Hay Tractor for Newbie

[GregMechE]

Hey everyone, total newbie here. I currently own a Kubota L2501 with loader. It has been my first tractor and decent, but I want to begin doing hay and need something bigger. I would like to get an older tractor so I can wrench on it as a hobby and can get more HP for the money. I am considering the Ford 5000 (Diesel w/out SOS). I'm planning to run a NH square baler and mower with it.
I have so many questions though...
Is the Ford 5000 a good choice?
What else is a solid tractor in this range that can do the job just as well?
What things am I missing in terms of helpful tech in a tractor for baling?
Can I readily get parts for any old tractor these days?
What special tools do I need to have in-hand if I'm going to be wrenching on an older tractor?
Thanks in advance folks!

 

[old]

Hey everyone, total newbie here. I currently own a Kubota L2501 with loader. It has been my first tractor and decent, but I want to begin doing hay and need something bigger. I would like to get an older tractor so I can wrench on it as a hobby and can get more HP for the money. I am considering the Ford 5000 (Diesel w/out SOS). I'm planning to run a NH square baler and mower with it.
I have so many questions though...
Is the Ford 5000 a good choice?
What else is a solid tractor in this range that can do the job just as well?
What things am I missing in terms of helpful tech in a tractor for baling?
Can I readily get parts for any old tractor these days?
What special tools do I need to have in-hand if I'm going to be wrenching on an older tractor?
Thanks in advance folks!

A square baler doesn't need a lot of HP to run it. I've run one with a Ford 841S and an IH 340 or my Oliver 77 or my A/C D-17. By the way you couldn't give me a Ford 5000 used one back when I was 18 and hated it

 

[Steve in IL]

Hey everyone, total newbie here. I currently own a Kubota L2501 with loader. It has been my first tractor and decent, but I want to begin doing hay and need something bigger. I would like to get an older tractor so I can wrench on it as a hobby and can get more HP for the money. I am considering the Ford 5000 (Diesel w/out SOS). I'm planning to run a NH square baler and mower with it.
I have so many questions though...
Is the Ford 5000 a good choice?
What else is a solid tractor in this range that can do the job just as well?
What things am I missing in terms of helpful tech in a tractor for baling?
Can I readily get parts for any old tractor these days?
What special tools do I need to have in-hand if I'm going to be wrenching on an older tractor?
Thanks in advance folks!

Greg… Welcome. I’d suggest that the best tractor option will vary considerably based on how many bales you intend to do each year, and how flat your ground is. Without knowing more at this point, my favorite all around square baling tractor is a JD 3020

 

[sleepy1]

I have my dad's he bought in new in 70 I think, we still use it as a chore tractor. If it came to it I would have any problem hooking it to a baler or planter.

 

[GregMechE]

Greg… Welcome. I’d suggest that the best tractor option will vary considerably based on how many bales you intend to do each year, and how flat your ground is. Without knowing more at this point, my favorite all around square baling tractor is a JD 3020

Thank you! I should have given a lot more details. My land is 12 acres, but I'll only be cutting 6. However, Im hoping to be able to do neighbors etc. which could be much more. My land is quite hilly and I live around all farms. I'd also like to have a loader and since I don't have another tractor, I will be mowing, raking, and baling with the same one. I may run a sickle mower to start, but would like to get a disc mower. I've got an old ground driven rake and want to run a NH273 baler or similar. Thanks for recommendation, I'll look at the 3020.

 

[GregMechE]

A square baler doesn't need a lot of HP to run it. I've run one with a Ford 841S and an IH 340 or my Oliver 77 or my A/C D-17. By the way you couldn't give me a Ford 5000 used one back when I was 18 and hated it

So would I probably be covered with around 50 HP?

 

[SkipperII]

Despite Old's opinion. The Ford 5000 is a well built, reliable. economical tractor to operate. I think you will find more positives on it than negatives. I know of several that my old boss sold back in the late 60s early 70s that are still going strong. Parts are pretty readily available for them, also.

 

[Destroked 450]

Thank you! I should have given a lot more details. My land is 12 acres, but I'll only be cutting 6. However, Im hoping to be able to do neighbors etc. which could be much more. My land is quite hilly and I live around all farms. I'd also like to have a loader and since I don't have another tractor, I will be mowing, raking, and baling with the same one. I may run a sickle mower to start, but would like to get a disc mower. I've got an old ground driven rake and want to run a NH273 baler or similar. Thanks for recommendation, I'll look at the 3020.

That Kubota will pull a rake, I pulled one with my Honda 4 wheeler once when I didn’t have a second tractor available
Doesn’t take a lot of tractor to pull a baler, 3000 Ford will do it but it’s drum brakes are marginal, it doesn’t make a good loader tractor and I wouldn’t want a disc mower on it on a hill
Hillsides and disc mowers are a bad combination, they will easily turn a tractor on its side with the cutter bar raised off the ground
Ford 4000/4600 is a good choice but I wouldn’t want more than a 6 ft bar on the mower
5000 will handle a 7 ft bar ok, nothing wrong with a 5000 but I’d make sure it was a late model, nothing older than 69 and better if 73-75
6600 replaced the 5000 and is a good tractor, 5600 is same chassis but smaller engine with less hp
Since you have Kubota look for a M6800, good tractors

 

[old]

Despite Old's opinion. The Ford 5000 is a well built, reliable. economical tractor to operate. I think you will find more positives on it than negatives. I know of several that my old boss sold back in the late 60s early 70s that are still going strong. Parts are pretty readily available for them, also.

I ran one back when I was 18 in the Rice fields in Mississippi and had many problems with it. One time as an example we got the hay wagon stuck and all the 5000 would do was spin its tires. We unhooked it and hook up the JD A and the A pulled the wagon in half. I was looking back at straw bales and kids jumping/falling off the wagon. That 5000 got pulled out a number of times by that JD A also

 

[DeltaRed]

The 5000 is a classic. Bullet proof. You just cant find one here because nobody ever sells one, They are that good. Super economical too.

 

[mudcreek183]

One of the best ford built in the day. I wouldn't put much in what old says as he is a jealous and bitter man , when someone has something nicer then him.

 

[old]

One of the best ford built in the day. I wouldn't put much in what old says as he is a jealous and bitter man , when someone has something nicer then him.

WRONG I learned to hate the 5000 we used back then but back then they had pretty much juct came out and had some problems

 

[GregMechE]

That Kubota will pull a rake, I pulled one with my Honda 4 wheeler once when I didn’t have a second tractor available
Doesn’t take a lot of tractor to pull a baler, 3000 Ford will do it but it’s drum brakes are marginal, it doesn’t make a good loader tractor and I wouldn’t want a disc mower on it on a hill
Hillsides and disc mowers are a bad combination, they will easily turn a tractor on its side with the cutter bar raised off the ground
Ford 4000/4600 is a good choice but I wouldn’t want more than a 6 ft bar on the mower
5000 will handle a 7 ft bar ok, nothing wrong with a 5000 but I’d make sure it was a late model, nothing older than 69 and better if 73-75
6600 replaced the 5000 and is a good tractor, 5600 is same chassis but smaller engine with less hp
Since you have Kubota look for a M6800, good tractors

Good to go. Thank you. I do see a lot more 4000s thank 5000s for sale.

 

[Part Time Pete]

The 5000 is a good tractor, but if you have hills and will be pulling a kicker rack behind your baler, you might want something a little heavier. My baler tractor is an Oliver 1755 - it's heavy enough that it doesn't get pushed around on the hills, and with the three speed shift on the fly it makes a great hay tractor

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

I agree with everyone's positive assessment of the Ford 5000. As long as it doesn't have the Select-o-speed, and then not because of the select-o-speed itself, but the lack of people with the knowledge to work on them, and parts.

Do you have your eyes on a specific Ford 5000 that's for sale or are you just plucking models out of thin air? Old tractor shopping is not like new tractor shopping, where you can just pick a specific brand and model, walk into a tractor dealer, and buy one.

With old tractors, the tractors kind of pick you, rather than you picking the tractor. You need to see what's for sale before making any decisions. There may be no Ford 5000's for sale anywhere you'd be willing to travel.

Best way to learn is to just buckle down with the computer and do some research. Keep the HP and weight of your ideal Ford 5000 in the back of your mind. When you see another tractor you like, pull it up on tractordata and see how it compares to the 5000. There are just so many good solid tractors out there from that mid 1960's into the mid 1970's it would be tough to list out all the options. Ford, IH, John Deere, Oliver, Allis Chalmers, Massey Ferguson...

There are many ways to run a square baler. You can pull just the baler and drop the bales on the ground. You can pull a flat wagon behind and have people stacking on the wagon. You can have a baler with a thrower, and pull a basket wagon behind to catch the bales. Then you can be baling on anything from flat ground to the side of a mountain. All of those have different power and weight requirements.

As for your slew of other questions, take it step by step. Parts will depend on the tractor you choose. For tools, if you don't have any consider one of those umpty-hundred-piece "mechanic's tool sets" like the ones that are on sale all the time at Harbor Freight. Most minor things can be fixed with regular old wrenches. Don't invest in "specialty tools" unless you find that you need them, and then look to borrow or make-do because you'll probably only ever need it once.

 

[showcrop]

Yes! The 5000 is one of then best tractors ever built! They can be hard to find decent however because very few have been retired. They keep working. When you go to look at it insist that it be COLD. Not pre-warmed for you. Check for how well it starts and what oil pressure it shows.

 

[SkipperII]

Still see several for sale up here in the Great North Left, they were really popular around here. Recently saw two, one with a loader, one without, both looked real clean(same owner).

 

[jwal10]

I had a Ford 5000 row crops model, I really liked it. I also had a MF 275 row crops model, great tractors. I actually liked it a little better than the Ford. Also had a IHC hydro 656. IH 574 and 674 were good tractors. But I used a IH 454 the most, haying. It was a hydro. It ran my 430 IHC baler real good. At only 45 hp, even on the hills here in Oregon. I have had 8 3020 P.S tractors, other than the 2520 P.S, one of my favorite JD tractors. I also have a 544 diesel hydro, great tractors. AC 185, Oliver 1655....James

 

[Steve in IL]

Thank you! I should have given a lot more details. My land is 12 acres, but I'll only be cutting 6. However, Im hoping to be able to do neighbors etc. which could be much more. My land is quite hilly and I live around all farms. I'd also like to have a loader and since I don't have another tractor, I will be mowing, raking, and baling with the same one. I may run a sickle mower to start, but would like to get a disc mower. I've got an old ground driven rake and want to run a NH273 baler or similar. Thanks for recommendation, I'll look at the 3020.

Frankly, any 60-90 hp tractor will work. I’m a fan of independent PTO (not just a two stage clutch). Strong PS is good (not just power assist). I also like a platform tractor (not a straddle). Some sort of sun shade (or a cab with AC!) is nice.

 

[charlie n]

I baled with a 269 New Holland behind a 601 Powermaster live pto and never had a problem. With that being said, get something with a good power to weight ratio . The old 1000 series were great tractors but starting to get some age. If I was getting into hay now my sights would be set on a 4610 -6610. Old hates the 5000 because he doesn't have one with a tree growin thru it.