Author Topic: Walk behind tractors  (Read 3028 times)

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Offline John Florida

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Offline John Florida

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Offline Libertas

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2016, 07:30:49 AM »
Old MacDonald would have an easier time on his hobby farm with something like those machines.

Not sure Mrs. MacDonald would want him hanging around the house more though.   ::hysterical::

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Offline Weisshaupt

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2016, 08:39:05 AM »
The problem is the cost.  Michelle and I still ave one of these on the dream list  from when we saw one while buying our first Yaks.  He used it to hay damp areas the farmers around him couldn't.. but he also feeds exclusively Hay to his herd..

You are looking at $8-10K just for the bailer , the rake/tedder is $2K or so, the mower (depending on kind)  goes from 1-2K and then the tractor itself is 1500 - 4500 depending on size.

SO Yeah,  a haying rig using this is on he order of  $15-20K.  And it really doesn't alleviate the need for a "real"  tractor - you can't use this thing with forks or a bucket,  and pull behind implements are tricky ( you end up straddling the PTO and trying to keep you body in the right position.. or you get the additional mounted seat... and then you also loose the power,  weight and traction aspects-- so any digging, plowing, seeding etc is more difficult as the thing can only pull against so much earth..

Its an awesome little system for small acreage, but at that price point its no economical.   Tat doesn't mean its bad. That solar PV system I put in  wasn't economical either. .. but that was fro teotwawki planning. ... but all of this stuff is imported and come teotwawki , parts will be come difficult to obtain.  UNlike a PV system - no moving parts,  there are moving parts a plenty on this..

I wish we could find a way to hay ourselves - our pasture is already waist high, and we have to wait till the neighbor returns to get it hayed. But a standard  bailer tends to need a 45HP or larger tractor,  and these mini bailers are so expensive.. maybe someday

Offline Libertas

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2016, 09:03:21 AM »
Small acreage being the key...if we hang onto the lake, something like this is too much for us we don't have enough land, we have only enough to work by hand/simple tools...something larger like your spread you need a riding tractor, somebody in between who doesn't need all the implements maybe just a couple, perhaps.  But also, it's what people can/want to pay regardless.

Me?  I'm happy, I bought a new Deere D105 to mow the lawn at teh lake, that's all the machine I need.   :D
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Offline Weisshaupt

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2016, 10:10:09 AM »
Small acreage being the key...if we hang onto the lake, something like this is too much for us we don't have enough land, we have only enough to work by hand/simple tools...something larger like your spread you need a riding tractor, somebody in between who doesn't need all the implements maybe just a couple, perhaps.  But also, it's what people can/want to pay regardless.

Me?  I'm happy, I bought a new Deere D105 to mow the lawn at the lake, that's all the machine I need.   :D

You know Deere makes that green paint by chopping up dollars and mixing them in...
My spread is an awful size.. 5 acres - its not large. Its not small.. But where I am I couldn't afford more..  I need to talk to the rich guy across the way. He owns land all over the county, tends to develop it.  He tried to put in a shooting range on this bit about 10 years ago -  but locals fought it and won ( can't say I want one this close.. police range is on the other side of the half quarter section, but its used maybe twice a week for an hour) 
He has torn down all of the trees and he has a bunch of big equipment over there now. Its 90% flood plain tough so I have no idea what he is up to.
He has a little 6.5 acre lot on my side of the river in the flood plain I should ask him a price on.  ( county has it marked as 7.5, but GIS mapping says different) It would give me direct river access, but  the useable pasture is probably only 3.5 acres. But with my house, barn etc, I only have 3.5 acres of pasture now to start, and if I level it, I could probably get my water to it ( but that legally is a whole other thing, watering land not previously irrigated)  But that would bring me up to almost the right size if I could swing it.. But then I have to sell other land first ..sigh.








Offline Libertas

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #6 on: June 02, 2016, 12:44:13 PM »
Small acreage being the key...if we hang onto the lake, something like this is too much for us we don't have enough land, we have only enough to work by hand/simple tools...something larger like your spread you need a riding tractor, somebody in between who doesn't need all the implements maybe just a couple, perhaps.  But also, it's what people can/want to pay regardless.

Me?  I'm happy, I bought a new Deere D105 to mow the lawn at the lake, that's all the machine I need.   :D

You know Deere makes that green paint by chopping up dollars and mixing them in...
My spread is an awful size.. 5 acres - its not large. Its not small.. But where I am I couldn't afford more..  I need to talk to the rich guy across the way. He owns land all over the county, tends to develop it.  He tried to put in a shooting range on this bit about 10 years ago -  but locals fought it and won ( can't say I want one this close.. police range is on the other side of the half quarter section, but its used maybe twice a week for an hour) 
He has torn down all of the trees and he has a bunch of big equipment over there now. Its 90% flood plain tough so I have no idea what he is up to.
He has a little 6.5 acre lot on my side of the river in the flood plain I should ask him a price on.  ( county has it marked as 7.5, but GIS mapping says different) It would give me direct river access, but  the useable pasture is probably only 3.5 acres. But with my house, barn etc, I only have 3.5 acres of pasture now to start, and if I level it, I could probably get my water to it ( but that legally is a whole other thing, watering land not previously irrigated)  But that would bring me up to almost the right size if I could swing it.. But then I have to sell other land first ..sigh.

They have come down from that...might only be grinding up loose change now...they had to because all of their competitors have been kicking their ass.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Septugenarian

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2016, 09:02:58 PM »
Back in the day there was some thought that such tractors would be useful in developing nations.  While true, they had the same affordability issue so that idea bit the dust.  It did keep a couple of guys employed for a few years.

A friend had a 1950's version which I borrowed in the 70's to regrade a city lot.  It worked, but it was a lot of work for the operator.  Anyway, the job got done.
I'm entitled (to be cranky).

Offline AlanS

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2016, 09:18:56 AM »
I've got a small 31 hp Kabota. Plus about 3-4 acres of field/pasture to mow. I toyed with the idea of getting some hay baling equipment, but it would have cost somewhere north of 20k to get started. I'd have to get a bunch of hay to pay that off.
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Offline Libertas

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2016, 11:44:38 AM »
Just grow weed, heck you'd have that paid off in no time.

Gotta be legal down there by now, eh?  If not, who cares?  Lawlessness is the in-thing now, dontchyaknow?   ;D
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Offline AlanS

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2016, 03:19:19 PM »
Just grow weed, heck you'd have that paid off in no time.

With my farming skills, I'd screw that up big time. ::facepalm::
"Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem."

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Offline John Florida

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #11 on: June 05, 2016, 06:17:35 PM »
  Used equipment has to be available out there somewhere. I hope.
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Offline John Florida

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #12 on: June 05, 2016, 07:53:42 PM »
http://www.abbriata.it/en/Square-balers/square-baler-m60super.html

  There has to be a payoff to this if your paying people to hay or renting equipment. My question is how much hay do you have to have to make it work?
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Offline Weisshaupt

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #13 on: June 05, 2016, 11:29:18 PM »
http://www.abbriata.it/en/Square-balers/square-baler-m60super.html

  There has to be a payoff to this if your paying people to hay or renting equipment. My question is how much hay do you have to have to make it work?

Here is pricing in the US..
http://tractortoolsdirect.com/product-category/hay-making/hay-balers/

You will have a hard time finding these used. To make this pay off , you would have to be feeding a lot of animals, and have access to more than one areas that can't be hayed with big equipment, so the owner would let you hay it for a smaller cut.   Small squares like the one you featured produces  go for around $12 ( depending on quality and type  )  - and that machine runs 16K. s We produced about  75 bales in one cutting last year. We could probably do two ( but don't bug the neighbor for more than we need)  and sell the rest,  but say 150 a year, it would take 8-9 years to pay off that model ( and that doesn't include your expense of buying the tractor to pull it, and  the windrow, and the mower...)    For $16K  that machine costs, you could have the full kit and the walk-behind.  Now obviously the more hay you can produce the faster it pays off.  So if we had 7 acres of  irrigated pasture instead of 3.5 , it would start to make good sense.
If you ave more than 15 acres in hay, then  it falls into no-brainer territory.  Meanwhile the neighbor does it for us for $100  and we go out and pick it all up. He just runs the machines.  It takes him around 2 hours total? But thats friend pricing for sure.


I mean, its a neat little machine, but this all adds up quick. 


Offline John Florida

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #14 on: June 06, 2016, 07:24:35 PM »
 Thanks I'll keep asking questions and you keep answering and maybe I won't go up in smoke.
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Offline Libertas

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #15 on: June 07, 2016, 07:07:02 AM »
Don't go full-Etna John, for the love of God!

 ;D
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Offline AlanS

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Re: Walk behind tractors
« Reply #16 on: June 09, 2016, 04:18:19 PM »
Don't go full-Etna John, for the love of God!

 ;D

And while you're at it, avoid Full Retard, too.
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