We are thinking about buying a tractor for our camp so that we are no longer reliant on the neighbors to do all of our planting, mowing, etc. The property is all low lying river bottom, and the roads can get pretty boggy sometimes so I think it would need to be 4wd. The tractor would be used for bush hogging, as well as all general food plot maintenance; disc, spray, etc. I know next to nothing about tractors or planting, but we've gotta start somewhere. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

4x4 is almost a must have for a hunting club.

Whats the budget and how many acres to work?

Big fields or woods and small fields?

Woods and small fields. We're in the beginning phase of thinking about this so budget hasn't been discussed, but none of us are flush with it. The lease is about 2,000 acres with 15 food plots. The biggest ones aren't much more than an acre.

I'd get something like a Ford 3000/3600 or better 4000/4600 either with a diff lock. Maybe a Massey 165 or Deere 2150 or 2155. There are a slew of Deere models that would fit the bill. 5-6 foot bush hog. 6-7 foot disk. Spreader and a box blade. Probably get into all that for $5-8k.

Those would all be good first tractors, reliable, easy to work on and would do anything you need done.

A step up from that maybe a Ford New Holland 3930, Deere 2030/2440 which are stout little machines.

All 4wd is going to do is allow you to get stuck a LOT worse or rut your fields all up... OR tear your roads all up.

I like 4wd on a tractor with a loader. Doing loader work. Other than that my opinion is it is not necessary.

Are you saying the 4wd would give me false-confidence to go where I shouldn't or that a 4wd machine in general just wears on the roads more?

I like my 4wd, but like said, it will get you even further stuck.

A 35hp tractor with a 5-6' bushog should be great for what you guys are trying to accomplish. I have a Kubota I've been very happy with, but gonna be more expensive.

Both. It won't get stuck as easily but when it does you'll get stuck much worse. If you actually need 4wd to get down your roads it will soon look like a log skidder trail.

4wd is not magic as far as getting around in wet conditions. My Grandfather farmed his entire life without a 4wd tractor and so did most everyone else's. If it got that slick he put duals on it.

For loader work I would consider 4wd almost a must have. Huge difference in the strength of the front end when moving things like feeding bales, etc. For the occasional loader work not necessary. Loader is handy though just going to cost a lot more for a tractor with a loader.

I can see where we'd be kicking ourselves at some point for getting a tractor without a loader on it, but it might not be in the cards at this point. Do y'all think there is any way to get into a running tractor that will disc and mow in our conditions for 5k or less?

Probably not a dependable one

In my honest opinion I would continue to depend on my neighbor or hire some one to do the work for you. I do plant for other people and have planted for a few clubs over the years. Most of my customers are private land owners or single leasers. It's hard to get a group of individual hunters to agree on a price increase for a hunting club. A few problems I see with a club buying a tractor and implements to do their own work. If the club disbands who gets the equipment? When a member decides to leave or is kicked out is he reimbursed for his portion of the equipment? Who runs the equipment, responsible for maintenance, repairs and so on. You may have a great group of people and you all can agree on a price to pay for the equipment. Hunting can become a real headache if you let it. All this being typed I would say 15k to 20k will buy you a very dependable tractor and equipment. Stay around the fifty horsepower range, loader, 4x4, six foot cutter and think about a tiller instead of a disc(stay away from trees and stumps with a tiller). Cabs are nice to.

Personally I wouldn't own a tractor without 4wd and a loader.

You can buy a pretty dependable 40-50hp tractor for $5-6000. A 2wd tractor will go places a 4wd truck cant.
If you have a tractor, disc and bush hog you can do what you want when you want

This, and buy bigger than what you think you need.

With a $5-6k budget you should be able to find a Ford 3000/3600/4000 diesel. IMO for a straight up food plot tractor they are hard to beat.

I would never ever buy a tractor without 4wd. Or a truck.

I agree. If your budget is low You can get a good running '68-'75 4000 with diff lock for that. Those are the years I would start with on a Ford. The 3000/3600 is a good one too. I use to have a 3000 and it was a great machine especially for bush hogging 4-wheeler trails with a 5ft bush hog. But the 4000/4600 is a more capable tractor. For a food plot machine there is not much a 4000 would not do including run a loader if you found one that would fit it. The 4600 would be better but they are essentially the same as the 4000 just hydros (I think) are updated a bit on the 600 series... 3600/4600 models and they swapped from a generator to an alternator making the wiring a bit easier to deal with on the instrument panel.

You got options. I'm not selling anyone on the Ford, Deere and Massey Ferguson made a slew of good tractors as well. So did IH. But parts for older IH and Allis Chalmers in that horsepower range are too hard to get and can be expensive.

You absolutely can buy a used tractor that is a worn out POS. Let's face it. They are old and who knows how many actual hours are on one. But you can also get one that has been taken care of. Look at how many are on Craigslist for sale. They are still running. Anyone that says that era Ford/Deere/Massey is not dependable does not have a clue what they are talking about. A tractor bought new today and used will NOT be running in 40 years.

Look, everyone wants a 70hp 4wd tractor with a loader. Me too.They can suggest it all day long...But they aren't going to help you pay for it.

Let's take an Example: There is a Massey 265 on B'ham Craigslist first page in Wilsonville. $5500. Roll Bar and Canopy. 60 PTO Horsepower. 50 at the draw bar. Cat II lift @ 4,000 lbs. Rebuilt Perkins Diesel. Diff lock. Looks like it might need a seat and some headlights. Make a bumper for it and a little spray paint you'd have more tractor than you ever needed.

That is a more capable tractor than 90% of the people on this board have.

Thank you all so much. This is exactly what I was looking for...keep it coming.

What are the pros and cons of a disc vs. a tiller, uses, etc.

I have a mf 165 that I've been food plotting, bush hogging with for almost 30 years, put about 200 hours on it per year. It's 53 pto hp. As long as there is juice in the battery, it will start and run no matter how long it's been sitting.
Bought a new mf 2615, 43 pto hp, about 5 years ago and it will do everything I need to do. I keep the 165 at my lease and we still use it on a regular basis and I think it will probably still be going strong when I'm 6 feet under. Both tractors are 2wd and that's never been a problem for me, neither one has a loader.