Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Help picking a tractor

You just don’t know you need one. You got grass in front of your house? Might entertain the thought of growing a vegetable someday? Own a pickup with a trailer hitch you could pull a tiny tractor on? Might want to till up a 20’x40’ spot to plant Bucks of Tecomate super clover mix for growing giant antlers on your carefully managed deer herd? Ever seen a stump or cane patch? Yep, you NEED a tractor.

This is a bit of a sneak peek into the Sham-man's future....get the biggun' Sha!

I'm not a farmer.

Yep. That's not how I want this to turn out. About a decade ago, there was a broohaha down at the farm when I wasn't there. The neighbor called me that night and told me the DEA had a helicopter land out in my pasture and a bunch of LEOs had swarmed the place looking for weed. I immediately called the sheriff. He laughed. No, my alcoholic neighbor had been running his tractor down in the bottoms and turned it over on himself. My pasture was about a half-mile from the scene, but it was the closest they'd been able to fly in AirCare for the extraction. It sounded like a major fuster-cluck, but the guy survived.

AirCare is free. The county pays for any AirCare to the local trauma units in Lexington and Cincinnati. Just over the line, about a mile to my west, the trip is not free-- about $10K per trip. It's a benefit I don't want to avail myself of.

The guy that does my hay has had two major OOPSs. One involved putting a rookie on the tractor unsupervised, and he darn near turned it over running it on one of my hillsides. The other time the back tire blew on one of his big tractors and I saw it on the security camera. It alllllllmost went over near the top of the hill. If it had, he'd have rolled 200 feet into the ravine with the baler attached.

Let's face it. I'm not a farmer. I'm 65 and I'm still weak from the Chemo. Tearing up a little level ground and putting in a food plot is about the most I want to work. Anything else, and I'm going to pass it over.

Okay, so let's put the tractor ideas aside for the moment. Let me ask y'all this: I've got rock along the margins of all my fields. Some patches are 50-100 yards long with big plates of fieldstone right at the fenceline. The fields are relatively flat, but the rocks are piled right at the margin of the downhill slope going into the woods with a 2-4 foot drop. They've been there for a hundred years or more. Is this worth harvesting? If so, how would y'all go about it? In the past, I just levered them out and threw them in the back of the pickup or dragged the bigger pieces out on a trailer. The most I've done is a couple of walkways and a small patio. The house project is going to require tons of the stuff.

Confucius say "Start with a quote for field stone delivered to site of build." Decide how much you want to spend "saving" money.

Shaman,

Remember when you overinflated the tire on your Cub Cadet and knocked yourself cold?

LOL

That’s God telling you to watch Netflix.

Holy hell that would be something to have happen.

Seen a few of those on the YT where big truck tires send the ol boy doin somersaults.

He was confused as fugk about it too.

LOL

Think he pumped 110psi into that bitch.

I'm a lead farmer mótherfugger!

I always wanted one. It's a very versatile size. I have an 1850 diesel.

kwg

I’d want 60” wheel width if I was intending to do any farm related usage. 30” rows are standard, no ‘hobby’ tractor for me.

Now let's not overplay the joke. No, I wasn't confused. When I woke up, I knew exactly what I'd done. It knocked my straw hat a good 15 yards-- further than you can throw it. The problem was I didn't have a tire gauge, and I was guessing. I have to admit that even I had to laugh after I got back to my senses. The second thing I did after I went into town and got a new tire mounted was to buy a new tire gauge.

five feet? Bull Schitt!

I have the 8N at 6 1/2 ft, and the bigger tractors are eight feet to outside edges.

Anything sub 100 hp, go kubota. You won't regret it

now we're getting good on here...


at one time somewhere I don't know if I can find it again there was some stats in these little Sub compact small tractors with loaders were responsible for more injuries than all add tractors combined..


biggest reasons people do not understand ballast and in those little tractors that is a very important factor..
the little things are too narrow. and many times have more hydraulics than lead their ass.
not to ruffle any feathers but another big factor is too many people buy these little tractors that don't have a clue what they're doing and they end up hurt...

You should find that thread.

It was gold.

Good point here. Had a 5105 JD that was cool also a 6115 that I baled with. Great tractors. Was in the market for a sub 50 hp. Looked at all the jds first and they ain't on the same planet as kubota.

I just don’t think you need a 70hp for ‘retirement piddling’

Maybe half that, maybe less. Definitely get a front end loader though.

Main point, don’t take tractor advice from people who’ve lived in a subdivision and sold life insurance for 35 years.

In my minimally knowledgeable opinion look for a tractor that does not have or use a diesel particulate filter. IIRC Mahindra does not use that set up but uses something a bit different and will not shut you down in the middle of a task...