# do I need a tractor?



## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

K. I want one, but I think I don't need one. 10 acres. 6ish cultivated or in pasture. 4 in woodlot. I'm thinking a tiller and a riding mower will do it. I am hoping I am wrong. L! Do I need a tractor?


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## Wags (Jun 2, 2002)

The bigger question is can you find a used one you can afford? If so, then go for it. We had a tractor for awhile, but didn't use it enough to justify keeping it with just 5 acres - but there are I times I really miss having it.


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## salmonslayer (Jan 4, 2009)

We have 13 acres and find we need a tractor...we now have three. Depending on where you live you could probably get by pretty cheaply just by hiring someone to come and do your tractor work when needed but we really enjoy having one.

They take maintenance whether new or used but I cant imagine living rural like we do and trying to maintain our place without a tractor. Lots of folks do it but its not something we are interested in at our age.


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## davel745 (Feb 2, 2009)

everyone needs a tractor


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## Oakshire_Farm (Dec 4, 2008)

We have just over 6 acres and we NEED our 90 hp tractor! We do lease another 80+ acres that we cut hay on. But for little jobs like putting out round bales, a tractor with a loader is a MUST have! If you have animals, I think a tractor is a must.


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## Lizza (Nov 30, 2005)

For home we replaced our front loader with a 4-wheeler (Polaris Sportsman 750) with racks and a trailer. 

That said, we are shopping Excavators right now . We have a construction business though. We also are looking at Bobcat's and we hit a few auctions to see if we can find one cheap'ish.


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## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

Depends what you do and what your situation is. We have 6 acres, most of it field - which we're convering to fruit orchard - so that needs to be mowed 2-3 times / year. 40x40 foot vegetable plot, and we need to clear snow all winter. BUT (big but) we have no barn / shed / outbuilding. So we invested in a BCS walking tractor with mower, tiller, and snowblower attachments. Fits in our garage, small enough for me to run the mower and the blower (I can't handle the rototiller - DH does the garden in the spring). Perfect for us, but not cheap. If you have space for a tractor, you can probably find one cheap, depending on your area.


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## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

of course you need a tractor, but do you want a tractor??


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## Forestdude (Jun 9, 2012)

The only thing better than owning a tractor is having a friend with one:happy2: Iâve got 50 acres mostly all wooded except for some wildlife food plots, and Iâve fought a mental battle for a few years as to buying a tractor for myself. For the most part, a tractor wonât do anything you canât do with a riding mower, a 4x4 truck, a shovel, a wheelbarrow, chainsaw, hoe, machete, etc., etc., etc., and A LOT of elbow grease and motivationâ¦Butâ¦a tractor will do everything in a small fraction of time. I agree that anyone with even a small parcel of land could use a tractor, but it is an expense. I have talked myself out of it until I can easily afford one. I donât have a need for a tractor on a day to day basis, as many people donât either.

Just an idea, this is what I do. Make a list of all the things youâd like to do with a tractor, and then hire someone who has one or go rent one and get those things done. Itâll save you money and still get those projects done. Now if you can afford a tractor, well then, why not buy one :happy2:


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

We have a lot more than just 10 acres, and we have 3 tractors and a skid steer. The skid steer is used a LOT MORE than any of the tractors. I load hay with it, unload hay, set out big bales (it will carry a 2000 lb bale), build fence, etc. I have a tree saw, grapple bucket, post hole auger, etc.... 

Like I said, it gets a lot more use than a tractor. It's a Case 75XT.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

U likely needed a tractor the mionute you left town. U just didnt know it. Dont know how many things you would have got done by now if you had bought one when you first came to the country. Course, Now your some smarter, and have a better idea of what you need in a tractor, and what you need it to do. I have 3. Couldnt get near as much done withlut ALL of them. That on soon to be 7 acres. I HOPE


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

How would you use it? We've got 27 acres. Ten of that is in hay. A neighbor does that on shares. We purchased the previous owner's tractor when we got this place. It's really nice to have and it makes life easier for my hubby but I don't know that we absolutely need it. I like having it. It has a tiller but we only used that once. I use a regular tiller. DH mows the flat pasture with the tractor. He's only used it once this year. We can move heavy things in the bucket. Our tractor (Ford 720 with a front loader) is diesel has a three point hitch with power take off. It's basically a big tractor in a small/medium size. It came with a bucket, disc, tiller, a big mower, and a box scraper. We've never used the scraper and have used the disc and tiller once or twice. Implements are expensive. 

How much ground will you till and do you have an extra 10K laying around for a used tractor?


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## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

Do you want to keep your whole place up or just play in the yard. If you want more than just a yard and small veg garden, then you don't need a tractor. If you want or expect to do more, you need a tractor.

Personally on ten acres mainly in pasture I'd go with a skid steer, but it kind of is determined on your bent on things. If you do no haying, then a skid steer is much more useful on a small acreage, IMO.

Jennifer


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## Work horse (Apr 7, 2012)

We decided to go with an atv. We have a dump cart for it and a pull-behind swisher mower. We will be getting a snow plow for it this winter. And when tthe work is done we can go out to play with it.


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## 1sttimemom (Mar 1, 2005)

We have 14 acres. About 10 is pasture. We had a really old tractor we'd bought cheap. Had to constantly tinker with it. It finally crapped out on us and was going to cost more to fix than was worth. We sold it to a tractor scap parts place. We couldn't afford to replace it but we did buy a good sized riding mower. We have a little dump cart & snow plow for it. I do think the tractor was great when we used the loader to lift heavy big bales of hay and such. Now we have to open and fork them out or drag them with our pick-up for feeding. Not great but gets the job done. We usually have a local farmer deliver the hay ans stack at our place so that helps too. We also miss it for corral scraping but we can do it by hand (lot of work) or we've rented a small tractor from the rental yard and did a bunch or projects at one over the weekend. Not terrible expensive. So you can get by without a tractor but they sure make farm chores easier!


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## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

We've only got ten acres but I don't know what I'd do without my little Ingersoll tractor! Got a tiller, woodsplitter, chipper/shredder for it, and some clamp on forks for the bucket. Man, those alone make it worth it to me. Not much help around here when something heavy needs to be moved.

Just wish I could find a mower and snowblower for it.


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## Plowpoint (May 2, 2012)

As farmers we have a name for those with small acreages and tractors, we call them Kubota Farmers. Sometimes it is a name of endearment, but for some homesteaders...well we just shake our heads. 80 hp tractors on 4 acres...LOL

Myself, I have never been without a tractor, so I do not know what it is like to be without one. I will say though I get by on my 25 hp Kubota and I have hundreds acres.

For my sheep and logging, I get by with my little Kubota. It gets everything done I need too. If I need to do a big project, I typically rent the equipment. For hard to get to areas of my woodlot, I have rented skidders and bulldozers, and for the land clearing project I have got going now, I am renting my equipment of bulldozers and excavators. I do that very cautiously. It is funny because I can cut a load of wood with my little tractor in 2 days and burn 10 gallons doing it, ($30) versus renting a skidder and getting a load of wood out in a day, and burning 60 gallons of fuel to do it ($210). As long as I am close to my logging yard, and have a short twitch, at the end of the day my little tractor is more profitable then using a big skidder,

For the big field work I just get some big equipment off the big dairy farm we have in the family. Someday I would like to put up my own feed for my sheep, but it is hard to justify the equipment purchases when it takes about 10 minutes worth of time to cut all the feed I need for my sheep in a year by using the family combine. The same can be said for the field work. Yeah I can use a 8 foot harrow to level up my new 10 acre field I am clearing, but my little tractor would burn up 30 gallons of fuel to do it. On the other hand, the dairy farms 400 hp tractor towing its 45 feet disc harrow can do the job in 20 minutes and burn 10 gallons of fuel doing it.

That is a long way of saying, tractors are invaluable to any farm; small or large, but you got to match the tractor to the job. There is that whole thing about drawbar pull, but that is another whole thread entirely, so in the interest of brevity I will just say, *the real question is not whether you need a tractor or not, but how to get the jobs done around the farm in the most timely, economical of ways?*

Kubota Versus New Holland | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

Yes you need more than one. I have 5 and a backhoe on 10 acres and that is not enough.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

I never particularly wanted a tractor.
We had to put in a water line and it was almost as expensive to buy a tractor with backhoe and bucket loader as to hire someone to do the work.
I bought a tractor and did the job myself.
Now I have a free tractor. What a deal!

Now that I have a tractor it has allowed me to do many things I never would have attempted or would have had to hire done. I'm now glad I have a tractor.

There are annual costs, beyond the fuel. Insurance, maintenance, major repairs every few years, etc. It is worth it.

I found that buying a brand new tractor was not much more expensive than buying a used tractor.
With a new tractor I got a warrantee and 0% financing which made it affordable once I had the down payment in hand. This made it very doable. Realize that 0% financing is actually 0%-inflation so it is really negative % financing. That's much better than letting your money sit in the bank where you get 0% interest on it.

The other reason I bought new was I did not feel confident in my ability to buy a used one and know that I wasn't getting a lemon. Having the warrantee paid off even with the new tractor.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
Read about our on-farm butcher shop project:
ButcherShop | Sugar Mountain Farm


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

If you have livestock, even a small tractor can be a big help. We use the front loader and brush hog a lot.
But if you just have a small garden, then an ATV should work ok.


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Do you need a shirt pocket?


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## Guest (Jun 17, 2012)

Yes , you need a tractor & it just so happens I have two & am thinking about selling either one or both . I have a Ford compact tractor that is 4x4 & a larger Ford 800 tractor . 
If you have any acreage you will find numerous uses for a tractor .


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

WV Hillbilly said:


> Yes , you need a tractor & it just so happens I have two & am thinking about selling either one or both . I have a Ford compact tractor that is 4x4 & a larger Ford 800 tractor .
> If you have any acreage you will find numerous uses for a tractor .


=D I am guessing I am 1500 miles or so from wv, so I probably won't be your buyer. Good luck selling them tho-! =0) 

Cindyc.


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

IMHO, EVERY woman needs a tractor. But then, that's me


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Our first place was fairly small and we were a lot younger then. Small Orchard, garden, raised small sheep, heritage Ducks, chickens....
And I got along with my miniature mare Maggie, she did scaled down draft work for me, anything from hauling things, dragging logs, bags of shavings and so on. Though we made sure not to over load her. She loved it and as I said we were young.

So you are one up on us with an ATV. Nothing wrong with starting out with that. ;O)'s

Next place... 14+ acres and even with riding lawn tractor and a dump trailer, we were starting to struggle. Were a little older and with a combo woodland, hay field, animal fields and wanting a garden.... We just couldn't keep up.
DH father passed away and we managed to get the 1978 allis chalmers and implements. We had to special order parts to get it working but they were cheap. Was like the light was open at the end of the tunnel for us! Even though it was so old and manual every thing... only DH could drive, it helped us so much getting chores done. We used it a lot more than we thought it would.
Then the horrible thing happened... in 08... DH with millions of others were laid off. We managed to hold off for almost 2 years before we had to sell it to keep going. Right after of course DH found a job. After the tractor was gone there was no way to keep doing most of the chores.

Now where we are in VA... this place is almost double in size, half young woods, couple of fields for the animals and lots of brush hogging and manure to move around. Though I wish we had to foresight to get a bigger bucket(front loader)!!! There is no way we could do without a tractor in this stage of our lives. And this one, we made sure my gimpy body could drive and handle.
We are hurting because the lack of implements, but we hope to get those in time. (and around here anyway... finding what I am looking for used, on craigslist and so on... is nearly impossible)

Just depends on what one is doing, age and all that. 
If I was young again, would be happy to work with mini's or even full sized horse's to do farm work with.


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## BethW (May 3, 2007)

Yes, you need a tractor. And it needs to come with a front-end loader.

We just added a FEL to our tractor and are floored by how useful it is. It saves time and money.


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

I've got 15 acres...and no tractor. I get by without one, but I wish I had one, at times.


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

We have 35 acres that we are going to build on and 3 that we currently live on. I love that we have tractors and a variety of accessories. We have an old IH, a not so old Kubota, and a real old, parade going Allis (she can still work but DH just likes to let her sit in the barn). The tractors are great helpers, time and back savers, and I would hate to be without one.
I'd love to have a bobcat with one of those wood cutter attachments.


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

k. you have convinced me. I need a tractor, or a skid loader. =D

YEA! but... now i have to learn about them, and figure out which kind I need. hmmm.... I won't be buying a new one. I don't really buy anything on credit except housing, and that we plan to pay off as quickly as possible. 

Next question, which I guess I have to start another thread for: What to get first if you have to choose: Farm truck, or tractor.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

cindy-e said:


> k. you have convinced me. I need a tractor, or a skid loader. =D
> 
> YEA! but... now i have to learn about them, and figure out which kind I need. hmmm.... I won't be buying a new one. I don't really buy anything on credit except housing, and that we plan to pay off as quickly as possible.
> 
> Next question, which I guess I have to start another thread for: What to get first if you have to choose: Farm truck, or tractor.


No need to choose... I happen to have a tractor... just the perfect size for your place.... and a farm truck,,, that I can sell you for less than most folks would charge you for just the tractor!!


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Yvonne's hubby said:


> No need to choose... I happen to have a tractor... just the perfect size for your place.... and a farm truck,,, that I can sell you for less than most folks would charge you for just the tractor!!


Does that include the price of getting them both back to the west coast? Probably not. L! Good luck finding a local buyer, tho!

Cindyc.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

cindy-e said:


> Does that include the price of getting them both back to the west coast? Probably not. L! Good luck finding a local buyer, tho!
> 
> Cindyc.


Well, now,,,, the west coast is a pretty good haul from Ky (2100 miles to the eastern edge of Oregon) but depending on how one goes at it transportation could be pretty cheap but somewhat time consuming. The tractor (ferguson to30) gets really good milage... and you could tow the truck with it... but at 6 miles per hour... maybe less when you hit the mountains... it might take a while.


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