Tractor Sizing What size and/or brand tractor?

[Z-Michigan]

When you start talking about the speed at which youll be moving... remember to consider how rough your ground is... I know I could get mine done faster if ONE the tractor had about 5-10 more pto hps and TWO my ground was not so rough (i could not stand moving much faster)...

No kidding... I have 47 PTO hp and a 6' shredder - thought I shouldn't go bigger on the cutter and would make it up in speed - well I can't mow much faster than 4mph due to how my ground is slightly bumpy. So I only use about 1/3 throttle mowing. I have done some experiments mowing as fast as 10mph and I have the hp, but I am bouncing all around and at risk of damaging the cutter or the tractor. So I go slow.

For nothing but finish mowing the zero-turn mowers with suspension are the way to go - you can mow at maybe 7-8mph. But they don't do much besides lawnmowing.

 

[flusher]

I have 12 acres of land that I need to maintain. I will be finish mowing about 11 of it and doing some dirt work also. I plan on installing approximately 2400' of fencing, so a posthole digger would be needed.

The question is what size tractor will suit me best? What type of mower should I use, a rear mower or MMM mower?

Is a cab tractor a good idea also?

Thanks for the input.

Dave

Get yourself a tractor that can handle 6-ft wide implements, i.e. one with at least 30hp (engine). My little 21 hp (engine) Kubota B7510HST can only handle a 4-ft wide rotary cutter (aka brush hog) so it takes me 8-11 hours to mow my 7 acres of weeds.

 

[MarkV]

Dave welcome to the forum. It sure sounds like your primary use for a tractor will be mowing. I agree with the others that you need to size the tractor to the mower and I would not consider any mower less than 6’. With allergies and that much mowing time a cab with A/C sure would be nice. You might want to look at the Kubota B3030, it is one of the smaller frame tractors that you can get with a cab. Also take a look at Flail mowers as you are shopping. Their advantage is they do not extend behind the tractor near as much and offer better maneuverability tight areas.

MarkV

 

[IslandTractor]

You might want to look at the Kubota B3030, it is one of the smaller frame tractors that you can get with a cab. Also take a look at Flail mowers as you are shopping. Their advantage is they do not extend behind the tractor near as much and offer better maneuverability tight areas.

MarkV

Ditto, that is exactly what I was thinking as I read through this thread. The B3030 cab and a flail mower would be a very nice and compact arrangement for finish mowing. I'd probably look at something a bit heavier if there were more ground engaging tasks but for a dedicated 11 acre finish mower the cab B3030 would be the cat's pajamas (and least expensive A/C cab I believe too).

Flail mowers do a very nice job and are pretty close to a dedicated finish mower in cut quality while being a lot tougher and more compact. You need to look for a medium or light duty flail like a Caroni to compare favorably to the good finish mowers on price though. A six foot Caroni costs a bit less than a six foot premium brand finish mower. Heavy duty flails are very expensive.

 

[john_bud]

11 acres
Mower width Mow Time hr HP needed
5 5.2 25
6 4.3 30
7 3.7 35
8 3.2 40
10 2.6 50
12 2.2 60
15 1.7 75

Here's a small table based on 3.5 mph AVERAGE cutting speed. Like a NASCAR racer, the corners are a bit slower than the straightaways. The table posts goofy, so the excel file is attached, wrapped in a zip to allow upload. You can mod it to give the answers you want. Please note that the HP is PTO power and not the fluff gross engine power that the sales guys will spout.

If I was going to mow 11 acres and was bothered by dust, pollen, grass clippings that would mandate a cab tractor. Probably one that could pull an 8' RFM as that's about all the time I want to spend mowing! Pick your color. My preference would be for an HST, but a powershift would be fine too. If I was wanting an FEL (ever), that would boost me into a 4wd machine. As it is mowing a lot, that would also require turf tires. If you can find a tractor like that used (1500 hrs or less) you can buy turf tires and probably save 50%-ish over new. Some would rather pay more and be confident that it will run flawlessly where some are comfortable with minor repairs.

Summary:
40-50 PTO hp
Cab (with heat/ac)
Turf Tires
If FEL - 4wd
No FEL - 2WD
Powershift or Hydrostatic transmission
8' wide Rear Finish Mower (RFM)
Brand (color) is up to you and the dealer network around you.

 

[PA hayseed]

11 acres
Mower width Mow Time hr HP needed
5 5.2 25
6 4.3 30
7 3.7 35
8 3.2 40
10 2.6 50
12 2.2 60
15 1.7 75

Here's a small table based on 3.5 mph AVERAGE cutting speed. Like a NASCAR racer, the corners are a bit slower than the straightaways. The table posts goofy, so the excel file is attached, wrapped in a zip to allow upload. You can mod it to give the answers you want. Please note that the HP is PTO power and not the fluff gross engine power that the sales guys will spout.

If I was going to mow 11 acres and was bothered by dust, pollen, grass clippings that would mandate a cab tractor. Probably one that could pull an 8' RFM as that's about all the time I want to spend mowing! Pick your color. My preference would be for an HST, but a powershift would be fine too. If I was wanting an FEL (ever), that would boost me into a 4wd machine. As it is mowing a lot, that would also require turf tires. If you can find a tractor like that used (1500 hrs or less) you can buy turf tires and probably save 50%-ish over new. Some would rather pay more and be confident that it will run flawlessly where some are comfortable with minor repairs.

Summary:
40-50 PTO hp
Cab (with heat/ac)
Turf Tires
If FEL - 4wd
No FEL - 2WD
Powershift or Hydrostatic transmission
8' wide Rear Finish Mower (RFM)
Brand (color) is up to you and the dealer network around you.

Wow, nice chart.

I would add in at least another 1/2 hour to the chart for the unforseen things that always occur. Dead animals, stones that magically appear, running out of fuel, getting interrupted by a talkative neighbor/farmer, etc. etc.