Tractor - need a small machine for minimum use

lanod2407

I'm just getting started with a small-holding in Limerick, and believe I'll need to get some form of small tractor to get things done. Anyone recommend a suitable machine and possible places to look to buy one?
What price range am I looking at?

Need for: trailer pulling, spreading fertiliser, topping grass, general pullin' & draggin', etc, ......

reilig

lanod2407 wrote: »

I'm just getting started with a small-holding in Limerick, and believe I'll need to get some form of small tractor to get things done. Anyone recommend a suitable machine and possible places to look to buy one?
What price range am I looking at?

Need for: trailer pulling, spreading fertiliser, topping grass, general pullin' & draggin', etc, ......

It depends on how much you want to spend? What you will be pulling and dragging, what size is your fertilizer spreader and how big is your topper.

You could buy anything from 40 horse power to 100 horse power to do all of these and spend from €2000 to €50000.

Do you want a second hand old and reliable MF 165 for €2000 or a new 100hp John Deere for €50000?

Give me some guidelines?

lanod2407

Reilig, thanks for the reply - I'm starting to work just 18 acres, so the reliable Massey 165 would fit the bill, and it'll need to be low cost also ..... not much more than a hobby and not much in the way of real income!!!

Any leads on where to get one, or how to go about checking it out?

Horace

A ford 4000 or a a 4600 would do your job nicely check the Buy&Sell you should find one there in off farm condition there not a lot goes wrong with then if something does they are easy to repair and parts are cheap

snowman707

lanod2407 wrote: »

I'm just getting started with a small-holding in Limerick, and believe I'll need to get some form of small tractor to get things done. Anyone recommend a suitable machine and possible places to look to buy one?
What price range am I looking at?

Need for: trailer pulling, spreading fertiliser, topping grass, general pullin' & draggin', etc, ......

Have a look in Abbey Machinery Nenagh or Tim Gleesons Nenagh ,I think from another post that you are in this general region.

If you havn't found anything in 5/6 weeks time pm me here as I have an International (beautiful machine any trial ) which would suit you , but will need it for a little time yet

JohnBoy

my one bit of advice, if you have the cash to come up the years slightly would be to get something that meets the Q cab regulations.

basically in 1976 regulations were introduced in the UK on tractor cab noise levels, and they made tractors much much nicer places to be/work in

something to consider, but would probably be taking your spend closer to five grand.

for what you're looking at with that budget I'd agree with horace's suggestion of a ford 4000, i'd even say to focus on those rather than the 4600. tinwork is more readily available for them should you decide to buy a fixer upper. mechanically they're pretty much identical.

reilig

Horace wrote: »

A ford 4000 or a a 4600 would do your job nicely check the Buy&Sell you should find one there in off farm condition there not a lot goes wrong with then if something does they are easy to repair and parts are cheap

I would agree with Horace,

You can't go too far wrong with a Ford or a MF in around 50 to 60 horse power. Machines like these from the 70's go forever and give very little problems - but stay away from the Massey 5 series - 565's, 575's, 590's etc. Some of the 2 series from the mid 80's have a rust problem also. We bought a MF 165 8 years ago for £2000 and sold it on this year for €6000 - these type of tractors are in demand, so will always increase in price. Bargains can be found on teh Buy and Sell, but make sure you brong someone with you that knows about engines to make sure she's fireing on all cylinders and that the hydraulics are good.

Happy Shopping

Daniel

JohnBoy

if you fancy a project I have a ford 2600 in need of a clutch and some tinwork.

spot on otherwise, good engine, steering, brakes, hydraulics.

have a loader too. send me a pm if you're interested.

mighnt be big enough for your needs but at 18 acres it will probably be more than enough too. cheap if you can swing a spanner

johnstu77v

a ford 7610 2wd perfect cond all il say is spend a few quit more cos ul b drivin it and its often better 2 get something over its job belive me ive been where u r now

il gatto

I'd avoid MF's at the moment. Don't get me wrong. They're fantastic tractors, but they seem to be fetching a huge premium now. For example, there's alot of 135's resored and getting €6,000+. That's fine if you want to go to vintage shows, but not money well spent work wise. The knock on seems to be that because 35's, 135's and 65's etc. are now classics, people are assuming 240's, 290's etc. are also classics.
If you intent to use a topper (McHale, Belmac, Major etc), bear in mond they're heavy and alot of the gear drive, single arm ones are heavy work on a tractor's engine. A rotary or finger bar would be fine.
You could pick up a clean Ford 4000 or 165 for €4,000ish. On the other hand, you can pick up a Renault, International, Case, Ford 10 Series etc. for €4,000-€6,000. You'd get a safe, warm, dry cab, 80-100hp, 4WD and more hydraulics. Not to mention better lights.
I'm looking after 30 acres for my fiance's family as her father died last year and her brother works in London. We only have 6-7 acres at home. We used to have 130 acres. On their farm there's a 35x and a 65 which they intend to keep for sentimental reasons. When you only get 2-3 evening a week, it's hard to get everything done, so I'm suggesting to them we go halves on something like I've mentioned for next year. It's up to you, but I know where my money would be going.

marlyman

do not buy a ford of the era the guys here are talking about . the block is notorious for being porous. even if the liners have been redone and the block has been bored. any its crazy money to repair this common problem.

il gatto

marlyman wrote: »

do not buy a ford of the era the guys here are talking about . the block is notorious for being porous. even if the liners have been redone and the block has been bored. any its crazy money to repair this common problem.

The 4000's or the 10 series? I know a couple of people with 4600s where the block went, but I haven't heard it's a recurring problem with the 6610s, 7610s etc.

massey woman

Ford 5000 great reliable tractor with power steering and good hydraulics and reasonable cab
Handy money
Otherwise buy a quad and small trailer
Get to know your neighbours and share
Little financial reward for the ongoing costs of depreciation,maintenance and repair plus a shed to store the tractor and machinery
Quad
Honda 450 ES best ever purchase

marlyman

all the fords from the 4000 to the 10 series ie the 3 and 4 cyl block hat that re occuring problem.

massey woman

I am not sure that ALL of them had it
Or maybe I was lucky
Mine is a 1975 model
Have a hedge cutter on it permanently
Engine original
In fact other than a clutch and wheel bearings nothing has changed
Is this a record
Oh yeah glass broken in door replaced

marlyman

you are one aof a rare few that didnt have to have the engine done. is your block criss crossed on the sides?

massey woman

vertical lines only

MTL79

JohnBoy wrote: »

my one bit of advice, if you have the cash to come up the years slightly would be to get something that meets the Q cab regulations.

basically in 1976 regulations were introduced in the UK on tractor cab noise levels, and they made tractors much much nicer places to be/work in

something to consider, but would probably be taking your spend closer to five grand.

for what you're looking at with that budget I'd agree with horace's suggestion of a ford 4000, i'd even say to focus on those rather than the 4600. tinwork is more readily available for them should you decide to buy a fixer upper. mechanically they're pretty much identical.

Nice to see someone making a start at some hobby farming, i have recently aquired 20 acres and hope to do the same, we farm 90 acres at home but i have a fuull time job and still want to keep a foot in the grass. I think a MF135 will do all you want to do, I am sure you wont need bigger than a 5cwt fert spreader and a 5-6ft topper. i used to work for Abbey In nenagh and they are bound to have something in a fergy (a MF240 would be good alternative too). I think a 165 is a bit big for what ya have to do unless your going to make baled silage, then you might need the extra weight at the front.
Best a luck with it.