Hi just joined but have been looking in for a while. It’s my first post and I’m looking for some advice please. So I’m covering 400ac on my own alongside some farm diversifications. The arable is very much part time though. The system I’m running is I have a contractor doing combining, hedge cutting and baling . I do everything else myself with one 230hp tractor and 1 telescopic. I’ve converted to mostly direct drilling although I rotationally subsoil where required. I run a large 32m trailed sprayer which was left over from when we were covering 1000ac. My quandary is that I’m completely reliant on my sole tractor which is now 7 yrs old with 4000hrs on it. It’s fully loaded spec wise with cvt gearbox, front links, front pto etc. it’s also running RTK auto steer. It’s current value is £60,000 having just had it valued. To replace it is going to cost £135,000 for a new one less my tractor but I’ll still have one tractor.
My tractor isn’t quite on top of the drill (rapid with front subsoil tine bar) as traction is an issue on my heavy clay soils. So I’m thinking of selling mine and buying a 300hp well used tractor like a JD8530 or Magnum 315 for drilling and subsoiling. I’ve also got a 5m set of discs used very occasionally. Then also buying used 150hp tractor that could do the spraying (liquid fert as well), corn cart, rolling and topping.
Basically it’ll spilt my annual hours between 2 tractors instead of relying on one. Bit of a you turn as I always thought running one was the most efficient but it’s making me a bit nervous. Last harvest mine had a bit of breakdown and was out of action for 5 days. I couldn’t get a contractor in as they were all busy and I ended up with 250ac of wet straw in the swath. Had I got another tractor this wouldn’t of happened. I’ve got a spare JD Mobile RTK steering kit as well so as long as one of tractors I bought had an auto steer kit on it then I can sort the other one out.
Any advice?
My tractor isn’t quite on top of the drill (rapid with front subsoil tine bar) as traction is an issue on my heavy clay soils. So I’m thinking of selling mine and buying a 300hp well used tractor like a JD8530 or Magnum 315 for drilling and subsoiling. I’ve also got a 5m set of discs used very occasionally. Then also buying used 150hp tractor that could do the spraying (liquid fert as well), corn cart, rolling and topping.
Basically it’ll spilt my annual hours between 2 tractors instead of relying on one. Bit of a you turn as I always thought running one was the most efficient but it’s making me a bit nervous. Last harvest mine had a bit of breakdown and was out of action for 5 days. I couldn’t get a contractor in as they were all busy and I ended up with 250ac of wet straw in the swath. Had I got another tractor this wouldn’t of happened. I’ve got a spare JD Mobile RTK steering kit as well so as long as one of tractors I bought had an auto steer kit on it then I can sort the other one out.
Any advice?