dh013
New member
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?
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?
