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How big of a tractor do I really need?

C

Cowboy2005

Member
Hi, so the other day I was asking about a 706, after hearing the good and bad of them I talked to my moms cousin and it turns out he used to have one. He said they were good tractors to a point but suggested I maybe go with a IH 856. He had several reasons most of which I dont remember, but he had one and preferred it to the 706. We dont make hay yet, but we do brush now 20+ acres of pasture and will be making hay in the future. Now my brothers have tried to tell me that a 856 is too big, I'd like to point out that I am the one on the tractor all day and I think that it would be fine. I've driven a tractor around this size and am comfortable with it. So my question to you guys is how big of a tractor so you think I need, and how big is too big?

Thanks,
 
There is nothing you can do with a small tractor that you can't do with a big tractor. But there are many things you can do with a big tractor that you can't do with a small tractor. Never heard anyone say "darn, I wish my tractor didn't have so much power"
 
As far as physical size there isn't much difference between them. You get more power from the 856, but as far as dimensions and weight they would be pretty close.
 

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Thanks for all the input, I think I'm going to be looking for a Ih 856 now! Preferably with a cab, but I'd take one with out too.
 
20 acres of land is not much. Shoot I have 44 acres of land and up till 2 summers ago the biggest tractor I had was a Oliver S88 which is around 55HP. I do now have an IH584 which I saved from being scrap since the old owner was a custamor of mine and I kept it running for him but when it caught fire he gave it to me it is in the 65HP range. At one time I had an A/C XT190 and I sold it because I could not see needing a 100HP tractor for what I have
 
shredder to me, works better with a diesel. making hay; are we talking 2000lb big round bales or small squares? hauling firewood, most any tractor will do.
spreading manure depends on the spreader. get something with good visibilty for hooking up the 3point with a cab. extendable 3point arms for hooking up is a big plus. old tractors with cabs can be a bearcat to keep the AC running. If you ever want to install a loader, i recommend FWA. Buy a tractor, chances are you won't know what you want till you start to use it. Then you can look for a different unit if this one doesn't cover your needs!
 
Pre-1970 cabs are nicknamed "ear beaters" as most are louder than open station tractors, also very few had air conditioning. 766, 866, 966, 786, 886, 986 would have better cabs in the same size range.

A C or H would probably get 20 acres of hay done, a 1468 would too.
 
Rememmber this,extra horses sleep under the hood ready when you need em.but no extra horses is bad when you need em
806 was good 856 was better.if yourr dead set on 1 id buy 856 diesel
 
I am doing similar to what you are. I have 40 acres that I converted from cornfield into hayfield. I have a 70 horse tractor that I really think I needed for discing and even heavy harrow work in this heavy clay soil and a small hill. Never had to plow, but I sure would rather be riding the big tractor for that, too. Now the conversion is all done to hay, and I'm just running the sickle, rake, and baler, and sometimes brush hog. I like the bigger tractor for the big hog, but the hay making equipment would do just as well with my smaller 35 horse tractor. Here's the thing: I really like driving the bigger one more and really like the look of it and the sound of it and everything about it, so I use that one almost all the time. Makes the work more enjoyable if you really like what your working with. My two are the IH 666 and Farmall M.
 
My opinion is that you are really looking for a utility tractor, and I'm not sure an 856 is that. A 584 or 684 is available MFWD, would handle a loader very well and perform all your tasks easily. I think you will find a smaller, shorter tractor more maneuverable and better suited for your operation. Cabs, until the 1990s, were very utilitarian, and after that point became comfortable, but require more maintenance (electrical, A/C, etc.)

Minimum requirements: power steering, three point, live PTO. Fuel according to your facilities.
 
Well, see the thing is I have a utility tractor. Its a ford 861, I also have a old IH 3200 A skid steer so a loader on this tractor isn't a must. I am looking for a bigger tractor to do what the ford can't. next year we are looking to start doing hay on my grandpas land or another rented field. It remains to be seen if we'll do round bales or squares but I'm kinda looking for a tractor that can run either kind of baler.
 
I agree 20 acres really isn't that much land, it feels like it on a ford 861 brush mowing it tho. The other thing is the ford has to work really hard to cut the full with of the brush mower which is 5 foot, so I end up cutting 4 instead of 5 and wasting gas.
 
Sounds to me like you are trying to clear a field that was never mower or farmed for years and with that mower if you try to put it on a tractor the size you are wanting you will BUST up that mower first time out with it because and 5 foot mower that will fit the Ford is only made as a 50 horse power capability mower and that is just about what you have as your Ford is 48 horsepower. And if you do get it mowed this year what are your plans for the ground in the future as with what it sounds like you are trying to mow it will never make any hay without a good tillage job and reseeding it. So then what are you going to be needing the mower for? You cannot make sale ability hay with that mower. The only time I had power problems with a 52 horse Ford was when in unlevel ground I would hit the ground with the mower blade. And I have mowed down heavy enough stuff with a 5' mower like that that I had to back into because could not drive over with a 39 Horse tractor with NO live power or power steering. And your Ford has the capibility to do the tillage work to get a good hay crop, just not do all the tillage in one day. and it would handle every thing you need to make the hay of that amount of ground. It will handle a square baler with no problem and even some round balers as some here on this site do with that size tractor. If you go with the round baler go for the 4 x 4' bale as I believe you will be able to sell that size a lot better than the 6 x 6' bale as a lot of the people that would be interested in the amount of hay you could have for sale would not have enough livestalk to utilize the big bale or have the way to handle it. You are talking about having to lay out enough money to get what you are dreaming about and it will never pencil out cost wise. And if you are too short of time to use the smaller machinery you are still going to be that too short of time for the big high priced things.
 
Old, unless something has been seriously altered, 65HP for a 584 is a little optimistic. I have one and I believe the horsepower range is in the low 50s. Also have an 884 with HP range in the low 70s.
 

A good running 861 should handle a 5 ft cutter in 3rd gear with no issues, our old 850 did.
You need to consider what type of haying you plan to do and leave room for changes.
Not similar with IH sizes but for small squares one equally sized to a late model 4000 or 5000 Ford would be plenty.
For 4x5 round bales I used a 4000 Ford to pull a Hesston 5545 and NH 640 for several years because that's all I had, a 5000 would have been better.
Today I use a Ford 6610 with cab and it pulls A NH BR7070 4x6 baler with no issues but would be slightly under powered if I had a discbine.
In this area for a 10 ft discbine and 5x5 round baler a Ford 7710 or JD 2955 are considered ideal sized tractors.
 
Another vote for "If you WANT an 856 then look for and buy a nice 856". Theh are considered a small to medium size tractor today. Then if you buy a disk mower in a year or two you will have enough power to run one. Want big round bales you have enough HP and weight to run the baler.
 
You are right the field I'm trying to mow has not been mowed in a VERY long time. The ground I am mowing is a pasture, we dont have enough cattle on there this year, so we are mowing the weeds and saplings. Our Ford is 40 hp to the pto. I wont be making hay on this pasture, I would be haying a different 20 to 40 acres. I will be buying HAY equipment not using a brush mower. I plan on making 4x5 rounds.
 
That Ford is rated at 48 at the PTO and not 40. And next year if you get it mowed this year it will be like a dream mowing as of now and by the time you could find a bigger tractor for this year mowing season would be over, If it is only putting out the 40 it needs atention in the engine.
 
When I looked it up online it told me it was rated at 40, however I have no trouble believing you that it is 48 and my tractor is not up to par. I will be keeping the ford and slowly working on it over time, but I do need a bigger tractor for hay next year, I don't need a IH 856 but it is kinda my dream tractor. I managed to mow about 1/4 of the pasture so far cutting half swaths however the tractor is a bit of a fuel hog normally so it really used some fuel. I should mention that this pasture is very hilly, which the ford isn't fond of.
 
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