Best subcompact for the money

[splotch]

I'm tired of buying riding lawn mowers that don't last because they are built cheap and still cost an arm and a leg. I'm thinking of buying a subcompact tractor to mow the property and use it for light tractor work.

What are the best ones for this purpose and for the best bang for the buck?

I kept throwing money at cheap equipment to find a mower that would handle my hills. After about 7k wasted i ended up buying a used Ventrac with mower and a small power bucket. 7 years later happy as hell and I plan to replace it with a 4250 with their new loader.

 

[splotch]

I kept throwing money at cheap equipment to find a mower that would handle my hills. After about 7k wasted i ended up buying a used Ventrac with mower and a small power bucket. 7 years later happy as hell and I plan to replace it with a 4250 with their new loader.

I meant 4520. The used one I bought was the 4200. I plan to sell the used one next fall.

 

[Shady oak]

I have heard lots of good things about the Cub Caset, and I am not even a Cub fan…. Our city just bought one for the same reason, steep incline mowing. I have a couple F2560 Kubotas. While mine are 2wd I would think the 4 wd version would be excellent. Built like a tank, and the state uses them for mowing those steep grades on freeway interchanges etc!

 

[Shady oak]

I kept throwing money at cheap equipment to find a mower that would handle my hills. After about 7k wasted i ended up buying a used Ventrac with mower and a small power bucket. 7 years later happy as hell and I plan to replace it with a 4250 with their new loader.

Yes, you get what you pay for.

 

[Little Red Tractor]

I will mount my usual soapbox: Shop the dealer. No tractor/mower is any good if you can't get parts and service reliably.

 

[nknelsen]

I'm tired of buying riding lawn mowers that don't last because they are built cheap and still cost an arm and a leg. I'm thinking of buying a subcompact tractor to mow the property and use it for light tractor work.

What are the best ones for this purpose and for the best bang for the buck?

I had a Kioti cs2410 sub compact with loader and mid mounted mower. It was awesome for the 7 years that I owned it and I sold it for the same price I paid for it and then I bought a CX2510 compact tractor with loader and mid mounted mower. Both tractors have performed flawlessly. I upgraded to get more loader capacity, more hydraulic GPM and more three point hitch lift capacity, plus the new one has the Bobcat quick attach bucket system and the third function that works so well with a grapple for tree cutting clean up.

I can't say enough good about Kioti. Now to be fair I don't have much experience with John Deere other than the fact it was 20000 more for an equivalent tractor that required proprietary bucket attachments at sometimes significantly higher prices themselves. And I've been close to other people owning Kubota and the quality just doesn't seem to be there, that and Kubota use of the treadle pedal ruled it out for me.

And I didn't try Mahindra, too many bad stories on the internet.

 

[walhondingMF]

My father and a buddies father have COMPACT size tractors (New Holland and Kioti). Both are happy with the tractors accept for 1 issue... both bog down under any kind of heavy grass mowing or mowing up hill. Neither of them mow fast either. My dad sometimes regrets not just getting the sub compact when he sees mine mows the same conditions while still running strong. Just our conclusion... the compact tractors run the same HP engines but are heavier and require more engine to run the larger hydraulics. The lower center of gravity feels safer as well. If its going to be a primary mowing machine, I recommend sticking with SUB compact.

 

[John Joseph McVeigh]

I decided to get a Ventrac 4500Y (with a Kubota Diesel engine) to deal with my mowing, snow clearing, and other needs. As another forum member wrote early in this thread, a Ventrac will not do everything that a CUT will do, but what it does do, it does excellently and safely, so long as you observe its limits. With dual tires, the Ventrac articulated tractors are rated for a maximum slope of 30°. Link.

 

[TN8Man]

I had a Kioti cs2410 sub compact with loader and mid mounted mower. It was awesome for the 7 years that I owned it and I sold it for the same price I paid for it and then I bought a CX2510 compact tractor with loader and mid mounted mower. Both tractors have performed flawlessly. I upgraded to get more loader capacity, more hydraulic GPM and more three point hitch lift capacity, plus the new one has the Bobcat quick attach bucket system and the third function that works so well with a grapple for tree cutting clean up.

I can't say enough good about Kioti. Now to be fair I don't have much experience with John Deere other than the fact it was 20000 more for an equivalent tractor that required proprietary bucket attachments at sometimes significantly higher prices themselves. And I've been close to other people owning Kubota and the quality just doesn't seem to be there, that and Kubota use of the treadle pedal ruled it out for me.

And I didn't try Mahindra, too many bad stories on the internet.

My current list is the cs2520, CX2510 and TYM T25 with belly mowers and 3rd function. It's good to hear the two Kioti's have performed well for you. My first tractor was the Kioti 3510 which I never had a problem but my current NX5010 Cab has had issues and I might trade it in with this deal.

 

[TN8Man]

My father and a buddies father have COMPACT size tractors (New Holland and Kioti). Both are happy with the tractors accept for 1 issue... both bog down under any kind of heavy grass mowing or mowing up hill. Neither of them mow fast either. My dad sometimes regrets not just getting the sub compact when he sees mine mows the same conditions while still running strong. Just our conclusion... the compact tractors run the same HP engines but are heavier and require more engine to run the larger hydraulics. The lower center of gravity feels safer as well. If its going to be a primary mowing machine, I recommend sticking with SUB compact.

Just looking at specs the TYM T25 is the best subcompact but some might argue it's more of a small compact tractor.

I did fix my riding mower and realized the steering problem due to a bad part which is now replaced. This kind of raised my confidence a little in this mower. As a minimum I will keep it as a back-up but I might just change my strategy and focus on replacing my NX5010 and use the NX as a trade-in. The NX warranty expires next year and I had a significant HST failure already and still have an issue with the hydro fluid overheating when using the PTO for a few hours. This results in the hydro system jerking/pulsing.