Do I need a tractor?

[newbury]

What it is especially good for is saving my back and hands from the chores I would be doing by hand otherwise, whether digging and moving dirt, moving brush, digging up trees, mowing, or whatever. There is very little outdoor work that it doesn't help make easier.

Thomas makes a good point here - Saving the back and hands.
I "threw out" my back about 25 years ago and have had 3 surgeries since 2005. There are many "minor" chores that come up that the tractor REALLY assists with.

Moving appliances really helps
(should have also used a strap rather than just a strapping son)

Picking up little sticks off the lawn

(I know the ROPS should be up, but it's really flat)

If you do anticipate having to do any "hand work", picking up logs, scooping out holes, digging out stumps, that requires significant hand work you might want a backhoe. Normally I recommend against a backhoe, but if your hands are a VERY important part of your work (examining patients, for example) a backhoe may pay for itself.

As Thomas wrote, for some of us it's great therapy. Every time I get out there with my backhoe I feel like a kid in a sandbox.

And as far as your son "riding along with you" don't worry, especially with a small B. Give him some good training and once he's big enough he'll probably look for excuses to use the tractor. But remember, 1 seat - 1 person.

/edit - and in case y'all didn't catch it - when I wrote

And as far as your son "riding along with you" don't worry,

I meant DON'T WORRY - DON'T DO IT

 

[Elkins45]

I think it'd be fun to have my son sitting on there with me hauling stuff around and digging up stuff. But a lil go kart would be just as fun for him and cost a few hundred bucks.

A go kart won't help teach your kid the value of productive work, nor the satisfaction of a job well done.

 

[Kioti Tom]

As far as post 43, having anyone riding with you if there is no seat for them is a NO=NO !!!.
There are too many post on the safety forum and articles in the newspaper and in the news
on TV, about kids getting hurt or killed because someone let them ride with them.
The can fall off and get run over, or even heaven forbid, get under the implements being
used. Like a brush hog or some other equipment. They could even get tangled up in
the PTO shafts. So, do your self a favor and get him the go cart to ride and not let him
ride on the tractor until he is old enough to operate it safely himself with you watching...
I have posted a photo on here of me with my grandson on my tractor, but also mentioned
that the key was in my pocket and not in the ignition....Best place for the key when you
have the kids on the tractor.
I have seen tractor seats made for riders that fit the 3 pt. with seat belts to prevent any
accidents.

:welcome: to TBN.

Tom :thumbsup:

 

[Gary Fowler]

And Gary you need a grapple, on that big LS.. You will be amazed how it makes picking up brush and junk fun!.. I have got my new Everything Attachments Wicked Grapple going on my Kioti, and have started using it. It is way better than forks for brush, I have used forks for years to haul brush off, but it is mostly a get off and stack it thing. Better than trying to get it in/on a bucket, but now where near as cool as taking a couple of seconds to "grab a bite" of brush and off to the brush pile with it.

James K0UA

I know, A grapple would have been very useful 3 years ago, but now it is just the occasional blown over tree to deal with and the low limb trimmings every couple of years that I use my RTV 900 to haul them away. I was telling my brother in law a few days ago that I should sell my LS as it doesn't get much use anymore as most of my work is done with the little B26. I can use the backhoe similar to a grapple for loading heavy stuff.

I think that if money wasn't an issue, I could recommend to the OP that he get a B 26 or L35 TLB if he wants a little larger but for his yard, the B26 is plenty. It isn't belly mower compatible but would handle a rear finish mower in 4-5 foot width. It would just mean having a bit more edge clean up with a push mower or weed eater. Personally, I prefer using tractors for tractor work and mowers for mowing, but that is just me.

Right now I am looking at getting rid of my JD 332 garden tractor with 54" mower and my Craftsman 6000 52" zero turn and getting a Ferris zero turn simply because it has a spring/shock suspension system that would make my mowing in my rough yard a lot easier on the back. I have too many trees to even consider using a rear finish mower.

My daughter has 2.5 acre lot (minus house and driveway) and they bought a Kubota 2630 with MMM, tiller, and middle buster for mowing and gardening. Total package was under $20K and it works for her as there are only about a dozen trees. They don't have to remove the MMM when using the tiller or bedder. The MMM does drag in the dirt, but it makes a nice flat top to the row. Their soil is quite sandy so it hasn't been a problem with high centering of the tractor on the bed
As for planting, I never use a shovel now regardless of what I am planting, I get the B26 to dig the hole. I may use a garden hoe to make a trench in the garden for planting seeds or seedlings but that is the extent of my manual labor digging.

 

[cardiologist]

Thank you all for the replies. Definitely had given me a lot to think about. I've read all the posts, links, and downloaded that pdf file that describes all the implements with pictures and uses. I did not realize the safety issues. Thanks for pointing that out. I've never been a party of an online forum where people are so helpful so quickly. I expected maybe one or two replies. I'm am very grateful. I'll have to sit down again and sort out what I want and need. I think a tractor can easily justify its costs, figuring out which implements to use and buy would be the next step. Also deciding on size of tractor.
One last question, I do have some stumps I'd like to remove, are the backhoes on these smaller tractors capable of removing those effectively? How big does the tractor or backhoe need to be? Some stumps of these old oak trees are 20 inches or more in size.

Thanks once again. I'll keep you all posted and post pictures of what I end up with and the logic and process I used to figure it out.

 

[k0ua]

As for removal of the stumps, it is a matter of time. Yes even the small backhoes on a BX sized tractor will remove large stumps, it is a matter of how much time do you have to do the job.. The smaller the backhoe the more time it will take. Example, if you had a huge excavator you could remove the stump in one scoop. So the time would be a few seconds. It might take up to a few hours to remove a well rooted stump in rocky ground with extensive root system. It is hard to say how long, a lot depends on the ground they are rooted in. Here is a thread of mine on uprooting a large stump without the benefit of backhoe. Even a small BX would have been a much better tool than what I had. But hey, I got the stump out.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/owning-operating/219557-stump-yard-wars.html


James K0UA

 

[newbury]

One last question, I do have some stumps I'd like to remove, are the backhoes on these smaller tractors capable of removing those effectively? How big does the tractor or backhoe need to be? Some stumps of these old oak trees are 20 inches or more in size.

Thanks once again. I'll keep you all posted and post pictures of what I end up with and the logic and process I used to figure it out.

Stump removal of larger trees is greatly dependent on root growth pattern and soil. If you are going to cut a tree leave a tall stump, and after digging around it leverage will help. Explosives do better but the authorities frown on them.

But to me it sure is fun.

Well I finally got to use my ride for something "real".
Witness 1 ugly stump, about 2 foot in diameter, tree cut down about 5 years ago (pic1).
Made a few swipes last night, but Tstorms rolled in.

After about 3.5 hours seat time I got it broke off (second pic). It only had a few major side roots but they were all down about 1 foot plus deep.
Finally got it out (obligatory picture holding up the captured stump).
All backhoe work except cleaning up the piles and filling in the hole.
Only 4 cold O'Douls consumed for cold "adult" beverages.
Good learning experience. Perfect weather.

Note the long taproot.

I might even mount it, in my fireplace.

Note for those looking at BH's -
There was a lot of discussion when I was buying mine. Several recommended a smaller BH, either a Woods 6000 or the Kubota B4672. Well the BH70 can definitely move my 7610 around easily. But there were a lot of times I really used the full extension and "curl" power.

 

[Larro Darro]

Want------------------------------------------------Need.

How about you meet somewhere in the middle? Keep your lawn care for now. The price is great, and your time is worth more than you would save by doing it yourself. Buy a B series or equivalent tractor. I have the B7500, but would like to have a slightly larger one. And don't be afraid of used tractors. If you are not in a rush, you can wait for a deal. That leaves more money for implements. I would go with the FEL w/ toothbar but not the backhoe. But then I have more time than money. When I cut a tree off the 6 1/2 acres that I mow, I dig around the stump with a shovel and chainsaw it at ground level. Less than an hour of work. And if you are cutting trees in your little wood, there is no real reason to remove the stumps. Just cut them low enough, and they will rot in a few years.

Speaking of mowing, when you retire, or decide to start doing the mowing yourself, I would go with a RFM, not the MMM. It is much easier to hook and unhook from. A very good 5' RFM {land pride, woods, etc...} will cost you around $1.7K.

What size pine trees are you planning on planting? Like someone else has said, seedlings do fine. Pines grow fast, so that is the way I would go. Or even if you do want to plant larger trees, a 12" PHD will do fine. You could dig the hole out a little bigger with a hand post hole digger if you had to.

But if you buy a tractor, you will find plenty of work for it.

And PLEASE do not ride your son on anything that does not have a seat for him. Back when I was a kid, we all did it. But one of my 5th grade classmates died in a fall from a tractor. Buy a golf cart and you can ride him all over your place in safety.

 

[Beltman60]

Doc I think you need a tractor
MY wife feels it is my therapist
I am a VP of a small shop that does all the stuff nobody else wants to do or can't do :banghead:
I think about work when I wake up till I get home and plant my ***** on my tractor or zero turn
By the time I go in at night I don't remember if I even went to work that day
a shower and maybe a beer :drink: watching the late news and I sleep like a baby
cheapest therapy I could come up with