Best choice for 4x4 mower

[LBrown59]

1*What I need is something for finish mowing the slopes.
2*I need the 4x4 for the traction on the slopes.
3*If there were a small rider mower with garden tractor size tires for clearance and a minimum 48" cut with 4x4, that would be sufficient.
4*There is no need to compare the X748 to the S-Cuts. I already have an S-Cut, the 2520 with FEL, rear blade, rake, and LX4.
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1* & 2* A bx1500 or 1850 covers both of these.
3*the BX1500 and BX1850 come close t0 fitting this description.
4* I know you all ready have a s=cut.
But so what if the tractor that will handle items 1 through 3 above happens to be a sub-cut but the price for it is less than a garden tractor or that rider.

 

[skidoo]

Well, maybe I should add criteria, not a must have, but a nice feature
5) Turning radius significantly tighter than S-cut
6) Easily maneuverable under fruit trees (i.e. low or no ROPS)

Before Spring, I will look closer at the BX's and other products, and 2520 accessories i.e. RFM, MMM. I may rule out the MMM due to wanting the BH.

 

[jcmseven]

Skidoo,

I still say that aside from a Steiner, which seems to have limited dealer support in your area, the JD X series is the way to go. They are incredibly stable on hills, have a very low COG and get super traction. I have mowed hills comparable to yours with an X595 without difficulty. The 2305 JD is another good choice, but has the roll bar, which I personally would want, but not all do. And, if one folds the roll bar down to gain clearance, it does not work so no need to have it then. L Brown posts quite a lot about the Kubota offerings and they are fine machines, but personally I cannot see going with a BX 1500 here. His thought about the CC is a good one, but the X series is going to offer more power and a few more "creature comforts". They are expensive but worth every penny if mowing is your primary goal. Also, please be careful what you read about the "garden tractor" motif of the X series. I worked mine as a Sub-compact and it performed like one. Yes, JD markets them as "super garden tractors" but they are really much more than that. I used mine to pull box blades, tillers, disc harrows, plowed snow and used a FEL on it. It had a Limited Cat one hitch and I match and ran the exact 647 tiller as the 2305. It was a hoss. My only complaint was that for FEL work, it lacked the hydraulic capacity of the 2305 so if this is in the future I would consider a 2305 over it. If mowing is it, the X is the way to go. (I have had two of them). Yes they are large machines, but they carry their weight low and will climb a tree. Some of the things I did with mine in honesty defied logic, and I might not do them again if I needed to, but the machine did fine and never felt tippy. I am sure they would turn over, and they are heavy so it might be curtains if they did, but mine generally would slide rather than tip, but it never let go of a hill. They are also very manuverable for a decently sized tractor. The 2350 would do fine also, as I am sure would the Kubota offerings, but do you really want to go orange when you have a green machine already??

John M

 

[LBrown59]

Well, maybe I should add criteria, not a must have, but a nice feature
5) Turning radius significantly tighter than S-cut
6) Easily maneuverable under fruit trees (i.e. low or no ROPS)
Before spring, I will look closer at the BX's and other products, and 2520 accessories i.e. RFM, MMM. I may rule out the MMM due to wanting the BH.

5*A more accurate description of this criteria
(Turning radius significantly tighter than a 2 wheel steer tractor.)
This pretty much limits you to an All Wheel Steer or a Zero Turn. Then 2 it lowers the pool of 4 wheel drive models.
6*I've never noticed any real big Turning radius difference between Sub=cuts and garden tractors unless one of the tractors was All wheel steer and the other one a 2 wheel steer.
Such a comparison is an apples to oranges comparison and the results are unreliable as they are skewered.
I"ve observed the error of comparing 2 wheel steer with 4 wheel steer more than once then blaming/labelong the 2 wheel steer tractor as somehow being inferior.

 

[jcmseven]

Skidoo,

You mention also in a post there is "no need" to compare a 700 series JD to a subcut. Sure there is!!! Why not have two machines, of differing sizes that can overlap duties??? I have a 3720 JD which I really like. It is a sweet machine that does almost everything I need--except get on the soft steep and heavily wooded back part of my property. Even a 2520 like yours would not fit many of these places--but a 700 or Bx or 2305 would. I do not want two tractors, but if I did, I would go with something like this quickly. Interestingly they have a niche that one might not realize until owning one. So, even though you do have a sucompact (actually you have a small-framed compact) it might not hurt TO compare them after all. You might find the overlap to be very utilitarian.

John M

 

[aesanders]

You might want ot go look at the new 4X4 Simplicity Conquest and Prestige models. My 2 wheel drive Conquest always performed pretty well on steep slopes when I lived in Maryland. A 4X4 would seem like a billy goat. I like mowing with this size machine. I like this size better than a machine the size of my 2320 for finish mowingand forhills, I would feel much better with the smaller machine.

 

[LBrown59]

1*You might want to go look at the new 4X4 Simplicity Conquest and Prestige models. My 2 wheel drive Conquest always performed pretty well on steep slopes when I lived in Maryland. A 4X4 would seem like a billy goat.
2*I like mowing with this size machine. I like this size better than a machine the size of my 2320 for finish mowing and for hills,
3*I would feel much better with the smaller machine.====

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1*I'll bet they are overpriced just like the Kubota G & GR and the JD x700s.
2*So do I.
3*I feel a lot better on a smaller tractor on such places.
That's why I just replaced my CC GT2554 with a new Kubota BX1500 instead of a bigger tractor like a Kubota BX2350 2230 JD 2210 2305 or a mF 2300.

 

[skidoo]

5*A more accurate description of this criteria
(Turning radius significantly tighter than a 2 wheel steer tractor.)
This pretty much limits you to an All Wheel Steer or a Zero Turn. Then 2 it lowers the pool of 4 wheel drive models.
6*I've never noticed any real big Turning radius difference between Sub=cuts and garden tractors unless one of the tractors was All wheel steer and the other one a 2 wheel steer.
Such a comparison is an apples to oranges comparison and the results are unreliable as they are skewered.
I"ve observed the error of comparing 2 wheel steer with 4 wheel steer more than once then blaming/labelong the 2 wheel steer tractor as somehow being inferior.

BX1500 turning radius = > 80".
My 2520 turning radius = 90" with brakes 98" without.
JD 2305 turning radius = 89".

JDX748 turning radius = 28" in 2WD or 48.5" in 4WD. This is NOT 4 wheel steer!

It seems like most all the garden tractors with 4x4 have a turning radius near half of the S-Cuts. That is significant. I have not seen any 4x4 with 4 wheel steer units...

 

[nhtzer]

Forgive me asking the obvious, but have you thought about getting a MMM for your JD?

Mowing slopes that steep will require low range and 4wd. Given the pictures of the terrain at least two of the sections look like mowing them 3 or 4 times a year would suffice. The picture with the actual grass in it also looks like maybe on the slope part mowing 2x a month would be enough. IMO it seems you have a $1600 problem (mmm cost) that your trying to solve with a $14000 dollar solution.

At the end of the day; if you get a scut to mow your grass regardless of make/model your paying a huge % to merely purchase what you have now; a scut with 4wd drive.

Now if you just want another tractor; I can understand that as well

 

[RollTideRam]

If you don't need it till next spring, I would start looking for a used x595. JC