TJ500 tractor is right at home in Hawaii

Volcanic soil and rocks put demands on tractor

Hawaii. The world's most enchanted tropical paradise. You expect to find lush green plants surrounded by clear blue Pacific waters. What you might not expect is a big, blue TJ500 four-wheel drive New Holland tractor working right on the island of Oahu. The tractor is jointly owned by three men who raise flowers, fruits and vegetables and do custom work for other growers.

David Yamada is a partner at A&K Nursery Inc., in Waimanalo, a town on the eastern part of Oahu. His family began the business in 1967 and today grow tuberous and ginger flowers on the north shore, rotating plantings on more than 300 acres of land. The flowers, which are highly fragrant, are used mainly for leis.

"We begin picking our flowers every morning at 2 a.m. because flowers do not tolerate heat," David says. "Then we chill them and take them to our local market for sale to flower shops and other wholesalers throughout Oahu."

Melvin Matsuda, Kevin Kitagawa, and David Yamada with the TJ500 tractor Matsuda and Yamada share. They use it in their own operations and also do custom work to help offset their equipment cost.

"This TJ runs very smoothly. It truly is the Cadillac of tractors."
—David Yamada

Melvin Matsuda, a third-generation farmer, also farms on Oahu with his partner, Clyde Fukuyama. They have two businesses. "The main one is Matsuda-Fukuyama Farms, Inc. Clyde manages that farm, which at one time was part of a sugar plantation, on the north shore in Kahuku," Melvin says. "I manage the second farm in the town of Waialua known as Kahuku Farmers, Inc. Right now we farm over 300 acres and we're expanding." Melvin, Clyde, Melvin's wife Momi (it means pearl in Hawaiian), and about 35 employees grow papayas, mangos and apple bananas. "They're not like bananas eaten on the mainland," he says. "Apple bananas are different with a sweet-tart flavor, suitable for eating fresh or fried with butter and brown sugar. We also raise long and round eggplants and taro leaves, which resemble spinach."

A tractor partnership

"We're leasing a new expansion farm that I manage from Kamehameha Schools, one of the largest trusts in the nation," says Melvin. "It's on former sugarcane land that had not been planted for many years, so the growth was really lush and tall, with lots of trees and brush. I knew I needed heavy equipment and the 120-hp tractor I had was too small. It would just float over the thick grass and we could not bring up dirt," continues Melvin.

"Through the years David Yamada and I had become pretty good friends. We farm in close proximity and sometimes we'd socialize after work. I mentioned to him that if we bought a large tractor together we could get rid of our small equipment," he says. "It took a little bit of time to digest the concept before I started shopping and pricing at our New Holland dealer in Oahu, whose salesman was very accommodating."

Big tractor pays for itself

Because of the ideal growing climate in the islands, farming continues year round. And, although Melvin was initially looking at 350-hp tractors, David convinced him that if they were going to share a big tractor they should go with the TJ500.

But big tractors come with a pretty big price tag, so Melvin contacted some landowners and local businesses and asked if they wanted custom tractor or tillage work done. "That would give us more hours of work a year than just for our own use," says Melvin. "Two of the big landowners said yes, so that's how it worked out that David, Clyde and I split the expense of the tractor. We have other work to help support its payment and operating expenses. While Clyde is my legal partner, David and I are handshake partners—tractor partners. It works very well for us."

David says he's the technical person in the partnership and Melvin is the business manager. "I'm a "power freak" and I'm really into my machinery," David says. "Power to me means speed in getting the work done. When the TJ500 arrived I was truly impressed with what this machine could do. I have a Massey Ferguson 200-hp tractor that I used for primary field cultivation for my flowers. Now I use the TJ500. Once Melvin convinced me we should become tractor partners, I made up my mind that if we were going to buy another big tractor, it was going to be the largest one I could find because we never have enough horsepower. Our volcanic soil is very clay, so it takes more horsepower than what is usually required for tractors, and on top of that, we have lots of rock, so it puts a high demand on any machine."

Because of the non-stop farming on the islands, tractor quality and dependability are very important. "Melvin and I share the TJ500 for both our operations and our tractor usage averages about 100 hours every month," says David.

Torque rise

One of the big advantages of the TJ500 is the torque rise that lets it pull loads on hillsides and through tough soil. "And that's exactly what I need," David says, "because a lot of the implements are designed for certain speeds, and when we bring them to Hawaii, we are unable to obtain the speeds even though we have the required horsepower. But now having a tractor with lots of horsepower, we are using the implements at the speeds they are supposed to be used. And the power unit can last longer."

David and Melvin say that a lot of farmers buy tractors with horsepower that fits their implements to a "T". "When they get into tougher conditions the tractors have no reserve and are overworked," says David. "With our TJ, there are points where we hit areas that take even more horsepower than normally required. At that point, we'll hit 100% of its power use, but we'll still be in a range where it's operating efficiently."

And, because this tractor has a power growth of 50 hp, for a peak power level of 550 hp, it means it can handle the biggest rippers and the deepest tillage tools. "We always like to go deeper and weed control is also a big factor. I have a New Holland ST250 field cultivator. It's a 30-foot wide rake that lets me do more work in my fields and saves time every day." The TJ drawbar is mounted near the articulation point at the center of the tractor. This "center-pull" design, combined with the longest wheelbase on the market, gives TJ tractors a better pull angle so they can handle bigger, wider implements.

Custom work

Melvin, who arranges getting extra tractor work, likes the TJ, too. "I'm the tractor contact person and I handle finding all the work and hiring the tractor out. That subsidizes our expense of owning this tractor," he says. "We do harrowing for a well-known seed company and for a couple of major pineapple growers on Oahu. We also do simple contract work for them, such as weed control and water management services, so we're a bit diversified, but still in agriculture-related work. This is really a good way to help offset the expense of owning this big tractor."

At first, they weren't aware of how successful the custom work with their TJ500 tractor would be. "We just didn't realize there would be such a demand for services outside our own farms until we started working for other companies. Then we noticed we didn't have enough usage time for our own farms, which is the original reason we bought the TJ tractor," Melvin says. "We had carved out a niche but we didn't know how much extra work we'd have. So, we ordered a second TJ500. Then when we need it, we'll have one available for our own use."

When David chose the size of the big tractor, "he made a really brilliant decision," says Melvin. "He pointed out to me that every time we buy a tractor, it's always bigger, so why don't we get the biggest and not ever have to worry about it again? I'm very optimistic about future growth and our ability to provide services for others for the long-term. It appears there is a real need for custom service in our area, because not many companies or individuals would want to invest in a big tractor like ours.

"I've been to the Tulare Farm Show in California a couple of times. And I'm like a kid in a candy store. The next time I go, I won't have to drool about all those big tractors, because we've got the biggest one," says Melvin.

What does David say? "For me, the bottom line is power. And if New Holland makes a tractor with even more power, then I'll be in line for the newest model. But, for now, I am very happy with the TJ500 we've got."


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