So lost, I need help

[renegade13]

Hello,

I've been reading this forum for some time and have found a lot of great advice. Now I need help for my specific situation and I'm hoping everyone can help me out.

I just purchased 5 acres with a house. Approximately 3.5 acres is grass that needs to be mowed on a regular basis. The grass is fairly wide open with minor elevation changes. Mowing this grass will be the primary job for the tractor I buy. I'm guessing 90% of the work will be mowing. The other tasks will be the occasional snow removal for about 300' of driveway and tilling a small garden that measures 75' x 75'. I would rarely ever require to move around earth or gravel.

I went and looked at a John Deere 2305 with FEL and mid mount mower. I also looked at similar Massey Ferguson tractors. Although they were beautiful tractors, it just seemed like overkill given that mowing will be their primary job.

Given my requirements, I was wondering if a strong garden tractor with a small tiller and blade or blower might be more along the lines of what I require. I'm a bit concerned about 2WD for the snow portion though.

Any advice you guys can give with model names and numbers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[sellercreek]

If you have a dealer in your area, you might take a look at the Mahindra 15 series.

Mahindra Tractor - Compact tractors, utility tractors, farm tractors, ag tractors, attachments, implements & farm equipment - all built tough!

 

[Dmace]

Even though I feel the equivalent Kioti will give you more power, lift capacities, and warranty for less money, I believe the Kubota BX series may be what you are looking for. It is a great dedicated mid-mount mowing machine with decent FEL and BH attachments, it is also light enough to not markup good grass.

Although, for that much grass you may want to look into a rear mount finish mower that will be larger than a mid-mount and much cheaper. If you go that route, definitely look at the Kioti CK20 which can handle a good sized 3pt mower (60") for its size and weight and has a FEL and BH that is a ton more powerful than anything in its class.

 

[jbrumberg]

renegade13:

Welcome to TBN ! No matter what tractor you end up buying; IMHO I would go with 4WD/MFWD and HST if you plan on FEL work and mowing as your primary tasks. I like Dmace's suggestion of a rear mount finishing mower as well- it will give you more ground clearance although you indicate that is not a problem. For mowing work lighter is better as it relates to tractors. Good recommendations so far . Jay

 

[Egon]

Advice heck; it seems you have it all figured out already. Just find a tractor that you look good on and feel better on and be happy.

Note: Shopping is fun so enjoy that period to the maximum!

 

[renegade13]

Hello,

Thanks for all the great advice so far.

Given that I really have no specific chores for the FEL, is it even necessary? I guess I could use it for the occasional snow removal I mentioned, but that won't be very often. That's why I asked if maybe a garden tractor with a blade might suit my needs better. I found a used JD X485 with 62" deck. Is something along these lines an option?

Thanks again.

 

[Egon]

The snow removal would depend on how much snow you get which we do not know.

But just in case go for a small tractor with a loader. Loaders are addictive once you have one.

 

[CHDinCT]

Hello,

Thanks for all the great advice so far.

Given that I really have no specific chores for the FEL, is it even necessary? I guess I could use it for the occasional snow removal I mentioned, but that won't be very often. That's why I asked if maybe a garden tractor with a blade might suit my needs better. I found a used JD X485 with 62" deck. Is something along these lines an option?

Thanks again.

Based on what you've laid out, I would think a garden tractor with 60" deck and tiller would fit the bill. Beware the JDX485 is not 4WD if that is key for snow removal. Both Deere and Simplicity make garden tractors with 4WD; maybe some others. Then, if you think you might need to move some dirt/mulch/stone around, check out the Johnny Buckets For John Deere Sears Craftsman Cub Cadet Case Simplicity and Many More front bucket. Not a full FEL, but might suit your needs. The bucket can also be switched to a snow blade for winter.

 

[Soundguy]

You will be SO far ahead of the curve by buying a REAL tractor.. even a scut, vs purchasing a riding lawnmower for this type of work. My neighbor has a 3ac 'lawn'. I've lived next to him for going on 10ys now... he's on his 3rd rider mower.. and the other 2 weren't cheap.. they were jd's. same with the guy across from me.. he went thru 2 rider and then bought a small JD SCUT.

18-24 hp, a fel.. creeper trans if gear, and a finish mow deck.. if that's how you'd like to maintain it. or a rough mow deck for say.. 3.25 o fthe ac.. and then just buzz the grass right around the house with a regular lawnmower.. etc.... even a cheapy like a murray 800$ special will last a decade or two in that kind of use.... and be cheape rthan the finish deck..

soundguy

Hello,

I've been reading this forum for some time and have found a lot of great advice. Now I need help for my specific situation and I'm hoping everyone can help me out.

I just purchased 5 acres with a house. Approximately 3.5 acres is grass that needs to be mowed on a regular basis. The grass is fairly wide open with minor elevation changes. Mowing this grass will be the primary job for the tractor I buy. I'm guessing 90% of the work will be mowing. The other tasks will be the occasional snow removal for about 300' of driveway and tilling a small garden that measures 75' x 75'. I would rarely ever require to move around earth or gravel.

I went and looked at a John Deere 2305 with FEL and mid mount mower. I also looked at similar Massey Ferguson tractors. Although they were beautiful tractors, it just seemed like overkill given that mowing will be their primary job.

Given my requirements, I was wondering if a strong garden tractor with a small tiller and blade or blower might be more along the lines of what I require. I'm a bit concerned about 2WD for the snow portion though.

Any advice you guys can give with model names and numbers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[LBrown59]

Hello,

Thanks for all the great advice so far.

Given that I really have no specific chores for the FEL, is it even necessary? I guess I could use it for the occasional snow removal I mentioned, but that won't be very often. That's why I asked if maybe a garden tractor with a blade might suit my needs better. I found a used JD X485 with 62" deck. Is something along these lines an option?

Thanks again.

I have a CC GT2554 With
Front snow /dirt blade
Rear tiller
54''Mower
That would be ideal for going the garden tractor route.

 

[sld]

Personally, I would suggest getting a decent ZTR for mowing. You will mow much faster and save a lot of time.

Then, get a good used tractor for the hard work like snow removal, bush hogging when the grass gets out of hand, utility trailer, etc...

Believe me, you will find enough needs for the tractor to justify it but I would leave the mowing to a dedicated ZTR. You will save a bunch of time.

Just my .02.

 

[renegade13]

Personally, I would suggest getting a decent ZTR for mowing. You will mow much faster and save a lot of time.

This may be a dumb question but why is the ZTR so much faster? Is it only because it can go around obstacles faster or will it also cut a wide open, flat piece of lawn faster than a sub-compact?

The reason I'm asking is that the majority of my lawn is quite devoid of obstacles so I'm wondering if a ZTR would be beneficial.

Thanks.

 

[Gittyup]

All of the suggestions are good ones. Just a few more things to consider:

ZTR is not only faster due to turn radius but because you can drive at much higher speeds and still get good results. This, of course, assumes your ground is smooth enough to do so.

For snow removal. How much snow? You can use a plow blade or a blower. Blade is fastest as long as snow is not too deep. The large garden tractors like the JD X700 series would work for you. Or simplicity legacy. Some are only 2WD but will push snow very effectively if equipped with chains. Some have all wheel steer, which you probably don't need because it is all open grass. But, this feature makes them more like the ZTR in terms of time to cut grass (where obstacles are concerned), and the AWS is great when plowing and operating on hills. The smaller garden tractors equipped with a tiller will be much easier to negotiate in your garden. But for that size garden, I'd consider a standard walk behind rear-tine tiller. You'll need this anyway when your crops start to grow, unless you are spacing REAL wide.

However, quality GTs cost nearly as much (maybe more than some) as subcuts. The subcuts will give you a lot more tractor and versatility. The loader is a great attachment, but not good for snow. But if you get one with a QA attachment you can take the loader bucket off and put on a blade. Or just use a blade or blower on the back. Subcuts get you into limited CAT1 implements, which are far more plentiful than CAT0, especially on the used market. Some models have better designs than others for their implements and how they attach. So look closely at them from this perspective. All the subcuts are good. So get the one you like best or saves you the most money; hard to go wrong.

 

[RalphVa]

I question why you're mowing 3.5 acres. In my mind, if you're mowing more than you need a walk behind for, you're mowing too much. Just brush hog it (could hire it done or rent) about once every couple years to knock down undesirable trees, etc. You'd be surprised what nice native plants and flowers will appear if you quit mowing.

For not much mowing and a little garden work and fairly level land, you could go with a 2 wheel tractor like the BCS or a used Gravely. They push snow very well with their 4' plows (I had one on my Gravely) and run tillers and brush hogs very well. On my Gravely, I also had a cart that worked very well as a motorized wheel barrow (in back of the tractor). These will eat your lunch (or build your biceps) on hilly land though but are more maneuverable on that hilly land in tight spaces.

If your property is very hilly, you'll want a small tractor with a FEL to haul stuff around and to push snow. A cheap back blade will push the snow even quicker. My property is VERY hilly, I went with a taller version of the 2305 called a 4010 but is almost identical in weight. I have the FEL that I use A LOT, back blade for snow, soil ripper and disc hiller for the garden, MacKissic shredder/chipper to make mulch, carryall to haul mulch and stuff to the mulch pile to be mulched AND a 4' brush hog for mowing my trails and occasional brush hogging. If I'd have gone with something like the 2305, I would have long ago ripped away its underneath hydraulic cooling fan. The hydraulic cooler on the 4010 is in front of the radiator where it ought to be.

For your uses, JD used to make a mowing tractor kinda in between the 2305 and 2320. Think it was the X585 or something like that. There are versions of it with gas and with diesel engines. It has a limited FEL and 3ph capability.

Ralph

 

[renegade13]

The loader is a great attachment, but not good for snow.

Why is the FEL not good for snow?

 

[john_bud]

Why is the FEL not good for snow?

It does not sluff off to the side, just straight forward. The snow also sticks in the bucket. No "trip" springs, so when you hit something it is going to break. (Either the hittee or the hittor)

 

[woodlandfarms]

Maybe you might want to think out of the box. The PT line is quite nice, a great tractor if you are not tilling earth. Look at the 425.

Versatile Tractors,Compact Tractors,Trailer Packages,Landscaping,Utility Vehicle Rentals,Mowers-Power Trac

 

[putt_putt_green]

If you plan to get an ATV someday, they work great for plowing, and you can get a drag behind 60" mower for less than $2000 which works great in wide open spaces. This is my setup. Then one your done, you can joy ride. I also have a tractor, but don't use it for snow removal or mowing.

The ride on an ATV is very comfortable (big cushy tires). I mow at about 4mph.

 

[Soundguy]

I question why you're mowing 3.5 acres. In my mind, if you're mowing more than you need a walk behind for, you're mowing too much. Just brush hog it Ralph

Ditto that 1000%... finish mow the strip right around the house.. rough cut everything else..

soundguy

 

[Bob_Young]

Why do you need an FEL??
-Do you own heavy objects that sometimes need to be lifted and moved?
-Are you getting older?
-Do you have a back?
If you answer yes to these three questions, you need an FEL. If it saves you one serious back injury, it's paid for itself.

As for tractor, I'd favor a small BX with FEL for your work. Maybe a BX1500, if you can find one, or a BX1850/1860/orwhateverthenumberisnow. It should be capable of handling a 60" mower minimum. Going a little bigger would be better, especially if you go to bush hogging and less finish mowing.

A ZTR is too single purpose for my liking. Better to get a good solid,if somewhat small, tractor that'll handle all your tasks than to spend money on a ZTR, be forced into a cheap tractor, and then have to keep buying tractors every few years. A SCUT tractor with a good 3 point hitch and a standard rear PTO will give you more flexibility than you can now imagine.

I got sick of the riding mower merry-go-round. Even some of the best are only stamped metal and an air-cooled gas engine. How long can you expect something like that to last under hard service? The cheapest approach in the long run is to get something built for the long run to begin with. The fact that a good tractor will come with some serious hydraulic muscle, is gravy.
FWIW
Bob