Half the tractor related deaths world wide came from turning over the tractor. That takes talent in my neck of the woods.

If your not fully working 400ac but just looking to maintain and plant a few plots I would get a 50hp 4x4 with skid steer front end loader; and add a good brush hog, tiller & box blade and you should be good to go.

Now if you are going to be cutting hay and fully working your property then I would go ahead and step it up to a 70hp cab tractor.

We have 320 acres. We mow a few miles of senderos and roads and plant about 5 acres of food plots (soon to grow).

We have a 45 hp john deere 2wd tractor with FEL, a 6' disk and 6'shredder.

We have very loose sandy soil, the 2wd gives us some fits with the disk hooked up but it is serviceable. If we had it to do over again 4wd would be something I would look for and maybe a few more hp to the 60-65 hp range.

I would stay in the 70-85hp range.. unless your not mowing but 50acres of it and not needing over 6ft equipment then you could step down to a 40-55hp ......also you will want 4wd its not necessary 85% of the time but that left over % is important.. 70hp is a good size and able to keep cost down... it will run a 12ft wing, run larger 3point disc or a small pull type.. planter.. small hay equipment also.. great all around size for the most part depending on brand and model.... these would be some id recommend

http://mahindrausa.com/tractors/5500-series/5570-4wd-shuttle

https://www.deere.com/en_US/products/equ...y_tractor.page?

http://agriculture1.newholland.com/nar/e...4b-final/models

I was looking for a tractor a couple of years ago for a new lease in North East Texas. Problem was the trails were so small and thick timber I could only get a smaller frame tractor in it. If you are looking for a smaller one in the future, my Kioti has been great, 24 HP. No problem with 4 or 5 foot brush hog. Not just mowing grass but taking out saplings and brush up to 1.50 in diameter. I have the hydra static model so a lot of backing up and going forward is real easy. I pull a disc, brush hog and a 6 foot box blade. It has a front end loader too. It would be nice for a little more HP when needed but it can go pretty well anywhere a jeep frame can go and it is 4 wheel drive.

Years ago we got to test a JD 4850 with MFWD. Even with duals, pulling a 24' offset, turning on the 4WD would pick up .5 mph due to reduced slippage. I wouldnt buy another tractor without 4wd.

I agree with what most of the others have stated, 50 hp minimum based on your original post, but I would lean a bit bigger to 60 hp minimum and would even go up a bit more to 75-80 hp. I have a 25 hp 4wd Kubota that works great for smaller stuff and getting around & under trees and a 60 hp 4wd Kubota with FEL that does pretty much anything I need to do. One thing mine is missing is the quick detach bobcat style attachments for the FEL, I would suggest that would be very handy!!! and rear remotes.

Go with one bigger than you need and more than you can afford.

Yeap, no different that owning both a UTV and pickup.

I have a bunch of mowing that I do around my home and food plots. I have a Kubota commercial diesel zero turn mower with a 6' mowing deck. I can use my Kubota 8540 and a 10' mower to mow around my home, not the immediate yard but the area that is cleared out, and on out to the highway. It takes 6½ hours with the tractor. The turn times around trees and other obstacles are a killer. The ZD331 will do it all in 5 hours with only a 1/3 of the fuel, and the trimming is almost nil. Kind of funny of how that works.

I had a Zetor about the same size of my Kubota, and honestly, it had more features. The Zetor dealer was just the owner of the business and could not support his customers well. A dealer is everything. My Kubota dealer, Victoria Oliver, is outstanding. I have a service truck come out for the heavy service intervals and do something else with my time. There is always plenty of other work to get done.

The Zetor was taller and suffered a couple of cab strikes under live oaks because of it. Lucky for me my dad is an excellent body/fiberglass hand. It had other options as standard that my Kubota doesn't or doesn't even offer. There was forward hydraulics and dual rear. I added the forward to my Kubota so that I could use skid mounted gear. The front end load on the Zetor had an auto-level, but I found out that the Kubota didn't have it and it was a $3500 option after I had it on the ranch. Other little things like lift arm actuation via a rocker switch on the rear fender and a 45° swivel & lock seat for field work (saves your back & neck). In the end, the Kubota is probably the better of the two, but I miss the small stuff. The Zetor even had an air compressor, never worried with a tire going flat out in the field.

Durn it. Started talking about it and went and looked at what was going on with Zetor. I'd turn my Kubota for the Proxima 85 Cab 4WD. It is all the additional features that I mentioned plus a few more like the two-speed, reversible PTO. Closest dealer is 76 miles, too far when you need them.

The Proxima power is a beast... they will run circles around most modern tractors in the hp range... but you MUST have a good dealer close

The 6600 + acre ranch I took care of had one of these. 115 horse IIRC.

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Nice, a/c, hydrostatic tranny, 4 wd,....but pretty much way to big for most of the routine uses.

Much more versatile, for me, is this 59 hp Mahindra, 2 WD with the bucket. JMO



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Just my 2 cents. Due to financial constraints and HP minimums I found a 2003 New Holland TC 30 4x4 with 100 hours 5 years ago I am maintaining 4 (2) acre food plots 2 in spring and 2 in fall. And mowing about 6 miles of trails 2 to 3 times a year. I am pleased with this tractor as it easily handles a 6 ft mower and a 6 foot heavy disc. Also the front loader is indespensible moving blinds etc.

I've got 50 acres and use a 50HP. Cab is nice on 100+ days