Buying Advice Is it worth it!??

[kday64]

Hi all,

I guess I am going to be just like most junior members and my first posting is going to be advice related.

I own about .75 acres in eastern CT. The terrain is largely flat with a great many Connecticut potatoes, bolders that come through the surface, that my current push mower can not go over without causing sever damage and fright. On three sides I am surrounded by woods with 80+ foot tall oak trees. Additionally, my drive way easily parks 7 F-150s and 3 mini coopers. The position of the drive is interesting because the road I live off of bends directly infront of my house so when it snows the plows put an unusually large amount of snow into my drive way.

I forgot to say that the dense brush at the woodline prevents me blowing all the leaves into the woods.

The current scenerio... I am now living 3 hours away from my wife because my job moved. Not a whole lot I can do to solve this problem based on the economy and the mortgage. So I live with friends and return home on most weekends to spend time with my wife.

In the past, the wife and I have dealed with lawn related problems together. She would rake the leaves onto tarps and I would hull them into the woods. I would waste a Saturday morning using a pushmower to trim down the yard. Most importantly we spend hours together digging out of snow drifts.

Today, there is not enough time for us to see eachother let alone enough time for me to do all the yard work on the few weekends I am home. More importantly there is no way for my wife to do all the outside work by herself since she works and is going to school. She also has baby on the mind so... in the near future nether of us are going to have any free time.

Now I am looking for a way to significantly cut down the time we spend on yard work and I am looking to make my wife less dependent on my back (since my back is 3hours away).

Option #1: I look at the craftsman lawn mowers and I am like that would be awesome but they are not 4x4. What the **** good is a 4x2, with a snow thrower, in 24 inches of snow? I have $20 on useless. I can say that becasue Sears sells chains for their tires. Chains would work great if I had a gravel drice but I have an asphalt drive, I am willing to bet another $20 that the chains will destroy my drive. - With a price point of nearly $6000.00 including the mowing deck, leaf bagger and snow thrower. I consider this to be a bad idea.

Option #2: I suck it up and keep doing business the way that I have been doing it. I buy my wife a super snow thrower teach her how to use it. But she is a petite gal and I am pretty sure that she would struggle with manuevering the snow thrower, even self propelled version. If it is a pain for her to use she will just never deal with the snow and use my truck in 4x4 to ignore the problem, until I could deal with it. - With a price point of $800.00 this is a good option but I dont know if my wife would be able to use it.

Option #3: I call this Option #2 with some more lawn stuff. I buy a chipper shredder and deal with the leaves that way. I will end up baggin the leaves and taking them to the town dump. - With a price point of $1800.00 I dont really like the cost to time consumed ratio.

Option #4: I buy a 4x4 subcompact mower with mid mower, rear bagger and snow thrower. This will cut down on time effort and stress of worrying about my wife home alone in a blizzard. - The price is a kick to the family jewels.

Option #5: I pay to have my lawn problems solved. The lowest estimate I have recieved for leaf clean up is $400.00 + $40.00/cut. I equate that to nearly $1000.00 per year in lawn care services.

What ever happend to the days when neighborhood kids would go door to door asking for a few bucks to mow someones lawn and shovel the drive? Blasted computers and video games!!!

So I ask you all for some opinions. If I can justify the cost of option 4 to the wife what model subcompact tracor would you go with? Am I crasy for thinking that the quality of a 4x4 subcompact tractor far exceeds the quality of the other options? Will a modern tractor last me 30+ years like the Ford my family back in Michigan has?

Thanks for listening to my rant I look foward to seeing the follow on discussion.

~k_day64

 

[fredhargis]

I can only share my past experience. We had 2 acres in the woods with about 260 feet of paved drive to clear in the winter. After trying a snow plow on my MTD riding lawn mower with tire chains (which actually worked fairly well, but was a little tough on the pavement), I eventually wound up with a walk behind snow blower for the snow. For the leaves I wound up using a trailer with a vacuum (Agri-Fabs Mow-N-Vac) behind the same lawn mower. This really helped collect the leaves, but after the trailer was full I had about 1 cu. yd. of leaves to deal with. In my case, I saved a large pile for the garden, and dumped the rest in the surrounding woods and, when the farmers let me, on their fields. A sub compact tractor would have certainly been more useful for those tasks, but maybe not as much for mowing....besides it was a completely different level of investment. Even so, if I thought my wife had to do any of these (especially the snow part) I would have had one. We've now moved to a much larger place and I did upgrade to a compact, but for me at the old place the cheaper stuff did the job. One other thing, I'm not sure we get as much snow as you do, but I did have to deal with the county plows. we were on a corner, so I had both ends of the drive to dig out after they went past. But I still think you would be best served with a subcompact tractor of some kind.

 

[blackie65]

Not familiar with all brands but the Kubota B's might be what you are looking for. Besides, I think your wife will love working on one.

 

[SARG]

If I were able to do it over I would invest into a "lifetime" piece of equipment. Meaning ...rather than putting all the money into lesser machines like our "fleet" of MTD Yardman tractors & such ...... I would go and buy a tractor .... like we acquired late in the game.

We got a New Holland T1030 with the FEL - MMM --- and BH.

I wouldn't recommend the NH but the smaller Masseys are great as are the BX Kubotas.

What I'm saying is I would invest the $12k to $17k at a much younger age and have a sturdy machine from the get go. I regret waiting so long.

I know it's like buying a car but you keep it forever and imagine how easier life is with the snowblower and FEL etc.

 

[TripleR]

Our choice has been the Kubota SCUT. We have had a BX2200 and now a BX2660. It has been great for everything.

My wife and I are both retired and she has taken over yard duties as I don't have the time with different properties to maintain with our L5030 HSTC and M8540 HSDC.

While we like the Kubota, John Deere, MF and others are all good machines that should be checked for the best fit. Good luck.

 

[foggy1111]

I feel your pain. Many years ago, we built a home in the country on similar acerage with a long drive. I had a traveling job....so oftentimes my wife would need to shovel the snow and do yard work. Snow shoveling may take several days for the complete job......argh!!

The first winter (in MN) was by hand.....and I thought we were gonna die. Next was a JD 110 8hp mower and blower (Bought the tractor, mower and snow blower used for $500).....almost silly by todays standards....but it was life in the fast lane for us. As they came available I traded for 212, 317, 318, and 425 models .....all by JD.

I'd have given my eye tooth for a SubCUT.....but none were available back when. If it were me....and considering your tight finances.....I'd be looking for a slightly used SubCUT by one of the major brands....complete with a snow blower. Buy the right one....it will last you a looong time. And I would be looking for a DEAL on one.....as lots of folks buy em wrong....or cannot afford em to begin with.

Or....buy the snow blower till u can afford one? Always a market for a GOOD used snow blower to sell later. Maybe talk a neighbor into helping you in exchange for useing the blower?

 

[EarPlug]

Hi all,

The terrain is largely flat with a great many Connecticut potatoes, bolders that come through the surface, that my current push mower can not go over without causing sever damage and fright.
~k_day64

The bolders will still be a problem with any kind of mower. The cutting blades are at the same height. A tractor mounted mower may possibly be a bigger problem since you can easily straddle a large rock and really tear up the blades/deck.

I have no experience but would a Flail Mower be a better choice?

Jack

 

[cmhyland]

I would actually take a different track. The SCUT I think is a given, but for a single drive in your neck of the woods I would spend the money on the front loader as you'll get use all year. I'm a Kubota fan myself but the other colors are good as well.

Turfs are fine in the snow.... get them loaded...

 

[2458n]

My girlfriend while reading A country living weekly saw a ad for a Kubota B-6100 4WD Hyd. Compact tractor w/48" midmount mower & 3pt. 48" rear mower. $3500. In German town Ohio. This is what you need. Used does not have to mean junk. This little diesel could out last several owners. A quality machine will be worth the money over time. Keep your eyes open for a good used private owner tractor.

 

[Soundguy]

it think i'd find a scut used, for sale at a local dealer, low hours and good service record.. that shouldn't be too much of a kick.

soundguy

 

[CompactTractorFan]

What about something along the lines of a John Deere X700 series?

 

[harpoonalt]

I would suggest you go try out a BX Kubota or similar tractor. Get the bagger for leaves, but I'd hold off on the snowblower. They are expensive and you may find the loader and a simple back blade are all you need. If you want one later you can add one. Once you have a small tractor you'll never be without one again. Maintain them well and you'll hand them down to your kids. My neighbor has an old kubota with a few thousand hours on it still going strong. It is an investment but few other things you'll buy in life will last as long and do as much. It sounds like your wife will be using it a lot so make sure she gets to demo one and feels comfortable with it. I plowed all this with my BX and never once had a problem. If you have big drifts, just use the loader and pile them up.
And as a bonus, tractors are a lot of fun!

 

[Don87]

I agree with looking at different brands. We went with the Massey, because it was the only one whose seat would go far enough forward for my 5'2'' wife.
Although I sould note that she didn't like the "bumblebee", the Green one was "too high", the Orange had the brake on the right and the pedal was too high...........But the "red one" ,(which is her favorite color) fit her perfectly:laughing:

But, back to your options:
Option 1: I took care of 3 feet of snow with my old Cub Cadet 2160 with a front blower. Had to replace both belts, but I 'got er done'.
Option 2: Totally out of the question.
Option 3: You have woods around your property, can you collect the leaves in a bagger and deposit them in the woods? (after trimming the brush line?)
Option 4: Will solve some problems, but the "boulders" in the grass cause a bigger(more expensive) problem. A DR walk behind trimmer may do you well here.
Option 5: 14,000 for a new tractor vs. 1,000 a year ...........Up to you.

EDIT: be prepared for "sticker shock" if you opt for a used subcut............I was seeing prices for a 10 year old macnine that were 1,000 dollars less than a new one was selling for.

 

[kday64]

Hi again,

After reading the few posts that have been made here so far, you all have confirmed what I already knew. The only way I will be satisfied is if I buy a Sub Compact Utility Tractor. Based on the lifetime return of on a short term budget killer I can justify the purchase of the a tractor.

After reading hundreds of posts I am leaning towards the Kubota BX2360. I am sure the BX1860 would do the job but the added horses will be greatly appreaciated at some point.

Now I am looking for the right combination of attachments. Right now I know I want the 54" fine cut mower with the optional mulcher. On the rear I am looking at getting a rear blade. Seeing those awesome pictures of the snow mountains I am thinking the FEL would not lead me astray, though the snow thrower is still a dream.

I am still looking for advice on swaying the wife, from here "NO" stance to a much softer "okay sweetheart"

~k_day64

 

[Don87]

Hi again,

After reading the few posts that have been made here so far, you all have confirmed what I already knew. The only way I will be satisfied is if I buy a Sub Compact Utility Tractor. Based on the lifetime return of on a short term budget killer I can justify the purchase of the a tractor.

After reading hundreds of posts I am leaning towards the Kubota BX2360. I am sure the BX1860 would do the job but the added horses will be greatly appreaciated at some point.

Now I am looking for the right combination of attachments. Right now I know I want the 54" fine cut mower with the optional mulcher. On the rear I am looking at getting a rear blade. Seeing those awesome pictures of the snow mountains I am thinking the FEL would not lead me astray, though the snow thrower is still a dream.

I am still looking for advice on swaying the wife, from here "NO" stance to a much softer "okay sweetheart"~k_day64

That's the easy part actually............
Hand her a snow shovel and say...........I'll be home at 11 pm friday, have the driveway open.........:thumbsup:


P.S. Be sure when you 'tractor shop', that she is there with you............this is important.
She will have to be comfortable with the machine.

 

[D33r3 6r33N]

I am still looking for advice on swaying the wife, from here "NO" stance to a much softer "okay sweetheart"

~k_day64

That's the easy part actually............
Hand her a snow shovel and say...........I'll be home at 11 pm friday, have the driveway open.........:thumbsup:

This was easy for me too, she had decided that I needed a tractor before I did. But if she still doesn't budge, rent or borrow something is similar to what you want. You start using it around your place and she'll say, "I didn't know you could do that with a tractor!"

 

[Don87]

This was easy for me too, she had decided that I needed a tractor before I did. But if she still doesn't budge, rent or borrow something is similar to what you want. You start using it around your place and she'll say, "I didn't know you could do that with a tractor!"

And the other key is.............take her with you, gotta make sure her butt fits the tractor(guy talk).

 

[kday64]

Don,

A majority if the CT potatoes are low enough that I can mow over them with my little JD push mower. There are 3 potatoes that I have to manuever around. So I guess I am really concerned with the manueverabilty. How tight of a turn can a BX2360 make? While going slow?

~k_day64

 

[taperk600]

Hi again,

After reading the few posts that have been made here so far, you all have confirmed what I already knew. The only way I will be satisfied is if I buy a Sub Compact Utility Tractor. Based on the lifetime return of on a short term budget killer I can justify the purchase of the a tractor.

After reading hundreds of posts I am leaning towards the Kubota BX2360. I am sure the BX1860 would do the job but the added horses will be greatly appreaciated at some point.

Now I am looking for the right combination of attachments. Right now I know I want the 54" fine cut mower with the optional mulcher. On the rear I am looking at getting a rear blade. Seeing those awesome pictures of the snow mountains I am thinking the FEL would not lead me astray, though the snow thrower is still a dream.

I am still looking for advice on swaying the wife, from here "NO" stance to a much softer "okay sweetheart"

~k_day64

I'm in the same boat...looking and convincing my wife. I want a TLB unit as I could use the hoe for our business. It's hard to convince yourself that a small car payment for a tractor is worthwhile, not to mention convincing the "better half".

On a side-note, I currently have a JD 345 with the 42" snowthrower. It actually does very well with the snow we get here in Lake George (northern NY). 54" deck handles our lawn well too. But I just want something I can do more with..........

......
EDIT: be prepared for "sticker shock" if you opt for a used subcut............I was seeing prices for a 10 year old macnine that were 1,000 dollars less than a new one was selling for.

I've been finding the same thing in my search..... seems anything in good condition with the options I want is almost the same $$ as a brand new unit. Even when the used ones are 5-6 yrs old. Especially when you figure the difference in interest rates if financing. Most manufacturers are offering zero % for 60 mos on new units. Used rates seem to be near 10%.

For example, I'm looking right now at a used 2005 BX23 (TLB) with a 60" mm mower and winter tire chains. Seems like a great deal at $11,000. Very clean, residential used unit. Much cheaper than most used ones I've seen for sale with the loader/backhoe and mower. But...unless I want to draw $10K from our savings (in this economy who wants to do that...not me !!), I'd be looking to finance. Best rate for a used unit (with A+ credit) was 10.3%, so for 60 mos the payment was $215.XX. Compare that with a quoted price of $18,500 for a new 2010 BX25 TLB & 60" mower (same quote for a new JD 2305 w/200CX loader, 260 hoe & 54C mower by the way) financed at 0% for 72 mos gave a payment of $256.xx. Sure, it's another 12mos of payments and $41 more a month. But I personally would rather pay that and get a new unit with warranty. And, as said above, if taken care of properly, it will last a lifetime.

Just need that last "nudge" myself...and then to get the ok from the "financial adviser" AKA my wife........

 

[Don87]

Don,

A majority if the CT potatoes are low enough that I can mow over them with my little JD push mower. There are 3 potatoes that I have to manuever around. So I guess I am really concerned with the manueverabilty. How tight of a turn can a BX2360 make? While going slow?

~k_day64

If you get the tractor, your manuevering days may come to an end real quick.:thumbsup:


EDIT: I thought(according to your first post), that you had more 'potatoes' to work around. That's why I mentioned the DR machine.
The Kubota is similiar to my Massey, you will still need to back up and turn to get all four sides of the rock.