Do I really need a tractor on 1.5 acres?

[Bushbunnie]

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

We just went from a 22 acre campground with a 580 case w/backhoe to a 3 acre property. We needed to put in a garden, maintain a 100 foot driveway. We have a ride on lawnmower 26hp/46. We have a [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] B7800 without mower but have a loader and a tiller. This is all we need need

 

[bartjoebob]

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

If you are spending more than an hour mowing, the machine is too small. Good standard for any size yard. Zero turn? Love my subcompact with 60" driver over deck. You'll think of plenty of uses once having a loader and an imagination

 

[DonaldP]

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 agree with most.

I have 3/4 acre with our property.

I have a [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] 3560 with cab. 9' Backhoe, man lift, 72" finish mower, and several other attachments.

But do I really need a 35hp tractor with cab?

Yes.

I prep firewood not from my property. So I cut and pull and haul, and manage it. And I have 2 additional properties as well, 3/4 acre and 2 acre lots. And I mow and maintain those as well.

Plus I lease 3 acres next to my property to use for whatever purpose I need or want. So to say that I'm overloaded on Tractor size because my home sits on 1 acre is obviously a mistake.

There is no reasonable way one can justify a tractor based the size of the property where you keep it.

 

[Observer82AB]

Depending upon the person/farm and considering this is already a legitimate question, I'd say yes. My original thought was I'd be more than willing to trade A} My back, B} My shovel, C} My wheelbarrow, and an undisclosed amount of cash for your tractor and loader. lol

 

[Speedybon2543]

I have 2 1/2 acres with eucalyptus trees and a friend broutght out a old ford tractor with FEl and from then on I was sold. In 2004 I brought a [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] B-7800 with a FEL and it been the best investment I ever made. It has 1000 hours and it looks like new. I would sell my house if I didn't have tractor. With a good clamp-on debris rake and landscape rake and other accessories

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[nova3930]

What's need got to do with it? lol I could get by without one on my 16 acres but it sure makes work a lot more fun

 

[edgarrian]

I have been around equipment all my life. We have 8 acres all woods and I maintain the 400ft driveway, move logs, cut up trees, move brush, maintain a garden, move tri-axles loads of dirt and stone, among many other tasks with a Massey1705 that i bought new in 2016. I also mow with our tractor and it does not leave ruts. I have also used it to install driveways for other people. So I have used this tractor for a lot of things. That some might say one would need a bigger tractor. You dont. Just need the attitude that you dont mind running a tractor. IF you do go this route keep in mind the hydraulic filter is on the underside of the tractor and is exposed if you are moving brush. Brotek makes a plate to protect the filter but something to think about if you move brush.

 

[Yander]

View attachment 779372View attachment 779372

That's a sweet little package!

 

[jjakes2014]

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

shouldibuy,

My two cents,

I live in a rural area in Southern New Jersey. A lot of farms around me. My property is approximately 3.5 acres. It used to be a big horse field and has a decent slope from front to back of 10 to 15 degrees in places from front of property to rear. Built a house with a walkout basement. The back 1.5 acres is considered wet lands and is basically unusable and there is a steeper slope of about 38 degrees or so going down to the wetlands portion of the property with a small level area at the bottom. There is also a creek that runs through the wet lands portion. Been here about 24 yrs now.

I have been through just a few small lawn tractors (Craftsman, Honda, Cub Cadet, Simplicity etc...) and then I finally got wise and bought a BX series [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] (BX2670), after about 15 years. I always had issues mowing, if the grass was a little wet with the Craftsman, Honda or Simplicity. In many cases the wheels would slip and spin and I could never mow the hill going down to the wetlands or the small level area called out earlier. Because, I would not be able to get the (Craftsman, Honda, Cub Cadet, Simplicity etc...) tractor back up the hill. Short of getting my truck and pulling it up and that was for dry or wet conditions.

Once I got the sub compact [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] BX2670 with 60" mid mower and a FEL everything changed. IMHO, that setup might be the most versatile sub compact tractor period or at least in the top 3. I have used it to do everything. I can mow in all areas now and have turf tires on the BX with no problems. The BX series also has a tight turning radius which is a benefit when mowing. When I mow the incline going down to the wetlands, I put the tractor in 4 wheel low and mow up and down and it does a great job. I never mow parallel to the hill due to the incline for safety reasons. In addition to the mowing, the tractor is super versatile.

I use it for mulch, just drop the mulch with the FEL and then rake it out. Sometimes when there is snow. Yes, once in while we can get 8" to 10" or more of snow here in NJ and the tractor is a blessing when that happens. My property has 3 rung split rail fencing around the majority of the property with over 200 posts. When posts rot and break off, it is a major PIA to dig them out and replace them. Now with the Kubota, I just walk the property every month or so and shake each post at the top and can tell just by that it is time to replace a post. The [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] makes this process a piece of cake, taking me less then 10 minutes in most cases. I use the FEL with a chain to pull out each post that needs to be replaced. Then just clean up the hole with a post hole digger, pop in the new post and fill in the hole.

From what I know now, I should have gotten a sub compact or compact tractor with a mid mower and FEL right from the beginning.

Sorry for the long explanation, wanted to give some background.

I would tell you, that you won't regret getting a sub compact or compact tractor.

Good luck in what ever your choice is.

Jeff in NJ

 

[vntnJR]

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

1.5 acres- Given my thrifty Scottish genetics I’d do this; keep the cadet mower, buy a good dumping cart with max capacity for your cadet if you haven’t already, buy a good rear tine tiller for ur gardening plans, and buy a good walk behind self propelled high wheeled mower 30” or so cut-for mowing what you can’t with the cadet mower when it’s wet. If the cadet mower is cutting the ground already when wet anything heavier is going to increase that havoc. Cut what you can with the cadet and finish with the self propelled mower. The exercise involved might be a good health opportunity as an added benefit to consider. I have a similar situation with wet area around a 1/3 acre pond and another ground spring area I mow. I cut everything I can around those areas my bad boy zero turn. Any area where the bad boy zero turn tires cut the ground I leave and come back to and weed whack with an echo trimmer I’ve been using for 10 yrs without a hitch. The bad boy cat diesel is also 10 plus yrs old. I’ll be 72 my next bertday and am confident all of the equipment I currently own,use & maintain will be passed down to my 7 yr old grandson in perfect working order. I’ll offer this advice in closing. Every piece of equipment you buy/own will require upkeep/maintenance. Tractor maintenance ain’t cheap brother EZRA JOB even if you can do the service maintenance ur self. Even the parts and fluids etc… can be expensive and now you’ll have hydraulics to deal with as well. Transporting a tractor to a dealer for repairs/service, do you have an adequate trailer for that? Dealer p/u and return adds $ cost to owning. And the list goes on and on. Whatever you and alpacalips decide, GOD bless you.

 

[masseyrider]

I have a property with a little over 6 acres. Mostly level.
I have 3 tractors. 2 Masseys with 55 rated pto hp, one with a FEL, and their smaller sister a mf1725m with a FEL.
Overkill? I know not.
You can never have too many tractors.
I may only put on 80+ hrs all combined but I love doing big jobs ie garden of about an acre, mowing the small orchard, mowing, without having to attach and detach equipment all the time.
Snow blower in tight areas, 1725m, leveling long drive mf563, moving skids, gravel, soil, mf563 FEL.
You can never go wrong. Get more hp than you think you'll need because one day you'll need it and be happy you have it.

 

[Mister3]

I have been around equipment all my life. We have 8 acres all woods and I maintain the 400ft driveway, move logs, cut up trees, move brush, maintain a garden, move tri-axles loads of dirt and stone, among many other tasks with a Massey1705 that i bought new in 2016. I also mow with our tractor and it does not leave ruts. I have also used it to install driveways for other people. So I have used this tractor for a lot of things. That some might say one would need a bigger tractor. You dont. Just need the attitude that you dont mind running a tractor. IF you do go this route keep in mind the hydraulic filter is on the underside of the tractor and is exposed if you are moving brush. Brotek makes a plate to protect the filter but something to think about if you move brush.

One of the drive shafts runs very close to that filter and i have seen the shaft break and bust off the filter, ruining the entire aluminum cover it's part of. Splitting the tractor to replace it wasn't very fun, do not recommend.

 

[pipefitter]

Hello Sea2Summit,
I'll comment to our original poster, but first, your comment here quoted caught my eye as I was considering the BX series, but now leaning to the B2601 or Deere 2025R. Would you expound a bit on the poor handling you experience. What tires do you have? Does it slip? or unstable on a slant? In my back 2 acres of woods, I have some definite hills to navigate with some wet season shallow creeks. My tractors are smaller so I was figuring the larger, 4WD would be the solution to haul out my small trailer of wood. Thank you.

In general, I wish, in hindsight, I bought bigger, but money dictated and I thought I went bigger. So that would be my advise now. I have a Ford 16HP diesel and an Ingersoll 448. They have turf tires and I keep chains on all year which is great as it helps in the woods and also prevents slipping up wet grassy slopes in the yard and also in rototilling and snow plowing. I don't need bigger for mowing or rototilling, but do for plowing and hauling. But each of these are over 30 years old and parts are hard to find for the Ford.
I would also recommend looking at the features of the tractor. eg. Treadle foot control vs two separate pedals. Or loader control on the fender or loader? I know we want to make a good decision due to the expense of these units but as many have said, you will probably be happy with whatever unit you get.

My BX handles both just fine, even with turf tires.

 

[MoArk Willy]

I can't tell you what you should do but I can tell you what I did.
I have a bit over 5 acres.
I mow about 1.5 to 2 of it, the rest is wooded.
I use a 50" Cub Cadet zero turn and it is great for mowing.
But for the rest of the property I use a B2320 to maintain it.
I have a FEL, box blade and a 60" mower which I use only a few time a year and never when it's wet.
Even with turf tires it will eat the grass if it is damp.
My main use for the tractor is maintaining the driveway, clearing small trees for a trail in the woods and moving rock around (Ozarks = rocks)
Before I got the side by side I did trim mowing with a regular Cub Cadet tractor then the rest of the yard with the Kubota.
But the Kubota's weight limited when I could use it without tearing up the yard, so I replaced the Cub Cadet lawn tractor with a zero turn....which cut my mowing time in half.
I can assure you if you do buy a BX you will find many uses for it....especially if you equip it with a FEL and a rear blade of some type.
Then you can maintain your driveway and yard. And for under $2000 you can find a 48" tiller.

 

[keg99]

I lived on a 1/2 lot, ranch house back in the 80's. And then . . . I ended up buying a JD 950 with a front loader. It was, shall I say, a reflection of my hope to someday own acreage. What I found was the tractor was very useful for many things around the place. Practical? Heck no. Worth it? Heck yeah. Owning a tractor is like owning a future. You get to dream, play and hope. And someday, as I found, you may actually own some acreage. Sitting happy on 122 acres deep in the Ozarks (secretly wishing I never sold that JD 950 - but happy with my NH TC40, MF 165, Ford 2000, [AFFILIATE=1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"]Kubota[/AFFILIATE] SVL95 and lots of other "toys"!)

 

[johng@imbertconstruction.]

I lived on a 1/2 lot, ranch house back in the 80's. And then . . . I ended up buying a JD 950 with a front loader. It was, shall I say, a reflection of my hope to someday own acreage. What I found was the tractor was very useful for many things around the place. Practical? Heck no. Worth it? Heck yeah. Owning a tractor is like owning a future. You get to dream, play and hope. And someday, as I found, you may actually own some acreage. Sitting happy on 122 acres deep in the Ozarks (secretly wishing I never sold that JD 950 - but happy with my NH TC40, MF 165, Ford 2000, [AFFILIATE='1, nofollow=true, newwindow=true, title="Kubota"']Kubota[/AFFILIATE] SVL95 and lots of other "toys"!)

I am with you!
Its not what you need but what you want ! Just like a flat screen TV, you always seen to wish you bought bigger. I bought my first JD garden tractor, which I call a lawn mower in 1989. Then a ford 1520 in 1991 with a FEL for larger (5A) property I owned. The 1520 is still like New, always indoors and maintained, probably worth as much or more than I paid for it 30 years ago.
For a larger (10A Property in Indiana I bought a NH 4060 Boomer. ESS, MFWD, open platform,270FEL
greatest machine I ever imagined
My advise, but the biggest machine you can afford. I like New, as used equipment can be abused, even with low hours (another story). I know this forum is mostly Kubota, but any of the big three will serve you well. Much depends on the dealer you have locally. Good luck.

 

[keg99]

Johng just mentioned a most important element of the whole decision - having a dealer close by for whatever brand you buy. Since you can't go wrong investing in a tractor (that removes a big part of the question), you can then just decide 'what do I want or need'! They always hold their value and bring you lots of satisfaction, happiness and fun. But when something does go wrong, having dealer close by makes it so much better.

 

[coast40]

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

Did I miss where you are located? Sometimes helpful to get appropriate replies.

 

[edgarrian]

One of the drive shafts runs very close to that filter and i have seen the shaft break and bust off the filter, ruining the entire aluminum cover it's part of. Splitting the tractor to replace it wasn't very fun, do not recommend.

The PTO runs close to it. Never had mine fly off. Even it did the bro-tek plate would keep it from getting damaged. PTO's just dont fly off unless the operator did not slip the joint all the way over the shaft and set it properly. Or if the mid mounted mower pto shaft was improperly sized. This seems like it would fall under operator error or dealer error.

Most every tractor that you look over that is small like scuts have some vulnerabilities. You just have to look for them and address it. The hydraulic filter placement is well known on the massey and many of us have protected and have not had any issues. I run mine in the woods every month

 

[25HST]

> 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.

I've put 700 hours on my subcompact with loader on 1.3 acres.

> seriously who in their right mind decided permanent diff-lock is good for a lawn mower

People with hills who couldn't get traction

> 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.

Get a single tine and rip it. You need to plough sand and dolomite or gypsum DEEP through that for which you will also use the loader. Do multiple runs over time at increasing depth as the clay becomes less heavy.

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

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

> or should I just save my money and rent one when necessary?

700hrs @ $100/hr = 2 tractors