Small(holding) Tractors

[camrhee]

Folks, we are potentialy moving from our current house to a ten acre small holding as current grass available for our geese is limited. The owners of the current property ask a nearby farmer to 'mow' the fileds that are not being grazed. We may not always be able to rely on the farmer to be able to cut the grass. Now i think a sit on lawn mower may be too small for the job but a tractor too big. If i remember you can get ver 'small' tractors for small holdings. Does anyone know what manufacturer or website i could find these smaller tractors on?

Many thanks

Cam

[RMS]

Kubota make some excellent little tractors, with all the features of a full size tractor. they hold there value very well and keep on going forever. early ones (back in the 70, 80's i think) did not have a water pump and suffer from sludge build up in the cooling system if not cleaned regularly. the other problem i have had with them is PTO gears shear if over stressed, but these are a five minute job to change and not dear to buy.

 

ebay or farm auto trader is a good place to start.

 

stay well clear of the cheap Chinese imitations, my experience is they fall apart and are far from reliable, plus parts are hard to get.

[N.O.S.]

For that size plot I'd be inclined to maybe look at a classic British tractor - if you can afford a nicely restored one they are wholly useable and will hold their value really well if not appreciate. Maybe a diesel grey Fergie or even 3 cyl Ford (4600?) or MF?.

 

Have a look at www.patrickedwardsmachinery.co.uk That will give you a good idea what is available. And yes he is in Oxfordshire, but from my experience he is very genuine and always comes to Cambridge Machinery Sales at Sutton so might deliver at 0/minimal cost. Good for new mounted / trailed mowers too.

 

Something more budget, try Atkin Farm Machinery at Dereham. Sorry don't know any good Cambs based dealers.

Edited September 27, 2011 by N.O.S.

[camrhee]

Thanks guys, shall start looking on your leads. Thanks for the pointers. On another note, so i dont sound too daft, whats the name of the 'grass cutter' it should tow. Is it a fancy name like agricultural meadow mowing machine or if i say grass cutter will they get my 'newbie' gist? :blush:

[N.O.S.]

Very basic machine is a pasture TOPPER - usually a linkage-mounted single blade machine, 4' and bigger. Therein lies the conundrum - what do you want to achieve, and how quickly?

 

They are also available as towed machines for tractors without 3 point linkage but more expensive - also available with engines but £££; Look at Wessex Groundcare site to 'gen up' a bit on what's available (look at prices too :wow:)

 

The more you spend the better the quality of cut - for example a VOTEX 3 blade mower with rollers will produce lovely 'finishing quality' grass if needed as well as cut the roughest of meadow. But at a high price.

 

So if the geese are not too bothered get a basic machine and do your smaller area of neater lawn with a garden mower. Generally the better the finish the higher the power input too.

 

Biggets problem is knowing how to trade off power of tractor / width of mower against time to do the job. If time is at a premium and you can afford it, go for a 5ft or 2m cut machine and size the tractor accordingly. If you can't afford it, just get what you can and enjoy the hours trundling up and down

Edited September 27, 2011 by N.O.S.

[barrynevuk]

The term for the small tractors is actually compact tractors.

I use two Kubota compacts at work-a golf club- and I rate them very highly. Most of the larger tractor manufacturers make a compact range, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, New Holland. They do vary on their type of build, for example JD have a vast aray of electronic controls on theirs, while NH tend to be heavily and strongly built. As said before I would also steer well clear of "cheap" imported compact tractors, I have heard many nightmare stories. The larger manufacturers will also offer a choise of transmission types as well, usually gears or hydrostatic. For very general mowing in larger areas a geared tractor would probably best suited.

As said before you will generally get what you pay for when it comes to a mower, our compacts are both 36hp and easily cope with a 6' finishing mower, a 3 spindle rotary mower which leaves a reasonable finish. Rollers will give you stripes, and a general topper is just that, used to just cut the top off grass/weeds without a particular good finish.

As to where to buy them from, start at local ag dealers as generally they do overlap to horticulture/turf equipment.

[snowtracdave]

It will be Cheffins Vintage sale at Suton in a couple of weeks time - it might be worth you going to have a look to see what is available and what sort of prices tractors are going for .

[private mw]

try looking at vintage tractors on ebay some very nice ones ,

[camrhee]

Thanks guys. Lots of info to go 'armed with' to a showroom tomorrow. The place we are looking at is near colchester but we are currently near cambridge, so i am going to look at a showroom in bourn (AJ&R Scambler and sons) just to get an idea. The prices of compact Tractors are sort of eye watering (i shall have to kiss goodbye to an APC from withams then) and the second hand ones dont seem much cheaper. You get below 5k and they start looking really rough, and thats without the price of the wam / topper for the back. The new ones seem to be too much all singing and dancing with levers for everything but missile launch. But then i will have to see what they offer.

The ground at the moment appears to be topped. I dont quite like how its fininshed, i dont mean that from an aesthetic point of view because its for grazing not croquet, but it seems a little to rough grazing. not so bad for a sheep but geese like it short and sweet. Im alright for time in the sense of cutting and will use a push mower for the house lawn. I did ask if i could just drag summit behind the landy, alas not possible.

Again many thanks guys.

Cam

[landyandy]

if its just for grass cutting why not go for an out front self propelled machine,you can pick them up for reasonable money and cover the ground quite quickly

Edited September 27, 2011 by landyandy

[Tony B]

Belarus! They do a nice copy of the old Massey Ferguson 35. Cheap reliable easy to fix, cheap to get parts and would do all you want plus more. The other point is why cut the grass yourself, when some one will pay you to cut it? Depending on the quality of pasture etc. look at letting it out for hay or haylage. You could also attract local bee keepers if it is old pasture with a lot of wild flowers. Any sheep near you? Even if you come to a bater deal say two carcasses per year. There are lots of ways of making something out of it.

[landyandy]

some thing like this

[Cornishbloke]

Try looking for a Fordson Dexta. This one on ebay has a topper available as well. Lovely little things

 

Item number: 260860679101

[Tony B]

Try looking for a Fordson Dexta. This one on ebay has a topper available as well. Lovely little things

 

Item number: 260860679101

Problem is classic tractors are getting as expensive as the new ones.

[ashley]

Hi

if your lucky you may find a set of small gang mowers which are driven by the land wheels usually in a set of five.

You may want to try a small concerne for a second hand machine, rather than a main dealer of give the local council aring ..you never know

 

As for the cutter there is a myriad of differnt type of cutter from the basic swipe (on 3 point linksge) to towed units

 

Ashley

 

 

 

 

Thanks guys. Lots of info to go 'armed with' to a showroom tomorrow. The place we are looking at is near colchester but we are currently near cambridge, so i am going to look at a showroom in bourn (AJ&R Scambler and sons) just to get an idea. The prices of compact Tractors are sort of eye watering (i shall have to kiss goodbye to an APC from withams then) and the second hand ones dont seem much cheaper. You get below 5k and they start looking really rough, and thats without the price of the wam / topper for the back. The new ones seem to be too much all singing and dancing with levers for everything but missile launch. But then i will have to see what they offer.The ground at the moment appears to be topped. I dont quite like how its fininshed, i dont mean that from an aesthetic point of view because its for grazing not croquet, but it seems a little to rough grazing. not so bad for a sheep but geese like it short and sweet. Im alright for time in the sense of cutting and will use a push mower for the house lawn. I did ask if i could just drag summit behind the landy, alas not possible.Again many thanks guys.Cam

[N.O.S.]

And don't forget a nice cheap Flemming 4 or 5ft linkage mounted transport box for when the mower is not needed

[Richard Farrant]

Problem is classic tractors are getting as expensive as the new ones.

 

Parts are plentiful though, for Massey 35 or 135, Fordson Dexta, and the like. Lots of parts suppliers and at really reasonable prices. I know what I would go for that is a 3 cylinder 35 or 135, and make sure the topper is not to big as it may overload the engine.

[Ed Batchelor]

I would spend around £1500 on a fordson major, preferably live drive (2 stage clutch) and depending on the size of the fields somewhere between a 6' and a 9' topper (eg votex 3 rotor) which second hand should be less than a grand. Doesnt need to be a super major (bit more pricey) power or late diesel major will do fine for your job.

Fordson will start whatever the weather, around 50hp and pretty much unbreakable. Tin work may not look pretty but main thing is to check no water in oil and that clutch works OK (especially when warmed up).

Ive got 7 majors of different vintages, still use them commercially for baling and rate them highly. They wont lose you any money either if you look after it. I can bale for 2 days on a tank of fuel (25litres a day).

Once you've got a small holding (10 acres is actually quite a lot of ground to cover) you'll find yourself chain harrowing, rolling etc and thats before you consider making a few hay bales too!

Plus there are now so many people like agriline etc remaking parts for these tractors the spares situation has never been better!

Just my 2 pennies worth.

If you want any more specific info on what to look for I know these tractors inside out just send me a PM.

 

Regards

Ed

[brianthesnail96]

I agree with what Ed says above- Fordson Major (or similar sized Nuffield- bit of personal bias there!). A friend owned and restored a Major and helped cover some of the costs by topping the occasional paddock etc. Did the job no trouble at all- this on a £2k tractor, not a £5k one with lots more to go wrong. Before the Major he had a Fergie TE20 with a Perkins P3 which was also a very capable machine for it's size, but the Major would do a lot more. The money saved over a modern compact tractor would get you a trailer, a decent topper, a link box and plenty of diesel- and it won't lose money either if you look after it.

 

And you can take it to steam rallies :nut:

 

 

Have also heard good things about Patrick Edwards- nice chap with a very nice Showman's engine!

[N.O.S.]

Think that's you pretty much sorted then - I had a really nice live drive Super Major but sold it when ran out of things for it to do - then got more land and an ex ministry MF20F loader tractor followed (which is basically an industrial version of the MF135? but with the most ridiculous hi/lo gearing - reverse is either snail or jaguar...). This runs a Votex 7ft mower just fine.

 

But give me a Fordson Major any day.....

[camrhee]

Thanks for all thadvice guys. I may have to go for a fordson yet. But its kind of like when i bought a landy. I like the series and you can still get parts but it was the early defender that in the end has turned out to be the most suitable. Not that im comparing them in tasks to a tractor.

 

The dealer today showed me a blue refurbed i think it was called an ISEKI. Korean or japanese I think. £3800. He like yourselves said to stay away from chinese. He said he did buy and sell some in the past once and never would again. There was a second hand john deere for £5500 or a brand new(now discontinued) JCB 323 for £8000. Obviously all prices add 20% vat (ouch).

 

He said for the plot of land and purpose i could get a topper, finishing mower with mulcher or a flail mower for the tractor to pull. Currently the farmer lets the grass grow longish, tops and then collects later for selling as haylage. But if i keep ontop of the cutting with a finishing mower then with the mulcher i dont need to collect the clippings and just let it be reabsorbed into the grass. Apparantly if im not using fertilisers thats the best way to let goodness get back as the old grass rots down without sweating or killing off the grass?

 

Apparantly so long as i dont ever take the tractor on the road, at all, and keep it only on the small holding (no popping over to nearby farms or verges etc) then i can run it on red diesel. The JD and JCB are hydrostatic i think and the ISEKI isnt. But as im not going to be creating manicured lawn then maybe an ISEKI is better?

[mike65]

Plenty of useful suggestions there. I do like old tractors. My uncle has a few but they are mainly "projects" and will probably remain that way for years to come.

 

You could do an update on this.

The joys of a PTO shaft why did they stop them

 

As somebody mentioned a trailed gang mower is always an option with a Landy at hand. Although they tend to be better on shorter "level" grass.

 

 

Mike

[N.O.S.]

I would spend around £1500 on a fordson major, preferably live drive .....

 

Regards

Ed

 

When I was looking to find one around 5 years back to replace the sold one (silly) I found myself caught up in MAJOR MANIA - the prices had suddenly gone telephone numbers, so I just gave up. Are they a bit more sensible now, Ed?

[ashley]

Note,

with mulching mowers (tricycling units, normally a retro fitted kit ) they are very good but they do require more precise cutting conditions to be truely effective and are better with rear discharge decks. sayig tha twe use ours(fitted on JD 740) no matter what the weather.

 

like most things you pay for what you get.

 

Ashley

[Ed Batchelor]

When I was looking to find one around 5 years back to replace the sold one (silly) I found myself caught up in MAJOR MANIA - the prices had suddenly gone telephone numbers, so I just gave up. Are they a bit more sensible now, Ed?

 

Like all things, when you want one they're either too expensive or wrong end of the country, if you're not after one they turn up for peanuts on your doorstep! Earlier this year I was offered a '58 live drive diesel major, £900 quid on the button. Used it this summer for baling and its not missed a beat except a dicky starter. Export market has dried up for these now so the market it pretty much driven by the collectors and the bottom end determined by scrap price.

Good clean original majors are still fetching good money (£12,000 is the highest I've seen which was for a standard super major) and the conversions (roadless, county, DOE etc ) obviously command a premium but if you look through any edition of tractor & machinery (or similar) it is possible to have your pick of several "usable" majors if you've got £1500 to spend. Much less than this and they're going to be on the tired side. Getting towards £2000 and you're in resprayed territory with a set of new chinese back tyres on. If you want properly restored (not just "flashed over") you're looking at 5-6k upwards I'd say but then would you want to use and abuse it ?