Comparison Can only have one -- UTV or SCUT for my general year round use?

[nybirdman]

B2650 with cab?

 

[mike69440]

First post, so I'll start out by saying I've been reading for a while but never 'engaged' with the community. There's some great info and opinions here. So... I want your opinions as I've reached paralysis via analysis on the situation below.

The wife and I are in our second year living on a 9 acre property in western WI -- 8 wooded and 1 cleared near the house. When we moved we purchased a Kubota RTV1100 with hydraulic V-plow to clear snow from about 550' of driveway and to keep me warm while doing it (in general I despise winter). I'll have to say this is an awesome setup and it performs very well everywhere except at the concrete pad near the house. This area is a little cramped with tighter contours/angles and maneuvering is tricky....the area also lacks the ideal space to deposit snow. This combination leaves me some 'clean up' work to do after plowing so I end up suiting up for winter anyway.

During the other 6 months of the year that aren't winter we use this as a tool for general landscaping and yard maintenance, firewood transport, fall clean-up and the like. There's about an acre that needs to be mowed and I made the decision that I'd be content doing this with a 21" push mower. While this is doable, after two seasons this has gotten old and I want another solution that will really cut down mowing time so that I can spend that time on other aspects of our property. Our 'lawn' is far from a gem and I don't care that much about mowing quality and while I like the RTV it does nothing for the mowing situation.

I've got about $10-13k that I could commit to a general use tool(s) to take care of maintenance and upkeep on the property, and let's be honest... there is a 'toy' aspect as well. The wife will award bonus points for less expensive solutions. The immediate solution is just to buy a used entry level riding mower or zero turn, but I'm 6'5" and am yet to find a riding mower I'd consider remotely comfortable and some zero turn levers don't clear my knees. Yes, I could probably make a custom bracket for the seat, but it still means extra storage space in the garage. My next thought was a SCUT, primarily looking at a BX series tractor, namely the 23 or 26 series as they're a little larger than the 18. I've sat on one and while not ideal is similar to my fit in the RTV. I am really attracted to the versatility of a machine like this as it can be used to clear snow with a front blower, mow grass, and help out with everything else for which we were using the RTV, and more...and it's still just one machine. It leaves me exposed in the winter though and truth be told I'm not sure how much of the 'more' would really be utilized. I realize there are cab options for the tractor, but it seems like these are pricey and would probably land over budget even with a used machine with the necessary attachments? I'd also want to remove it during summer.

What solution would you guys use? Do I keep my warm cab and get (and store) a standalone mower, or give it up for the versatility of a SCUT and bundle up?

Definitely keep the RTV!
Get a good used Sears LT1000 with a hydrostatic (Check transmission is Husqvarna made, as Sears used other less reliable transmissions also) Twin cylinder is better also. Parts are cheap and available. Tough little mower, fine for a few acres. I use our two to field mow often as apposed to a rotary cutter.
If it breaks beyond repair, just get another one. I'm 6'3".
Also a used old Ariens snow blower with Cast Iron gearbox fpr the tight spaces.
IF you can save $10,000, use it for a nice vacation, etc. or a good used small CUT, forget the tiny tires of a SCUT on 9 wooded Acres. I can't imagine having property without equipment.
OR spend or not money as you wish.

My neighbor has just bought a shiny new Kubota CTL SV95-2 with lots of new implements & attachments @+$100K, just because he can!

 

[wawajake]

Well dho13 ............ I did things in reverse of you, I have had a SCUT (BX2660 ) for a few years now and just bought a Kubota RTV X1100.
The BX I use for grass by using a rear finish mower (I leave the FEL on ) and I have got quite quick doing 3 acres in about two hours with a variety of obstacles and hills . I also use the BX for snow removal with a snowblower attachment on back, don't sweat about expense of a cab, it is easy to make something to get you out of the wind out of wood and clear plastic and plexi, that you can take off in summer.
I am considering using the RTV for snow as my backup in case tractor ever down or for quick swipe with a plow, but will make a plow maybe next year after I get a winch. The tractor will also be used this summer and next to widen all my trails for the UTV that is 66 inches wide versus the ATv that was only 42 inches wide .......I think you will have an excellent one two punch for your alnd if you go the SCUT route and after you see all the advantages of a three point hitch and attachment available, you will be buying a new attachment each year ($1000 - $2000 typical attachment ) good luck

 

[jeff9366]

There are mowers designed to attach to a UTV trailer hitch and have their own gasoline engines.

LINKS TO ATV/UTV MOWER THREADS IN T-B-N ARCHIVE (2):
1)Google
2)Google

 

[dh013]

Thanks for the responses!

I think I need to clarify one thing... the ability to make a $10-13k investment is mostly what we have in the RTV right now. It can be sold and that money reallocated to another solution, or it can be kept and we could find the money to buy an entry level used mower (I'm thinking $500-1500 for this). So, unfortunately we can't keep the RTV AND buy a SCUT/CUT because then we'd be in for ~$20-25k for property maintenance and I just don't think that's going to fly. (But it would be nice!).

Hi. Welcome to TBN.

You have already received some good advice.
For my two cents. I bought a used BX2200 with FEL and 60" mower along with the rear blade.
I mow 1 acre and clear 200' of snow on the drive.

I have had the BX for six years now and trouble free. Moved a LOT of brush, logs and rocks with it and it mows the acre in about 1.5hrs with lots of trees to mow around. Also, used it to till 1/4 acre and reseed the lawn.

It made it possible for me to get rid of the JD riding mower I had and doesn't cost much to operate.
With $10 to $13k to spend you could get a used BX or B (or other color) and have a good all round machine.

I have a few obstacles to mow around but it isn't too bad... I was hoping that mowing an acre with a BX would be a lot faster than 1.5 hours, not so? Maybe I really need to be thinking zero turn if I want a large speed benefit.

Do you plan to do anything with your woods? Dead trees need to come down? Paths for the RTV made? etc.

Think of it in terms of what suite of machinery would be best for your property. There's no one machine that does everything well. A RTV, lawn mower, and tractor would be a good arsenal of equipment to manage your property in my opinion.

The answer here is yes, there always seems to be one or more trees that need to be bucked and there are dead trees that should come down. Right now I can access about 1/5 of the wooded section. That said, this is mostly my want to do this work and keep thing looking clean than a NEED to clean up that 18" oak that fell 50 yards back.

LINK TO ATV/UTV MOWER THREADS IN T-B-N ARCHIVE (2):
1)Google
2)Google

Thanks, I will check it out.


Solutions have to include efficient snow removal, we get about 45-50" on average, the most I've seen in a season is ~85". Those of you with snowblowers on your SCUT/CUT, how do you feel about getting close to obstacles and navigating somewhat cramped quarters? Would a blower be likely to do a cleaner/faster/more complete job in these areas versus a plow? Having never owned a tractor previously I'm hesitant to go that route without having pretty good confidence that I'm going to get excellent use out of it's capabilities, though it sure seems as though there will be ample opportunity to use it.

 

[dh013]

Well dho13 ............ I did things in reverse of you, I have had a SCUT (BX2660 ) for a few years now and just bought a Kubota RTV X1100.
The BX I use for grass by using a rear finish mower (I leave the FEL on ) and I have got quite quick doing 3 acres in about two hours with a variety of obstacles and hills . I also use the BX for snow removal with a snowblower attachment on back, don't sweat about expense of a cab, it is easy to make something to get you out of the wind out of wood and clear plastic and plexi, that you can take off in summer.
I am considering using the RTV for snow as my backup in case tractor ever down or for quick swipe with a plow, but will make a plow maybe next year after I get a winch. The tractor will also be used this summer and next to widen all my trails for the UTV that is 66 inches wide versus the ATv that was only 42 inches wide .......I think you will have an excellent one two punch for your alnd if you go the SCUT route and after you see all the advantages of a three point hitch and attachment available, you will be buying a new attachment each year ($1000 - $2000 typical attachment ) good luck

Putting a plow on the RTV is a winner...it is very quick to do longer stretches of driveway but very slow in cramped areas, IMO. I clear 90% of the drive in 10% of the time. The other 90% of the time is spent near the house and at the road.

 

[s219]

Both my RTV and my L3200 have been indispensable in their own way. There is a little overlap, but not much. It's a luxury to be able to have both.

 

[Grandad4]

You already have one version of an "ultimate snow clearing machine" that is also a darn good utility vehicle for general use. I think you would be losing ground by getting rid of it to buy something else just to mow your one acre of cleared land. At least for now, I'd suggest you keep looking for a homeowner grade rider or ztr that offers some extra room for your legs. And set up a savings plan for investing in a SCUT or CUT at some point in the future. It's very likely you'll eventually find the need for one, but it sounds like you can get by for now with some additional mowing capability.

 

[dodge man]

If you have a fairly open acre to mow, I'm guessing a BX would mow that in less than an hour.

 

[Coyote machine]

How about a robotic mower? Husky and others have various models available, and an acre would get done while you're doing the other chores with the RTV; AND you could keep the RTV, and the wife would reward extra, extra points for not taking up much space and so on- Win-win!:dance1: