size of tractor for vegetable production.

dk_40207 · #1 09/27/08, 10:07 AM

560 GAS IH Farmall High Crop 63 HP Front Loader, Quick Hitch, Grader Blade, 3pt Hitch, Legs for Quick Hitch. $5,000. I have been looking intro tractors for vegetable production and having a hard time with function, size, and prices. The tractor will be used for roughly 10 acres of vegetables. With possilbly more in the future. Any advise would help or would it be better to look into something different?

Derek

wwubben · #2 09/27/08, 11:18 AM

That tractor would work very well.You may have to put a three-point attachment on the two point to accept some implements but that is a minor thing.

Beeman · #3 09/27/08, 11:33 AM

What exactly do you plan on using the tractor for and what vegetables? I'm guessing you're talking about plowing and possibly cultivating. I'm sure that tractor would do both but gas tractors use a lot of gas to get the same job done.

**highlands** · #4 09/27/08, 12:26 PM

We have a 2001 John Deere JD4700 which is 48HP with front end bucket loader and backhoe. It is as small as I would want - anything smaller would not have the power to do things we do. But it is also as big as I want - anything bigger would not maneuver as tightly. For us it is the right compromise.

Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org

Windy in Kansas · #5 09/27/08, 12:43 PM

It should be just fine in my opinion depending upon your operation and other equipment.

Will you be using some kind of a rotary tiller or spading machine? Will the tractor move slowly enough to correctly perform that operation.

Will your tractor turn sharply enough at the end of rows to provide small enough aisles so that great land waste does not occur. Probably not a concern if you have 10 acres.

Some years back I attended the California Farm Equipment Show to specifically look for vegetable production equipment. Of most interest to me were precision planters. Here is a link to some photos and others which you might enjoy.
http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t...albumview=grid

mommagoose_99 · #6 09/27/08, 12:55 PM

We have a tiny Ford Dexta that works perfectly for us on 14 acres. I think it is 35 HP . It pulls our Howard rototiller and our plastic layer. Works well with two bottom plow cultivator and drags. The key is that we can slow the tractor down sufficiently to lay the plastic with the plastic layer. I love my tractor

LInda

sammyd · #7 09/27/08, 01:03 PM

A 560 gasser will eat you out of house and home.
IH 6 cyl gas engines are notorious gas guzzlers.
A diesel would be easier on the budget even with the higher cost of the fuel.
I use a Leyland 270 that sips the fuel. My neighbor used over 100 dollars of gas in his IH 756 gasser (same 6cyl motor as the 560 basically) just to cut and rake 5 acres of hay. I put 5 gal of diesel in the 270 and plowed and disced 3 times my little 3 acre corn patch.

-TWO- · #8 09/27/08, 01:14 PM

A 560 is alot of tractor for a 10 ac. garden. You might consider a farmall cub. They were designed specifically for small market gardens under 40 acres. I used to own one & can say they're a very good little tractor, very well built. $5000 would cover the cost of one with every attachment ever made for them with some $ left over I would think.

Gary in ohio · #9 09/27/08, 01:58 PM

A good handle of what attachments you plan on using would be nice. For 10 acres a it seems a bit large. Also is it the piviot front wheel or wide front end?
Is the loader a true loader power up/down or just a dump loader? Most loaders for this size tractor generally dont come off so your stuck with it when trying to plow you need to watch up front in your turns. Seems a bit big for what is most likley a tight plot.

FarmboyBill · #10 09/27/08, 02:59 PM

Cubs are fine when they work. A pain if your not a machanic and they go down. Also, Im not crazy about mounting the plow, and other undermounted equipment. If I ever get the chance,Id like to try a Allis B or C. I have a 48Cub with Belly Mower, and a spring tooth rear mount cultivator for it

fantasymaker · #11 09/27/08, 03:51 PM

While the 560 is a fine tractor but it is by no means a vegetable tractor.Its also a 40+ year old tractor. Do you want to have to rely on industrially used machinery that old?
You should take a look at the threads that veggiegrower has posted on for some great advice on the subject. Let me give ya a start with this one.
http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=167657

10 acres of veggie production is a lot and Id say by the time you work up to that you should have a idea of what works for you.

seedspreader · #12 09/27/08, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammyd

A 560 gasser will eat you out of house and home.
IH 6 cyl gas engines are notorious gas guzzlers.
A diesel would be easier on the budget even with the higher cost of the fuel.
I use a Leyland 270 that sips the fuel. My neighbor used over 100 dollars of gas in his IH 756 gasser (same 6cyl motor as the 560 basically) just to cut and rake 5 acres of hay. I put 5 gal of diesel in the 270 and plowed and disced 3 times my little 3 acre corn patch.

You beat me to it, DON'T buy a gas tractor, unless it's just an old tractor that's cheap to begin with and you like it for it's own sake.

I can tell you that you will think it's MAGIC how much work you can get done for a gallon of diesel.

I couldn't believe, when we first got our Massey Ferguson with the perkins diesel at my Mom and Dad's how much it ran and did. It was 2 or 3 months of med duty work before we fueled it up again.

On the other hand, I was cutting the back field at the church with their restored 8N and had to fill it up twice to cut about 8 acres of brush and to pull the trailer, etc.

I can't imagine what a 65 HP tractor would do to Gas.

**Ross** · #13 09/27/08, 05:03 PM

I bought a gas Ford 3000 which is a nice little utility tractor. The next thing is to get a diesel engine into it ASAP. So far it's only cost me $2500 the rebuilt diesel will be under 2k making a cheap useful tractor. Don't buy a gasser!! Sizing a tractor for veggie production will depend on your methods! What might be more important is the transmission. Neighbor had a nice 30 hp Hesston he traded for a new IH with a hydro tranny so he can set the speed exactly! It's important so they can use their mechincal weeder. They also have an older potato digger which anything more than 30hp would destroy. It runs a nice little 4 foot tiller and a small row cultivator and isn't too big to make the turns at the end of the rows. I know another commercial grower who has machines and fields that start at 50 hp and go up over 100hp.

seedspreader · #14 09/27/08, 05:57 PM

Ross brings up a good point. It may be cheaper to hire out the initial plowing/discing if the land is raw and then a smaller tractor to maintain it.

Stephen in SOKY · #15 09/27/08, 07:17 PM

Since I was part of the thread Fantasymaker linked & the fact I've done this kind of thing for 40 yrs I'll throw my 2 cents in. 62 HP is far more than you'll need. I'm not entirely sold on high crop tractors, & I was a serious tobacco farmer. The implements for high crops are too specialized & dificult to find. Neither would I undertake your operation with only my AC G. I've used MANY one row tractors & nothing cultivates as easily as a G. But, they're only good for precision work, not ground prep. I have a JD 2240 with swept back axle I bought new in 1980 for prep work & some cultivation. Diesel, 50 hp at the drawbar. Any more HP for 10 acres would in my estimation be wasted. Like others have advised, I'd not consider gas a viable option, but that's just me. I think slow gearing, or adequate torque to overcome high gearing at low engine RPM would be the most important consideration if you're looking at a 1 tractor operation. If you're set on a high crop, buy every high crop implement they've got. Otherwise you'll wind up using an ungainly tractor that's more collector than user with regular implements allowing you no more usable clearance than a row crop or utility tractor would provide.

oldmanriver · #16 09/27/08, 07:24 PM

Find am old 4000 ford diesel just what you need

tomstractormag · #17 09/28/08, 03:11 AM

I have a little over 10 acres to farm. Mixed small grains, corn, beans (edible), pumpkins and some veggies. My BIGGEST tractor is an Allis Chalmers 620, then a JD 400. I do
have others that are more job specific
(to cultivate, etc).
Having to not work a lot of ground at once negates the need to have a large farm tractor (besides why do you think they are called >>>GARDEN Tractors<<< anyway?)
I am repowering these 2 this winter with ohv VTwins replacing the old flatties. The newer engines are much better on gas and have more power. I have also been collecting parts and pieces to build a garden tractor size combine to harvest my grains.
My farm land is a small distance from home and its easy to trailer smaller stuff.
Tom

Thoughthound · #18 09/28/08, 08:52 AM

I am a market gardener with a Farmall 400.

It is a good tractor for the money I spent.

First off, I'd say what kind of soil you have is a major factor. If you have clay or clay loam, you might want to consider something smaller.

With the amount of rain in the midwest, getting out to do tractor work on clay soil can be tricky. It is possible with corn and soybeans, but with veggies you are out there all the time. If your soil is heavy and you get an inch of rain a week, you may not be able to get your tractor in the field without compaction. If you have clay you want a light machine with low psi in the tires and possibly a wider footprint. Maybe even a big ATV would be better, although implements for ATVs are expensive.

If drainage/soil conditions are not really an issue, then any older Farmall will do. I don't use my tractor more than a few times a month, so I'm not so concerned about fuel though.

If it has a narrow front, be very careful with a front end loader. Turning with weight in an FEL dramatically changes the center of gravity and a narrow front will tip easily. Many people have been killed this way.

Also, if you have clay soil, matching implements to HP is very important. It takes a lot of power to pull a 3-bottom plow through clay loam. 50hp is probably the absolute minimum.

As for me, I only do about three acres of veggies--which is a lot of work for one person. I use a big walk behind tractor for a lot of things.

PyroDon · #19 09/28/08, 09:14 AM

for ten acres a 2 bottom tractor would be plenty .
For a market garden its hard to beat an old Allis chalmers G (the funny looking little tractor with the engine in the back) theres a company today that is making a similar designed tractor .
The Gs at one time had every attachment you could imagine even a tiny 40" wide combine for harvesting grain .

a very popular tractor for small farms is the 8N ford .
given the choice today Id likely go with a 35-40 hp manhindra ? 4wd

Ive got a AC WD for 40 acres and while it takes a little longer it gets the job done .

Gary in ohio · #20 09/28/08, 09:29 AM

Your task see better suited for a compact tractor in the 25-30hp range.