Buying Advice Tractor or mower?

[aquafiend]

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, first time poster here.

I'm in the market for my first tractor (maybe).

I have about 3/4 ac to mow and about 800 feet of flat driveway to snowblow in the winter - these are non-negotiable tasks. I originally thought I would get a mid-range riding mower with a 48" snowblower and be done with it. But the rest of the property is large - 3 acres of pasture that should be bush hogged occasionally and another 40+ woods and bush that are just asking for projects. And I would love to have something that can pull a small plow to open new garden beds and maybe a tiller once opened.

Option 1:
Get a nice mower (x300 series?) with a snow blower and save up my money for a real compact tractor in the next couple of years. Problem - will I regret not just going for a bigger machine?

Option 2:
Try to find an older garden tractor (or very small farm tractor) with a deck, blower, 3 pt and hydraulics. Problem - I'm fairly handy but not a major gear head - will the maintenance be a nightmare? Also, with the larger, older machines, I'm nervous not having roll over protection (esp being an inexperienced user).

Option 3:
Bite the bullet and buy a new (or newish) sub compact (a JD dealer near me recommended the 1023E). It's very hard to justify the cost in the budget right now but if the cheaper options end up being a waste of money it's false economy.

Any opinions and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[bohaslup123]

I opinion only get the largest unit that allows you to complete your tasks.You will always wish you had the next size up if you settle for a small unit. A 4X is always a plus good luck

 

[flusher]

You've concentrated attention on the smaller tasks and then tossed in the 40+ acres of woods and bush "that are asking for projects". Put on your thinking cap and figure out what those projects are before looking for tractors that probably will be too small to handle them. You can appreciate the disconnect between your tasks for small (10-20 hp) lawn and garden tractors and tasks in your woods and bush that are more suited for larger field tractors (30-50 hp).

 

[TigerfaninAR]

I wouldn't rule out compact tractor either. The smaller compacts made by Deere and Kubota aren't much more than the subcompacts but gives you more ground clearance etc. I think Kubota still has 0% for 60 months which helps. I'm sure some other brands still have some 0% offers.

 

[Pagoda dweller]

Aquafiend, I am pretty much in the same boat, although I have 10 acres of woods, not 40.

Quality stuff costs, but you get value. Cry once..that's what I'm telling myself.
I think for me a solid Sub-C will do the trick. Finding one equally good for mowing and blowing is my task now....

That said, in speaking with dealers, it seems that the incredible financing on new stuff seems to be holding down prices on lightly used if you can find it and if you have the cash in lieu of financing.

 

[Grandad4]

Aquafiend, there's good advice here so far. You're definitely going to need something bigger than a garden tractor once you get past mowing your lawn and clearing your drive. It's inevitable that there will be bigger tasks, so you do need to plan ahead.

What is not so certain is just how much tractor you're going to need, because that depends on what your plans for the property will be. It could be fairly minimal if you will be keeping it close to its current, original state and a good compact would do well for such purposes... mowing, snow removal, clearing and rough cutting trails, tilling a garden, etc. Alternately, if your plans are larger in scale, you'd need bigger equipment.

Although a subcompact such as the 1023e would certainly do your basic work, I'm kind of with Tigerfan about looking initially at a slightly larger machine to give you more ground clearance for rough ground work. It could still mow your yard and drive, but offers more capability as well.

 

[Pagoda dweller]

Projects in the woods (something Aquafiend and I might be wanting to do)....beyond mowing and blowing.

Is there a consensus as to how much power is going to be needed to comfortably create some trails, pull small stumps and pull tree lengths out of the woods. I am talking like cedars and poplar, maybe up to a foot in diameter, maybe up to 20 feet in length...is this beyond the realm of a capable sub-compact?

 

[leonz]

Its better to solve your immediate issues
and save for the upgrade.

The problem is that you need the tooling
now and you have the work for the mower
and snow caster.

I stil use the 20 year old hydro wheel horse as well as the
new JD115 that will be all over the place this winter
moving the wood spliter and opening the driveways
as well as using both of them for hauling wood and coal.


I would see if your dealer has or can find a crated LA115
with a new mower and the 42 inch snow blower for it.

PS-dont let them talk you out of the 2 stage snow caster
for the 115 as the 20 horse power hydro is plenty for the
snow caster.

I was out the door for less than $3,700.00 with the mower,
snow caster, rear weights(82 pounds)and new chains.

I will be buying a non JD soft cab for it soon as snow
is just around the corner.


The mower will have little value for trade anyway so thats
incentive to keep it in your stable of work tools.

_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[flusher]

Projects in the woods (something Aquafiend and I might be wanting to do)....beyond mowing and blowing.

Is there a consensus as to how much power is going to be needed to comfortably create some trails, pull small stumps and pull tree lengths out of the woods. I am talking like cedars and poplar, maybe up to a foot in diameter, maybe up to 20 feet in length...is this beyond the realm of a capable sub-compact?

40-50 hp (pto) minimum to do these tasks "comfortably". Sub-compacts have no place in the woods IMHO--they lack power and their ground clearance is too small. It's easy to poke a hole in the radiator, oil filter, hydraulic filter while working amongst the debris typically found in the woods.

Be advised that pulling stumps with a tractor can be extremely dangerous. Backflips can happen in a few tenths of a second.There are plenty of threads in the TBN "Safety" forum concerning problems some folks got into when pulling stumps. Be careful out there.

 

[leonz]

Projects in the woods (something Aquafiend and I might be wanting to do)....beyond mowing and blowing.

Is there a consensus as to how much power is going to be needed to comfortably create some trails, pull small stumps and pull tree lengths out of the woods. I am talking like cedars and poplar, maybe up to a foot in diameter, maybe up to 20 feet in length...is this beyond the realm of a capable sub-compact?

The power issue is more relevant with the
type of soil and how wet it is.

Flush cutting the stumps eliminates the
need to yank them out and they will rot.

Pulling cut stumpage requires adhesion and
you will need a lot of it with dense hard woods
in log length.

In most all cases you would be better off using a
small winch from Baileys and a pulling cone as
you will be out much less money and you can
buy long pulling cables/ 400 foot lengths of
pulling rope for an open spooling winch and
move a lot of log length wood with no fuss
other than planning the route for the log(s).

You have to rememebr that log does not care
if you have a tractor or a winch and its dead
weight period. that is where the pulling cone
shines for a winch or a small tractor but the
winches from Baileys will handle this easily.

_________________________________________________________________
Once you go flail you never go back:thumbsup::licking::drool:

 

[JDgreen227]

Welcome to TBN, great place to learn things. One point however...you mention "800 feet of flat driveway to snowblow"...not knowing where you live makes it hard to judge what kind of snow removal capability you need. You can cut 3/4 acre of grass with a push mower, grass is pretty much the same everyplace, but snow is not. Give us an idea of where you are, or perhaps the seasonal snow total of an average winter. That will help a lot....and once again, welcome.

 

[aquafiend]

Hi all

Wow, lots of good info so far. Thanks.

A bit more info for those who asked:
I'm in southern Ontario, Canada. We get about 60 inches of snow per year over about 4 1/2 months. The new place is up on a hill so I'm a bit concerned with drifts (although there are good windbreaks), and as I mentioned before our drive is flat.

From what I'm hearing so far, holding out for something bigger to tackle projects in the woods is a good idea. This makes good sense to me - budget is tight now and the projects are undefined. If a longer term workable plan is something small to take care of the house and drive and something big for everything else, then I feel pretty good going smaller now.

I'm still not sure where that leaves my 'intermediate' tasks though - bush hogging around 3 acres and breaking new ground for gardens. I'm concerned those jobs are too big for a fancy mower but too small for a real tractor.

Also on sizing - my local deere dealer (no particular affiliation there, but they are the closest dealer of the big three) recommended an x320 with deck, blower, chains and weights for $7k if I only want to cut the grass and blow the snow, but as I was saying they are pushing for the 1023E (which they have 0% financing on) to do "everything".

thanks again for insights & opinions.

 

[nybirdman]

If you only average 60in of snow a year.....I would go with a dedicated mower and forget the blower(for that machine) and team that with a CUT sized tractor for the rest.I am familiar with Kubota ,so a B sized machine for the rest.With only that much snow..a rear blade and FEL should handle your snow removal chores.
We are in Upstate NY,just south of the St.Lawrence...we average about 150 in per year.Front blade and rear blade/FEL are used for our snow work.

 

[Soundguy]

get a 800$ box store rider mower for the 3/4 ac you want finish mowed.. winter's coming.. might get it for 750$. or use that money to buy a finish mower deck for the tractor listed below... all up to you if you want a tractor that close to the house.. imho..i'd get the cheap rider mower and the tractor and no finish deck..

next.. i'd get a cut class machine for the rest. 40+ac is alot of land.. but if it's all treed / woods.. then you don't want too big to maneuver.. thus.. 26-33 hp or so..

if 10ys down the line you are doing alot of pasture work.. buy an old 2wd big 50-100hp classic tractor for a few thousand dollars to do the big grunt work, and svae your cut for the lil jobs and finesse work.

soundguy

 

[rjwerth]

Well, I'll tell you that if it were me (and it kinda is as I was/am in a similar situation), I'd get a good riding mower and snow blower for now. The 1000's aren't really enough tractor to go playing in the woods or brush cutting. As far as not wasting money, take a peek at what finish decks cost for bigger tractors that are in the 30-50hp range...they aren't cheap! Plus, you probably don't want that size tractor for mowing the yard anyhow...

After you've dreamed a while as to the specifics of what you want to do in the woods can you really determine how to spend big bucks on a bigger machine (or perhaps sub some of the work out...).

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, first time poster here.

I'm in the market for my first tractor (maybe).

I have about 3/4 ac to mow and about 800 feet of flat driveway to snowblow in the winter - these are non-negotiable tasks. I originally thought I would get a mid-range riding mower with a 48" snowblower and be done with it. But the rest of the property is large - 3 acres of pasture that should be bush hogged occasionally and another 40+ woods and bush that are just asking for projects. And I would love to have something that can pull a small plow to open new garden beds and maybe a tiller once opened.

Option 1:
Get a nice mower (x300 series?) with a snow blower and save up my money for a real compact tractor in the next couple of years. Problem - will I regret not just going for a bigger machine?

Option 2:
Try to find an older garden tractor (or very small farm tractor) with a deck, blower, 3 pt and hydraulics. Problem - I'm fairly handy but not a major gear head - will the maintenance be a nightmare? Also, with the larger, older machines, I'm nervous not having roll over protection (esp being an inexperienced user).

Option 3:
Bite the bullet and buy a new (or newish) sub compact (a JD dealer near me recommended the 1023E). It's very hard to justify the cost in the budget right now but if the cheaper options end up being a waste of money it's false economy.

Any opinions and/or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[dodge man]

I have a Kubota BX, and that almost seems to small for what you need in the way of a tractor. The 60" mowing deck for mine was something like $2000, which goes a long way towards a riding mower. With that small of a yard, that might be the route to go. Front mount snow blowers for a BX are also pretty pricey. Then you can save and buy a little bit larger tractor for some of your larger uses.

 

[jenkinsph]

Sounds to me like your immediate need is for a snowblower and riding mower, I would suggest the Deere x320. Later you can save up some coins for a compact tractor.

I have an x749 and it works well enough great for mowing and would handle your snowblowing easily. But I wouldn't consider using it or the subcompacts in the woods, just not enough ground clearance.

Best setup would be a 20hp mower and a 35 to 40 hp 4x4 tractor imo and the tractor could be a good used one. Not much point is scratching up a new one in the woods.

 

[PapaPerk]

Buy a Kubota BX or B series... get the 0% financing. Problem solved! Then you will have a quality machine that will serve you for many years to come. Do it right the first time. :thumbsup:

 

[gilbertmsg]

I'm gonna side with Soundguy, find you a 20-30 hp cut. This will do your mowing and snowblowing tasks. Buy one with a front end loader, you will find it invaluable after a few uses. Sometime down the road, find a larger 2 wheel drive tractor to tackle the 40 acres. You will be very suprisied with what you can accomplish with a CUT. I think you could pull a lot of the cut timber with a good 4wd tractor.

Good Luck!!

Eddie

 

[JDgreen227]

I'm gonna side with Soundguy, find you a 20-30 hp cut. This will do your mowing and snowblowing tasks. Buy one with a front end loader, you will find it invaluable after a few uses. Sometime down the road, find a larger 2 wheel drive tractor to tackle the 40 acres. You will be very suprisied with what you can accomplish with a CUT. I think you could pull a lot of the cut timber with a good 4wd tractor.

Good Luck!!

Eddie

You got that right, NO ATTACHMENT is more valuable on a CUT than the FEL. When I finally got my JD, which was my first tractor with a FEL, I wanted to kick myself for not buying BOTH tractor and FEL sooner.