25hp primarily for mowing?

[CloverKnollFarms]

Yeah the 5000 series JDs are cheap hp. Easily get one under $20k and have 55hp.

 

[2manyrocks]

Or look for forested land that doesn't have 15 acres of pasture to mow.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

If finishing mowing, the HP and time it takes gets up there as the grass grows


With my 84 in on 50 HP tractor, if it's under 6 inches and not real thick I can mow down to 2.5-3 as fast as I can hold on 5-6 mph

If it's 8 inches, I have to shift down to 3-4 mph. And that is an absolute crawl.

I just started mowing with a zero turn instead. Cut my mowing time down considerably.

 

[arrow]

If finishing mowing, the HP and time it takes gets up there as the grass grows


With my 84 in on 50 HP tractor, if it's under 6 inches and not real thick I can mow down to 2.5-3 as fast as I can hold on 5-6 mph

If it's 8 inches, I have to shift down to 3-4 mph. And that is an absolute crawl.

I just started mowing with a zero turn instead. Cut my mowing time down considerably.

He wants to cut pasture. All he needs is a brush hog for that.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

I missed that.

But same thing applies. Shorter, the faster and less power it takes.

 

[arrow]

I missed that.

But same thing applies. Shorter, the faster and less power it takes.

I’ve cut grass over a foot tall with an 8’ bh and a 50 hp machine at about 6 mph. It didn’t care how tall it was.
Cutting pasture is a pita especially if horses are involved.

 

[Sid Post]

Another consideration that I need to look into is will my 2006 backhoe work on a 2024 model, that would be a huge plus for sticking with Kioti.

As far as the emissions go; I don't know much about the tractor engines but I recently bought a new truck. I was considering moving up to a 2500 diesel and in my research found that they have become less reliable and fuel economy took a big hit when they started putting the emissions systems in them.

If your backhoe is a third-party unit, they probably make brackets to mount it on other tractors.

The Pickup and Car problems are more related to basic engineering and Quality Control failures in most cases. Gas or Diesel, if you engine has soft piston rings, you are going to need a major rebuild or replacement motor. Some goes when they leave debris in the engine that trashes everything from the valvetrain to the crankshaft. Those failures have nothing to do with Diesel Emissions. I am specifically thinking of Subaru and Toyota!

Modern tractors tend to use Common Rail Diesel injection which is very high pressure and helps emissions a lot. Add a catalyst (think leaded/unleaded cars) and you can get Tier 4 without DEF.

 

[Sid Post]

If you are going to use it to pull engines and stuff id go a lot bigger.

My buddy has a 25hp mahindra and at my grandma's we have a JD 755, similar size. While on paper they say they can lift a respectable amount, I wouldn't pull more than a predator 212 with them

We loaded bags of lime in the mahindra and at about 8-10 80lb bags it became too light in the rear with the backhoe on to move very far

I have a mahindra 485 50hp and I've picked up old motors for the neighbor fully dressed and even with a trans without much worry

EXACTLY!

My Kubota L4600 will lift a lot more weight than it can safely move! There is not way I would consider using my 26HP Kubota to lift something like a simple gasoline engine in an antique car or restomod.

 

[Sid Post]

I have a Kubota B2601 so, 26HP on the engine and ~20HP at the PTO. With a 4' rotary 'bush hog' mower, it will do the job but, it is painfully slow in the pasture unless everything is really short.

Super handy with its smaller size around the house and out buildings but, not so nice in the pasture.

The other thing no one has mentioned is the rough ride with smaller tires in your pasture! It does no good to have power you cannot use because you can't stay on the tractor as it bounces in your pasture while you mow.

Width also matters if your land isn't level. A lot of ~26hp tractors are too narrow to be safe in an uneven pasture. Be super careful if you hit an unseen washout covered by grass or weeds in a 26hp tractor with smaller tires!

Tractor safety is a concern for use outside of a nicely groomed pasture that is well maintained with a small tractor. Bigger tractors aren't fool proof but, are more forgiving of common mistakes due to larger tires and a wider overall 'footprint' to lessen the chances of rolling it over when you hit something unseen in a pasture.

Lastly, a bigger tractor with the same HP as the smaller one will do more work per unit of time. I can do everything I do with my big tractor with the B2601 but, with the big tractor I will finish before lunch, not the next day or two!

 

[Little Red Tractor]

The advice I almost always give out is SHOP THE DEALER! The color so often doesn't matter and lower price doesn't mean a thing if you can't get good service.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Assume there is no good service and find the manual and parts.

 

[GWagon]

If there is a dealer anywhere near you look at TYM. If you won't be frequently transporting skip the 25 hp, their 37 hp with FEL and cab is very reasonably priced. When comparing TYM tractors to same hp other brand tractors TYM usually weighs more and lifts more.
I have the T264 and am shocked with what it will lift. I needed small machine to access back yards with backhoe.

 

[WinterDeere]

When comparing TYM tractors to same hp other brand tractors TYM usually weighs more and lifts more.

Another way of saying exactly the same thing is, "when comparing TYM tractors to the same weight tractors of other brands, TYM has less horsepower."

While I might benefit from a heavy low-HP machine, as my use of the tractor is mostly loader work, it sounds like the opposite of what the OP needs. He is looking for horsepower to spin a mower, and would probably benefit from a higher HP/weight ratio, if the primary use is mowing.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Another way of saying exactly the same thing is, "when comparing TYM tractors to the same weight tractors of other brands, TYM has less horsepower."

While I might benefit from a heavy low-HP machine, as my use of the tractor is mostly loader work, it sounds like the opposite of what the OP needs. He is looking for horsepower to spin a mower, and would probably benefit from a higher HP/weight ratio, if the primary use is mowing.

My first question is are they all tested the same?

Same test standard ?

Same location on the tractor test ie flywheel vs PTO output and so on

 

[WinterDeere]

My first question is are they all tested the same?

Same test standard ?

Same location on the tractor test ie flywheel vs PTO output and so on

Good question. Not my area of expertise, but I know there are standard test methods defined, so it should just be a matter of looking to see if they're citing the same standard. If they're citing different standards, then I'd guess you need someone familiar with the standards to dig into the test methods, and tell us what it all means.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Messicks has some videos on it

Same goes for loader testing with where and how they test it

 

[djohn550]

A 25hp tractor should handle a 60" flail mower well; a 72" might be too much. Brands like Kubota, John Deere, and Massey Ferguson have good cab options. Consider a bit more than 25hp for more flexibility without jumping into emissions issues.

 

[careyo63]

24 hp. YM2000 Yanmar which is my lawn mower! Frontier 1060 FM.. Rear discharge is the way to Go!! Owned and used it to mow with for 15 Yrs.. 3.5 Acre WKly..

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[Sid Post]

The advice I almost always give out is SHOP THE DEALER! The color so often doesn't matter and lower price doesn't mean a thing if you can't get good service.

That assumes the dealer is still there a few years later. I saw my John Deere dealership get sold to a corporate monolith and my favorite Kubota store go seriously downhill during COVID and really hasn't recovered since.

Now, my Kubota service needs are met by the Kubota dealer that is 4th closest to me (i.e. a lot further than the other 3).

Today, I'd be most likely to buy a second Massey or, possibly a cabbed TYM. The 30hp~50hp options from both brands are really good and I have more confidence in them being owner-supported in the future than most of the other brands. Dealer support isn't as good as "big" Green but, big Green doesn't care about small property holders like dealerships that depend on non-corporate leases to make a profit and stay in business.

 

[Sid Post]

Another way of saying exactly the same thing is, "when comparing TYM tractors to the same weight tractors of other brands, TYM has less horsepower."

While I might benefit from a heavy low-HP machine, as my use of the tractor is mostly loader work, it sounds like the opposite of what the OP needs. He is looking for horsepower to spin a mower, and would probably benefit from a higher HP/weight ratio, if the primary use is mowing.

You still need good weight to run a rotary "bush hog" mower safely. If you don't have a good BALANCE of weight to power, your tractor isn't going to work well for you.

My Kubota L4600 has plenty of power to pull a 5' or 6' rotary "bush hog". What it doesn't have is enough tractor weight to be balanced on uneven ground or while transporting the mower in the pasture safely at more than a fast walking pace without bouncing like a teeter-totter.