Advice on tractor for 7.5 acres - Mowing pasture and general use - L3902? What flail mower?

[benmc_2000]

Hi all,

We moved to a 7.5 acre lot in NorCal last year. House is on the top of a hill and has around 6 acres of pasture (no real lawn) which runs down the hill. Property also has lots of mature tress and bushes. We inherited a Husqvarna gt52xls which has been great to mow the more intricate areas.

We have decided we need/want a tractor for the following

• Mowing the pasture 4-8 times per year
• FEL for general use and compost turning. We seem to generate 2-3 cubic yards of yard waste per month (more in the growing season) and no way to turn compost etc
• Chipper (PTO) - This is a luxury (Woodland Mills WC68) - There are always branches etc we have cut down and would simply like to chip them vs waiting and hiring a chipper once a year.

We have a local Kubota dealer who is highly recommended.

We started off thinking of getting a L2501 but after reading lots of threads decided that the hills meant that more power would not be a bad idea. So now looking at L3902.
ZTR - Again I have read hundreds of threads and not sure ZTR is worth it for mowing pasture 4-8 times per year and would end up being another less used machine vs the multi purpose tractor.
Mower for the pasture - Like the idea of a Flail mower but not sure the best size to match the L3902?
As some of the work is on a hill, wheel spacers and filled tires are a must.

Budget is ~$42k (inc tax) for tractor + chipper + mower.

Any thoughts or comments welcome as this is the first time purchasing a tractor.

Thanks
Ben

 

[airbiscuit]

The l3902 would be a great choice. I would also consider Kioti ( I like the NS4710). Woodmax is hard ti beat on price for wood chippers and flail mowers.

 

[jeff9366]

As some of the work is on a hill, wheel spacers and filled tires are a must.

Mowing the pasture 4-8 times per year.


A Kubota L3902 will be adequate with wheel spacers.

An MX5400 might price out favorably relative to a L3902 and give you much more tractor, specifically adjustable rear wheel stance and much larger wheels/tires.

KUBOTA WEB SITE: Tractors - Utility - MX Series | Kubota


Tractors are inherently unstable operating on sloped ground. Tractor rear wheel/tire spread, sometimes adjustable, is a critical factor increasing compact tractor stability working sloped or uneven ground. Rear axle is the tractor component on which rear wheels/tires mount. A 6" to 10" wider rear axle substantially decreases tractor rollover potential. Tractor width is an approximation of rear axle width.

Larger wheels and tires provide more tractive power pulling ground contact implements and logs, pushing a loader bucket into dirt and pushing snow. Larger wheels and tires permit heavier tractors to bridge holes, ruts and tree debris yielding higher operating speed with less implement and operator perturbation.

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

 

[MiniDonkey22]

based on my experience with my kubota ZTR i would not recommend that for the pasture with hills. Maybe with aggressive tires it would be possible, but ZTRs really struggle holding a line across a hill. On the stock turf saver tires it is completely impossible. Mine slides sideways down the hill (!)

 

[tradosaurus]

If you do go to a zero turn buy you the proper tires for traction:
Carlisle AT101

 

[Hughman]

Sounds like my property (7.5 ac of hills and grass in California). I went with a rfm which I think gives a better looking cut and takes less hp than a flail. Of course I had to first groom my property a little at a time with a box scraper looking for rocks.

 

[sea2summit]

Jeff mentioned already but I really think you should consider an MX. 39 is probably fine for flat ground but turning a flail mower on hills you'll be really glad you have the extra HP.

Not sure how much of the 7.5 acres you plan to cut but keep in mind that's going to be a significant event with a 5-6' cutter traveling 1-3mph.

 

[tradosaurus]

Jeff mentioned already but I really think you should consider an MX. 39 is probably fine for flat ground but turning a flail mower on hills you'll be really glad you have the extra HP.

Not sure how much of the 7.5 acres you plan to cut but keep in mind that's going to be a significant event with a 5-6' cutter traveling 1-3mph.

His $42K budget might not get him the MX5400 plus implements.

 

[Rdrcr]

It’s a budget killer but, here’s a ZTR for hills;

It’s a Cub Cadet Pro Z 560 s KW and runs around $12K. It’s built like a tank and mows hills quickly and safely.

Mike

 

[Rdrcr]

His $42K budget might not get him the MX5400 plus implements.

But, we’re experts at spending other people’s money!

Mike

 

[jeff9366]

Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten flat acres.

• FEL for general use and compost turning. We seem to generate 2-3 cubic yards of yard waste per month (more in the growing season) and no way to turn compost etc.

Kubota MX5400 Attachments​

Kubota LA1065 Loader
Height (to pin):	111.2 inches 282 cm
Clearance, dumped bucket:	85.5 inches 217 cm
Dump reach:	26.1 inches 66 cm
Dump angle:	46°
Reach at ground:	78.1 inches 198 cm
Rollback angle:	42°
Breakout force (at 500mm):	3102 lbs 1407 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2275 lbs 1031 kg
Lift to full height (at 500mm):	1691 lbs 767 kg
Bucket width:	72 inches 182 cm

 

[benmc_2000]

Most tractors under 3,000 pounds bare weight operate in residential or hobby farm applications on one to ten flat acres.

• FEL for general use and compost turning. We seem to generate 2-3 cubic yards of yard waste per month (more in the growing season) and no way to turn compost etc.

Kubota MX5400 Attachments​

Kubota LA1065 Loader
Height (to pin):	111.2 inches 282 cm
Clearance, dumped bucket:	85.5 inches 217 cm
Dump reach:	26.1 inches 66 cm
Dump angle:	46°
Reach at ground:	78.1 inches 198 cm
Rollback angle:	42°
Breakout force (at 500mm):	3102 lbs 1407 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2275 lbs 1031 kg
Lift to full height (at 500mm):	1691 lbs 767 kg
Bucket width:	72 inches 182 cm

Luckily the FEL will be used on flat ground 99% of the time.

 

[rScotty]

I agree with the OP, the Husqvarna gt52xls that he inherited with the property is fine for doing the bulk of the mowing for a season or two. Or at least until he gets a feel for that chore.

For the tractor, nobody never really understands what a good thing a compact tractor is on a small acreage until they have one. I'd concentrate on a good name brand - Kubota is excellent - with a loader and in the 35 to 45 hp range. No cab, 4wd, universal tread, nice loader with extra front hydraulics plus oneset of hydraulic remotes on the back, and a standard 5 foot pull type brush hog mower. All of that will do 90 percent of the jobs, will retain more than 90% of the value, and can be traded or added to after you get a feel for the property.

You don't need to get everything at once. Tractors are univeral platforms. Get any good one and you can always add to it.

If you want to really treat yourself on uneven terrain, consider one of the Kubotas with the optional HST Plus (HST+) auto load-compensating transmissions.
luck,
rScotty

 

[Tractorable]

The Kubota L3560 costs slightly more than the L3902 and is a whole lot more tractor. Something to think about….

 

[rScotty]

Luckily the FEL will be used on flat ground 99% of the time.

That's a very good plan. And even on flat ground keep loads low & one hand ready to drop the FEL arms.
I've been doing this 50 years as a homeowner & an additional half that as a farm kid...and I still manage to get into a pucker situation with the FEL once in a while.
They are worth it though. What's your back worth?

 

[benmc_2000]

The Kubota L3560 costs slightly more than the L3902 and is a whole lot more tractor. Something to think about….

I would love to but budget has already crept up from the 2501. Dont think it will stretch to the L3560, which looks about 4k more.

 

[2manyrocks]

The most economical thing you can do is to carefully assess your needs and buy the tractor that suits those needs once. Your costs increase if you buy too small and later decide to trade up.

A rotary mower will handle most pasture clipping jobs without the expense of a flail mower.

If you have enough limbs to justify a PTO chipper, I'm wondering why a grapple isn't on your list?

 

[rScotty]

I would love to but budget has already crept up from the 2501. Dont think it will stretch to the L3560, which looks about 4k more.

Benmc, I'd say to always put money into the tractor. You can get by with used or lesser attachments, but you need to buy enough tractor.

Two things to think about: one is that larger tractors are intrinsically more stable. And that stability increases rapidly as size goes up. And the other is one that you mentioned: wheel extenders. You may or may not need them on a larger or more deluxe tractor is where you begin to find more built-in ability for increasing the width of the rear wheels. For slopes, I'd recommend the industrial tread tires because they are wider and on wider rims with stronger sidewalls & hence more stable.

The wheel width on the front axle is typically not adjustable for width on compact/utility size 4wd tractors. For adjustable front axles, you have to move up to Ag type tractors and that is not where to go.
rScotty

 

[ericm979]

My property averages about 30% from one corner to the other. There's a lot I don't operate on because it's too steep and too forested. The part I do operate on is less steep but it's still a long ways from flat.

With my second, larger tractor I got industrial tires and spacers for the rear wheels to make the track wider. The wheels and tires are from a slightly smaller model and they lower the tractor an inch or so. Also had the dealer put Rimguard in the tires for extra weight relatively low down. The idea was to lower the center of gravity for the inevitable side hill operation. It's way more stable than my last tractor, but that one was smaller and so not a direct comparison.

The front axle track does not matter much for side hill operation as the front axle has a center pivot. There are stops but if you're reaching the stop you're probably on the way over.

 

[Tractorable]

I would love to but budget has already crept up from the 2501. Dont think it will stretch to the L3560, which looks about 4k more.

Compare the L3560 Limited Edition to the L3902. Last I checked they were within $2K of each other.