M9540 Implement capability

[tthorkil]

I am going to be attempting to start working my fields to reseed alfalfa. The soil is fairly light and sandy with quite a few small rocks and a few larger rocks. I recently purchased a used 2007 M9540. I have never worked fields with a larger tractor(only worked fields when I was younger with 8N Ford) and am not sure what size/type of implements might be the best choice for tilling a few(5 to 10 acres) per year. There is only about 40 acres tillable. I am considering getting a moldboard plow and a tandem disk to start with. I would appreciate any information about what size/type implements would be appropriate for this tractor.

 

[steve l]

i pull a 36"three bottom moldboard with my 2wd 9540 and 8' rhino offset disc with twenty inch blades. as long as i am not trying to bury the bearing boxes in sugar sand i pull it just fine.i pull both of them at about 1800 2000 rpm.

 

[GWD]

My "wimpy" M7040 will handle an 8' offset disc and a 3 bottom plow with ease. It is 4WD however and you didn't state whether or not your M9540 had 4WD. It really makes a difference in my case.

Look at my signature for what else it will handle and then consider that you have 15 HP more - about 20%. You probably could handle a 10' disc and a 4 bottom roll over plow.

 

[tthorkil]

My M9540 is 4 Wheel Drive. I have searched the internet about moldboard plows and according to the general consensus a tractor should be able to handle about 1" of plow per drawbar hp, but it seems that most forums indicate that they use much less plow than that. According to the formula 5 bottoms x 16" size = 80 drawbar HP. I don't know how PTO HP correlates to Drawbar HP.

 

[kyfred]

Look in the front of your kubota M9540 owners manual. If it is like my M5030SU owners manual near the front it should have a list and size of the implements that your tractor will handle. Just a guide to go by. The rest is trial and error. Nice to have a website like this and others to see what guys are doing with their tractors.
Good Luck

 

[GWD]

My M9540 is 4 Wheel Drive. I have searched the internet about moldboard plows and according to the general consensus a tractor should be able to handle about 1" of plow per drawbar hp, but it seems that most forums indicate that they use much less plow than that. According to the formula 5 bottoms x 16" size = 80 drawbar HP. I don't know how PTO HP correlates to Drawbar HP.

The amount of plow a tractor can handle is a factor of many variables. It is difficult to set a single formula as a definitive guide. Loose loam vs. heavy clay being worked will absolutely make a difference.

I can tell you that running my 3 bottom, 14" plow, 8" deep puts a tremendous load on the M7040 in medium clay soil. It has to be run in 4WD with plenty of weight on the front.

The formula indicates that a 42 HP tractor should handle that plow. I had a 36 HP tractor (L3650) that would have been stopped in its (tire) tracks even in first gear. In essence, a very large anchor is being dragged through the ground.

HP is usually listed alongside PTO HP but they generally are fairly close with the PTO HP being a bit less. That fine of a distinction has little value in the field.

 

[tthorkil]

I have not received my owners manual yet - the dealer is a little slow with providing that. My reference was to the difference between PTO and Draw Bar horse power - it seems that the older specifications for tractors listed engine HP and Draw Bar HP and now they list engine HP and PTO HP.
The complete formula for plow size that I had found at one tractor forum was:
[[How much power does a 4 bottom plow need?
I believe this is the formula:
(# of plows X plowing depth inches X plow share size inches X speed mph X 12 (14 for heavy soil)) / 375
ie 4 bottoms X 6 Inches depth X 16” bottom size X 4 mph X 12 plowing difficulty by soil type) / 375
= 49.152 hp minimum. X 1.33 for extra needed hp in tough areas = 65.37 hp. If your soil is even heavier, then it's 76.26 hp ]]

 

[GWD]

I have not received my owners manual yet - the dealer is a little slow with providing that. My reference was to the difference between PTO and Draw Bar horse power - it seems that the older specifications for tractors listed engine HP and Draw Bar HP and now they list engine HP and PTO HP.
The complete formula for plow size that I had found at one tractor forum was:
[[How much power does a 4 bottom plow need?
I believe this is the formula:
(# of plows X plowing depth inches X plow share size inches X speed mph X 12 (14 for heavy soil)) / 375
ie 4 bottoms X 6 Inches depth X 16” bottom size X 4 mph X 12 plowing difficulty by soil type) / 375
= 49.152 hp minimum. X 1.33 for extra needed hp in tough areas = 65.37 hp. If your soil is even heavier, then it's 76.26 hp ]]

I guess it is human nature to quantify just about everything.

Even though I have a degree in Mathematics my measure is to slap in on and see if it works (within reason of course).

 

[E/S]

If I were trying to figure this out, I would be talking to others in the area to see what they do.

E/S

 

[Bulldog]

I cut some food plot up this past year for a friend and used a 8 or 9ft IH disc behind my 9000. I couldn't even tell it was behind the tractor. I ended up after I added rear remotes to my L 3000 (32 hp) pulling the same disc in garden spots. I had to run in 4wd but it handled it fine. I have a 16' IH disc that I used to pull with a 100 hp IH 2wd but have never pulled it with my 9000. I feel sure it has plenty of hp for it but not sure about the traction. The old IH tractor even though 2wd weighed 11,000 lbs and the bota only weighs 6700. I can tell you that a 70 hp IH wouldn't pull this disc without holding up on it with the wheels. It didn't have enough hp for it.

 

[tthorkil]

It seems that every time the fields were plowed rocks of various sizes popped to the surface. Some of the rocks were large enough that the disk would have to roll over them. Would it be advantageous to have a cultivator to initially work the ground after plowing or will a disk work okay for the initial round to expose the rocks for picking(I pick the rocks by hand)? Years ago when we used the 8N Ford, all we had was a 2 bottom plow and a cultivator.

 

[steve l]

My "wimpy" M7040 will handle an 8' offset disc and a 3 bottom plow with ease. It is 4WD however and you didn't state whether or not your M9540 had 4WD. It really makes a difference in my case.

Look at my signature for what else it will handle and then consider that you have 15 HP more - about 20%. You probably could handle a 10' disc and a 4 bottom roll over plow.

it is 2wd i had to go back and look at my post but i did say it was 2 wd.i have the tires full of water and only have have 5 psi air in them.it makes the tire a whole wider at the ground.the only trouble with running that little bit of air is when i fold up my hay mower(700kuhn)it makes the tire look flat on the road.i try try not to road it as much as i can.but i have wentseveral miles on the road,but it gets kinda squirley with the bar in the air.it also rides better with the low psi.the hogs have reeked havoc on the pastures and hay fields in cherokkee county (east texas)where we do most of custom bailing,so that is rhe main reason i do that.i also have 10 weights(1000lbs)on the front.

 

[tthorkil]

Does anyone have more insight on the capabilities, uses, or problems with the M9540 tractor? I am posting again to see if anyone has any fresh insight about this posting! I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks for your input!!

 

[GWD]

Does anyone have more insight on the capabilities, uses, or problems with the M9540 tractor? I am posting again to see if anyone has any fresh insight about this posting! I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks for your input!!

Try over at Tractor By Net. Search for M9540 and M8540 since they are very close in construction.

 

[steve l]

Does anyone have more insight on the capabilities, uses, or problems with the M9540 tractor? I am posting again to see if anyone has any fresh insight about this posting! I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks for your input!!

unless you are trying to pull a 12'rhome offset disc with 36" blades or a 10yard dirt scraper you should have no problem pulling anything within reason.ive got a 15'batwing that i can kill the engine with on my 9540 let it down real low to the ground in dead bahaia grass.on the same note i have pulled a 20'modern brand batwing using good judgement with no problem.a good rule of thumb on an offset disc is 10hp per foot(width)of disc.this rule was used when tractors were rated at the pto.yours is 84 and if that is yours in the photo i noticed it was 4wd so you should be able to pull a 10' offset disc with no problem because the 4wd gives you about 20% pull than a 2wd of the same hp.the rhome disc i metioned belongs to my neighbor who pulls it with a m125x 4wd pulls it ok but you think you have a leak in your fuel tank,because it will suck some fuel.