Buying Advice Am I nuts? Thinking of leaving ZTR for SCUT?

[MGH PA]

Hi everyone. I joined a few years back in hopes of finding whether I would be best suited to owning a ZTR or a SCUT. Many of you said I should go SCUT, but I found a good price on a ZTR, and bit the bullet. I own a little over 2 acres in a rural setting (have plenty of fruit trees and just started a garden this year), and have used my dad's JD 990 quite a bit since buying the place 4 years ago (the FEL alone was worth it's wait in gold). I hope to own my own land (more than 2 acres) some day, but for now, I like my setting. Anyways, the ZTR cuts my lawn quickly, and relatively well. It's a rough ride (I'm only 28, so I can handle it), but it's always blowing debris all over me. It's also not good for much else other than for mowing. I was starting to look at an ATV with a plow to help with the driveway in the winter, and I got to thinking that a tractor would help (it's not a huge driveway, but enough where even a FEL would be sufficient).

Anyways, I have a big Kubota dealer not far from me, and I'm considering going to look at a BX series now that they have 0% for 60 months.

Am I nuts?

I'm giving up mowing speed/convenience (mowing around the apply trees will be harder with a SCUT) for monthly payments and possibly more options on the table for around the house? My dad lives in tractor driving distance (they own 90 acres), so I DO have access to his, but it's a pain to borrow on spur of the moment, especially if he has it set up for mowing or plowing, FEL on or off, etc, and it's not what I need it setup for.

Should I do it? Or keep my money and wait?

 

[jimrs]

I would keep the z-turn and just use your fathers tractor when needed. Or you could keep the z-turn and buy the tractor with a fel and box blade. I think you will be better off mowing with the z-turn. I have one acre and have both and use them both. If I had 3 acres or more then I would still own the z-turn for mowing.

 

[MGH PA]

Here's a look at my property:

And the work my dad's 990 has made possible:

Food plots:

 

[newbury]

Your 28.
Use a wheelbarrow and shovel until you need a B or bigger. The BX's came out before ZTR's. If your going to get more land you'd quickly need a B or bigger.

Says the man with a B7610 on a quarter acre lot and an M4700 on a half acre lot

 

[GManBart]

Any way you could keep the ZT, and manage a new SCUT? Some brands are offering up to 84 months 0% right now, which could keep the payment under $200/mo.

 

[MGH PA]

I could keep it, but I don't see why I would need to keep it, but two tools are better than one. I suppose if I HAVE to look for justification, maybe I don't really need one.

Newbury, I've run countless wheelbarrow loads of everything you can imagine in the four years I've owned this home. I built the last section of retaining wall this summer and shoveled and wheel barrowed 10 tons of crushed gravel. I may be 28, but it still wasn't fun in July

Here's a timelapse I did building the wall:

 

[jeff9366]

You DESERVE a tractor-loader of SOME size........

 

[rjwerth]

Keep the ZTR and buy a larger tractor than the BX. Think of it this way, your ZTRs trade in value will probably just cover the cost of the mower deck of a new tractor anyhow.

 

[Grandad4]

Nice looking place, MGH. The ZTR will surely be quicker mowing your place than a BX (or equivalent), but it wouldn't kill you to mow it with a little tractor. Many folks mow lots more than that with those little SCUTs, including me. So the question is whether having the tractor would let you keep after your place better. Just my experience... the BX I have is one really handy thing to have around. We have larger equipment that does the really heavy work, but for a "finished" property like yours, the little guy gets into places and does the work where a bigger machine is overkill. For you it's probably not a necessity, but it would be very useful.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I doubt the BX or even the B series will be any smoother than the ZTR if that is what you are looking for. Looks like you have much if not most of the work done where you would need a tractor. I would keep the ZTR for mowing especially if it is in good condition, get a B series in 23-26 HP range if I needed a tractor. As RJWERTH said, you wont get trade in value to even cover the mowing deck for the tractor, so may as well keep your mower and just look at the tractor with some implements for breaking ground for food plots.

 

[Don87]

I agree with Gary that a larger 'B' series would be great in your situation. The main reason being the implements that you have access to.

Implements that work great on a JD 990, won't work so well on a BX series.

 

[TSO]

If your budget fits both, might as well have both ;-) I would actually like to eventually get a "BX" sized tractor for the wife.

But I love my ZTR and wouldn't want to give it up. Each of us have our own unique "land" situation, but personally I wouldn't want to mow with anything else.
If you have other tractor brands around, shop them too. JD, Kioti, Mahindra, and LS all make SCUT's, and each one has advantages over the other. The LS version has a stronger loader than the others if I remember correctly. The Kioti can be had with a factory backhoe (the others might too, but I'm not sure).

There's a tractor out there for every need, but I still wouldn't want to ditch the ZTR unless I had to.

 

[radioman]

gee , I dunno. How long does it take for you to mow an acre with zero turn? How much time are you really trying to save? 10-20 mins on 2 acres is small IMHO. A BX with 60" deck can mow an acre under an hour in rabbit with HST medium travel or slightly less mowing in straight lines. If you mow in concentric pattern then 40 mins or less an acre. However looking at your pics, I see you take the time with zero turn to mow around the trees, the BX,B will not do it that quick and it has a wider turning radius. The spring harrow you using appears to be bigger then 4 ft. I have a 4 ft and it pulls fine with BX with loaded rears and turfs. Only issue is if soil is damp and I am turning while going up hill , I may get stuck so a couple reverse and jerk forward is needed to get going again. If it waas my money and you have access to larger tractor within tractor driving distance, then I think BX will suit you fine if you find the BX can't lift something something bigger. Otherwise go big just to keep with with your dad:cool2:.

Oh -- a side note - how about a TLB BX? this way you can repay your dad if he needs a backhoe and it comes off easy for storage in normal tractor mode.

 

[Panik]

I have about 3.5 acres of grass that I mow on a weekly basis with BX2360. I love my little loader tractor - it has done everything I have asked it to do so far and i wouldn't trade it with the exception of a BX25. However one of the reasons I like it so much is because it is a compromise. It is small enough that I can get in and around every place I need to mow with a relative minimum of maneuvering. For me personally if I moved up to a B series or equivalent I would gain power but lose mowing ability.

At the saw time though I give up some power and traction and bucket size for that ability as well. As an example I am in the process of re-grading my workshop driveway. With weights on the back of my rake I was losing traction yesterday because the gravel was loose enough that I didn't have enough weight for the turf tires to get a bite. The easy solution was to make overlapping passes that took smaller bites. Can I weight the tires? Yes, but then I risk compacting the grass in the yard. The point is that it is all about compromises to get the maximum balance of efficiency.

You already have the mowing covered with your ZTR. If I were you I would keep the ZTR and check the numbers to see if I could afford something larger than a BX. That way for tractor/FEL projects you stand a better chance of having all the power/traction/bucket size to get the project done quickly. Or if you can legitimately see the need for a backhoe go for the TLB combo as Radioman suggested. You already have the solution for mowing, if you don't need to sell it to finance a new tractor focus on finding the right solution specifically for those projects where a tractor or loader is necessary.

 

[TSO]

If your budget fits both, might as well have both ;-) I would actually like to eventually get a "BX" sized tractor for the wife.

But I love my ZTR and wouldn't want to give it up. Each of us have our own unique "land" situation, but personally I wouldn't want to mow with anything else.
If you have other tractor brands around, shop them too. JD, Kioti, Mahindra, and LS all make SCUT's, and each one has advantages over the other. The LS version has a stronger loader than the others if I remember correctly. The Kioti can be had with a factory backhoe (the others might too, but I'm not sure).

There's a tractor out there for every need, but I still wouldn't want to ditch the ZTR unless I had to.

Just looked at the websites, Mahindra has their "Max" line with some impressive numbers. They have a new "in between" model (I think it was the 25xl or something) that lifts 1500lbs, with 2500lbs breakout force. That's more than most small to medium compact tractors. And they have 0% for 84mos.

Some guys here are diehard orange, blue, or green. .. But I'm of the mind of getting the most for your money. That Mahindra Max looks like alot of power in a small package. .. More than most tractors in Kubota's "B" or "BX" lines

 

[murphy1244]

Your place looks great! Love the Brick work.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Just looking at prices in Tractorhouse.com, there doesn't seem to be a lot of difference in prices between a BX and a comparable B series Kubota. My daughter uses a B2630? IIRC on the numbers. It handles well in pretty small areas but it wont get into places like a ZTR will. I am too spoiled with my new Ferris IS 700 zero turn mower to ever go back to a stiff frame machine for mowing whether it be a lawn mower or tractor they are just too rough. Since giving up my tractor type mower and getting my first ZTR, I haven't cranked up my push mower in 3 years. I don't do much weedeating either as I can get close enough to my trees that I down worry about a little grass about the trunks. I just do the fence line and sidewalks occasionally and that is about it.

 

[MGH PA]

Thanks everyone. I think around the trees would prove more difficult with a SCUT. I just want a tractor, but I hope to own land in 5 years, and then I would for sure want something bigger. Perhaps waiting is best although painful.

 

[Larro Darro]

I use a Ford 3930 with a 6' RFM to mow 6 1/2 acres with 25 or 30 trees. {and not in rows} It doesn't handle as well as my B7500, but you just have to do the trim work with something smaller. I save so much time with the bigger mower, the trim time is a wash.

If it was me, I wouldn't get anything smaller than a B series. And if you buy used, you can get a RFM as well. Keep the Z for now, and after you get the tractor with the RFM, you can decide if it is worth keeping. We have a 71" Scag at work, and it is fast. But I wouldn't want it to be the only way I had to mow. And as I get older, I worry about operator comfort. The tractor to me is much easier on my back.

 

[aczlan]

Just looking at prices in Tractorhouse.com, there doesn't seem to be a lot of difference in prices between a BX and a comparable B series Kubota. My daughter uses a B2630? IIRC on the numbers. It handles well in pretty small areas but it wont get into places like a ZTR will. I am too spoiled with my new Ferris IS 700 zero turn mower to ever go back to a stiff frame machine for mowing whether it be a lawn mower or tractor they are just too rough. Since giving up my tractor type mower and getting my first ZTR, I haven't cranked up my push mower in 3 years. I don't do much weedeating either as I can get close enough to my trees that I down worry about a little grass about the trunks. I just do the fence line and sidewalks occasionally and that is about it.

We have a BX2660 and a B7500. If I had to choose between the two for mowing, I would go with the B7500 99% of the time (I would take it 100% of the time if they had the same HP).
Longer wheelbase and higher groundspeed make for faster more comfortable cut on the B7500.
I have also mowed commercially with various eXmark and Huskvarna zero turns and a zero turn will blow a tractor out of the water for cut speed.

Aaron Z