Sub-Compact/Compact Recommendations

[Bdsankey]

1) MMM's are the work of satan. Get one if you must, avoid them when you can

2) You'll get a much better deal if you buy the FEL with the tractor. It's called "Bundling". Don't over-complicate things

In fact, look hard at package deals. Get some other attachments while you're at it. Box Blade?? Bush Hog?? Forks?

https://www.tractorhouse.com/listings/farm-equipment/for-sale/27531867/2021-kubota-b2601hsd?CTRY=USA

You can sometimes finance all of it through Kubota at 0% Interest. I like free money.

Touche. What is the hate behind a MMM? While I would agree not ideal for large mowing jobs like a pasture or something like a ditch but for a typical "yard" it would be hard to beat.

Yeah, SSQA is a must.

 

[MoKelly]

THe Yanmar 324 is a fine machine that I highly recommend.

I compared it to the B2601 / JD2025 and the Massey Ferguson 1526.
The Yanmar has a 10 Year warranty and was alot less $$. The JD is Yanmar-powered.
The others have a 3 range HST, tilt and speed control. Not enough to justify $thousands more.

My Dealer offered a "no-strings" tryout of the 324 for a week and gave a great trade in $.

View attachment 698096

Nice machine. Nice shirt!

Good luck!
MoKelly

 

[Rdrcr]

Touche. What is the hate behind a MMM? While I would agree not ideal for large mowing jobs like a pasture or something like a ditch but for a typical "yard" it would be hard to beat.

Yeah, SSQA is a must.

I too don't necessarily understand the MMM hate on the forum. My B2601 w/ 60" MMM does a great job. I have no complaints on the performance. However, the MMM can be a pain to remove and reinstall if you have to do it a lot and they are a pretty expensive attachment.

Edit: IMHO, FEL & SSQA are a must at the time of purchase!

Mike

 

[Bdsankey]

How does LS, Mahindra, Bobcat, New Holland etc all compare?

the LS MT225S seems like a well built tractor in the approximate size of the B2601.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

How does LS, Mahindra, Bobcat, New Holland etc all compare?

the LS MT2S seems like a well built tractor in the approximate size of the B2601.

My neighbor has the 225-S..... absolutely awesome machine! If it was available at the time, I would have purchased the 225-S instead of my XG3025 (MT225E).

Don't get me wrong, I really like my tractor, but the 225-S is more maneuverable but is still really strong. The BH has the same specs as mine.

I originally had the MT125 TLB and was very happy with it, a true little workhorse! I did jobs with that tractor that most people would say required a full sized machine. Like installing a full septic system, installing a driveway, grading the new homesite, and all the trenching. Of course it took a lot longer, but I had the time. What I saved doing the work myself, paid for a third of the tractor.

I am exceptionally confident in the LS tractors. So much so that the first one was purchased from a dealer 500 miles away north of us. The second one was purchased from a dealer also 550 miles away, south of us.

I had over 220 hours in 2 years on the 125... sold it for $500 less than what I paid for it. I now have 230 hours on my 3025 in 2 years. Neither one ever had to go back to the dealer.... never had any problems with them!

All of the tractor brands will have some problems here and there, but most are very well made.

The only 'local' dealers here are JD, Kubota, and Mahindra. They are very proud of the brands, usually charging 5-10% more than MSRP! I got the MT125 for $6K less than the lowest price locally.

Good luck with your search!

 

[Bdsankey]

My neighbor has the 225-S..... absolutely awesome machine! If it was available at the time, I would have purchased the 225-S instead of my XG3025 (MT225E).

Don't get me wrong, I really like my tractor, but the 225-S is more maneuverable but is still really strong. The BH has the same specs as mine.

I originally had the MT125 TLB and was very happy with it, a true little workhorse! I did jobs with that tractor that most people would say required a full sized machine. Like installing a full septic system, installing a driveway, grading the new homesite, and all the trenching. Of course it took a lot longer, but I had the time. What I saved doing the work myself, paid for a third of the tractor.

I am exceptionally confident in the LS tractors. So much so that the first one was purchased from a dealer 500 miles away north of us. The second one was purchased from a dealer also 550 miles away, south of us.

I had over 220 hours in 2 years on the 125... sold it for $500 less than what I paid for it. I now have 230 hours on my 3025 in 2 years. Neither one ever had to go back to the dealer.... never had any problems with them!

All of the tractor brands will have some problems here and there, but most are very well made.

The only 'local' dealers here are JD, Kubota, and Mahindra. They are very proud of the brands, usually charging 5-10% more than MSRP! I got the MT125 for $6K less than the lowest price locally.

Good luck with your search!

The only thing that concerns me with LS is the question of “will they be around in 20 years” type of thing. I want to have this unit for quite a long time. Obviously things like filters are easy, and with the 225S being Yanmar powered I don’t think there is an engine longevity concern.

 

[Williy]

Bdsankey check these out:

LS Mtron - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

List of tractors built by LS for other companies

This is a list of tractors built by LS Tractors for other companies:

tractors.fandom.com

Do you think LS tractors will last a week or two????
I personally think that the LS tractors are really made
strong and well designed. A lot of guys have them and really enjoy using them as they are a strong tractor but for me after test driving a Yanmar I chose the Yanmar YT235C I like cruise control and I forgot what the other thing was. I cut
grass and its over 1000 ft one way and the ground is bumpy and trying to keep foot steady don't work.

You are only about 35 or 40 miles from my home
town FDL bottom of lake Winnebago and a few
miles south of Neenah Menasha
You ever go to Oshkosh to watch the air show?
Some really weird looking planes and you wonder
how they can fly!
willy

 

[Bdsankey]

Bdsankey check these out:

LS Mtron - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

List of tractors built by LS for other companies

This is a list of tractors built by LS Tractors for other companies:

tractors.fandom.com

Do you think LS tractors will last a week or two????
I personally think that the LS tractors are really made
strong and well designed. A lot of guys have them and really enjoy using them as they are a strong tractor but for me after test driving a Yanmar I chose the Yanmar YT235C I like cruise control and I forgot what the other thing was. I cut
grass and its over 1000 ft one way and the ground is bumpy and trying to keep foot steady don't work.

You are only about 35 or 40 miles from my home
town FDL bottom of lake Winnebago and a few
miles south of Neenah Menasha
You ever go to Oshkosh to watch the air show?
Some really weird looking planes and you wonder
how they can fly!
willy

Im not worried about the unit lasting a week or two, just want to make sure dealer support will be there in 2040.

I work in Oshkosh. The air show, as someone who works in Oshkosh, is miserable as traffic gets destroyed hahah. It does bring a lot of revenue into the city and is a great event to attend.

I agree, there are some crazy planes there!

 

[dodge man]

Get the loader now. You want it you just may not no it. My first tractor was a Kubota BX and I bought it without a loader. I added it a few months later. I’m no mechanic but I was able to install it myself.

 

[Williy]

Is the brewery working or did it go by the way side?
I think it was on hwy 45 on the south east corner of
Oshkosh. How about the model railroad store where
the guy had a very large layout with tunnels etc made
to look realistic? Mercury still testing their outboards?
In 1982 FDL pop was 24k+ and there was more people
unemployed than the pop. two RR's left town, the leather company closed the doors, Mercury laid off thousands of workers and G&L did the same as Mercury. I worked on the raid road tie gang and you
can't live on unemployment of $125 a week. So prayed
made a lot of phone calls came here on Friday and was working Monday. My dad was 100 years & 6 months put him in St Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac
Wisconsin and told him the meds would take care of everything and 3 days later they said we have to put a feeding tube in and my dad said you said the meds would take care of everything so no feeding tube. He died 2 days later. Great hospital if you wanna die, no
food for 3 days???

willy

 

[nhb1022]

I love having my little tractor on 6 acres, but I would go bigger by 1-2 sizes for 15 acres.
How dense are your trees and how much slope if any?
My neighbor has the next size up Kubota and he really likes that, but uses a ZTR for mowing.

With 15 acres, you may need to do tree cleanup and you might want trails in the future.
I can do those with my tractor and I love the BH for trenching and stumps. Great for planting trees and bushes too.

I have a Kubota 2680 with the front mount 50" snowblower. LOVE IT. I have a Curtis cab on it also. Does a great job.

 

[Williy]

I do believe that the LS company will be around for a
long time. The LS tractor line was right next to the
Yanmar tractors. One of the LS tractors has the lever
on the back so you can raise or lower the 3pt hitch so
its a little easier to hook up your attachments. The LS
tractors are sturdy and well built tractors not like the
plastic JD's one dealer said that the JD plastic hood if
anything hit it it would bounce off but I don't believe it
as when the temp hits more than 20 degrees below zero JD plastic crap becomes very brittle but you can
always take the bank and buy a new one from JD!!!

willy

 

[TKBlanc]

I am looking for recommendations for a sub-compact or compact tractor. Right now my wife and I have a smaller property (1.2 acres). We have property that we will be building on in the next few years (15 acres with a ~600-800ft planned driveway). I am looking to get a front mount blower, front loader, and belly mower for the time being. We are planning a 1.5-2 acre finish cut area at this time. If I need a backhoe I will rent one. Another usage will be at my family cabin for doing some light work moving dirt and moving wood around.


I'd like to stick to a company that I can expect to have a long service life (IE 20-30 year part availability) which has really pointed me toward units like a JD 1025R or Kubota BX2680.

This might not be the most important reply, especially if you know equipment, but I bought a really nice NH TC24DA from a neighbor moving to a smaller place.

It's too big. Can't get through most of my gates, is cumbersome to mow with, and does un-necessary damage to the lawn. Great tractor, but it is possible to regret buying a compact rather than a subcompact.

 

[Username Taken]

Im not worried about the unit lasting a week or two, just want to make sure dealer support will be there in 2040.

LS is a very big, very serious, worldwide Company. They will be here in 2040 as long as idiots in DC don't allow the world to be destroyed by other idiots.

But they have growing pains. One of which (and not to be taken lightly) is the fact they are growing so fast. Not just here, but all over the world.

But they're getting it worked out. Whether your Dealer will be here in 2040, or even next year, is another matter.

I initially came to this forum trying to check up on LS. Things (most of them bad) have happened in the meantime but I'm still interested in them.

I'm also interested in other Korean and Japanese brands. The UAW can kiss my pasty white butt.

 

[badger123]

I am a Wisconsin guy too. 15+ years ago I bought 7 acres with a horse barn. We built a house and have a fairly long driveway ~300 ft, part wooded, part field, part lawn & landscape. I decided to go with a BX22 w/ a mid-mount mower. What I realized over time is that an all in one solution is at best average for each solution. I sold my BX22 and got a 52" zero turn & CT2035 Bobcat Tractor. I am sooooo much happier. Mowing doesn't take any time at all and I now have a number of 6ft 3pt attachments that really get the job done. When a tree falls having the big FEL is an awesome time and back saver.

This is not a cheap solution, I think I spent ~25K, but I wouldn't go back to MMM setup.

 

[mcascia]

I have a 20+ acre vineyard and need to mow between the rows weekly. We've had a few garden type tractors early on that all died within a yr or two (don't get one) before settling on a JD2305 with a 62" belly mower. It has been 12 years now and the only real issue we had was the failure of the power shaft from the PTO to the mower (bearings wore out). It does a great job though but is underpowered for running tillers and bigger 3pt equipment. I also have a 1998 New Holland TC33 that going on 22yrs for bigger jobs with front end loader and 3pt attachments (flail mower, bushhog, finish mower, sprayers, etc) which has been the workhorse for me. I recently added a JD4720 with a cab to power my multirow sprayer (spraying is actually fun now) and for heavier duty jobs in the wooded areas. Its a great tractor.

 

[quarencia]

I have both a BX2230 and a B3200 Kubota. Both have 60” belly mowers. If your use will be 80-90% mowing, I’d go with the BX. The cut quality is largely the same, but my B3200 front tires and overall weight are very hard on a finished lawn. I have to limit turn radius or front tires really tear tracks out of yard. The BX tires have a completely flat tread face/profile while the Bs are rounded and dig in more.

BX floats on wet soft ground for mowing much better than the B also. The B3200 quickly sinks on really wet soft spots in the yard. It doesn’t get stuck and isn’t about to, it’s just hell on the lawn. It has to be soup before the BX starts leaving ruts.

Just my experience.

 

[Wineguy]

I am looking for recommendations for a sub-compact or compact tractor. Right now my wife and I have a smaller property (1.2 acres). We have property that we will be building on in the next few years (15 acres with a ~600-800ft planned driveway). I am looking to get a front mount blower, front loader, and belly mower for the time being. We are planning a 1.5-2 acre finish cut area at this time. If I need a backhoe I will rent one. Another usage will be at my family cabin for doing some light work moving dirt and moving wood around.


I'd like to stick to a company that I can expect to have a long service life (IE 20-30 year part availability) which has really pointed me toward units like a JD 1025R or Kubota BX2680.

I did quite a bit of research when I had the same question. I talked to mechanics at dealers about any mechanical issues, talked to other users, parts availability, as well as many other questions I felt I needed to ask.

I ended up getting a Massey GC1725MB. You don’t require the (B) part though, as you said you didn’t want a backhoe.

It‘s a 25 hp, diesel, 4wd unit.

I have the quick connect on loader, so I easily toggle between my bucket & set of forks.

I have the following accessories/attachments:

60” mid mount drive over mower.
50” front mount snow blower w/ chute rotation control
backhoe
front loader
forks
block heater

I have about 3.5 acres that I keep up. I only have 70 hrs on it thus far, but couldn’t be happier.

 

[Frogmore]

Interesting thread with lots of opinions. I'll tell my story. Maybe it will help you.

In 2006, we moved to our new house on 10 acres, mostly wooded. In 2007, we paid a contractor to re-open the trails that had grown over, while we were building the house. We also went to the Deere dealer to get a mower. I was thinking the 100 series, because I liked the price. Then I test drove it and the X300. It was no contest. But, I knew so little then. The X300 was really not a great choice for my property and how I wanted to use the mower. Had I got the 100 series I would have had to solve the problem much sooner. But, the X300 kept working.

Later that year, I discovered that vegetation (beyond grass, which I already knew) does not manage itself. The trails were closing in. I got a Stihl brush cutter to help. It worked great, but what to do with all the cuttings. Just mowing over them didn't really work.

I bought a lawnmower towable chipper. It was fun for a few hours. But, chipping all the debris from a few hours of cutting took a couple of days of chipping.

In 2009 I realized I needed a tractor. I was warned about not getting a glorified lawnmower by both my neighbors and others. I knew very little about tractors. I ended up with the B2620. Unlike most people here I am not a fan of bigger is better. It can be, but it is also easy to get something that is too big. But, it really depends on your property. Mine is mostly wooded and I want it to stay that way. It also has narrow (4 to 8 feet wide) trails and I want to keep it that way. I have had the B2620 for over a decade now. There are times I wish it had position control. I didn't know what that was when I purchased. Had I known, I might have purchased the Deere that had it or the B2630. The '30 is bigger and was $1500 more and the dealer didn't explain the difference in a way that I remember understanding, or I didn't know I would be using the 3PH much. I also wanted QA for the bucket, which I finally fixed last year.

After I got the tractor, I opened up the possiblity of getting a bigger chipper. I got a Vermeer B625A, which is a small commercial chipper, typically available at rental places. I think it is great. It literally weighs a ton and my B2620 handles it well even up and down the 15-20 degree slopes on my trails. With the big chipper it takes about the same amount of time to cut as it does to chip and it is fun. It does, however, require maintenance and sometimes repairs.

As good as the B2620 is, I would never use it as an only mower. It is VERY scary on any kind of side slope (more than about 10 degrees). Much of my property has slopes in the 10-15 with occasional areas up to 20 degrees. Mowing requires traversing some of these cross slope. My X300 works well now that it has AG/bar tires. A couple of weeks ago I was in the less sloped part with my B2620. I was trying to get to an area and had to cross what looked like a gentle side slope. It did not go well. There was a soft spot and one of the wheel got stuck. There was a moment I thought it was going to flip. Luckily, it didn't and I was able to get it out of there safely. Had I not had a decade of experience on it, it likely would have gone differently.

So, no a B2620 is not a good choice for mowing my property. Last year I bought a Deere X534 for mowing. It has all wheel steer and difflock. It also weighs a lot more. It is a year older than my X300 and I paid more for it used than I did for the X300 new. I definitely think it is worth it.

I recently bought a used Deere X749 to use as a baby tractor. My B2620 is just too big for some areas (horse paddock, some trails) and I need to be able to do some tractor tasks there.

So, my advice is that you will probably find that there is no one machine that can do all the things that you will need/want done, let alone well. A SCUT is like a swiss army knife. It can do a lot of things, but none of them very well. If you have nothing else, it will do the job. If you have a choice of many tools, it probably wouldn't be the one you would choose.

While I have had no intention of cutting down trees, the wind and snow have there own ideas. I have had 30+ trees fall over the years. Some of them huge enough that I don't have a saw (or knowledge/skill) big enough to handle them. But, many of the others I have handled, and a grapple (and forks) makes it much easier. Some of them were beyond the capacity of my B. Most of them would be too much for a SCUT.

 

[src000]

I am looking for recommendations for a sub-compact or compact tractor. Right now my wife and I have a smaller property (1.2 acres). We have property that we will be building on in the next few years (15 acres with a ~600-800ft planned driveway). I am looking to get a front mount blower, front loader, and belly mower for the time being. We are planning a 1.5-2 acre finish cut area at this time. If I need a backhoe I will rent one. Another usage will be at my family cabin for doing some light work moving dirt and moving wood around.


I'd like to stick to a company that I can expect to have a long service life (IE 20-30 year part availability) which has really pointed me toward units like a JD 1025R or Kubota BX2680.

I have a Kioti CK3510. I think the smaller tractors like the BX2680 or the Kioti CK2610 are too light weight to be of much use. I have put more than 600 hours on the tractor in the last 4 years. It has been a great little tractor for me. I don't like Kubotas because the the treadle throttle doesn't work for me. I have a friend with a JD2032 but it doesn't seem as beefy as my CK3510.