What size tractor?

[kcs]

I’ve got a B2650. I’m looking at buying 50 acres. It has trails some open but mostly wooded. Would my B2650 do the job or would I need to upgrade.......... thanks in advance

 

[FarmerJohn]

Acreage doesn’t matter. Planned uses and time expectations is what will make the decision.

 

[kcs]

Mostly just maintaining the trails and bush hogging the fields

 

[Goz63]

Check out GP Outdoors on YouTube. That guy is in Canada and has your tractor. He does everything you are talking about with his. He recently just upgraded to the LX but I think that was for a cab not because the tractor was coming up short. You have a great machine.

 

[PaulL]

I'd say trails will be fine. Mowing the fields - depends how often, how much field, how rough they are, and how long you're prepared to spend doing it. The B2650 will do it. An MX would do it a lot faster with a bigger brush hog. But if you're mowing the same fields often then you don't really need a brush hog, and you can run a wider flail than you can a brush hog. As always, these things are relative - hiring it out would also save you a lot of time, and might be cheaper than upgrading the tractor. Most of us would say "but I like driving my tractor" - which is also in a sense the answer to whether you need to upgrade - if it takes a bit longer but you like driving your tractor, then there's no problem.

 

[Goz63]

I'd say trails will be fine. Mowing the fields - depends how often, how much field, how rough they are, and how long you're prepared to spend doing it. The B2650 will do it. An MX would do it a lot faster with a bigger brush hog. But if you're mowing the same fields often then you don't really need a brush hog, and you can run a wider flail than you can a brush hog. As always, these things are relative - hiring it out would also save you a lot of time, and might be cheaper than upgrading the tractor. Most of us would say "but I like driving my tractor" - which is also in a sense the answer to whether you need to upgrade - if it takes a bit longer but you like driving your tractor, then there's no problem.

I agree with Paul. When we were shopping for a tractor I was looking for more power in the FEL vs the PTO. So starting at the L2501 I would have to go to the L4701 to get any real improvement in loader lift. So we then looked at the MX50. It was not much more than the L4701. The downside is that with implements it was 50% more money and I would have had to buy a different flat bed to pull it. (I already had a flatbed that would haul the L2501). In the end the dealer told me that the L2501 would do essentially everything the MX50 would do, it would just do it a little slower. I say all that to say, your B2650 should do everything you need, it may just do it a little slower.
I bought the L2501 and am really glad I did. It fits us better in so many ways. Yes it won’t lift as much as I like (some of the hay we buy, we buy hay bale cubes that weigh in excess of 1300lbs) but the size is perfect for everything else. Getwhat fits you both in workload and budget then enjoy your seat time.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

it's the age old 'time vs money' question really.
If you have the time your tractor will do the job. Heck, I knew one farmer he had a Ford 2N, farmed 100 acres for decades.
If you have the money, a bigger tractor 'should' do the work faster,depending on the acres and operation.

How many acres to bushhog ? Could you repurpose into hay or other animal feeding crop ? Rent it out,have someone else do all the work ? That'd give you lots of time to 'groom' the trails.

 

[kcs]

Thanks for all the remarks. They are great. I do love my B2650. And not sure I’m going to buy the property. Guess I may have been putting the horse before the cart. Thanks for all the help

 

[D2Cat]

Why don't you use what you have, and if you eventually determine it doesn't get the job done, make a change?

 

[kcs]

Yeah I think that’s what I’m going to do. I do need to get a rotory cutter. All I have is a finishing mower