Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

[man00]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

To be something that many don't think there is a use for anymore...the prices sure don't reflect that.

 

[BadDecisions]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

To be something that many don't think there is a use for anymore...the prices sure don't reflect that.

I was actually surprised at how many seemingly stupid expensive lawn tractors there were out there when I was searching for the bigger ones. But then I also found that the SCUT tractors were significantly more expensive than the big boys too. I could have easily bought several 100hp tractors for what my 8N cost me, and the 8N was dirt cheap compared to what many people were asking for the SCUTs. I seriously considered buying a really big one for a while, but "too big" is something that crossed my mind a lot, as well as maintenance issues, in that I'm just not equipped to handle really big and heavy parts.

Same reason I'm still buying pickup trucks instead of a class 8 semi, which I can often find much cheaper than the pickups...but I wouldn't be able to handle even basic maintenance on something that big, much less major repair. Getting the differential out of my 2 ton truck and back in was enough of an adventure...

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

I just bought one of those old Craftsman mowers for trimming around the house. Its cut is easy to adjust and my wife likes things trimmed shorter than the 4" cut which is permanently set on my Kubota B7510 belly mower. She was spending altogether too much time pushing her rechargeable mower around, and the Simplicity Hydro is on permanent loan to a family member, so I found a mint-condition 2000, 12.5 hp, 46'" mower Craftsman. The engine seems very little-used. Then I worked on it for a week, off an on, replacing belts and adjusting the cut, then replacing the blades after one of its mulching blades corkscrewed into the turf on the site of a new croquet court.

With a new set of solid blades, the $800 CDN mower is making a place for itself in the shed. My wife speaks fondly of it.

 

[Huckleberry Ranch]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

Finally, I feel qualified to answer a question on this forum.
12 years ago, I bought an old Yanmar
and scored a lawn tractor at the same deal.
Then I sold the Yanmar and bought a skid steer.
Then I sold the skid steer and got a New Holland tc29.
Then I sold the NH and bought a Massey Ferguson 2760.
In those 12 years I loaned the lawn tractor out once.
I have moved it around the yard, place to place, looking for an out of the way place for it.
I have also watched both the front tires deteriorate and it will no doubt need a new battery and if our barn cats have done their job, won’t need wiring repair.
Like you, I did try and use it, but sitting right on top of all that dust and chopping made the ride very unpleasant.
Pulling a bush cutter or flail mower behind a tractor is a far better way to go and you probably won’t go back to the little guy.
IF I had a manicured lawn section of our property, the lawn tractor would probably have a welcome place.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

I would still use it to pull around a garden cart or small wagon. I use mine much more than just to mow with. I pull a sprayer, a seed/fertilizer spreader and a 2 wheel cart. I find it very useful to have both.

 

[GeneV]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

I have a garden tractor, but yes, I still use it quite a bit actually. Every other week, I mow areas with around my pond that I can't with my massey because of size/weight concerns. I'll pull my cart with it. If I have a tree go down, I use my backhoe/thumb to hold it over the cart, chainsaw it right there into the cart, haul it away with the garden tractor.

 

[dodge man]

Re: Do you still find lawn tractor useful after upgrading to "real" tractor?

When I got my first tractor about 11 years ago, I kept a pretty good sized riding mower. My tractor was a Kubota BX with a 60” deck. When I got back on the riding mower I realized the BX was better on the hills and rougher ground. I sold the riding mower and haven’t missed it.