Need advice - 15-20HP

[Shawn T. W.]

I have a Bush Hog RTC 50 rototiller, which is actually 48" of tilling, I have 19.6 PTO HP it does a fine job! RTC-50 Compact Tillers - Bush Hog they say 15-25 HP ...

From the other day ...

And yes, my GC is the same size as the BX & 1 series ...

Bruno's says they ship for free, I'm not sure how that works, but it would be nice if you had a dealer close by, not sure how some local dealers would treat you if you "imported" it from a few states away ... Like I said I chose to buy local, mostly because I'm not ever really sure when I'm gonna be home, and I don't mind paying more, as it has turned out into a good relationship with the local dealer, currently have a $1400 order for a pair of forks for my Kubota from the Massey Ferguson dealer, unfortunately he didn't have the used, no computer 50+ HP tractor I was looking for, I gave him three months to look, but they are hard to find, so I drove 80 miles and picked up the Kubota elsewhere ...

 

[Yander]

I have owned a '48 Farmall Cub in the past but have since sold it. Fun machine but it doesn't have the easy functionality i am looking for and is horrible for a loader.

I'm building a new house in SC with a little over an acre. I have a 36" walk behind zero turn mower that I bought new in'79. Seems like a tall task in 100 degree days. I could handle the work 90 percent of the time. Neighbors are buying 8-10k sit down zero turns. I can't justify that money for a single purpose machine. I'm quite mechanical so an older machine is just fine.

I'm thinking I need a 15-20HP tractor with a belly mower that has a pto for future attachments (box blade, tiller, FEL, landscape rake?). Does this sound right?

I'm thinking about $8k for a machine as a budget. Maybe Deere for parts availability.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.......

Massey GC series. Easily as good as Kubota or John Deere. And you can find them around $7,000 without the loader.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

My opinion from my experience, for my situation ...

When I bought my 16 acres 4 years ago, I NEEDED a BH! As I couldn't get a contractor to even return my calls , and I needed my new driveway that was just put in through a swampy hayfield fixed right, and be widened and be able to hold up my semi-truck, as the old verbal right of way via the cousins private road didn't convey ... They put in in "pretty" driveway, but UPS wouldn't come down the driveway after a rain, as they were sinking in 6"-8"!

I looked within 500 miles that I could drive and pick up a Kubota L or John Deere 3 series with a backhoe in the used market, nothing but a few ABUSED units, so I looked at new ones, but didn't want to deal with computers or emissions, so that limited me to 25 HP ...

Locally it came down to only a choice of the GC or a BX, when the Massey Ferguson dealer suggested the GC I literally LAUGHED at him, told him I didn't want a tiny overgrown lawnmower! He was polite and simply told me that I would be very surprised at what it could do, that he personally had one at his house ... I talked to my brother who has a Kubota B, and his son had a BX, he told me the same thing! the Massey dealer was MUCH easier to deal with, so I bought it after talking with him ...

To be honest ... If I were to do it again TODAY, with the availability of tractors now (remember the empty lots during the "supply chain shortage"?) I probably would only have one tractor ... A Kubota B or a JD 2025R, and be happy!

The B2602 or 2025R are really just BIG SCUT'S, they are slightly longer and wider, but with much larger tires, they both have the ability to have a BH, unfortunately as far as I know the MF only Tractor Loader Backhoe (TLB) package is in there GC series ...

The relative tiny sized tires on the GC, BX, 1E/R are only 18" front, and 26" in the back, which make for a bumpy ride! The B & 2 are 32"-35" depending on style on the back ... Makes a huge difference in ride comfort, no suspension on these ...

But since I already have my GC customized to my liking with aftermarket stuff, and it WILL do everything I need on my place, I'm keeping it!

But on the 95° 90% humidity days that I have 14 acres of bumpy fields to mow, I'm very happy to leave my Little Baby Fergie in the barn, and step into my A/C cabbed Kubota Grand L with 52" tires!

I think it's probably a good idea to go visit a couple of dealers, just to see what size you really want ... Doesn't mean you gotta buy new ... See if you can drive it around there lot? I will say I still have not really warned up to the treadle pedal on the Kubota, but 1st to admit I don't like change! Most other brand HST tractors have 2 pedals side by side like my GC ...

Here is a size comparison, I'm 6'1" 190 Lbs ... On my little overgrown lawnmower!