I’m tractor shopping for my new farm and really don’t know what size or brand I should get. There are John Deere, Kubota and Massey Ferguson dealerships nearby, so they’re our easiest options. We will mainly use the tractor for mowing (~20 acres of pasture), dragging the ring, spreading manure and moving round bales. Possibly some little chores around the house like bringing in firewood or mulching. We definitely want a cab on the tractor. Any suggestions or endorsements? One last question: do you use a finishing mower or bush hog to mow pastures?
I’m a fan of Green Paint. Not the cheapest option but very well engineered and good human factors design. If I were to look for THE deciding factor it would be the quality of the service department between the dealerships. In our area the Deere dealer is head and shoulders above the other two (Massey/Kubota and NewHolland/Mahindra). They are actually not bad, but just not as good. I’ve had personal dealings with all three and many of my neighbors agree.
For what you’re looking at I’d look in the 30-35 hp. range. You NEED a front end loader. Get one with a “quick connect/disconnect” system. A cab is REALLY nice. How big are the round bales you’ll be using? If you are in the 700 pound range you’re probably OK. Going much bigger might require a step up in size. For pasture mowing use a bushhog. You can use a mowing deck but they are MUCH more expensive. Get zero turn for doing your yard. If you can squeeze it in get a UTV for doing other chores. Kawasaki and Kubota come highly recommend in that type of machine. Again, they are not the cheapest options but are quality. In ag equipment quality doesn’t cost, it pays!!! 
Spend some time shopping and reviewing the capabilities of different machines.
Good luck at you go forward!
G.
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I have a 32 hp JD. For 80 acres I think you want something bigger, especially for moving round bales. Mine works but can get tippy moving, for example, buckets of rock. I think a 65 would do about all you need it to do.
don’t go too small on a tractor.
i have a bush hog and finishing mower. I use the finishing mower regularly and like its smaller footprint but for heavy mowing the bush hog is superior.
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How level is your property? If you have any hills, think about at least 50 hp and maybe 4wd. The last thing you want is a light modern tractor that doesn’t have quite enough oomph for the job, especially trying to mow tall grass or pull a trailer load of firewood in on slick ground. New tractors are nice if you have the money to spend but IMO you cannot go wrong with an older John Deere that has been reasonably well-maintained.
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I’m not a fan of the Green and have a Kubota and a New Holland. The NH is a 35HP with a FEL and easily handles 4x6 (approx 900 lbs) bales with either a rear or front spear. We have pretty steep hills as well. The foot print matters a lot. The tractor won’t work if you can’t fit it where it needs to go.
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Here most are in green country, have been for decades, since it is real farming country.
Because of that we also have real green dealerships with real shops to work on what they sell, something you may not have.
One advantage of green, they generally have the best resale value of any.
We have sold old JDs for several times what we paid for them, they were still working like new too.
I would look for a dealer that only handles one brand and in large volume, is where you should get the better service.
If you are talking bigger big bales, you need the horse power for that.
Read the specs of each tractor you are considering to figure how much it will lift.
Remember, at the end of pallet forks, which is what we use to move big bales, you will only have reasonable lift of about 1/2 of the hp at the drawbar, where hp is measured.
To lift easily and safely 1500 bales high enough to load in a trailer or feeder, you need a tractor rated about 3000 lift at the drawbar.
4 wheel drive today is an absolute plus on any tractor of any size any place.
One good way to decide on which brand and where to buy it is to watch what others around you with neat, clean places use and go talk to them.
They will know who is good in your area and who to stay away from.
Talk to several, any one may be like we are here, set on our brand and that is the one and only and where you are, it may not be.
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If you are buying new, interested in a John Deere, and a USEF member you might want to check into the discount they offer. I saved 25% on my 10 ft mower that way!
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18% on tractors, but it helps!
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It’s pretty level where the pastures are… there are some hills in the woods and hay fields, but I wouldn’t be using the tractor there too much.
Just be sure you have enough HP to do the jobs you need it for. Size is an issue, but newer tractors are more compact than the older ones. Get something big enough to handle a decent sized mower - you will spend a LOT of time mowing 20 acres of pasture with a mower that can be pulled by a 35 HP tractor.
Generally speaking, the older tractors are bigger and heavier, and can put “power to the ground” better, the newer ones are more compact but take more HP to handle the same work. We have a mid-80s JD 65 HP that we use to bale hay, local cattle guys say we’d need 80 HP for equivalent power in a newer model. It’s too big and bulky to use for dragging the arena, though.
The three brands of tractor you have mentioned are all good tractors. In fact, we own one of each LOL. If you are not buying new, then you could look at whatever is available of any of these brands that has enough horse power and has the features you need in a tractor. If you are buying new, the sticker shock will lay you out on the ground, seeing stars, unless you are very wealthy.
Our Kubota is a 32 horse. My husband refers to it as a “toy tractor”. But it is very suitable for a lot of things, tight turning radius, and economical to run. We bought it new about 25 years ago. It is “my” tractor, and I use it daily, and can do a number of things with it. Our round bales are not big, about 550 lbs, and it handles these no problem. I have a bucket on it, so I use a cargo strap to pick the bales up instead of a spike. It could probably pick up slightly heavier bales than this, but it would be more of a strain for it. I use it also for harrowing riding rings, and for raking hay, and for the small square baler, and for mowing pastures (we have a brush hog only). But it is too small for other work on the farm, and can not run the larger haying implements as she does not have back hydraulics, and is simply too small and light.
Our JD is OLD, probably about a 1976 model. She is known as “The Green Bastard from Parts Unknown”. We bought her privately for $18,000 with 12,000 hours on her, about 12 years ago. She is an 80 horse, open station (but hubby built a home made shelter on her). She does our irrigation (pulling the big guns around, and pulling the travelers out), she has back hydraulics that work the mower, and round baler. She came with a bale spike, and jaws. The hubby likes her because she is so easy to work on, no computers, no electronics, just purely mechanical. She has had her issues, but he has been able to fix everything himself, very cost efficient. She is long and large and heavy, has a wide turning radius, and is a smooth ride.
Our MF is our “new” tractor. Known as “Fergie”. She is a 90 horse, and has a cab, heater, air conditioning (necessary!) and a radio. Luxury!!! She does all the field work as well as the GB does, and has advantages. She has done all the snow ploughing this winter, the heated cab is a real plus for this. She is about 20 years old, and had 5000 hours showing on her (but we are not sure that this is correct). She was bought through a dealer for $28,000. She also has her issues, but the dealer has (so far) been helpful with this.
Whichever brand of tractor you find that is in your price range and in functional condition, don’t go too small, not enough horse power. 32 or 35 horse MINIMUM. But the bigger you go, the less economical to run and often the more room needed to turn around. For haying only, 2 wheel drive is fine. But for most other things, 4 wheel drive is a very good thing. All ours are 4 wheel drive.
Good luck with tractor shopping. We spent about 5 years waiting to find the third tractor available to buy. We were hoping for a similar type of JD, but found the MF instead. Gave up waiting! But now we see several JDs in the same dealers yard locally that might have done us OK.
Like real estate, the key is Dealer location, Dealer location, & Dealer location. If you’re in for the long haul, stay away from the lesser known brands. Every machine needs parts eventually. Orphan machines are cheap because parts are hard to get.
In my experience, between Deere, New Holland & Kubota… Deere has the best parts availability. While the dealer can get any part, E-bay, and after market for Deere is an economical source over the other brands.
I wouldn’t get anything under 45 hp. I have that with a 6’ bucket and 6’ woods mower (really nice heavy duty construction) 6’ box blade and auger attachment for 85 acres of river bottom land. Of course this is over 13 years of accumulation. I don’t know what I did before I bought my 4 wheeler and now I’m on the hunt for a side by side…Polaris Ranger 570 full size. If service will come to you to repair on site that’s a huge plus in my book and unless you have the utility trailer to haul it in will they come pick it up. Of course I wish I had a bat wing mower but it is what it is and it’s paid for.
It comes down to what your needs are and what you are going to attach to it. How much of the 80 acres are you going to have to mow on a regular bases?
A 8-10" foot mower is NOT going to make sure work of 80 acres. A quality “bat wing” mower that is 10+ feet wide is not going to be on the light weight side of things. I have a 16" foot JD Flex wing that I bought 16 years ago. Heavy duty and has stood the test of time, make short work of mowing. And is worth 75% of what I paid for it new in my neck of the woods. But a small 3 hp tractor of any make is not big enough.
I have a JD 5525, 4 WD 90 hp, “Utility” 75 at the PTO. Plenty of weight and breaking to handle just about anything on a horse farm. The FEL is rated at 4,500 lbs lifting.
It is still worth close to 60+% of the 2004 purchase price. Kubota makes a nice tractor for the price model. But they don’t come close to the reliability, resale value that a JD or a “Red” International have. Just go to farming country and see what farmers invest their money in.
I’m with gumtree. For 80 acres, I would say 60 horse is the minimum, especially if you want to mow large spaces. A 30-40 can barely run a 6’ deck. That also means DAYS of mowing to do 80 acres. It takes 1 day to do 10 of the 80 acres on the farm where I am, using a 6’ deck. A 50hp will handle 1500 pound bales, but you will need to weight the rear wheels. Anything smaller will struggle with bales bigger than 660 pounds.
Personally, I like skid steers for moving bales and leave the tractor to do other things. Skid steers have the lift capability along with the steering to move big bales in tight spaces, e.g. hay barn, load and unload from trailers.
I agree with the HP recommendation of 60. We have a 50 Hp New Holland for 14 acres and it is NOT too much tractor. We only pull a 6’ bush hog, pulling a 7’ through deep/tall/wet pasture is a strain for it.
I am VERY partial to John Deere green, and agree on the resale value. When we bought we were looking solely at used and the New Holland was the best deal we could find. But I also agree that the availability of someone to work on them is key.
Front end loader is a must and 60% of the usefulness of a tractor. 4 wheel drive is nice, and if your property is hilly, more than nice.
As far as the choice between John Deere, Kubota and Massey Ferguson, IMO, if you are new to tractors and farm work, the Kubota is the best choice - they drive like cars and are designed with suburban and hobby farmers in mind.
I’m only taking care of a fraction of the 80 acres you are but he’s what I know so far;
My Kubota;
63 HP (51 HP at the PTO shaft)
4WD (need it when the fields get wet)
Front end loader lifts 2500 lbs
Has a quick release bucket (means I can hook up to any attachment a skid steer can and it only takes seconds to unhook and rehook -drop, flip up the 2 handles, lower the front end frame back up, pull up to the next implement, raise the frame, lock the 2 handles down and I’m done)
Front end loader frame disconnects in under a minute and hooks up in a about 2 (I’m far from profficient at it)
I have one remote reversible hydraulic block (get 2 or have a second added)
I have large block wide turf tires on the back and Ag tires on the front so I don’t destroy my fields when it’s wet
I have a 7 foot Landpride finish mower
i have a front mounted hydraulic post hole digger (I’ll never use a 3 point one again!!!)
I’ve pulled a 6 foot no-til drill without really working the tractor
I have a cab on mine with heat and A/C (working in 0’F temps, the ridiculous winds, blowing snow, the rain and the heat is of no real concern - I stay comfortable)
I wouldn’t go with anything smaller
