Buying Advice Small tractor needed for mowing help needed

[Leejohn]

I live in SE Mo. and in the foot hills. I think you are right with the 25 to 30 HP range. I made sure I got tires loaded and set the rears out as far as they would go. A lot of differents in the feel of the tractor. I have 3 kubotas and on the bx2660 I put wheel spacers on. Around my place it just didn't feel good with my rears coming off the ground sometimes. The rears are also loaded, I know the tires are small but ever little bit helps.
Good luck looking and drive what ever you go with. Don't go looking and thinking you need it today, take your time.

 

[Redneck in training]

If your place is, as you mentioned, hilly 4 wheel is a must reason being breaking downhill with FEL installed. Even when the FEL is empty it decrease traction of the rear wheels and the tractor would slide downhill. If 4 wheel drive is engaged all four wheels will brake. The same is true when climbing uphill two wheel drive will slip while in four wheel drive the front wheels will pull you up. Of course you can put weight on the three point of two wheel drive but four wheel drive is definitely safer to operate on hills.

 

[mostly_gas]

If mowing is your primary then don't load your tires that will cause ruts in spring and fall. If front loader work is the primary purpose then figure on something else to mow with.

 

[Soundguy]

or get easy to remove weights.. like bolt on or hang on jobs.

soundguy

 

[SimonT]

I was thinking of using suit case weights and then putting them on when I did need to run up and down the hill or the loader.

I have seen a few nice tractors but not all of them have loaders. A loader looks like it will go from about 2 to 3k and up. Is there a second hand market for loaders ? Do people ever upgrade them or part them out.

 

[MESSMAKER]

I'm a Bobcat guy, so consider the source. They are running a deal on their new 4wd tractors that included a free loader. Add a rear finish mower and you could be in business with new equipment for about 16-17 grand.

 

[Grandad4]

I was thinking of using suit case weights and then putting them on when I did need to run up and down the hill or the loader.

I have seen a few nice tractors but not all of them have loaders. A loader looks like it will go from about 2 to 3k and up. Is there a second hand market for loaders ? Do people ever upgrade them or part them out.

Doesn't happen very often since most people find the loader is the most useful thing on the tractor, often unexpectedly so. They throw away their wheelbarrows and carts as they don't need them any more. Sometimes you find an old loader on Craigs because the tractor carrying it died of old age and somebody thought the loader would sell, but you need to have time to monkey around and maybe fix it to make it fit another tractor.

 

[SimonT]

Well I have been keeping my eye out in the papers and online, I am looking at a Cub Cadet but its only 27HP and 2WD or a Yanmar 31HP and it 4x4. But who ever imported it has not refurbished it that well as they have not added some of the normal safety features that some grey market importers do.

So not sure if the Cub Cadet is the one to go with should be easy for the wife to use but no 4x4 and its a sub compact.

 

[Soundguy]

and easier to get parts and service for and newer...


soundguy

 

[SimonT]

Well i went for the CC its 27HP and has a FEL 700 hours and a brush hog. I am looking to try and get a finish mower as the bush hog does not cut the grass as nice as my wife would like

I do have a small leak on the bottom PTO and maybe a small leak some where near the front that I will try and find the cause of.

My father inlaw gave me a few driving lessons. I am going to go out and try and bush hog along the drive tomorrow. I was going to put the FEL down to try and catch any large rocks.

Any advise or safety hints would be great I will keep the brush hog up high on the first pass if I start to slip should I try and put the bucket down in to the ground ?.

 

[TripleR]

I hate to be a downer, but "iffy" conditions/terrain is no place to learn to operate a tractor, it is just too easy to get hurt and/or damage equipment.

If you decide to go ahead, walk the area first and go slow, very slow. As to dropping the FEL if it starts to slip, in theory it can help, but you may not have time. Do a search of threads put up by NEBRASKASPARKS on slopes/rollover/safety and do some reading on reaction times and such.

I have been operating tractors for a lot of years and always take time to acclimate myself to a new tractor/implements before working up to more challenging tasks.

Good luck.

 

[SimonT]

Hi TripleR don't worry I understand what your saying. The drive is not flat but then its not some big drop off with waves crashing at the bottom. I was going to walk it like you said so I can understand what I will face. I know there is a slit trench for drainage but we are talking 20" wide and maybe the same deep. What i am worried about is more of large rocks the size of your head in the long grass. So that's why i was going to drive with the bucket down but was not sure if that the best advise with a brush hog at the back trying to make sure both devices as not grounding.

 

[TripleR]

Hi TripleR don't worry I understand what your saying. The drive is not flat but then its not some big drop off with waves crashing at the bottom. I was going to walk it like you said so I can understand what I will face. I know there is a slit trench for drainage but we are talking 20" wide and maybe the same deep. What i am worried about is more of large rocks the size of your head in the long grass. So that's why i was going to drive with the bucket down but was not sure if that the best advise with a brush hog at the back trying to make sure both devices as not grounding.

I often use this technique when mowing and it has saved my tractor and cutter on more than one occasion. I hit a big stump with the bucket on our new then M8540. If I had not had the FEL on I surely would have torn something up.

You should be OK, I drive pretty slow with the bucket pretty low and angled up so any shock will be minimized and the bucket will tend to ride up giving me time to stop.

Enjoy your new tractor.

 

[SimonT]

Well as it rained last night and as I did not get much sleep either I did not do any bush hogging so worked on cleaning the fence rows will get to play on the tractor later this week