Buying Advice Small tractor needed for mowing help needed

[SimonT]

I am a city boy who moved to the country and never wants to leave. but I need some help and think I need to start looking at a tractor sooner or later

I have recently moved to house on 7 acres that sits in the middle of a 35 acre plot of land.The house is on the top of a small hilltop that is quite flat on the top and then flows down hill to a small stream. It can be a little steep in places but its a area that I would not have to mow as I would only be mowing and working on the top of the hill. The drive is not that steep as it flows down the hill.

I am needing advise on what to buy I will need to mow about 2 to 3 acres, and then also maintain the near half mile drive way. Its a gravel drive and will need to be graded once or twice a year and to move snow.

Things that would be nice to have sooner or later

Blade
brushhog /finish mower
Front loader.


I have seen a nice Yanmar 2000 24hp that comes with a brushhog and blade for about $3300 low hours but no loader.

And a JD 750 4x4 20hp with loader for $3600

Are these the size of tractor I should be looking at do I need some thing bigger is the 4x4 so important to have ?

All your ideas are most welcome to help this city boy out.

 

[beenthere]

:welcome:
I'd suggest over 30 hp, and for sure a FEL.
But be patient, and you should get some good reading here on TBN as well as get some good responses from the TBN members.
Important (I think) to pick a dealer local to work with and lean on them for help with the decisions. They will be your friend when in need of help.

 

[flusher]

I am a city boy who moved to the country and never wants to leave. but I need some help and think I need to start looking at a tractor sooner or later

I have recently moved to house on 7 acres that sits in the middle of a 35 acre plot of land.The house is on the top of a small hilltop that is quite flat on the top and then flows down hill to a small stream. It can be a little steep in places but its a area that I would not have to mow as I would only be mowing and working on the top of the hill. The drive is not that steep as it flows down the hill.

I am needing advise on what to buy I will need to mow about 2 to 3 acres, and then also maintain the near half mile drive way. Its a gravel drive and will need to be graded once or twice a year and to move snow.

Things that would be nice to have sooner or later

Blade
brushhog /finish mower
Front loader.


I have seen a nice Yanmar 2000 24hp that comes with a brushhog and blade for about $3300 low hours but no loader.

And a JD 750 4x4 20hp with loader for $3600

Are these the size of tractor I should be looking at do I need some thing bigger is the 4x4 so important to have ?

All your ideas are most welcome to help this city boy out.

Sure, you can maintain 3 acres with those tractors. My first tractor was a new 2005 Kubota B7510HST (21 hp engine, 17 hp pto, 4WD, hydrostatic tranny, power steering) with the LA302 FEL (4-ft wide bucket, 800 lb lift). Cost: $12,600 plus tax. I used it with a 4-ft King Kutter brush hog to mow my 10 acre place.
A loader for that Yanmar would run about $4K (Koyker model 80).

 

[Grandad4]

Welcome here... you'll find lots of good advice from knowledgeable people, but don't be surprised if there is some diversity of opinion in what people recommend. There will indeed be a variety of choices and you will have to sort through them to find something that works for you.

You're going to find new equipment is quite a bit more costly than those used ones you mentioned... easily north of $20k for medium sized, name-brand models. If you want maximum reliability and convenience or if you really want to avoid maintenance/repair worries, there are many really nice new models to choose from. And there are some really good financing deals being offered also.

You can also find something more affordable in the used market that will do your mowing and road maintenance work very well, but I think you'll find most of what you can get for under maybe $5k will often be really used and may not have the reliability you would like. That Yanmar, for example, is probably well priced - a 2wd, I'd guess - without loader, and may be in OK condition, but it's not going to be the strongest tractor around. They are good tractors, and it would do your mowing and driveway maintenance, but it may not be up to snow removal.

On the other hand, a JD750 4x4 with loader should be selling for way more than $3600 if it's in any decent condition, so beware of that one.

I'd recommend you take some time and climb the learning curve before getting out your checkbook. Read up here on TBN about the brands and different features, sizes, attachments and capabilities. Visit some dealers and test drive some new ones just to get a sense of what these things are like. Ask lots of questions as you go. Do this whether you decide to buy new or used. Particularly with used equipment, because you need to learn how to tell a beater from a well-maintained unit.

Good luck!

 

[mjncad]

Welcome Simon.

It would help if you told us where you're located; but since you mention snow, long gravel drive, ground engaging work, and loader work; then 4x4 should be a must have for whatever you buy.

 

[TripleR]

Good posts so far, in complete agreement with Grandad4 and as mentioned by mjncad, more detail will be very helpful as there are more makes/models than you can shake a stick at that will do the work. Choosing the right one is the tricky part.

 

[SimonT]

Thank you all for your comments and a very good post by Grandad4 at the moment I don't think I can spend much over 7k so I think new is out of the question until I can get some more funds.

To answer your question about location I am in southwestern corner of the Missouri. So TripleR you would know what type of weather we get here.

 

[Soundguy]

4x4 would sure be nice.

try to find a smallish CUT in 4wd.. and hydro.. perhaps Maybee look for a used 1630 NH probably find one inthe 6000$ range.

soundguy

 

[TripleR]

Thank you all for your comments and a very good post by Grandad4 at the moment I don't think I can spend much over 7k so I think new is out of the question until I can get some more funds.

To answer your question about location I am in southwestern corner of the Missouri. So TripleR you would know what type of weather we get here.

I sure do, you guys get hit worse over there than we do here for some reason.

I don't know where you found any flat ground though.:laughing:

A good used 25-30 HP SCUT/CUT will serve you well, we used a BX2200 for similar use for many years and now use a BX2660, but we have other tractors if needed, so I would "probably" recommend a CUT along the lines of a Bxx20 Kubota or its equivalent in any of the other brands. Yanmar makes really good tractors if you can find one in good shape. Sticking with Kubota, John Deere, MF etc., you will get a good machine. When buying used, I have a mechanic, my brother, check it out unless it is from a reputable dealer.

Good luck, lots of very knowledgeable people on here have helped me pick a couple of good tractors.

 

[SimonT]

We had tornadoes last week and this week 4 days of rain the water in the slue had over run and I had to wade though it as it was up to my knees.

I have been looking at under 25HP due lack of experience and did not want to get some thing too big but understand the need for a little extra HP.

 

[Grandad4]

Clearing snow from a 1/2 mile gravel lane in winter sounds like the worst of what you'll encounter. Any significant amount of snow would make that a real chore and take hours, only to be repeated every time the wind causes drifting. Lots of people in snow country keep an old beater 4x4 pickup with a plow just for winter... something to consider.

Winter aside, you can go with something like an old Ford or Ferguson for your property and stay within your budget. If you are a careful shopper, you can find one in respectable condition, but be prepared to tinker and fix once in a while... anything built in the 1950's is bound to need some TLC. It won't have all the nice features of newer equipment, of course, but it will still work for what you need. Good news is that parts are plentiful and reasonable, and they are pretty simple to work on. Probably have to hold off on the loader, though. Some of those old tractors had early loader attachments, but the front axles weren't designed to carry the weight and they didn't have power steering!

When your budget allows, you can move up to a modern, diesel 4x4 tractor. You'll think you died and went to heaven!

 

[dusty3030]

1st off, pretty part of the country up there.
2nd, scanning craigslist like I like to do I always see a lot more small tractors for sale in N. Arkansas, S. MO than we do down here so you are in a good place for both dealers and private parties. There is a nice looking JD 4200 with loader, finish mower and blade for sale in the Springfield craigslist that would fit the bill for you but is not within the $7,000.

Does where you will mow have a lot of trees or things to turn around?
A decent zero turn mower would get your mowing done and would be fast and easy to use and within your budget then hire out the grading until you find what you want / need / afford in a tractor. Just food for thought.

 

[TripleR]

We had tornadoes last week and this week 4 days of rain the water in the slue had over run and I had to wade though it as it was up to my knees.

I have been looking at under 25HP due lack of experience and did not want to get some thing too big but understand the need for a little extra HP.

Same here, we have pond levees that have been topped and are washing pretty bad, you can put a VW in one of the washouts and others are pretty bad, it is going to take me a lot of dirt and rock to repair them when the weather clears if they don't blow completely.

My brothers have to keep a truck on both sides of a wash out and walk a plank to get across out where they live about six miles from me on one of our other farms. We are expecting more rain today and tomorrow.

A tractor under 25 HP will get the job done, it will just take longer.

As per another poster, I used an old Ford NAA for years until I could afford something better. Both of my brothers still use the old Fords and an old Case, but they don't mind tinkering with them. I can't walk very far anymore, so I had to give up on them. They are still running strong though.

 

[Perplexed]

I have been looking at under 25HP due lack of experience and did not want to get some thing too big but understand the need for a little extra HP.

Greetings from down I-44 in NE Oklahoma I'm a newly-minted tractor owner myself, having just bought a Cub Cadet Yanmar SX3100 a month ago. I have 3 flattish acres to mow and a 150-yard driveway to keep clear of snow in the winter, and I also do a little earth moving and minor other jobs. The SX3100 with 30 hp isn't hard at all to handle, and it does what I ask of it with ease. Don't let the hp rating mislead you - in fact, I'll repeat what my dealer told me, more or less:

Eventually, you'll find the limits of your tractor. A bigger one will let you go longer before that happens.

I got a good deal on my tractor, because it was a 2010 model with 2 hours on the clock (this particular model is much more popular in the NE US) and because I paid cash. Doing the latter can get you a discount - be sure to ask! Good luck whatever you buy

 

[SimonT]

Same here, we have pond levees that have been topped and are washing pretty bad, you can put a VW in one of the washouts and others are pretty bad, it is going to take me a lot of dirt and rock to repair them when the weather clears if they don't blow completely.

TripleR what do you mean by a VW ? sorry city boy (just going down to go look at the creek now to see how much water is in it)


Perplexed I just saw the SX3100 what does one of them run at 20k ? looks very nice does the drive on deck come as standard ?

 

[Perplexed]

Perplexed I just saw the SX3100 what does one of them run at 20k ? looks very nice does the drive on deck come as standard ?

About $19500 to 20K is the MSRP, I believe. That includes the FEL, though with the ongoing free loader deal (or 0% financing, take your pick), I'd guess the sticker would be considerably less. The drive-on mower with a 60" deck is not part of that price. I think they run around $3,300 for the DO mower; that cost, plus the fact I want to mow a wider swath with each pass, compelled me to opt for a cheaper but still stout 72" rear finish mower.

 

[TripleR]

TripleR what do you mean by a VW ? sorry city boy (just going down to go look at the creek now to see how much water is in it)


Perplexed I just saw the SX3100 what does one of them run at 20k ? looks very nice does the drive on deck come as standard ?

Sorry, I am an old guy and VW can only mean one thing, Volkswagen, particularly the old Beetle. I loved those things, I drove one my brother pieced together out of parts he had around his garage. It was red, dark blue and gray I think; maybe an orange fender.

 

[SimonT]

I was thinking a bug but I was thinking it was some sort of farm term

I have just walked down the drive and inspected the rain damage lots of wash out and down to mud on some of the drive way. The dry creek bed is still flowing and I wish it would all year but I am sure I will need to get down there and clean it out by hand once the water dries up. We have 3 small lakes in one part of the drive but lucky my neighbor has said he will give me some creek gravel to fill them. If I am lucky I might get some more tractor and bucket experience from him if he lets me do some of the work.

 

[dusty3030]

Just saw today a JD 850 4wd w/ loader for sale on Little Rock craigslist listed today.
I know nothing about this tractor, just passing it along. It is in your price range. Ad said it was in Ozark, AR, so shouldn't be too far from you.

 

[SimonT]

Thanks Dusty I think I need to start looking over at the AK Craigslists as it seemed to have quite a few nice tractors. After lots of talk about HP I am thinking maybe I do need to stay around 30HP it was also what my father in law also recommended to go with when he looked at the land. I also saw a New Holland TC30 as well and a few other nice ones.