Do I really need a tractor on 1.5 acres?

[AnotherBueller]

Well you're concerned about damaging your lawn when it's wet with a ~600lb mower....you don't want to see what a ~1,500lb tractor is gonna do to it when it's moist!

I got my BX when I had about 1.6 acres with less than an acre usable. I absolutely used the crap out of it landscaping from bulldozed woods to a yard with several raised beds over the course of two years. That being said, the BX does not handle rough terrain or inclines well. So depending on your yard, you may need to prep it with another machine if you intened to work that area with big dips and ruts.

If you have the funds, I think every man should own a tractor.

Well you're concerned about damaging your lawn when it's wet with a ~600lb mower....you don't want to see what a ~1,500lb tractor is gonna do to it when it's moist!

I got my BX when I had about 1.6 acres with less than an acre usable. I absolutely used the crap out of it landscaping from bulldozed woods to a yard with several raised beds over the course of two years. That being said, the BX does not handle rough terrain or inclines well. So depending on your yard, you may need to prep it with another machine if you intened to work that area with big dips and ruts.

If you have the funds, I think every man should own a tractor.

I have added 2" wheel spacers and a full skid plate to my BX and it made a big difference in stability and no more worrying about sticks in the cooling fan.

 

[kjnes]

Hi everyone, forum newbie here. Recently I moved to a new property, much bigger than my last. However after seeing our neighbors down the street playing with their bx, I'm questioning if we need one (a subcompact)


We're only on 1.5 acres, it's mostly flat. There are some big dips and ruts down the rear end of the property, but nothing extrodinary. We do have a large garden just above that, and a rocky driveway that I'm considering levelling.

We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) And during the rainy season often times the mower will get stuck,or slide around tearing up the grass. Or most likely just bog down due to the water. Meaning mowing is a chore that will take 2+ hours


I'm planning to start a 120M x 20M garden, however this all clay soil so it's necessary to use a large tiller, of which is extremely expensive.


Preferably something to mow with during the wet, so 4wd is very much preffered.

And planning to modify the garden bed/generally move dirt ect.

I'm thinking of a sub compact but would this be the best choice? I have a Massey furgeson gc1705 with a midmount in mind, that's at a very nice price,and a loader is the cost of a new mower. Therefore I'll end up buying the loader for certain with the machine, and thankfully they are cross compatible.or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary? Hopefully with the tractor I'll sell the lawn mower, but I'm not certain yet

I would look at a John Deere 700 series. It's a nice balanced mower with many attachment options. If looking for one with a loader, a 1023 or 1025 would be a good choice for that size of yard.

 

[jim_wilson]

Hi everyone, forum newbie here. Recently I moved to a new property, much bigger than my last. However after seeing our neighbors down the street playing with their bx, I'm questioning if we need one (a subcompact)


We're only on 1.5 acres, it's mostly flat. There are some big dips and ruts down the rear end of the property, but nothing extrodinary. We do have a large garden just above that, and a rocky driveway that I'm considering levelling.

We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) And during the rainy season often times the mower will get stuck,or slide around tearing up the grass. Or most likely just bog down due to the water. Meaning mowing is a chore that will take 2+ hours


I'm planning to start a 120M x 20M garden, however this all clay soil so it's necessary to use a large tiller, of which is extremely expensive.


Preferably something to mow with during the wet, so 4wd is very much preffered.

And planning to modify the garden bed/generally move dirt ect.

I'm thinking of a sub compact but would this be the best choice? I have a Massey furgeson gc1705 with a midmount in mind, that's at a very nice price,and a loader is the cost of a new mower. Therefore I'll end up buying the loader for certain with the machine, and thankfully they are cross compatible.or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary? Hopefully with the tractor I'll sell the lawn mower, but I'm not certain yet

I haven't read the whole thread, so somebody may have already said this - but to me the question on whether or not you need a tractor depends more on what you want to get done - instead of how many acres you have.

I live on a 1/2 acre lot in a suburb - and put 600 hours on my BX23 before I sold it - and now currently have 325 hours on the B3200 (with backhoe) - that I bought to replace that BX. I've dug out a foundation hole for my barn, put in a driveway, dug trenches for drainage, moved many yards of soil, cleared lots of snow, use it to move heavy stuff - etc.

During my work on the property I've dug out numerous rocks - many too big for the tractor to lift never mind me lifting by myself. Even if I was physically capable and had the energy to do all the digging and other work with a pick and shovel and my own muscles - every single one of those rocks would have presented a huge problem because I would have had to break them up into smaller pieces to even be able to move them with say a wheelbarrow. With the tractor - as long as they weigh no more than 1000 pounds or so - I just pick them up and move them.

I've found the tractor to be invaluable for doing all the things I wanted to get done - the size of the property was really sort of irrelevant.

 

[shouldibuy]

A couple things that come to my mind.

- that lawn mower doesn't have a permanent rear diff lock, it has no rear diff lock at all, it's open so one wheel gets power at a time. Not sure why you have difficulty steering.

- machine size shouldnt be dictated by property size but what you need to do on that property.

- that cub cadet will likely mow way better than the belly mowerona sub compact. Personally for a yard your size I'd stay with the rider and save the money, the larger the mower the worse cut you'll get because any unlevel areas will either scalp, cut uneven or too high. The smaller the deck the more ability to contour to the landscape.

- if you are complaining the cub rios your lawn up and ruts, a sub compact will be way way worse at that because of weight.

- for a tiller you can always buy a Troy bilt horse, for the size garden you'll be doing it should work well if your looking to save money

Just to add, about thedifflock and my complaints. The EFI version seems to have difflock,I've got a link I'll post at the bottom for it.

As for the ruts, I'm far more concerned with keeping grassy areas grass, and with the cub it doesn't rut, instead it tears it up to the point of bare patches.

Enduro XT2 LX 42 - Electronic Fuel Injection

42 Inch Fabricated Cutting Deck 6 Year Warranty

www.cubcadet.com.au

 

[RaydaKub]

I bought my BX used (off eBay!!) at 591 hours. 11 years later and I am approaching 1400 hours. I have tackled many tasks I would never have imagined trying to do without it. I think my favorite is clearing snow. The snowblower I bought doesn't care if it's wet or not, it still launches it 50 feet with ease. I've worked on 12 different driveways so far this year and none of the neighbors have complained yet.

 

[MossRoad]

....
We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) ....

I must be missing something. I looked at the owner's manual for the tractor you just posted a link to and it shows a differential lock pedal (marked as P in the diagram). That would indicate you can select if it's on or off.

What am I missing?

 

[BubbaG65]

Hi everyone, forum newbie here. Recently I moved to a new property, much bigger than my last. However after seeing our neighbors down the street playing with their bx, I'm questioning if we need one (a subcompact)


We're only on 1.5 acres, it's mostly flat. There are some big dips and ruts down the rear end of the property, but nothing extrodinary. We do have a large garden just above that, and a rocky driveway that I'm considering levelling.

We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) And during the rainy season often times the mower will get stuck,or slide around tearing up the grass. Or most likely just bog down due to the water. Meaning mowing is a chore that will take 2+ hours


I'm planning to start a 120M x 20M garden, however this all clay soil so it's necessary to use a large tiller, of which is extremely expensive.


Preferably something to mow with during the wet, so 4wd is very much preffered.

And planning to modify the garden bed/generally move dirt ect.

I'm thinking of a sub compact but would this be the best choice? I have a Massey furgeson gc1705 with a midmount in mind, that's at a very nice price,and a loader is the cost of a new mower. Therefore I'll end up buying the loader for certain with the machine, and thankfully they are cross compatible.or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary? Hopefully with the tractor I'll sell the lawn mower, but I'm not certain yet

Of course. Everyone needs a tractor.

 

[Tractormike1679]

My house sits on a 0.15 acre corner lot. Yep, 65’ wide and 100’ deep. Most definitely have a tractor! It’s a little Ford 1100 4x4 with a loader! Awesome little machine. Have it mostly for snow removal as we get several feet at a time around here lately. Also super handy for loading/unloading heavy crap from my pickup… most of the time it just sits next to the shed under a tree looking pretty! The HOA can go stick it where the…

 

[shouldibuy]

I must be missing something. I looked at the owner's manual for the tractor you just posted a link to and it shows a differential lock pedal (marked as P in the diagram). That would indicate you can select if it's on or off.

What am I missing?

Man that is weird,so when buying from the dealership, I was told it had traction control, and the difflock was just permanently on. Looking it up, it seems the only cub with that lever was the one in their videos (cub cadets) go figure

 

[MossRoad]

In the manual it looks like it's a pedal near the operator's left heal. Or it's a lever you pull up. I can't tell from the diagram. But there's a whole page on using the diff lock.

 

[shouldibuy]

In the manual it looks like it's a pedal near the operator's left heal. Or it's a lever you pull up. I can't tell from the diagram. But there's a whole page on using the diff lock.

Mines just the standard fender. I'm honestly quite mad thanks to that, not only was I promised 3 bladed with difflock and "zero turn" but sofar it has none. And needed a new wiring kit at 60 hours, which due to said electric faults has made the hour meter hit 300. Genuinely don't think I'd ever buy cub again after this


Edit: and cylinder 1 sparkplug was fouled too. And the forward reverse safety, well if I have it on and drive forward, the pto doesn't turn on unless I manually re-engage it too

 

[HAR]

Another reason, after just having helped a neighbor with a chore. He just sold his 18ft boat, and the buyer was coming to pick it up. However, the boat was out back of his house, and was fairly well wintered in (tires and the jack stand settled into the ground with frost and snow. I attached my 3PH tow bar, went over, and dragged the boat to his driveway. All done in less than 1 hour. ( I had to remove and reattach my snow blower, but that is what neighbors do.) The towbar was one of the cheaper 3PH attachments that I have purchased ($88 back in 2011 from Skid Steer Express), and I have never regretted the purchase, only wishing that I had bought it sooner. Moving or rearranging anything towed with a ball is quick, easy, and much handier with my tractor vs trying to do it with one of the vehicles. I have much better visibility from the tractor seat and the 3PH lift allows for quick and easy attach, detach, and positioning.

 

[tradosaurus]

View attachment 779085

When I first moved to our property 5 yrs ago I rented that same setup. within 2 hrs I hit a sink spot and sunk the skid steer to the top of the tracks in mud.
Fortunately I was close enough to the road that a tow truck was able to pull me out (after 1 hr).

 

[Deanes]

Hi everyone, forum newbie here. Recently I moved to a new property, much bigger than my last. However after seeing our neighbors down the street playing with their bx, I'm questioning if we need one (a subcompact)


We're only on 1.5 acres, it's mostly flat. There are some big dips and ruts down the rear end of the property, but nothing extrodinary. We do have a large garden just above that, and a rocky driveway that I'm considering levelling.

We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) And during the rainy season often times the mower will get stuck,or slide around tearing up the grass. Or most likely just bog down due to the water. Meaning mowing is a chore that will take 2+ hours


I'm planning to start a 120M x 20M garden, however this all clay soil so it's necessary to use a large tiller, of which isY

Hi everyone, forum newbie here. Recently I moved to a new property, much bigger than my last. However after seeing our neighbors down the street playing with their bx, I'm questioning if we need one (a subcompact)


We're only on 1.5 acres, it's mostly flat. There are some big dips and ruts down the rear end of the property, but nothing extrodinary. We do have a large garden just above that, and a rocky driveway that I'm considering levelling.

We do use a cub cadet xt2 46in, and this is more than adequate for mowing. However I've found it hard to turn with (seriously who in their right mind decided permanent difflock is good for a lawn mower???) And during the rainy season often times the mower will get stuck,or slide around tearing up the grass. Or most likely just bog down due to the water. Meaning mowing is a chore that will take 2+ hours


I'm planning to start a 120M x 20M garden, however this all clay soil so it's necessary to use a large tiller, of which is extremely expensive.


Preferably something to mow with during the wet, so 4wd is very much preffered.

And planning to modify the garden bed/generally move dirt ect.

I'm thinking of a sub compact but would this be the best choice? I have a Massey furgeson gc1705 with a midmount in mind, that's at a very nice price,and a loader is the cost of a new mower. Therefore I'll end up buying the loader for certain with the machine, and thankfully they are cross compatible.or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary? Hopefully with the tractor I'll sell the lawn mower, but I'm not certain yet

extremely expensive.


Preferably something to mow with during the wet, so 4wd is very much preffered.

And planning to modify the garden bed/generally move dirt ect.

I'm thinking of a sub compact but would this be the best choice? I have a Massey furgeson gc1705 with a midmount in mind, that's at a very nice price,and a loader is the cost of a new mower. Therefore I'll end up buying the loader for certain with the machine, and thankfully they are cross compatible.or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary? Hopefully with the tractor I'll sell the lawn mower, but I'm not certain yet

 

[Deanes]

Your best option is to partner with or maybe rent from one of your neighbors with a tractor.
Yep, I would buy the tractor with a front loader. Nope, you can't really justify it - but you will enjoy every time you find a use for it.
For situations like yours, most of the world does just fine with a 2-wheel walk-behind tractor. Cheap, simple, and will plow, disk, mow, cultivate, and pull a trailer. This is the best option if you are on a tight budget.
If not, get a tractor, have fun finding more stuff to justify the expense. Just know that someday you may have a $2500. electronics repair bill like I did last summer.

 

[Mainiac43]

You definitely do! I have 4 for 3 acres. JD 322, JD GT 235, JD X540 and JD 4110

 

[jezreel]

You definitely do! I have 4 for 3 acres. JD 322, JD GT 235, JD X540 and JD 4110

Well. . . You’re just bragging, now

 

[SARG]

My story ...
I've got four wheel barrows & a dozen shovels ... don't need a FEL.
I've got a dozen hacksaws ... don't need a 4½" grinder.
I've got several compressors ... don't need a Milwaukee M18 inflator.
The list continues to grow.
Get the drift ?

 

[buckeyefarmer]

One tractor per acre is my goal. Counting riding mowers I have 5 for 5 acres.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

My 2c is pay someone to do any major projects, then buy whatever you need to maintain it.