Is my system right?

Sebstaines

Member
Arable Farmer
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?
 
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?
Instead of trading in why not just buy another 60k one at 4000hrs? then youve a backup and doing half the hrs per tractor per annum, what make of tractors costing 135k? a fendt?
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Same as you basically, I had one 185hp on 550ac, no baling and did combining myself as well. It worked very well but yes like you am very mindful re breakdowns, thankfully few and far between however just bought another tractor £102k for 200/245hp and decided to keep the old one as (they didnt offer what I wanted trade in for it) and yes life is much easier with two tractors, less swapping of implements and also very easy to get someone else to sit on a seat for a day or two when things get tight re work.
Hours will be almost halved and if things get tight re money I can always move the older tractor on as is low hours and well looked after.
 

Sebstaines

Member
Arable Farmer
With regards to money I’m thinking of spending £100k on 2 used tractors. 300hp and 150hp. Effectively costing me £40,000 to get into the two after I’ve sold mine.
 

Sambo

Member
Screenshot_20220215-124623_Facebook.jpg
 

Sebstaines

Member
Arable Farmer
Yes that would be a fair jump I guess

Also on 710 rear and 650 front Michelin xeobib, 5 spools, bigger hydraulic pump, mid mount spool kit for option of front loader. Basically full spec as it’s already in stock so I can’t change the spec.
 

Sebstaines

Member
Arable Farmer
If you buy another tractor for the (small) jobs it surely wouldn’t need to be that fancy or expensive I would have thought .defo don’t want just one tractor

Well it’ll be running the sprayer so needs a certain level of spec such as air and high capacity hyd pump. Integrated full auto steer is better than bolt on as I put the trams in with the sprayer not the drill.
Generally a tractor with air will be automatically 50km/hr so it’ll naturally push itself into the higher spec category.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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