Is my system right?

[Durt Burd]

Keep the 240hp tractor you have, you know its history and if you have a breakdown with the other tractor work can continue. A used 150hp will be expensive hp as it is a popular size that will be in demand so you may not be any better off with regards spec/hours/age.

Hunt out a used NH/Case IH 300hp for the jobs where you need a bit more grunt. Sticking with the same make should make it easier to jump between the two tractors.

 

[e3120]

My bad, you are correct. Whereas your smart comment about NI is wrong, we have a government that can pass legislation but just don’t have an executive until our next election in May. Some extra research would do you no harm before making smart comments like that, I will do my part and research the tractor rules, will save having to talk to a nescient being such as yourself.

Sorry - some sort of smilie might have conveyed the tongue in cheek nature of my post. Having jumped ship before being allowed a vote on the merits of them, I am not 100% versed on the convoluted powers of executive/government/assembly. The general impressive on this side of the sheugh is that it's all a bit chaotic and it'd be easier to be shot of it. This is a change over the 25 years I've been here. Some mid-antrim schoolmates have surprised me in coming round to the idea as well.

I shouldn't have stumbled into this late-night OT rabbit hole.

 

[Nearly]

Your system is right if you are happy with it.

 

[Sebstaines]

What about hiring an extra one for harvest and drilling?

£1000/week for a minimum of 10 weeks generally. 5 years and I’ve spent £50,000 and nothing to show for it where as I spend £50,000 now and in 5 years it’s still worth £25,000.

 

[Sebstaines]

Can you find another of what you have and buy it as an addition? You would definitely thank yourself having 2 tractors the same if not very similar. 4k hrs at 7yr old isn't too bad at all, assume you had it brand new? For us it's more tractors, keep longer, spread the hours.

Yes I had it new but there’s no point buying another the same as it’s struggling on the drill at the minute.

 

[Sebstaines]

I think you either need to run 1 tractor in warranty with dealer support or 2 older ones. Either way you seem to have a massive amount of gear on 400ac but hey whatever works for you and if it was paid for by the 1000ac previously it makes more sense. This is a meaningless figure but to buy your newer replacement works out at £337/ac!!!!!!!!!!

All the equipment is owned and has been for many years and left over from 1000ac operation plus some contracting. For example the 5m discs are worth no more than £4000 so no point in selling them. The trailed sprayer was bought used about 10 years ago and currently worth about £20,000 but what could I replace it with? Makes no sense selling it when I know it inside and out. So yes on paper I’m over equipped but it makes life very easy and allows me to run our other businesses whilst still farming 400ac.

 

[Sebstaines]

I agree. I have a 7530 and a challenger as main tractors on 400ac. We do have a 6420 but it’s surplus really; does a bit of rolling and sits on a trailer at harvest. Heavily diversified business so can’t afford to be swapping stuff over but bought the crawler as a backup. 26000 for 212hp…what’s not to like. Also OP, prob worth checking with your sprayer of choice…we nearly bought a chafer trailed and that came with its own compressor so you might not need air and they don’t need that much oil flow either. 50k also unnecessary imo especially if you have roads like I have round here. Puts way more strain on implements and the tractor especially brakes. Not to mention illegal to drive at 50k anyway in a conventional tractor. Lose all that and your second tractor could be a lot cheaper than you think

I’ve had the sprayer 10 years. It needs air but yes could be done with a compressor but it definitely needs a high capacity oil pump as I’ve run it on a standard pump and the boom height control doesn’t work at all because the tractor is powering the pump flat out. Swapped to a high capacity pump and it’s a different sprayer altogether.

And I don’t need 50km/hr as I’m ring fenced but there are very few tractors available with air that aren’t 50km/hr. You just naturally get pushed into a higher spec tractor.

 

[Sebstaines]

How much gear do you lot really thing you need to dd 400acres?!?!?

I’ve hardly anything. 1 drill, rolls, subsoiler, old set of discs rarely used. 2 x grain trailers, 1 telescopic, 2 bale trailers, 1 trailed sprayer for chems and fert. 1 tractor presently.

Tell me what I can get rid of bar the discs which are handy on occasions.

 

[Fish]

If was me, I would separate the drill from the tine bar, then you wouldn’t need any extra grunt, then 240hp would be more than enough.

 

[Flat 10]

I’ve hardly anything. 1 drill, rolls, subsoiler, old set of discs rarely used. 2 x grain trailers, 1 telescopic, 2 bale trailers, 1 trailed sprayer for chems and fert. 1 tractor presently.

Tell me what I can get rid of bar the discs which are handy on occasions.

I wasn’t referring to your kit, more the tractors other posters recommended

 

[Thomas5060]

Sorry - some sort of smilie might have conveyed the tongue in cheek nature of my post. Having jumped ship before being allowed a vote on the merits of them, I am not 100% versed on the convoluted powers of executive/government/assembly. The general impressive on this side of the sheugh is that it's all a bit chaotic and it'd be easier to be shot of it. This is a change over the 25 years I've been here. Some mid-antrim schoolmates have surprised me in coming round to the idea as well.

I shouldn't have stumbled into this late-night OT rabbit hole.

Sorry, thought it was a dig not tongue in cheek but I agree, be far better with direct rule and have no stormont imo. Where in Co Antrim are you from?

 

[Flatlander]

We’ve had a 45 in the past and now on a 35 after a business restructure. 45 was quite rough and high hours but never went wrong; 35 was 1 owner from new but needed 3k spent on the engine nearly straight away they do go wrong but compared to modern stuff even a whole new gearbox is an economical repair with the hp for £ figure. Very rough on our bouncy roads but I’m in no rush; we are moving to dd and it just floats across the soil; so more than worth it. Got a jd ATU on it so if my 75 fails then it will just swap straight over and isn’t silly big; we even roll with it and it sinks less than than the 6420.

3k on the engine is nothing compared to a payment on a new unit. I prefer to buy decent used equipment but you gotta be prepared to fix a few things. either way they are cheap hp and aren’t going to drop in value much. Yours would have the funk transmission same as the genesis fords built here in Winnipeg I think. My 765 has the cat power shift and she’s a hard shift from 12 to 13. Cat technician recalibrated supposedly but no different.

 

[alomy75]

3k on the engine is nothing compared to a payment on a new unit. I prefer to buy decent used equipment but you gotta be prepared to fix a few things. either way they are cheap hp and aren’t going to drop in value much. Yours would have the funk transmission same as the genesis fords built here in Winnipeg I think. My 765 has the cat power shift and she’s a hard shift from 12 to 13. Cat technician recalibrated supposedly but no different.

Yep Funk same as as you say the 8970’s etc and also the earlier 8830 fords. Last time I heard these were about 9000 exchange for a recon one but that was a few years back. Have seen a 765 under heavy load literally stop and go again under a gear change…didn’t look/sound very good but I guess a jolt is not a slipping clutch as long as the driveline will take it

 

[Flatlander]

Yep Funk same as as you say the 8970’s etc and also the earlier 8830 fords. Last time I heard these were about 9000 exchange for a recon one but that was a few years back. Have seen a 765 under heavy load literally stop and go again under a gear change…didn’t look/sound very good but I guess a jolt is not a slipping clutch as long as the driveline will take it

under load it’s not as bad but still best done at lower rpm. I spread fert with mine and try not to drop below that change if possibles but turning at 14 mph with tracks makes a mess on the headlands.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Yes I had it new but there’s no point buying another the same as it’s struggling on the drill at the minute.

Can you not just remap the 240

 

[Sebstaines]

If was me, I would separate the drill from the tine bar, then you wouldn’t need any extra grunt, then 240hp would be more than enough.

I don’t want to do this as it does such a good job for us. The rapid is so versatile it can do as little or as much as you want. The idea behind the tine bar was to cut a pass out for me which allows me less time on the farm.

 

[Sebstaines]

Can you not just remap the 240

Obviously my tractor is now out of warranty and I’m friends with a CNH fitter. He’s advised me the FPT 6.7l engine in mine wouldn’t be worth tampering with and may cause me more trouble. Another friend also told me he had looked into it with his tractor which is the same as mine and was quoted another 20hp ish. I think we are about 60hp short power wise but also traction is an issue so a bigger heavier tractor is what we need.

 

[Massey mad]

Why don't you buy a new 150hp tractor and hire one of the size you want for a few weeks a year for drilling etc. For the hours you're going to put on it a year it would surely make financial sense to know your costs and not have the worry of break downs etc

 

[Massey mad]

I've never been a fan of hiring but with tractor prices as they are we hired a jd 250r and we had a 160k tractor in the yard for just over 1k a week. It was very hassle free knowing when we'd finished with it we could send it back

 

[Fendt516profi]

Case Optum 300 - Ripon Farm Services

www.riponfarmservices.com