Tractors

[nicelee808]

Hi All,

I will be moving to Thailand this year, we have a couple of rubber plantations, but as a way of making some extra income I am thinking about buying a Kubota L4508 or equivelant. Does anyone know how much these are brand new?(in Thai Baht)

With this Tractor I will be looking to possibly prepare rice fields for planting and any over jobs I might be able to do, Is this tractor the best one to get? and what other uses could I put this to?

I have heard that I could probably source a good amount of work and charge about 300 Baht per hour.

Any Input would be appreciated.

Regards Lee

[sezze]

L4508 is about 500.000 baht new .

[kwonitoy]

Lee:

I bought a 4508DI Kubota, new in August of 2010, at that time it cost 632,000 baht (on sale) with rototiller, front blade, and 5 disc plow. I've since added a grass cutter for 25,000 baht. Most of the other additional attachments run about 20-28 thousand baht. eg cassava hiller, cassava plow, hole auger

I use it for my rubber farm and it's size is good for getting between the trees

This model has been replaced in 2011 with the 4708, don't have an exact price but with the above equipment, at least a price of 750,000 baht or more

As for paid work, good luck. You'll be completing with hundreds of other farmers that have bought tractors on payments with the idea of contracting out plowing to make their monthly payments. These guys are everywhere and work cheap.

8 solid hour of plowing will gross you 2400 baht, knock off 800-1000 baht for diesel ( consumption from my own use ) and you don't have much left for a day that will leave you hot, tired and dirty. If you have a driver subtract his wages also. Also a hired driver will probably beat the hell out of it, just from my own observation's of the locals tractors.

I bought mine for my own use, not expecting to contract it out.

Best of luck

Ken

[nicelee808]

Lee:

I bought a 4508DI Kubota, new in August of 2010, at that time it cost 632,000 baht (on sale) with rototiller, front blade, and 5 disc plow. I've since added a grass cutter for 25,000 baht. Most of the other additional attachments run about 20-28 thousand baht. eg cassava hiller, cassava plow, hole auger

I use it for my rubber farm and it's size is good for getting between the trees

This model has been replaced in 2011 with the 4708, don't have an exact price but with the above equipment, at least a price of 750,000 baht or more

As for paid work, good luck. You'll be completing with hundreds of other farmers that have bought tractors on payments with the idea of contracting out plowing to make their monthly payments. These guys are everywhere and work cheap.

8 solid hour of plowing will gross you 2400 baht, knock off 800-1000 baht for diesel ( consumption from my own use ) and you don't have much left for a day that will leave you hot, tired and dirty. If you have a driver subtract his wages also. Also a hired driver will probably beat the hell out of it, just from my own observation's of the locals tractors.

I bought mine for my own use, not expecting to contract it out.

Best of luck

Ken

Ken,

Thanks for the info,

I definately wouldnt contract out, I think I can handle the hot, sweaty and dirty(lol) as I am a hard worker and 35 years young, also I would probably only want to work 4-5 hours a day, getting about 1500 bt - 500 baht per day for fuel = 1000 baht profit per day(hopefully) on top of the rubber profits.

Apparently the big nearby village has 2 of these tractors and between the other 2 nearby villages have only 1 each, with my village having none(quite remote) but obviously still competition. Also Apparantly the drivers at the moment tend to have quite long queues for work.

Also my budget is around 500,000 baht for a tractor and attachments(front blade, and 5 disc plow) are there any cheaper but equivelant models available?

Do you get asked to do work? and what months and how many months of the year would be busy periods, In my area there are a lot of people starting rubber plantations, so hopefully requiring a tractor of this size and are these good for preparing the rice fields.

Regards Lee

[kwonitoy]

You can check at the Kubota dealers, there are lots of used tractors that have been repossed, but I would be very careful about these. They are generally very high hour and have been used very hard. There is also the smaller 3408 (34HP) Kubota. Not sure of the current price.

This time of year is quite busy for the tractors, people clearing land, some plowing of rice paddies, more rice work closer to the rainy season from what I've seen. Once the rainy season starts in May or June there won't be much work untill Oct. or so when you can safely get back out in the fields, so there is a long time of no work.

I've done the ocassional job, mostly for the wife's family but I don't pursue any work. Around my area there are so many tractors, new Kubotas and the old Fords that its a buyer's market for tractor work. I don't bother.

This size of tractor is suitable for rice paddies, they use much smaller ones quite effectively. One of the reasons I don't do work for other's is that half your time is spent stopping, reversing, manouvering around stumps and rocks. It is I find, a pain in the ass.

My own land is clear of obsticle's and easy to work

Ken

[WatersEdge]

It may be of interest to mention.

I'm presently importing heavy construction equipment.

A farm tractor here and there would just ride along in the spare room of a container.

Big machine in a big box, with a lot of empty air all around it,

and loads of weight capacity to burn.

Ditto for various difficult to source farm materials

[kwonitoy]

How about something like a Hay rake?

Something to sweep up leaves fallen from rubber trees, the recent fires have me spooked

Any ideas?

[WatersEdge]

Hi kwonitoy,

Are you referring to my idea of shipping equipment from the US?

You want a hay rake brought over?

My Dad builds a Category II three-point hitch hay rake.

Wheel rake type.

Finest in the hay business,

Rakes 32 feet of alfalfa into one windrow from two 16 foot swather windrows.

Fast as well as very gentle on the hay leaves.

Haven't seen a heavy enough application for it in Thailand.

There are of course lighter duty hay rakes that might rake rubber leaves cheaper.

[kwonitoy]

I know the wheel type your talking about, used to fluff up and dry the swaths.

What I'm thinking about is a type with a simple drop and drag curved tines to collect leaves. Kind of like a large scale garden rake.

Nothing I'd want you to import as yet. Might visit my local fab shop with some drawing and see if I can build one here

[slapout]

I know the wheel type your talking about, used to fluff up and dry the swaths.

What I'm thinking about is a type with a simple drop and drag curved tines to collect leaves. Kind of like a large scale garden rake.

Nothing I'd want you to import as yet. Might visit my local fab shop with some drawing and see if I can build one here

Sounds like you could use a rake similar to the old buck rake (made for horse drawn use). Would probably work good for your intended use, at least you would have fire material in central spots for burning/hauling off.The gear for dumping may give the machine shop a problem, but the rest should be straight forward?? forgot where I was

[kwonitoy]

I know the wheel type your talking about, used to fluff up and dry the swaths.

What I'm thinking about is a type with a simple drop and drag curved tines to collect leaves. Kind of like a large scale garden rake.

Nothing I'd want you to import as yet. Might visit my local fab shop with some drawing and see if I can build one here

Sounds like you could use a rake similar to the old buck rake (made for horse drawn use). Would probably work good for your intended use, at least you would have fire material in central spots for burning/hauling off.The gear for dumping may give the machine shop a problem, but the rest should be straight forward?? forgot where I was

A buck rake, that's more along the lines of what I'm thinking about. Forgot the old term

A frame that could attach to the 3 point hitch on the tractor would give you the up and down movement.

I've found a good fab/machine shop close to me that does build me custom stuff. One of the owners speaks good english and they get the gist of what I'm saying. Along with a drawing and they are quite good. Hard to find people like this anywhere and practicularly here.

[slapout]

Using the three pt would eliminate the need for gear/dump system, the tines need to be tempered, thus they give, over rocks, roots, etc.

Pickup/truck spring leafs should have about the right temper if they can cut/fashion something into the desired size and then get the spacing right. Springtooth shanks with rebar attached, just some thoughts pulled out of my arse, The old farm shop and iron/junk pile were great for this type of project.

You might have hit on a commercial product to clean up the road side trash as well as leveling the field prior to plantinging.

[WatersEdge]

Hi Gentlemen,

A dump rake on a three point hitch will be perfect.

I worked on the missing details of a government job a few months ago,

heavy rake tines made from spring steel.

ultimately to be used as a land mine sweeper in Afghanistan

The steps are to buy the spring steel in its annealed form,

relatively soft and workable.

After you have formed and drilled it,

heat to 1525F and quench in oil.

This gives maximum spring resistance and associated hardness.

For various lesser desired mechanical properties

temper between 800 and 1300F

I have no idea where one would buy spring steel raw material in Thailand,

but Admiral Steel is my resource in the US.

The material is 5160 Steel

Specs are available at this link,

http://www.suppliersonline.com/propertypages/5160.asp#Spec

I have the original drawing for those tines,

if you reach the point of fabricating them.

This particular design has one bolt hole punched in the top end,

which then fastens in a bracket to the rake frame.

A few weeks ago there was a thread here about machetes and field brush blades.

This 5160 is also what you would use for a very sturdy knife.

[WatersEdge]

Hi kwonitoy & slapout

Looking at some farm equipment auctions this morning,

four sample items may provide ideas for comparison

listed from large high capacity to small light duty.

H&S Ground Contact Drive Wheel Rake on Folding Hitch Pull Cart

http://www.rbauction.com/hs-hd-ii-18-ft-twin-bar?invId=3291626&id=ci

This is the closest to what my father builds on a three point hitch design.

Vermeer Hydraulic Drive Basket Rake with Folding Frame

http://www.rbauction.com/vermeer-r2800-8-ft-hydraulic?invId=3291629&id=ci

New Holland PTO Drive Three Point Basket Rake

http://www.rbauction.com/new-holland-57-8-ft-3-pt-hitch?invId=3294615&id=ci

New Holland Ground Contact Drive Three Point Rake

http://www.rbauction.com/new-holland-2-wheel?invId=3294616&id=ci

Note that these items are for sale in the 21 March Auction in Albuquerque NM.

[kwonitoy]

Thanks for the links W.E.

Those rake's are all a little (lot) more than what I'm thinking of, but nice to look at.

I remember going to Ritchie Brother's auctions with my Dad, always a good day out.

[rice555]

Hello All, I don't know about the area you live in, but here in Korat there's

a shop that sells metals for make your own parts/machines type of place,

not building supply, but where I worked, we called it "Raw Stock".

A place like this may be able to order or point you in the right direction.

Also if you do a google.th in Eng., you can look up "spring steel" and come

up with co's mostly in BKK Metro area that sell/fab/heat-treat spring steel.

rice555

[Gary A]

I was shopping for a Kubota about the size the OP wants. After pretty well deciding on the Kubota, I stopped and had a look at a Yanmar. I bought the Yanmar because of a thing called Syncro shift. It has a shift lever on the steering column. You can go forward and backward without changing gears. Very handy for small rice paddy work and if you are using the dozer blade. It is only 31 HP but has plenty of power for the size on the tractor. When using the disc plow, it will slip all four wheels. The dealer said it could handle a four blade disc plow. It CAN'T. I dropped one off and even three blades is all it wants unless you are plowing very shallow. Wheel and front weights would help but I haven't bothered. The front blade is pretty heavy and I leave it on while plowing.

ADDED - It handles a 60 inch rotary tiller handily. The PTO has two speeds. The higher speed is too fast.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Gary A