Farming advise
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Farm Equipment
Forum Description: everything about Allis-Chalmers farm equipment
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=25450
Printed Date: 25 Feb 2025 at 5:50am
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Topic: Farming advise
Posted By: KC-WD45
Subject: Farming advise
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 2:52pm
| I'm looking for some opinions. Last fall after I finished restoring my first tractor (wd45) I caught the farming bug. Currently I have 15 acres that I have plowed and plan on planting beans this spring. I am not looking to become a proffesional farmer but eventually I would like to be working about 40 acres. So the question is if 40 acres is the goal what equipment (tractor, plow, planter etc.) would you put on the must have list. I like the 190xt but I'm looking for opinions and they might not be orange. Thanks. |
Replies:
Posted By: R.W
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 2:57pm
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A wd-45 will do 40 acres and all you need is implements. ------------- In Search Of: 1958 Allis Chalmers D17 Diesel serial #9643D |
Posted By: KC-WD45
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:05pm
| But would you want to? I plowed 15 acres with a 2-16 and it took quite a while. |
Posted By: RSponenberg
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:05pm
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For 40 acres your WD45 will do fine as your tractor.With the equipment you listed you'll also need a harrow or disc as a must have,and a sprayer would be nice too!!!
I farm 108 acres with 2 WD45s and a CA... Can only use 1 at a time as there is only one of me...
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Posted By: KC-WD45
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:08pm
| Right now I have the wd45 a 3-16 that I'm not using the third on and an 8' disc. I was thinking I was under sized but it sounds like I might have the basics covered. |
Posted By: Steve M
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:18pm
| Not too far from my house there was a guy that was retired and decided that he wanted a hobby, so he bought a 150 acre farm just 3 miles down the road and then went and bought a WD45 and implements to match it. Bought an old Gleaner combine and farms the whole place with just that equipment. Yes, it does require alot of seat time but thats what he likes AND his equipment investment is just peanuts compared to to other farmers around him that have the newer bigger stuff but they both get the same price for their crops when they sell. He could afford to replace his whole tractor for just an engine repair on their equipment. You ought to see the smile on his face out there putting in the seat time! |
Posted By: RSponenberg
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:25pm
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8 foot to 10 foot disc is fine for a WD45 get too big and you wont do as good a job or wont pull it at all. Plows I pull 3 bottom 16" semi mounts in 2nd gear no problem..
Beans right now are $13.58+/- but as the old saying goes " Takes money to make money" When you go buy seed,fertlizer and spray and pay the combining you'll see!!!
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Posted By: victoryallis
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:27pm
| My vote would be a 6080 or even a 6060 if WD's are like D17's a 6080 will be a lot nicer. The 6080 will run on a fraction of the fuel and if it's got better hydraulics and more comfortable. On the other side of the coin my grandfather made a living farming about 80-90 tillable acres with a D17 and C. |
Posted By: 427435
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:35pm
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Back in the 50's, my Dad ran 280 acres with an M Farmall and an R Moline. The M did most of the tillage work including pulling a 3-16 plow. A good WD-45 should be plenty, unless you only want to work the 40 acres on weekends.
------------- Mark B10 Allis, 917 Allis, 7116 Simplicity, 7790 Simplicity Diesel, GTH-L Simplicity Ignorance is curable-----stupidity is not. |
Posted By: RSponenberg
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:37pm
| 6080 is over kill |
Posted By: wfmurray
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:52pm
| If you don,t like seat time you wont like farming. We cultivated 50 acres with a farmall cub once . Run two tanks of gas through it in one day , lots of seat time |
Posted By: BobHnwO
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 3:55pm
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I have a 7060PS,D17 gas for 5 acres!!
------------- Why do today what you can put off til tomorrow. |
Posted By: acd21man
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 4:48pm
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my great grandpa farmed with a 1952 red bely ford 2 bottom disk plow and a disk (dont remember the foot) and cultivated to,.......he had then 100 AC then my grandpa bought a D-17 series 4 gas 3pt with a 3 bottom ... then later my dad started to trade on EQ and now we farm with a 7000 1979 220 1973 D-21 1969 WD1952 WD45 1956 WD45 diesel 1954 and 2 D-17 diesels 3pts both 1967s now we farm bout 450 ACs moving up in the world lol ------------- 2 wd 45,2 D-17 diesel/gas 3 pt, 220,d21, 4020,2 4430s used daily http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudh8Xz9_rZHhUC3YNozupw |
Posted By: Eldon (WA)
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 5:00pm
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My grandfather and uncle farmed over 600 acres with four 8N Fords and an Allis WC (WC never had the cornpicker taken off of it)....and they only believed in farming till 6:00 at night! I'm helping him average out the numbers LOL! ------------- ALLIS EXPRESS! This year: |
Posted By: Reindeer
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 5:13pm
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I,ve spent a lot of seat time on the smaller tractors <40 HP, and the jump to > 50 HP is a big one if you are doing your farming part time on 40 acres. A D-17 or even D 19 would be sweet, and 170-175 are good solid tractors with standard hydraulics that will run any kind of plow or disc.
I farmed a few hundred acres part time, takes a lot more tractor to do things part time:) ------------- |
Posted By: Don(MO)
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 6:56pm
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Doug, You have all the tractor you ed need for a 40 acre farm, Like the guys said above get a two or four row planter, 8' to 10' disc, a good sprayer, and a old E Gleaner combine and your good to go. A 190XT is a little over kill and you'll get done to fast! LOL ------------- 3 WD45's with power steering,G,D15 fork lift,D19, W-Speed Patrol, "A" Gleaner with a 330 corn head,"66" combine,roto-baler, and lots of Snap Coupler implements to make them work for their keep. |
Posted By: Reeseholler
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 7:07pm
| For me, I think it depends on two things. How much time you're willing to put in and how much money. If your going for just something for "pure hobby" and a little extra cash, I think the 45 would be sufficient. It may take awhile but I think with at least that tractor that the maintenence is simple and you don't have to have as big of a storage unit for it. If your going more on the money side, I imagine anything around 60-70 horse would do you. Me and dad started baling hay with a John deere 50 and a 14T baler and now we're up to a Ford 6700 and a IH 440 baler with a thrower. If you have the time, I think I would try the 45 for a little and see what you could improve and then what you're willing to put the money into to improve that. If you want a bigger tractor, bigger implements go along and so does the parts. for that amount of acres, I imagine it wouldn't be used that hard but I think if you had a 60-70 horse tractor and the 45 you would have quite the small setup. Just my thinking. I'm probably a little off my rocker but just trying to throw some ideas out there. |
Posted By: Eric[IL]
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 7:16pm
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It seems the old days everyone talks about on this thread had good old weather conditions. I remember the same. Good planting, mowing, spraying, & harvest conditions where 3-6 weeks were favorable for any or each of those tasks. Today, especially the last 3 years, have had difficult weather patterns. Some of these patterns developed some seriously wet soil conditions throughout the whole growing season. Get that WD45 & 8' disk hooked up, run a few quarter mile passes, then turn around to see rain barrelling down on you. Put that scenario into late June and that 40 acres could seem like 240. You may want to upgrade to bigger cheaper hp with wider equipment? I am thinking something versatile like a good AC200 tractor with 18-20' equipment. The 301 gets good fuel economy. Around here, that size equipment used to go cheap at farm auctions? Scrap iron prices, & high grain prices have raised it now though... That AC200 could also haul grain wagons to the elevator. It should be able to do spring tillage, NH4 application, plant, sidedress, spray, row-cultivate, mow, haul grain wagons, & fall tillage. You're right, it is overkill if the weather is good, but if not then even a 7020 or 8010 would be a wish list for that 40 acres. Actually a 7060 might be just as cheap to purchase. It would use more fuel, but could handle equipment with ease. |
Posted By: farmer0_1
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 7:58pm
| dad farmed after his 8-5 job of being a lineman. we have 40 acres here at home and alot of years he had over 100 acres. two sixteens plow jd 420 johnny popper. 10 pm he came in alot of night and if i was lucky i got to ride a TO 20 doing roller harrow work. you will be fine. |
Posted By: singingpig
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 8:23pm
I agree with Eric....overkill is good. I only farm 20 acres and use a 140hp and a 62hp FWD. I even bumped my G up to 23 hp lol. So often the difference between making a profit and losing money is having equipment big enough to do the job during a small spell of good weather. Timing is everything. I would go through 1 or 2 seasons with the equipment you have though, make a little money, get some experience and then look to upgrade. Your decision making will be better after a year or 2 of experience. |
Eric[IL wrote:Posted By: KevinON
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 8:29pm
| If you wanted to upgrade at all, I would consider a 180/185. They are very good, efficient tractors. |
Posted By: 427435
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 11:02pm
X2 And reliable as an anvil. With the extra power, you might still have time for fishing on the weekends!! ------------- Mark B10 Allis, 917 Allis, 7116 Simplicity, 7790 Simplicity Diesel, GTH-L Simplicity Ignorance is curable-----stupidity is not. |
Posted By: GARY(OH/IN)
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2011 at 11:17pm
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My Dad farmed 300 ac. in the 60's with the big tractor a wd45. 100 ac. at home and 200 ac. 19 miles away. Pulled the wd45 back and forth with a tow bar. Other tractors were AC wd, and unstyled wc, JD ar and a. Seat time=alot. Cheap labor=me. |
Posted By: Ben (MI)
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 6:03am
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KC-
I am going to ramble a bit, but I want to see you suceed so I'll share my thoughts. I farm 100 acres of no till beans and corn. When I started farming on my own I had a 180 diesel, 4-16 Ford plow, 12' IH disc, 12' IH field cultivator and a 6X30" JD 7000 planter for 50 acres. Since then I have had two AC 7000s and have just traded up to a black belly 7060. I have a JD 6X30" 7000 planter set up for no till. If you are farming for enjoyment tilling is the way to go. If you are farming for profit no till deserves serious consideration. I farm because it is in my blood but it must support itself, the last couple of years have been very profiable. My AC tractors have all been low cost to buy and operate and have earned their keep many times over. When it comes to planters JD is hard to beat. Good luck, to me there is no feeling greater than making that little seed grow into a productive plant-it is truly a miracle.
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Posted By: Stan IL&TN
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 6:48am
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You are going to waste way too much time changing impliments. You need a tractor for plowing, a tractor for disking, one for planting, another for cultivating and another for a wagon puller. You'll need five to start with. Maybe another for mowing. The possibilities are endless to acquire more orange. ------------- 1957 WD45 dad's first AC 1968 one-seventy 1956 F40 Ferguson |
Posted By: Orange Blood
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 7:35am
Don't forget one for just driving out to the barn, to get the right tractor!! :-) ------------- Still in use: HD7 WC C CA WD 2-WD45 WD45LP WD45D D14 3-D17 D17LP 2-D19D D19LP 190XTD 190XTLP 720 D21 220 7020 7030 7040 7045 3-7060 Projects: 3-U UC 2-G 2-B 2-C CA 7-WC RC WDLP WF D14 D21 210 7045 N7 |
Posted By: bill2260
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 7:43am
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I have a couple of neighbors who has a specific tractor for every job. Almost never unhook. Part of the problem with dairy farm profitability.
Seriously, if you are a young man you can make a wd45 work all day. In the process you will run 30 gallons of fuel thru it and sleep well that night if the vibration and ear ringing subside enough to fall asleep. I did that till I was 25. Now 52 and not interested in that anymore. Lot of goood cheap horsepower out there. Bill |
Posted By: Lonn
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 7:49am
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If you have a full time job get a 190xt and matching equipment or something close. Much faster but first see how 15 acres works out first. Might be all you care for and will still give you a chance to work the equipment you have.
------------- -- --- .... .- -- -- .- -.. / .-- .- ... / .- / -- ..- .-. -.. . .-. .. -. --. / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / .-. .- .--. .. ... - Wink I am a Russian Bot |
Posted By: Brian F(IL)
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 7:52am
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If you like seat time, just start with your WD-45, a 3-14" SC plow, 10' disc and 4-row planter; have someone custom-hired to combine. After a year or two of saving money and having fun you decide how much more leisure time you want and how much bigger stuff you want to buy.
My 2 cents worth...
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Posted By: Brad(WI)
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 9:59am
| I had a long post, but my puter shut down. Here goes again. You can start with the wd-45 and see how you like the seat time. I would look at a 7060 for a tractor, like Ben(MI) said. Around me, they are cheaper than a 180, 190xt, 200, and all amaller 7000 series tractors. I would go with a White planter and no-till. I don't know much about JD planters, but the Whites are cheap to maintain. The older 5000 series whites are cheap, but will need no-till coulters if no-tilling. Our 6000 series doesn't need the coulters to no-till in our soil. Get a decent sprayer, or hire it done. You might need to take a pesticide applicators training class to purchase/use most chemicals. Otherwise hire it done. A small combine can be found cheap enough, and that is the best part of farming for me. Getting to see your crops yield first hand is good info. Hiring it done is an option, and around me it runs $25-30+ an acre. There is no maintainance when hired done, and they might supply a grain cart or truck. Lots of ways to do it, and none are wrong. All depends on how much time and money you have to put into it. |
Posted By: KC-WD45
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 10:52am
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Thank you everyone, I figured you guys would have some pretty good advise. I do enjoy the seat time, sitting around all winter looking at a plowed field has told me that. When your not born into farming you have to do alot of guessing and I wanted to make sure I wasn't throwing money at a bunch of equipment that wouldn't be able to keep up with what I want to do. I really was amazed to here how much people were able to do with the old wd45. I think runnng what I got for now and setting aside the money Allis saves me is a good idea and probably the best way to learn. Thanks again for the good advise I appreciate it all.
KC-WD45 ( Doug )
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Posted By: chllngr528
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 11:42am
| My grand father in-law does everything with a farmall M and a AC 190XT. My dad use to do everything with a AC B, ford 8N, Ford NAA, JD 301B, and a AC 6080. |
Posted By: Unit3
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 12:20pm
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20A of corn at 180 bu pA X $6.00 = $21,600
20A of soya at 045 bu pA X $13.00 = $11,700
Total Gross (NOT NET) $33,300
If you are going to buy more land, then buy a tractor you will be happy and proud of for 5 to 10 years. Get yourself a 6080FWA, 7020PS or 8010FWA with PS. You can get a UC, WD45D, 190nf, D21, 220FWA, and 6,7, or 8000 series and feel proud to farm with any of them, UNTIL the day you are planting and God makes it rain and hail on your farm catching you on the far end of the field. THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU! My question for you is which of these do you want to be operating when the sky openes up and you are driving back in a high gear? 8010FWA with PS or a 6080FWA would be two great choices. Two cab filters are better then one, when you are working ground in the spring or cutting stalks in the fall. Some will tell you that you don't need AC in a tractor cab---LOL. You don't need a cab on a tractor today, but will you be shopping for hearing aids tomorrow?
My dad moved snow for years with his WD45. Me, I like my 7045 PS with a Westondorf TA46B loader and snowblower on the back. I also have a AC blade on our 7000. After a big snow storm, I use them both. What used to take dad all day to do, take a few hours now and I stay warm doing it.
Go for a newer tractor with cab, heat, and air, and more HP and 10 years form now you will be glad you did.
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Posted By: JohnCO
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 1:52pm
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With just 40 acres the 45 will do just fine. A lot of farmers covered a lot of ground with less. On the other hand, big tractors are cheaper then the newer, smaller ones. I only farm about 140 acres, more then half in hay and I've got a 7580 for tillage work. I've only got about $6,000 in it and it has a cab, etc. I started with a CA and a DC Case and 40 acres in the early '70's. Got a tractor with a cab in the late '80s and now the flagship Kubota M110 seven years ago. Put a couple hundred hours on the M110, in climate controlled comfort, 25 hr. on the 7580. Both do the jobs they were made for. One piece of advice - Wear hearing protectors on any non cab tractor. In 20 or 30 years you will know why. Many of my friends and neighbors have hearing aids, I'm still ok - so far.
------------- "If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer" Allis Express participant |
Posted By: RSponenberg
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 2:51pm
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Posted By: Eric[IL]
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 3:55pm
| If you already know about ear protection, then good. If not, then I agree about the prior comments about hearing protection. I keep a box of those orange foam ear plugs behind my pickup seat. That makes them handy. My wife knows when farming is in full swing cause I usually have an open pair & several non opened bags of plugs in my front jeans pocket that she finds before doing laundry. My Dad ran 2 WDs, farmall M, 2WD45s, D17(here where I started), Cat D4 straight pipe, 2JD4020s, - all open station tractors. Now at 84, he can't hear good. If you're alone with him in a quiet place, he can hear, but not around any outside sounds. When I got a job off the farm, hearing protection was mandatory with hearing tests annually. I was fortunate to experience the difference. My kids have always got the talk, "put on your ear muffs or ear plugs - before you get on that tractor or mower." Good discussion on this farming topic! |
Posted By: michaelwis
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 4:54pm
I think this is one of the better posts .. .To make a buck you need to get things done in a timely fasion . I may have missed something but you certainly work (off ) the farm .. so do it with something that gives you some comfort . My 7040 we ordered w o air .. cause my mom bitched that her house didnt have air cond .. you can get around that ..
IF i were you i,d watch sales for say 7040,s or 7060,s .....they dont bring that much .. plus you could always pull in the local tractor pull ....... ------------- WD WD45 DIESEL D 14 D-15 SERIES 2 190XT TERRA TIGER ac allcrop 60 GLEANER F 6060 7040.and attachments for all Proud to be an active farmer |
Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 5:07pm
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When I was a kid we did that much with a WC, 2 bottom IH trailer plow, a pull type disk. a two row planter. Later we got a sprayer. We truck farmed. Hand planted everything but sweet corn and pop corn.
It just depends on how much work you want to do, and how modern you want your equipment! ------------- D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446 |
Posted By: Gary in da UP
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 5:19pm
| If you only have 15 acres plowed and ready for planting in the next year, use what you've got, keep it simple. Forget no till for now, cultivate, and walk the rows and pull a few weeds. Have fun, and you won't be so likely to get overwhelmed. This will get you going, and give you time to consider your crop plans for the other 25 acres, and what you can do, or what you need to make it profitable. My .02 |
Posted By: R.W
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 8:24pm
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Hears a point i want to make. If you ever seen the promo video for a allis chalmers B it was advertised for the small farmer with 100 acres or less. I know things have changed but 40 acres ma seem like alot with a wd-45 but think what 80 acres seemed like to a guy with a B. thats my 2 cents
------------- In Search Of: 1958 Allis Chalmers D17 Diesel serial #9643D |
Posted By: Hunter
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2011 at 8:48pm
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agree with KevinON. i would go with a 180 or 185 they are very dependable tractors and dont suck alot of fuel and they are not to big or too small. i have a friend who has a 7050 on a 100 acre farm and they only do hay. but we have a 185 and we have pulled a John Deere 15' 750 no till drill with no problem. our farm is about 210 acres plus other that our neigbors let us farm we only do hay and a little big of alfalfa
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Posted By: SHAMELESS
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2011 at 1:04am
| ya'll wanna talk overkill? right now, untill i retire from my job in the big city, i have all but 70 acres in CRP. that remaining 70 acres are taken care of by: 7080, 7010, 190 xt, 180, and a few other smaller tractors, 2- caseIH combines, a 1460 and a 1440, 6 and 8 row planters, 18 and 22 ft disks, 3-4-&5 bottom plows, 60 ft self propelled hagie sprayer, 2- 500 plus grain trucks..(just sold my semi) 5 300 bu gravity wagons, i still have my 2 gleaner combines, a "G" and a "K". a new holland baler with accumalater, plus other farm equipment. burn about 4-500 gal of fuel a year. now...THAT'S overkill! lol |
Posted By: WC7610
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2011 at 8:50am
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A D17, with the WD45 as the #2 tractor, would be a perfect addition to the setup to farm 40 acres IMHO.
D17 is small enough to let you enjoy eating dirt and getting a tan, cheap enough to be affordable, and large enough to keep you timely in everything.
With the WD45 as a backup, you would be set.
Good luck! ------------- Thanks Most Bad Government has grown out of Too Much Government- Thomas Jefferson |
Posted By: AllisFreak MN
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2011 at 9:36am
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KC-WD45, I am in a similar situation as you. I currently own 50 acres with about 40 tillable. It's hard to justify spending a lot on eguipment for that amount of acreage, but the good thing about it is that you can always sell the machinery if you decide it isn't worth it. Personally, I am enjoying the heck out of it as a hobby and am considering adding a Gleaner combine to the ever growing lineup of equipment. Overkill-probably, but if it's what you love to do in your spare time then it's worth every penny you spend. I own a 6060, D17 and a WD. They all get used for certain tasks, but the 6060 gets the most usage because it has a cab with air & heat so I use it for snow removal too. It's nice to have air on those 95 degree days when you are making hay after working all day at your real job in town (at the machine shop in my case.) I guess it depends on what you plan to grow for crops as far as what other eguipment would be considered "essential". ------------- '49 A-C WD, '51 A-C WD, '63 A-C D17 Series III, 1968 A-C One-Seventy, '82 A-C 6060, '75 A-C 7040, A-C #3 sickle mower, 2 A-C 701 wagons, '78 Gleaner M2 |