New Holland tractor questions

[roadrunninmark]

I am looking at a New Holland 3930 tractor, 1995 model. It has over 6300 hours on the meter though. Does that seem like high time for a tractor? I don't know anything about tractors. I am looking one to help ease my mowing of 5 acres of grass. I also want to plant some wild flowers so would need to mow them down at end of season. Am I correct I would need a bush hog attachment vs. a regular grass cutting unit? The tractor has a batwing 3 unit mower with it.

 

[hemitom]

6300 hours is not a lot on a 1995 ! those came I think with ford 3cyl diesel engines.
I would use the PTO to run any attachments.
Not sure what you mean by a regular grass cutting unit ( Gang Reel ) ?

 

[tc1446]

Not sure about hours but that is a pretty big tractor and mower for 5 acres. I cut 8-9ac with a Kioti CK-30 (about 28-50HP) pulling a 6 ft finish mower. Takes about 3+ hrs. It would easily cut wild flowers so doubt you will need a bush hog. I would be concerned about the age, unless you know who owns it and can verify its in good running cond.

Suggest you get on Tractorbynet where there are a lot of knowledgeable folks.

 

[roadrunninmark]

It has a diesel engine. The seller said the mower is for cutting grass where as a bush hog can cut more than grass, but doesn't do as well of a job with grass but better on thicker material.

 

[walterjay]

Tractor House has one listed with 2,188 hours for $8,500. Don't know what the price is for the one you are looking at but you can use that site as a comparison or possibly a much better deal on a lower hour unit.

 

[hemitom]

It has a diesel engine. The seller said the mower is for cutting grass where as a bush hog can cut more than grass, but doesn't do as well of a job with grass but better on thicker material.

yes batwing attachment is for cutting normal length lawn or a bit longer .
Bush hog is for well the name explains it cutting brush and long grass once or twice per season.
Also the 3930 is around 60 hp.

 

[roadrunninmark]

Since I don't care if the grass looks "nice", I am leaning more towards a bush hog to be able to do both. If I leave stuff grow for a season, and it is like 5 foot tall, I am thinking the bush hog is needed. I cut it now with a 60 inch zero turn and it takes me 3 1/2 hours. I would like to cut that time down to about an hour or so. Planting the wildflowers helps that too plus will be nice for nature.

 

[crashz]

It has a diesel engine. The seller said the mower is for cutting grass where as a bush hog can cut more than grass, but doesn't do as well of a job with grass but better on thicker material.

6300 hours is not low. How is the clutch? Replace recently? Its a utility tractor that may be a bit big and clumsy for 5 acres. Does it have turf tires or ag tires? Ags will destroy a lawn quickly.

A bush hog is good for field grass and light brush. It work more like a hammer and smashes the stalks vs clean cutting. If you are cutting flowers and grass, you may be better off with a finish mower.

 

[crashz]

You may not save any time using the tractor. For grass cutting the zero turn usually wins.

 

[walterjay]

I had a Ford 8n with a bush hog at one time. It could not be used on the lawn area as it would tear up lawn grass. Used it on my field only as it is a rough cut knockdown type of mowing.

 

[roadrunninmark]

I don't know the condition of the tractor, other than what the listing reports. It does have the big grooved tires.

I would prefer a smaller tractor for ease of storage and cost of upkeep / repair. I prefer to have a cab cover to keep me out of the sun, either already attached or I can add.

OK, so let me ask another bunch of questions...

What can I use to cut the mowing time down to under 2 hours AND be able to mow down "stalky" material, that is a lot tougher than regular grass? Mexican sunflower can grow up to ten feet tall and about 1 inch diameter stalk. I usually have to pull these out by hand and burn them the following year. I want to grow a lot more of these though. Other wildflowers won't be as large; I really want to grow a wild prairie.
If it is a tractor pulling a bush hog, what size bush hog (6' wide or maybe 8'?) would get the job done and what size tractor would I need to use it?

 

[BC1]

If I am reading this correctly, you plan to buy a tractor to cut one 5 acre field once a year? You can hire someone for that.

6300 is a ton of hours, too many for me. Batwing just means it will fold up to get on a trailer or through your gates. Normally these are bush hogs but can be finish mowers. Any batwing or 8 ft mower needs a serious tractor 50+ hp.

I use a Ford 2000 3 cyl diesel 30 PTO hp with a 6 ft cutter. That is a little too much mower as it will not pull through the thickest parts faster than 3rd gear if I go too long between cuttings.. But it will cut 2-3" trees so no issue with what you plan to plant. Takes maybe 5 hours for about 12 acres of fields. I only cut it 3-4 times a year so not a big deal.

 

[The_Eric]

I don't know the condition of the tractor, other than what the listing reports. It does have the big grooved tires.

I would prefer a smaller tractor for ease of storage and cost of upkeep / repair. I prefer to have a cab cover to keep me out of the sun, either already attached or I can add.

OK, so let me ask another bunch of questions...

What can I use to cut the mowing time down to under 2 hours AND be able to mow down "stalky" material, that is a lot tougher than regular grass? Mexican sunflower can grow up to ten feet tall and about 1 inch diameter stalk. I usually have to pull these out by hand and burn them the following year. I want to grow a lot more of these though. Other wildflowers won't be as large; I really want to grow a wild prairie.
If it is a tractor pulling a bush hog, what size bush hog (6' wide or maybe 8'?) would get the job done and what size tractor would I need to use it?

If you're looking to start/grow a wild prairie, then why not give it a good burn in the spring and let nature take over? It sounds like a lot of the desired species of plants are already there.

 

[cptbarkey]

For a diesel engine that isnt that high of hours. Since you know nothing about tractors, this is a good time to start.

Does it have a loader? If not, you will never find one second hand, so make sure you are ok without one.

Is it 4x4? If not, I'd pass. A 2WD tractor is only good for a few tasks, but a 4x4 is much more capable.

The value of what you think its worth and the seller doesn't really matter, its too old to try and comp.
The main thing is how experienced are you with machinery like that, I guarantee that it will have problems and you better be mechanically handy. For the right price i'd jump on it.

 

[crashz]

To cut down mowing time to 2 hours, you may need want to keep the zero turn and add a tractor, and ideally another operator. Bush hogs run best at about 5 PTO horsepower per foot of width. So a 6ft cutter takes about 30 PTO horsepower. But there is only so fast a tractor is going to mow and not shake you to death.

I cut fields as a side job and have a 25 HP tractor with a 5ft bush hog. Ideally I need a few more HP, but even if I did, the terrain is usually to difficult to travel very fast. So I average about 1 acre per hour cutting. A big tractor with big cutter is going to cut the time down because its wider but also can travel faster without bucking you out of the seat.

 

[roadrunninmark]

Doesn't have a loader, I think it is 2WD. I would mow other sections throughout the year but I have a zero turn for that. I don't want to hire someone to mow things down, people aren't reliable anymore. As the saying goes, you want something done right, you do it yourself. My first thought it that 6300 hours was a lot of time. I don't want it to be broken down when I need it.

So a 30HP would be good for a 5ft, 40 HP a 6ft and 50 hp for 8ft.

I have just grass and weeds, so I would need to burn it and buy seed. Perhaps I need a bigger zero turn and a small tractor to take care of the future wildflower areas.

 

[hemitom]

If I am reading this correctly, you plan to buy a tractor to cut one 5 acre field once a year? You can hire someone for that.

6300 is a ton of hours, too many for me. Batwing just means it will fold up to get on a trailer or through your gates. Normally these are bush hogs but can be finish mowers. Any batwing or 8 ft mower needs a serious tractor 50+ hp.

I use a Ford 2000 3 cyl diesel 30 PTO hp with a 6 ft cutter. That is a little too much mower as it will not pull through the thickest parts faster than 3rd gear if I go too long between cuttings.. But it will cut 2-3" trees so no issue with what you plan to plant. Takes maybe 5 hours for about 12 acres of fields. I only cut it 3-4 times a year so not a big deal.

6300 hours is not a ton of hours on a 60 hp tractor which is what he is looking at

 

[97prizm]

I am looking at a New Holland 3930 tractor, 1995 model. It has over 6300 hours on the meter though. Does that seem like high time for a tractor? I don't know anything about tractors. I am looking one to help ease my mowing of 5 acres of grass. I also want to plant some wild flowers so would need to mow them down at end of season. Am I correct I would need a bush hog attachment vs. a regular grass cutting unit? The tractor has a batwing 3 unit mower with it.

Check out the Messicks channel on YouTube. He's very informative and breaks down tractors, and implements. Depends on what type of cut you want. Flail mowers tend to be really popular as the mulch better than rotary cutters ie bush hogs.

 

[Chris142]

That many hours is equal to about 250000 to 300000 miles if it was a car. Imo its likely ready for a rebuild. Remember that tractors are used in dusty places and that dust wears things out.

 

[hemitom]

That many hours is equal to about 250000 to 300000 miles if it was a car. Imo its likely ready for a rebuild. Remember that tractors are used in dusty places and that dust wears things out.

Can't compare to a car !
6300 hours on a tractor is consider to be near middle of life.