I have a John Deere 3038e, 5 foot bushog, 5 tiller, and a 50 gallon sprayer. I bushog several acres and plant corn and about 10 acre fall food plots. This stuff works. Just takes several nan hours. 3 payments and it's done. I'm thinking of upgrading. Should I trade tractor, Bush hog and tiller for next size bigger tractor, bigger hog and no til drill. Keep my sprayer. Or should I just buy a 2wd tractor and no till drill to add to my equipment?????
Food Plots Equipment question
- Thread starter muddyboots
- Start date
You will regret getting a 2wd tractor. 4wd is a necessity in more ways than one. If you upgrade, get a tractor with a front end loader and keep your existing equipment. My tractor is 5ft wide as are my implements. I know if I can put the tires between trees or stumps, the implements will fit as well. May take a little longer on large plots, but I'll take the extra time over having the versatility of a smaller tractor and not hanging up my implements.
Oh and did I say 4wd is the bomb? And a FEL? Best choices I've ever made. Btw, if you get a FEL, you pretty much have to have the 4wd.
Oh and did I say 4wd is the bomb? And a FEL? Best choices I've ever made. Btw, if you get a FEL, you pretty much have to have the 4wd.
waynesworld
Well-Known Member
I would 2nd about going down to 2wd is not a good choice and having a loader is great. If you could find a 6ft bush hog you could try it. Your tractor should be able to handle it as long as you are doing normal cutting. I would not do fields of small trees with it but grass should be fine.
FWIW, having more than one tractor is always a good thing unless you already have a backup plan. Sounds like you have a pretty nice setup. I enjoy the man hours though. I would probably just rent the drill for 10 acres. If the ground is level I don't see why you would need 4X4. Seems weight an HP would be more important. I'd get the 4X4 if buying new though.
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Thx for the replies.
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How much bigger would you go? I am kind of in the same situation, but when I sat and calculated the time I would save from going up, I realized I would need to go much larger to really cut down my man hours in the seat. I spend majority of my food plot time in the planting phase after spraying and then tilling 2 to 3 times. You maybe able to change your planting style to help save time. Not sure what your method is now but maybe look at a 2 row planter.
Kubota L3400 & MX5200, both 4wd & fel. 3400 is 5' implements all the way & great in tight areas. 5200 is 6' stuff & really shines with any soil engagement, especially like the 20" disk blades. Best part is I always have a backup!
BigAl
Well-Known Member
I have a 3400 and it works fine with a 6 ft finish mower. My tiller and bush hog are 5 footers.
Serious question here. I hear this from basically everyone these days, but know guys in the bottoms and the hills who have survived years with a solid 2WD tractor, as long as it has adequate HP, and they practice sound judgement. I understand "wants" versus "needs", and it seems to me that a 2WD would do what most guys on here need, most of the time. What am I missing? Would like to hear opinions from everyone who says 4WD is a must.
For perspective, I have a 4WD daily driver truck. I can get by with a 2WD 99.9999% of the time, so no way I could rationally justify my 4WD. It is strictly a "want", and not a "need".
JCDEERMAN
Well-Known Member
All I have ever driven were 2WD tractors and that's what we currently have (2 of them). I will say that I have been in several hairy situations that I needed 4WD. Several situations that required a chainsaw, a come along or another tractor to get back in a safer position. Sometimes you just need a 4WD for added weight in the front. We have a 78hp and it is not working out for us with our new drill. Well, it is but it is putting ALOT of wear on the front of the tractor. We actually are having to replace the hydraulic cylinder and lines this week, as it ruptured from adding 500 lbs of weights on the front of the tractor. All in all, 4WD's are just more heavy duty it, at least that's the way it appears to me.
That's our situation, but agree that a 2WD will get most folks by.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
With enough hp and weight 2wd will absolutely get the job done...but with a 4wd you can get more done with less hp......with that said....we pull an 8 foot bush hog and 7 foot disk with a 50hp 2wd...no problem.....the problem arises when the operator of the 2wd pushes outside the limit of the machine....have I ever stuck a 2wd tractor bad...like buried it....you bet.....was I somewhere I had no bussiness being on any tractor...yep, no doubt.....know the limitations of whatever tractor your on and you will be fine....get outside those boundaries and you get in trouble quick.....my next one will be 4wd....not mandatory....but a want....I want more traction when working on sloped areas and while working with front end loader....I'm suffering with new tractor fever now and they keep sending me these no interest offers....it's like they know I want a new one 
1jamey
Well-Known Member
As long as you know the tractors limitations 2wd is fine. I've never used a 4wd but if I had the opportunity to own one I wouldn't turn it down. My little Ford 2000 does just fine for me. No complaints!
I wouldn't be without 4wd on our farm. Bottom land, hills, and front end loader work require it often. Cows have to have hay, when it is sloppy and you have a 1500 lb bale on the speer, you don't want to go to sliding on hills or getting stuck.
My 3 John Deere tractors are all 2WD.
To me, correct hp and weight is more important than 4WD
To me, correct hp and weight is more important than 4WD
Working in mud/snow is an entirely different challenge.
Very few of our plots are on level ground & several are down very steep off camber hills in bottom of hollows. Have tried 2wd on our place & they are useless if not dangerous.4wd all the way for me.
I've had 2wd and 4wd. 4wd is a must have if you load up the front, such as with a FEL or hay spear. (as previously mentioned.). In the hills and slopes of upper middle Tennessee, with ground that is prone to slippage, either from rock or mud, 4wd is a must for me.
poorhunter
Well-Known Member
Mine is 2wd and I have some steep hills to climb. Problem isn't going up but going down in when it's soft and wet, usually in the winter. There's times 4wd would be nice but my tractor is 65 years old and does all I ask it to do.
Pioneer1789
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I was raised running 2wd tractors. I now have a 4x4 of my own. My place has some steep slopes. Steep enough that going downhill starts to unload the rear tires even with fluid in them. In a 2wd, you'd transfer the majority of your weight to the front axle which has no drive line connection and no brakes. Your only choice would be to load the front end up with a lot of ballast weight and drive up to the top and circle back down to the bottom on a shallower slope. The old timer that had my place did it on a little 2wd Ford, but it would have been sketchy as hell and taken a long time.
Pioneer1789
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Are you on flat ground?
Wiley
Well-Known Member
Do you have to trailer your tractor to the area where your planting is done? If so, will you need a bigger truck and trailer if you upsize your tractor?
Yes, basically
I agree with what everyone else says about 4wd. I think it is a must for FEL and hills, and it also helps out a light tractor. I've run 2wd tractors on flat ground with no issues unless the loader is full, and not enough ballast on the 3 point. I've also forgot to put my tractor in 4wd going down my hill to the bottom plot, and had trouble getting it stopped.
Lock mine in 4wd coming down some hills on our place. And yes, with a bale of hay on the front or a bucket full of dirt or gravel, the back end can come off the ground rendering the brakes useless on a 2 wd. I keep my tiller on the back all fall and winter, just to act as a counterweight, and even still have the back end want to come off the ground in some spots with a load on the front.
Pioneer1789
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Yep, a 2wd will do bout anything you need. We have some 20-25 degree slopes on our farm here in East TN. When I grew up, we were on reasonably flat ground and the 2wds were just fine. Where I am now and after having 4wd, I don't think I'd ever go back. Guess everyone just needs to buy the right equipment for the ground they're working.
