Buying Advice Oh no, not another "what tractor should I buy" thread!

[Perplexed]

Hi, this will be my first post on this forum, though I've been reading various threads for some time. I'm sure you're all tired of these "Help!" threads started by new members, but I'd appreciate any friendly advice you can offer. Unfriendly advice would be acceptable too, as long as it's constructive

I'm a homeowner living on 3 acres of bermuda grass, and the tract is 3X as long as it is wide. The house sits way back from the road, and the front yard is flat, mostly uninterrupted lawn with a tree here and there. Currently I mow this yard with a 20-hp zero-turn mower with a 52" MMM and a pair of "rower" handles, and it takes me about 2 1/2 hours each time, going flat out on the long stretches. It's hard to keep the lines nice and straight with this mower, and sometimes I have to mow with only 1/3 of the deck, at a crawl, to keep the mower from bogging down on thick patches of grass. I'm only cutting 1 to 1 1/2 inches of grass at a time, so I think the mower may just be underpowered for the job. Also, in the late summer when it's dry, the dust and dirt kicked up by the mower swirl around me, leaving me looking like Pigpen from "Charlie Brown."

Not only this, but the mower is useless for moving dirt unless I shovel the dirt into a garden wagon, and tow the wagon with the mower. When the snow flies, the mower sits unused in the shop while I watch the white stuff pile up on the 150-yard-long driveway. I've gotten stuck in the house three times in the past two winters, and didn't much care that the mower wasn't earning its keep!

So I'm in the market for a hobby tractor. Given what I've outlined above, I figure I'll probably want to look for something with about 25-30 hp, 4x4 drive, Hydrostat or maybe shuttle transmission, turf tires, a FEL, and a towed finish mower. To keep the lawn from getting ruts or the grass torn up, I probably should look for a tractor with a lower operating weight - perhaps less than 2000 lbs? The tractor would probably be used about 95% of the time as a mower with preferably a 5' finish mower, but when I want to move dirt or snow, I'll want to be able to do that without difficulty.

I'll probably look for a used tractor, and my budget would be $9K for the tractor, FEL, and finish mower. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, so I can handle basic repairs, but I would like to start with a tractor in good condition, needing nothing, and having a reputation for simple and reliable mechanicals. A local dealer that specializes in refurbished tractors has a couple of reconditioned Yanmars (YM2020D, 2420D) and Fords (1620, 1710) priced around $8000 - 9000 with a new FEL and ag tires, though I'd have to have the tires replaced with turf tires for an additional cost, and I'd need to get a finish mower, so that would put a crack in my budget. The tractors are a bit on the big side, tipping the scales at 2200 pounds and more, but they gave me an idea of what size tractor I'd probably look for (i.e., "no bigger than those!")

What say you good folks? Thanks in advance

 

[whistlepig]

Welcome to TBN! My B7800 weighs 2100 pounds with filled tires. I have never had a problem with it rutting the yard. My RFM weighs 760 pounds. I did own a MF135 that weighed 3300 pounds. I had to be very careful with it or it would rut the yard. Soil conditions vary. In my area I would say around 2500 pounds or less would be OK.

 

[boggen]

3 acres sounds like you are looking for an over size riding lawn mower. but a tractor with 3pt hitch

for snow removal the following would be my choices.
1 snow blower
2 back blade
3 box blade possibly if you have gravel drive way. or need to do some regrading.
4 front end loader with bucket on it.

mowing.
belly mowers (fits under tractor like a typical riding lawn mower) or a 3pt hitch finishing mower. they both work. pending on tractor, you might to have to pull a belly mower out, out when operating 3pt hitch equipment. some times not. then again some times required.

to be honest, have a old allis chalmers CA tractor talking 1950's tractor. with a narrow front end. with a belly mower. i love it. due to the narrow front wheels i am able to whip that steering wheel around step on left back or right brake and do almost zero point turn. without tearing up yard to much with the R-1 (general tractor tires on the back) even in semi wet conditions.

though when i mow i tend to start in the center of my yard. get a small circle cut. then start mowing in a very long spiral circle till i get to the edge of the yard. then finish up the triangle areas last (corners of the yards). mowing in the long spiral circle keeps me from needing to make them real sharp 180 turns in the yard.

doing a circle also helps keep the cut grass from looking like a line of trash on the yard. due to when ya look at it. it is harder to get a good solid line of grass due to it is all spiraling around. and less noticeable you didn't drive straight.

that and long spirals while can be a little boring. can be less stressful on your shoulders / arms since ya not constantly yanking the steering wheel to do 180 degree turns all the time.

ya in early spring. the yard looks a little funky, because i forgot were the good center of the yard is. and i end up with some straight lines on a couple sides the yard but *shrugs*

=============
dirt moving.
a front bucket adds some good amount of weight. if you could get by with a box blade. or perhaps a 3pt scoop. that or make some stands that you can drive tractor up into. and take the front loader arms and bucket off with ease. and not require another tractor to put them back on. would make mowing much easier.

 

[RoyJackson]

Look for a used Kubota B7500, B7510 or B7610 or Deere 755 or 855. Those are, for the most part, hydrostatic transmissions.
The weight and power will fit your needs. I've seen a number of these smaller tractors on Craigslist over the last year (Pennsylvania). There's enough power to run a 60" finishing mower.

 

[LD1]

Since owing is your #1 priority, you want the highest power to weight ratio you can get in a tractor to do the least damage.

AND if you are currently using a 20HP ZTR mower with a (assuming here) a 5' deck, I think you are going to be dissapointed if you get a tractor that only has 20 HP at the PTO and plan on running a 5' mower. Because 20HP is 20HP. And if your current 20HP cant handle the 5' mower, just because you put that 20HP in a bigger frame doesnt mean it is going to handle it any better.

Which leads me to my next point. IF you are going to be getting a tractor, what kind of mower were you planning on gettting. A rotary cutter IE bushhog???? A rear finish mower??? Did you want a Mid mount mower??? Perhaps a flail mower???

The rotary mowers and flail mowers dont require as much HP But also leave a rougher cut. How tall are you letting the grass get before you cut it???

Personally, I'd be looking at either the B-series kubota, like a B3200 or B3030. They come in at about the 2000lb mark. But if you plan on using a rear mower and NOT a MMM, I'd also consider the Lxx00 series like my L3400. They are only 2600lbs, which sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that they also have bigger tires too. So it wont rut any worse than a 2000lb tractor with the smaller tires. And the added HP of the L3400 may be the ticket you are looking for.

Personally I run ags on mine. I dont have a well groomed 'golf course' type lawn. Just an average rural lawn. And the ags dont tear it up if it's dry. But If you get the turfs, plan on chains if you want to do any serious irt work or moving snow in the winter.

 

[RoyJackson]

The rotary mowers and flail mowers dont require as much HP But also leave a rougher cut. How tall are you letting the grass get before you cut it???

Your post is great, but I think you're incorrect on the phrase I bolded (assuming you're comparing the rotary mower to a finishing mower).
If my assumption is correct, the rotary cutters, for a given width, do require more PTO power then a similarly sized finishing mower...

 

[Gittyup]

Roy and LD1 give good advice. Other models to consider:

JD4100, 4110, 4115, 2305, 2320, 770
bota 7800, 7610, 7510, bigger bx's
subcuts from New Holland, Massey Furgeson, Mahindra
TYM T273 or T293

I'd definitely go HST for mowing. And if you want to reduce mowing time, get enough HP to run a 72" finish mower (30+ HP).

You might also consider the articulationg machines, like Power Trac.

Find any of these with the right equipment, in good shape, within your budget and jump on it.

 

[Piston]

Also you can get high flotation tires to lessen the impact on the lawn.
I don't know if you'll be able to find a B or L series with what you want for your budget but you never know.
I might have missed it but where are you from?

Don't worry about asking a 'which tractor should I buy' question, I think almost all of us did the same thing, and maybe you can help someone down the road with they're tractor buying adventures.

Welcome to the forum.:thumbsup:

 

[LD1]

Your post is great, but I think you're incorrect on the phrase I bolded (assuming you're comparing the rotary mower to a finishing mower).
If my assumption is correct, the rotary cutters, for a given width, do require more PTO power then a similarly sized finishing mower...

Not in my experience.

On my particular machine, I can mow grass up to about 4-5" tall with the RFM in 4L. Any taller and I have to slow down.

BUT I can mow 2-3' high stuff with a rotary cutter in the same 4L range.

Now a rotary cutter is NOT ideal for a well groomed lawn. BUT if he is trying to cut 6-7" stuff that is right on the borderline between a rotary cutter and RFM, the rotary cutter can knock it down at a faster pace.

But since the rotary cutter just cuts, and doesnt try to mulch it into little clippings, it require less power, but also doesnt leave as good of a look.

As mentioed, I have a 5' RFM AND 5' RC. Sometimes I am too laze to change and mow some of the taller grassey meadows in my woods with the RFM. It is much slower than the RC and that is only ~10" tall stuff. Not to mention, if the grass is right on that borderline like I mentioned, it is going to tax the RFM much more than a RC.

 

[fredhargis]

I think your criteria is right on, and I also think searching for a specific used tractor may take a lot of time to find one. Check the ones you find that are of interest, then come back and ask questions about that specific model. That's not to discount all the great advice the others have (and will continue) to provide. But my experience has been that used tractors that show up for sale exactly as you want will be fairly rare. On other thing, check tractorhouse.com for models of interest....you might find some alternatives there, and most of them can be shipped to you for a somewhat reasonable fee. If nothing else it provides a check on pricing.