“Since we were having quite a few tractor breakdowns, we decided we’d replace our tractors, too,” Grant recalls. When the transaction was completed, he’d traded off five tractors of other brands at the New Holland dealership and came home with three New Holland tractors: a 105-hp TV140 Bidirectional™, a 115 PTO-hp TM140 and a 190 PTO-hp TG230.

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Multiple jobs

Grant plans to use the three tractors year-round in the most cost-effective way possible. Each would have multiple jobs. Grant reports his plan is working fine. The three tractors have been in use nearly every day. He estimates each will operate about 1,000 hours a year.

The Bidirectional™ tractor quickly proved itself. Grant admits, “At first, I was very concerned with putting it on haying equipment, because of the crab steering. Now, we really like it.”

A New Holland TM140 tractor moves round bales at the Hirsche ranch.

The TV140 runs a New Holland square baler that’s usually putting out 400 to 500 small square bales an hour – sometimes around the clock – for pickup with a self-propelled New Holland automatic bale wagon. Annual production is estimated at 80,000 small square bales. “When you push the baler like that to full capacity, your tractor speed is really, really important,” Grant says. “With this Bidirectional, we can go at any speed we want. It works just phenomenal for that.” For other seasons, drivers can turn around, face the other direction and use the TV140 as a loader tractor serving the feedlot operations.

The TM140 runs a bale processor for the 250-day feeding season that starts in October. It operates the New Holland 1431 Haybine® mower-conditioner in July and August. It’s also the main loader tractor for taking big round bales out to the cattle from October through May.

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Big range of duties

The TG230 probably has the biggest range of duties. During the spring and summer, the TG230 is the Hirsche’s primary field tractor. In May, it pulls a heavy 14-foot breaking disc through 200 to 400 acres of root-bound alfalfa. In July, it’s hauling round bales. In the silage season, weight is added, duals are mounted, and it can be found working at the silage pit.

Being able to use the big tractor on some of the smaller equipment, like a round baler, also is helpful. With the duals off, Grant says, his TG230 runs as efficiently on fuel as the TV140. In winter, the TG230 runs the big silage wagon between two farm yards, three miles apart. When needed, it clears snow from lanes with a 16-foot dozer blade.

“I really like the shifting,” Grant says. “It’s nice for running your implements. When you’ve got that many gears, you can shift on the go. It sure does help. We’re on the road a lot with silage wagons and we use the full range.”

 

The Hirsches use their New Holland Bidirectional™ and TG and TM tractors year-round. Hirsche estimates he puts about 1,000 hours a year on each of his tractors.

Grant says, “I think we need to use tractors and equipment for more than one operation. That’s why we chose this unit. It’s cost-effective, because I don’t have this big tractor parked all summer, and I don’t have to buy another tractor that sits around most of the time.” In fact, he adds, “on most days, we’re using all three tractors. We put a lot of hours on them. We feel it’s cheaper to buy three multi-use tractors and use them heavy, on a lot of operations, than to have five tractors sitting here. We just trade them off a little more often.”