Buying Advice It works ok...

Bob88 · Jan 30, 2019

I have 6 acre mostly hill and steep it’s wooded and has a steep driveway that is fairly long. I need to be able to mow I would say about 2.5 acres. Maintain the driveway as well as removing snow. We moved in May 2018 and I bought a 1979 John Deere 850 with 72 belly mower and 666 front mounted snow blower and a model 45 7’ blade. It meats the needs of tasks stated above but is more jack of all trades master of none.

The good:
-It meats my needs.
-Easy on fuel
-6 ft mower moves a lot of grass.
-Snow blower is good for this crap winter this year.

The bad:
-mowing takes me 3-4 hours
-snow blowing takes 2+ hours
-turf tires all around and I think they are original (does have chains for rear it’s 2wd)
-4x2 transmission with single stage clutch

I think my biggest issue is transmission it’s the reason it takes so long to mow and clear snow having to wait for PTO to stop before changing gears or reversing.

It needs new tires and weight to get all 4 tires and ballast in rear is $1300 and still the transmission sucks for my use.

I’m looking for something else
Here’s what I know I need so far
Minimum 25hp
4x4
HST transmission
Mower
Snow blower or loader
Rear blade
Have at least rear ballasted.

Am I on the right track or should I just keep what I have until I can’t stand it anymore?

Sorry for the long post.

MAD777 · Jan 30, 2019

I'm watching this with interest as I will have similar situation when my house is completed.

nybirdman · Jan 30, 2019

Sounds like a Kubota BX sized machine should work,many others JD,LS,Massey ect.all build similar machines so it comes down to "dealer" that you are happy with.I wouldn't want a gear machine on hills.Your old machine should be an easy sale.
I really don't think you will gain a lot of speed(time savings) but will be safer.

jeff9366 · Jan 30, 2019

I started with a Deere 750. Tractors have made a lot of progress. You already know about HST transmission, you probably know about "independent" PTOs, where the mower is driven entirely independently of the tractor wheels. 4-WD is standard on small tractors, optional on others.

You are on the right track.

Is there budget for a Zero Turn Mower and a new tractor? A Zero Turn will probably reduce your mowing time by 50%.

You have not described your driveway. Perhaps a front plow or a snow box will serve you better than a snow blower.

VIDEO: Snow Attachments, and their pro's and con's. Snow Blower, Push Box, Snow Blade. - YouTube

Bob88 · Jan 30, 2019

nybirdman said:
Sounds like a Kubota BX sized machine should work,many others JD,LS,Massey ect.all build similar machines so it comes down to "dealer" that you are happy with.I wouldn't want a gear machine on hills.Your old machine should be an easy sale.
I really don't think you will gain a lot of speed(time savings) but will be safer.

Have really considered sub compacts I just feel like I will be near capacity for all my work with it I really do like Massey Ferguson my local dealer is close and very helpful more so than John Deere which isn’t bad. So far I have prices none of which I like but...
Massey Ferguson all with loader mower and rear blade taxes not included
GC1715 60” deck 60” blade
$15,500
1526 60” deck 60” blade $23,500
1735M 72” deck 72” premium blade $32300

John Deere 1025r was $16,000 before rear blade and talking with sales guy the tag on it is their lowest price no negotiation so I stopped there.

Bob88 · Jan 30, 2019

jeff9366 said:
It will improve the quality of responses if you enter your LOCATION into your T-B-N PROFILE, so your location shows with every post you author. Central Florida, Norther California, Greater Sioux Falls ~~~ an approximation is fine.

I started with a Deere 750. Tractors have made a lot of progress. You already know about HST transmission, you probably know about "independent" PTOs, where the mower is driven entirely independently of the tractor wheels. 4-WD is standard on small tractors, optional on others.

You are on the right track.

Is there budget for a Zero Turn Mower and a new tractor? A Zero Turn will probably reduce your mowing time by 50%.

You have not described your driveway. Perhaps a front plow or a snow box will serve you better than a snow blower.

VIDEO: Snow Attachments, and their pro's and con's. Snow Blower, Push Box, Snow Blade. - YouTube

I don’t think a Zero turn will work with my hills unless I have a death wish and I will be lucky to afford a tractor alone.

jeff9366 · Jan 30, 2019

Perhaps you should consider brands with four equal size wheels with work done primarily in front.

Brands: Power Trac, Ventrac/Steiner. Stability on slopes is much greater with rear engines and four equal size wheels.

Power Trac and Ventrac/Steiner brands have dedicated forums here on T-B-N. Click the FORUMS button, then cursor down.

Power Trac: ThePowerTrac
- YouTube

Ventrac: ventrac - YouTube

Steiner: steiner tractor - YouTube

Slowpoke Slim · Jan 30, 2019

A 4wd tractor with HST will be faster than what you have, for sure. Are you mowing everything with the JD, or do you have a riding mower for the lawn around the house? Are you keeping your 6' mower and 7' (rear?) blade? Are you wanting to be able to use a front snow blower?

Bob88 · Jan 30, 2019

Slowpoke Slim said:
A 4wd tractor with HST will be faster than what you have, for sure. Are you mowing everything with the JD, or do you have a riding mower for the lawn around the house? Are you keeping your 6' mower and 7' (rear?) blade? Are you wanting to be able to use a front snow blower?

Other than a push mower the JD is all I have the 6’ mower is belly mounted so I doubt it will fit anything else it will go with the JD the blade I could keep but if I financed a tractor I figured a new blade would be better and I don’t think a 7’ blade will work on anything smaller. If it has a loader that would work for snow and much more snowblower is nice but a new front mounted snow blower is expensive

Milo · Jan 30, 2019

I mowed with my B2650 HST with 72" mmm which would mow more, in less time, than your geared live pto tractor. So a similar set up with a loader or blower might be just what you need. After this I still wanted to get my mowing done quicker so added a 60" Zero Turn.

XSKIER · Jan 31, 2019

Bob88 said:
GC1715 60” deck 60” blade
$15,500
1526 60” deck 60” blade $23,500
1735M 72” deck 72” premium blade $32300

John Deere 1025r was $16,000 before rear blade and talking with sales guy the tag on it is their lowest price no negotiation so I stopped there.

That's not a bad price for the R. If you are using a rear the blade, the position control three point is worth the extra G note alone. Deere financial, and equipment insurance coverage, is the best there is. Might be "cheaper" than you think, all things considered.

Bob88 · Jan 31, 2019

XSKIER said:
That's not a bad price for the R. If you are using a rear the blade, the position control three point is worth the extra G note alone. Deere financial, and equipment insurance coverage, is the best there is. Might be "cheaper" than you think, all things considered.

But both 1025R and GC1715 only have 60” decks and 60” blade would be about all they can handle so would being HST make up for less width is that really worth the extra cost? And I still say they are on the small side for my use.

dodge man · Jan 31, 2019

I have a Kubota BX which is a subcompact. Something like that woukd work for you and even though it only has a 60” deck it sounds like ir woukd cut your mowing time. Don’t get hung up on the deck size to much. Right now I’m debating on if I should up size to a compact tractor. For my mowing needs the BX is good but for snow removal and end loader work I wish it was bigger.

Bob88 · Jan 31, 2019

dodge man said:
I have a Kubota BX which is a subcompact. Something like that woukd work for you and even though it only has a 60” deck it sounds like ir woukd cut your mowing time. Don’t get hung up on the deck size to much. Right now I’m debating on if I should up size to a compact tractor. For my mowing needs the BX is good but for snow removal and end loader work I wish it was bigger.

That’s the other thought a loader will take longer than my snowblower to move a big snow however I think a small snow would be fine. The more I read about sub compacts it seems people usually end up wanting bigger later on I’d rather not do that although they hold their value well buy once cry once.

Bob88 · Jan 31, 2019

jeff9366 said:
Perhaps you should consider brands with four equal size wheels with work done primarily in front.

Brands: Power Trac, Ventrac/Steiner. Stability on slopes is much greater with rear engines and four equal size wheels.

Power Trac and Ventrac/Steiner brands have dedicated forums here on T-B-N. Click the FORUMS button, then cursor down.

Power Trac: ThePowerTrac
- YouTube

Ventrac: ventrac - YouTube

Steiner: steiner tractor - YouTube

I have looked at the ventrac but dealers for them are not close and I feel a tractor will be easier to obtain and maintain in my area.

Gary Fowler · Jan 31, 2019

Bob88 said:
I don稚 think a Zero turn will work with my hills unless I have a death wish and I will be lucky to afford a tractor alone.

If you have been mowing it with your 2 WD JD 850, a zero turn will have no problem at all. You will need to step up to a commercial grade machine though, one in the 800+ pound range with large tires and serviceable HST transmission. However, a zero turn mower wont help you with snow removal.

Why not just keep your current back blade, snow blower and mower and get a 4 WD HST tractor that can use them. I would get a FEL regardless of the equipment because they are so handy to have.

There are lots of good brands of tractors now and the biggest selling point for most folks is how comfortable and operable they are. All the other bells and whistles are of no value if you cant sit and work comfortable on the tractor. So go set on all the tractors in your immediate area and get a feel for how well they fit your particular frame size. Then go look for the best deal on the ones that you feel comfortable with.

dodge man · Jan 31, 2019

For me a rear blade and a FEL works good for snow removal. It when you start getting several inches of snow, say 5 inches and more, that they don't work good and a blower works better. If its just a couple of inches of snow a rear blade is really fast. When the snow is deep, the FEL bucket works, it just fills up fast. If you get something like 24" of snow, the FEL still works but then it gets really slow.

Bob88 · Jan 31, 2019

dodge man said:
For me a rear blade and a FEL works good for snow removal. It when you start getting several inches of snow, say 5 inches and more, that they don't work good and a blower works better. If its just a couple of inches of snow a rear blade is really fast. When the snow is deep, the FEL bucket works, it just fills up fast. If you get something like 24" of snow, the FEL still works but then it gets really slow.

This year we have gotten more snow than average I think a FEL and rear blade would work well for me I’m sure I will miss the snowblower at some point but I feel a HST and 4x4 with blade and FEL will more than make up for snowblower just stuck on whether or not I can be ok with Sub compact vs compact.