a 4-wheel drive, 50 PTO hp tractor to pull a 7 or 8 foot mower, also a front end loader.

What do you guys use/suggest and what price range am I looking at????

 

[Julie R.]

We're John Deere fans all the way here. We have a 2550 (80 hp) and an old 25HP. 50 HP should be fine with the 4wd but if you can afford it go bigger or your loader won't be able to do much. Get a 10-foot bush hog, will half your mowing time! Woods is IMO the best brand for the bush hog.

 

[Gerard Rozas]

A lot of depends on how clean the property is now and how much time you want to spend mowing.

Know some landowners that are always mowing - just something they like to do. If you keep up with it - a smaller tractor will do. If not - then you need heavier equipment.

We were using a 65 hp Ford with a 10 ft Rhino cutter and that was not enough tractor to pull it. Really heavy cover though. If we had cut more than once a year - say twice a year - the 65 hp could of handled it.

Put a 6 ft cutter on the Ford and it worked find.

I like Rhino - but I think all of them will breakdown, a lot!

 

[Julie R.]

Also...besides what Gerard said it depends on terrain too. If it's hilly you need more power, but I was thinking of Ill. as pancake flat!! We need every bit of our 80hp on our 30 ac. but it's hilly. We do not have 4wd though.

 

[Roger Perry]

I keep our training grounds trimmed with an old 4 cylinder Ford tractor and a 6" Rhino. A 10' would make mowing less time consuming. Use a Rhino or other heavy duty bush hog because they can chop through tree limbs without breaking. You sometimes never know what you are running over until it is too late when mowing in high grass.

 

[EdA]

OK folks, here?s a question to all of you land owners?

We bought an 85 acre piece of land for dog training. What size/hp/make of tractor and bush hog type mower do you use??? I?m thinking of a 4-wheel drive, 50 PTO hp tractor to pull a 7 or 8 foot mower, also a front end loader.

What do you guys use/suggest and what price range am I looking at????

:idea: Buy the largest tractor you can afford, then pair it with the largest Bush Hog that the horsepower will accomodate

If you go to 85 hp with 4 wheel drive you should be able to pull a 12 foot bat wing mower

you will find that with a 7 or 8 foot mower on 85 acres you will be spending all your weekends on the tractor rather than training dogs

(spoken from someone who started out mowing 40 acres with a 29 hp Kubota with a 5 foot Bush Hog)

 

[Mitch Patterson]

Even though the property is in Illinois, it is rather hilly/sloped. (If I could figure out how, I?d put a picture up) There?s also about 20 acres of woods (large trees) that we?ll mow next to but the property is currently in CRP and was corn/soy bean cropped for years prior to the CRP program. It?s mostly just TALL grasses with minor brush growths (less than 1? diameter). The bottom land around the ponds is where the 4-wheel drive will be needed the most (I think)?

I?m leaning towards a New Holland but a Deere dealer is only a few miles away. Seems like you pay extra for the Deere name for a comparable machine?

 

[EdA]

property is currently in CRP and was corn/soy bean cropped for years prior to the CRP program. It?s mostly just TALL grasses with minor brush growths (less than 1? diameter). The bottom land around the ponds is where the 4-wheel drive will be needed the most (I think)?

Mitch,

I'm certain that you've checked it out, but CRP programs are pretty strict about mowing. If you want to mow, you may have to get the land out of CRP or wait for the contract to expire.

and I would not, under any circumstances, own anything other than a 4 wheel drive tractor 8)

 

[Julie R.]

You may pay more for the JD initially but over its life (probably in first 2 years) you'll pay less in repairs. They take abuse a little better than NH or Ford and also have a much higher resale value than other brands--something to consider if you add to your acreage or find what you first get isn't big enough and you want to trade it in. Bear in mind for repairs if the JD place is closer, you'll also be able to get them done faster and cheaper. It's not cheap to haul those big ones around!

 

[Mitch Patterson]

property is currently in CRP and was corn/soy bean cropped for years prior to the CRP program. It?s mostly just TALL grasses with minor brush growths (less than 1? diameter). The bottom land around the ponds is where the 4-wheel drive will be needed the most (I think)?

Mitch,

I'm certain that you've checked it out, but CRP programs are pretty strict about mowing. If you want to mow, you may have to get the land out of CRP or wait for the contract to expire.

and I would not, under any circumstances, own anything other than a 4 wheel drive tractor 8)

Ed,

You'er exactly right about the CRP mowing rules... No mowing til August 1st... The CRP contract is set to retire with me.... :lol: :wink:

 

[Craig Bauer]

Pic's of the farm.

A couple pic's of Mitch's farm.

 

[Scott Galloway]

The JD is well worth the money. I have a 1932 and 1954. Both were purchased new by my Great Grandfather. Each are used on a regular basis, both have never been overhauled, and have spent there life on a 300 ac row crop farm. I would say that is money well spent...
Scott

 

[EdA]

The JD is well worth the money. I have a 1932 and 1954. Both were purchased new by my Great Grandfather. Each are used on a regular basis, both have never been overhauled, and have spent there life on a 300 ac row crop farm. I would say that is money well spent...
Scott

not wishing to start a tractor brand debate, but comparing the reliability of older model JDs and newer model JDs is comparing apples to oranges.

The compact JDs are Japanese (Yanmo I think) and the large JDs are not what they used to be

The very best small to medium tractor made is Kubota

and that's not just MHO 8)

 

[clipper]

I have a 65 hp Deere with a 7 ft bush hog mower.. i would not want any less hp than what I have... but then I am often mowing pretty tall stuff..
got my rig at a state auction where it was being retired by the state highway department.. has lasted me 20 years and still runs fine.. think i paid about $6k for the rig.. i mow through a lot of trees and the wider one just would not do for me..

 

[Canman]

Great looking piece of land!

The larger tractor will also give you a little flexibility for other tasks. You may want to keep some strips of cropland. The larger tractor will allow you to harrow and plant these areas.

The best attachment for the money was a Valby chipper. It is run off the PTO and makes quick work of trees, branches, and vines. You will always be doing alot of tree trimming!

 

[Steve Amrein]

One ? I am wondering do you live there or just go on weekends. I you live ther it does not matter if it takes 20+ hours to mow. I was training and asked how long to mow. 30 acres= all day. Thats with a big tractor with at least a 12' cut. I am from the tim the tool man school of more power as well. All 3 places I train have 2 tractors 1 to mow and 1 with front loader and box blade. Thats my 2 cents

 

[Sun Devil]

Tractor Needs

Mitch:
You may want to purchase a sickle mower if you need to cut around some ponds. That way you can get the weeds around the edges and not have to worry about sliding into the water. They are old school and can often be picked up at old farm auctions.

Good Luck
Erik Gawthorpe

 

[Noah]

Mitch

I have a 38hp 4wd with 5 ft bush hog and it takes me an average of 1/2 hour per acre on similar terrain.

I would go double that!!!! :lol:

 

[Thomas D]

I have a JD mainly because the dealer is close, has a good service department and gave me a good deal. The service at the dealership will make a big difference.

4WD is the only way to go.

Make sure you get all the attachments you need and quick hitch of some type to save you time changing.

Lastly, be safe. Mowing up and down hills and next to ponds and lakes are some of the most dangerous things you can do. Observe the pucker rule.

 

[ejstruan]

Mitch-

You might check out www.tractorpoint.com.

There are some real Tractorheads there and they'll take time to give you a straight answer whether you like green, blue, or orange ones.

With a loader, 4WD is a must. The weight of a loaded bucket will take a good bit of the weight off the rear wheels and your traction with it.

Another good site is www.machinerylink.com. This site is a "blue book" of used tractor values.

Eric