Help with a Garden tractor

[Kelley2620]

Hello, I am new to the community and really need some help selecting a garden tractor for my acreage. I am not rich so I need something that can take a beating and give me good service. I have 5 acres with rough, flat and some slopes. I have been looking at many different brands and really could use some guidance. I know you get this all the time so I don't want to be a burden, but any help would be greatly appreciated. I am not picky about brand as long as it can hold up and give me years of good service. Thank you for any advice. Thank you

 

[MESSMAKER]

Five acres is a bunch for a garden tractor, but it can be done. You said you have ground that is a bit rough. That is a killer for the cheaper garden tractors. You will need something with a HD deck and transmission. You also want some mass(a nice sturdy frame). I suspect That a John Deere 500 or 700 series is about right. Symplicity and Kubota also make models that will work. That is about it. You might have luck finding a used model as they are out there. You could go with a commercial zero turn mower, but that is for mowing only. A subcompact tractor might be the best answer. I suspect any thing new will cost at least $5000. You could spend twice that without trying. There is no such thing as a free lunch. You can spend 3 grand every 3-5 years and not have what you need or bite the bullet and get what you really need and have a pmt.. I know about what I speak. I have done it both ways.

 

[Carl in CT]

I second what Messmaker said. If you go cheap you get cheap and you will be looking for another mower in 3-5 years or less. I had a box store mower for my 1.5 acres of hilly, bumpy ground and it was literally destroyed in 2 years. The John Deere x500 or the x700 series are great machines. I chose a Simplicity Conquest because it seemed just a little heavier duty and still a little less money than the JD x500 and I could not afford the x700 at all. I got the Simplicity at dealer cost since it was a 2010 leftover, plus Simplicity had much better financing options at that time (about 3 weeks ago) so it just added up to be the best deal for me. Kubotas are good and they offer gas or diesel but very expensive for a lawn tractor.

You could possibly get away with a JD x320 or Simplicity Broadmoor which would be under $5,000 but 5 acres with some rough ground might be pushing it for those two. They are excellent lawn/yard tractors but they are not garden tractors. If you take really good care of them and go easy you should be OK for at least 10 years so it's still a better option than the cheap box store mowers.

If you get the Broadmoor get one of the two bigger models with the Briggs Vangaurd motor rather than the Briggs Pro motor on the smaller one. Besides, if you have 5 acres you will want the bigger deck anyway. The dealers in CT quoted me the bigger Broadmoor with the 52" deck and 22 or 23 hp Vangaurd motor at $4,600. The JD x320 with 48" deck was $4,200 but I liked the Broadmoor much more than the x320. I lucked out with finding the leftover Conquest for $5,200 which is a step up to the garden tractor range. A new 2011 Conquest is $6,000.

As always there is used but it's tricky as the good used ones still are not cheap, there's no guarantee you are getting a well maintained machine and they go quick if they are good. You want to know what you are looking for if you are going to spend a lot of money on used but you can get way more for your money if you find a good one. If you see something ion Craigslist start a thread here and let the guys who know that model chime in.

 

[dodge man]

I agree with the others, I have 3 acres that is hilly, bumpy, and have some trees. I spent about $1300 for my first riding mower, and hated it and it lasted maybe 3 or 4 years. It ruined the deck and the steering. I bought a higher priced one next time, maybe 3 or 4 thousand dollars. It worked better, but was still just a riding lawn mower. I ended up buying a Kubota BX2350, which is diesel, water cooled, I have a small end loader, and it has a 3 point hitch with a rear blade for it. Its considered a sub-compact-utility-tractor or a SCUT. Its 4 wheel drive and works great on the hills compared to a riding mower or garden tractor. This sounds like what you need.

The downside, $$$$$$$. Brand new, no matter the brand, you are looking at $10,000 for one with a mowing deck. If you get more attachments, such as a end load, rear blade, snow blower, its easy to get $15,000 in one. You can often get good intrest rates on them and make payments on them like a car. If you shop used, you might get by for $5000 to $7000.

Take a look at other uses, do you have a gravel driveway to maintain, do you have snow removal, do you burn wood, have a lot of landscaping to maintain or build? They are a serious investment, but worth it in the long run, plus they make all that stuff fun again! Someone told me a tractor and a end loader is like have a second worker working for you all the time, and thats pretty accurate.