# Mowing hay with a JD 2025R



## Newby (May 24, 2017)

I have a JD 2025R and a few acres of brome that I would like to bale myself for my 2 horses - in the past a neighbor cut and baled it for me, but I don't want to ask again. The JD dealer says my tractor is too small to run a sickle bar mower like the old NH 451 I spotted on Craigslist. Are they right, is my tractor too small?.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

You have 18 pto hp according to tractor data. You are underpowered to be mowing, raking, or baling. You are also vastly underweight in order to be in control of a baler. Your 2025R weighs 1660 pounds. It is a garden tractor/lawn mower, not a agricultural tractor. I think your JD dealer is trying to keep you from hurting yourself or your 2025R.

Regards, Mike


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## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

They do make toy equipment for toy tractors.. but boy it is pricey...www.smallfarminnovations.com/indexmobile.html


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## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

You need to find an old Ford 8n or Farmall A. They can handle a sickle bar mower as they used to come with belly mounted units that worked pretty good.
As stated by Mike, your tractor is not much more than a LGT (lawn, garden tractor).


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## kurt1981 (Apr 18, 2017)

you will be allright buy a 575 new holland baler be sure its hooked to the tractor good or you could just put up loose hay with a weedeater and pitchfork


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

kurt1981 said:


> you will be allright buy a 575 new holland baler be sure its hooked to the tractor good or you could just put up loose hay with a weedeater and pitchfork


Hopefully Newby sees the sarcasm in your post.


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## Trillium Farm (Dec 18, 2014)

Newby said:


> I have a JD 2025R and a few acres of brome that I would like to bale myself for my 2 horses - in the past a neighbor cut and baled it for me, but I don't want to ask again. The JD dealer says my tractor is too small to run a sickle bar mower like the old NH 451 I spotted on Craigslist. Are they right, is my tractor too small?.


As others have said your tractor is too small for any farming activity. It's only good for mowing the lawn. But with only 2 ac to do it would be cheaper for you to buy the bales you need for 2 horses.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Buy hay.


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## hcriddle (Jul 5, 2014)

skyrydr2 said:


> They do make toy equipment for toy tractors.. but boy it is pricey...www.smallfarminnovations.com/indexmobile.html


I have vacillated back and forth on posting this because I don't want to get into a war of words with folks on here. I have a great respect for you all.

Could someone please point me to the inexpensive John Deere, Case, Kubota, New Holland, pick one equipment? I purchased all my equipment from Small Farms and I have a 90hp tractor, small square baler, round baler, mower, rake, 15 bale accumulator, tie grapple, and a 528 gal trailer sprayer, all brand new equipment with warranties and I am just about $10,000 over what my buddy paid for his 100hp John Deere tractor.

I spoke to everyone of the big name dealers and everyone of them told me that 50 acres of hay was not worth doing. They were right at the price they were quoting me for equipment. I realize that because my equipment is the wrong color I am considered a "toy" farmer and I have been called worse as a police officer for the last 40 years. My problem is that I keep hearing people talk about how pricey this equipment is yet I found it to be less than half of what the same equipment would have cost me from a big name dealer.

Also my dealer delivered my equipment and then he and another mechanic spent 3 days with me while I cut, raked and baled 16 acres of junk just to make sure everything was set up and functioning properly. He travels all over the United Stated delivering equipment to people and spending a day or two with them to set it up and teach them to operate it. My neighbor will wait a week or more to get his John Deere or Case dealer out to work on his equipment.

Having said all that, forgive me for taking offense but I believe I work as hard at producing hay as anyone else and probably harder than most because I haven't learned all the shortcuts and tricks of the trade that all you guys know. I do this while working another full time job (besides hay) and a part time job. I am a little tired because I have had about 6hrs sleep in the last couple of days because I have been working a shooting in my county that occurred while I was unloading my hay. I do get called back into work on occasion.

Newby, Vol is correct, you don't have enough tractor or HP even to run most of the equipment from Small Farms.


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## kurt1981 (Apr 18, 2017)

no one is trying to offend you. small scale farming is just not economical most of the time with the expense of equipment and land your lucky to make any profit. I am in the same position as you. In missouri a round bale is 25-40 dollars. So on fifty acres if you produce 120 5x6 bales with no fertilizer in 2 cuts thats 4800 at best. They say it costs 20 dollars to make the bale including time and equipment costs. The risk is on your shoulders to put up the hay properly and worry about it and not destroy your equipment in the process for that little of money.. if you produce 50 acres of alfalfa its prob worth your time , but calculate the cost of putting in 50 acres of RR alfalfa with proper lime and fertilizer What if it doesnt come up? I dont think i could have my cows or equipment if i didnt have a full time job. In Texas hay probably is worth more. Finding good used cheap equipment is a must for small scale production.


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