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Re: What is a good first tractor?
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Posted by Gerald J. on July 26, 1999 at 16:07:50 from (208.142.211.181):
In Reply to: What is a good first tractor? posted by Joe L on July 26, 1999 at 15:14:02:
I think you need at least 35 hp. Something like a MF-135. You want a mower conditioner for mowing hay, or a sickle or brush hog for just mowing. But my experience in hay and field crops over the past 12 years has proven that you really want something larger like a JD3020 or 4020 to have the guts to run the hay machinery and to plant 6 row 30" and to cultivate 6 row 30". You need to cultivate when the crop is a couple feet tall to be effective and the utility tractors won't do it. They don't have the ground clearance. The bigger farm tractor does, and won't be worked hard unless you match it with enough plow and disk for stirring the dirt. Plus you can get a 3020 gas for about the same price as a MF-135, sometimes a 4020 gas... These particular JD models need some care to not smoke like a diesel. New float valve components and attention to air filter restrictions are important along with good spark plugs, plug wires, and proper ignition timing. Gerald J.
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