Comparison one tractor vs mower + tractor

[casolorz]

We are about to move into our new house on a 3 acre lot. I'll be doing most of the landscaping. Its fairly flat other than its a walkout lot so there is a bit of slopped grading around the house. There is also a pond and an easement, but aside from that mostly flat.

I am considering buying a good fast mower, like a ZTR or similar, and then picking up an old used tractor with a loader to do the heavy work. Or the alternative is that I pickup a small kubota, mahindra, tym, cub/yanmar, which allows me to have a belly mower and a loader.

What would you recommend?

Also suggestions on both of the options are welcome, I am trying to keep it at the lowest end of all the manufacturers.

Thank you,

--Carlos

 

[KU Gator]

My neighbor and I each had J.D. garden tractors and live on 3 acre lots. We bought our little tractor from the previous owner of the house and it came with a front blade for snow. Took about 2 hours to mow. We bought some additional recreational property and bought a B2920 Kubota for it with initially a belly mower and FEL. We kept the little J.D. but the day I unloaded the Kubota and mowed with it, the neighbor developed tractor envy because it will mow faster than the garden tractor. He swapped the garden tractor for a ZTR. Problem is, he can mow a little faster and he does have more things to mow around, but that is all it will do. So he lost the ability to clear snow, pull a fertilizer spreader, etc. Fortunately for him, I like to play on my tractor, so help him out. They are a young family with kids, so 15 minutes of saved mowing time is more precious to him than me as an empty nester.

A good BX size in Kubota terms will give you a good mowing machine plus a huge amount of flexability compared to a ZTR type mower, but if you have a lot of stuff to mow around and want to get it done quick, the ZTR is probably the way to go. I would choose the tractor every time, but understand other priorities. You will use the FEL a lot more than you can immagine. Properly maintained, I believe the tractor is likely to provide longer service than the ZTR also.

As far as low end of the manufactureres go, sometimes cheap isn't so cheap. I don't remember the brand of the ZTR the neighbor bought, but I know he has had it worked on several times in the 1st year. While it has been under warrenty, it is an inconvience and would cause me to worry about what is down the road. Maybe try to talk to others on a brand when you start to narrow it. But if by lowest end of the manufacturers, you mean the relative entry level within a brand, I think that is a sensable plan. For instance a BX1860 with 54" deck and loader looks to be in the $13K range. It probably would do a great job for you for a very long time. If you needed to move up, it will likely to have retained a large amount of its purchase price. Much like the basic Honda Civic with roll up windows holds its value.

 

[casolorz]

My neighbor and I each had J.D. garden tractors and live on 3 acre lots. We bought our little tractor from the previous owner of the house and it came with a front blade for snow. Took about 2 hours to mow. We bought some additional recreational property and bought a B2920 Kubota for it with initially a belly mower and FEL. We kept the little J.D. but the day I unloaded the Kubota and mowed with it, the neighbor developed tractor envy because it will mow faster than the garden tractor. He swapped the garden tractor for a ZTR. Problem is, he can mow a little faster and he does have more things to mow around, but that is all it will do. So he lost the ability to clear snow, pull a fertilizer spreader, etc. Fortunately for him, I like to play on my tractor, so help him out. They are a young family with kids, so 15 minutes of saved mowing time is more precious to him than me as an empty nester.

A good BX size in Kubota terms will give you a good mowing machine plus a huge amount of flexability compared to a ZTR type mower, but if you have a lot of stuff to mow around and want to get it done quick, the ZTR is probably the way to go. I would choose the tractor every time, but understand other priorities. You will use the FEL a lot more than you can immagine. Properly maintained, I believe the tractor is likely to provide longer service than the ZTR also.

As far as low end of the manufactureres go, sometimes cheap isn't so cheap. I don't remember the brand of the ZTR the neighbor bought, but I know he has had it worked on several times in the 1st year. While it has been under warrenty, it is an inconvience and would cause me to worry about what is down the road. Maybe try to talk to others on a brand when you start to narrow it. But if by lowest end of the manufacturers, you mean the relative entry level within a brand, I think that is a sensable plan. For instance a BX1860 with 54" deck and loader looks to be in the $13K range. It probably would do a great job for you for a very long time. If you needed to move up, it will likely to have retained a large amount of its purchase price. Much like the basic Honda Civic with roll up windows holds its value.

Just noticed you are in Topeka, I'm in Wichita....
I am looking at Kubota, cub/yanmar, tym mostly. I know tym is probably the cheaper quality one, their loader carries more though. The mahindra also seems to have a pretty good loader, then I don't really know how much weight I need to carry.

I guess I'll go look at a few and see what they are like.

--Carlos

 

[KU Gator]

I purchased my Kubota in Lawrence at McConnell Equipment. They also have a dealership in Ottawa. Whoever you go with, good to get a good feel from the dealership that they are stable and interested in you before and after the sale. My brand research was pretty limited prior to the decision. It is difficult to get really objective information so I focused mainly with the green & orange, feeling that if I don't know a lot about it, better to go with a name brand. I work for that University with a bird for the mascott and with the Manager of the landscape department. He had just added a Kubota L model to the fleet and was pretty impressed with it. I have been pleased with the product and the dealership, but I am sure there are other good choices out there.

If you are in Witchita, on 3 acres you will probably be dealing with some snow clearing and maybe maintence of a rock drive. Again having a small tractor gives you the ability to add a small blade to the back and can do a decent job of those chores vs a ZTR.

 

[TripleR]

I like machinery as much as the next person, but don't like to maintain more than I have to, so I would go with a SCUT or cut as mentioned. Both my Kubota and JD are very maneuverable, but the Kubota is a little more stable on steep slopes, but this isn't a factor for you. I would look at SCUT/CUT models from all the manufacturers to see which is the best fit for you. Not knocking the ZTR; just limited in use.

 

[casolorz]

Yeah I will have a rock drive, totally forgot about that.
Snow I would have said its not a big deal until this winter, but I am guessing most of the country feels like that.

One of the smaller kubotas would probably do and there are at least 2 or 3 dealers nearby which is always good.
Can I service my tractor at any kubota dealer or only the one I get it from?

 

[KU Gator]

You could take it to any Kubota dealer, but I always feel like establishing that connection on the buy end, especially if it is new, is going to help on the service. I liked the dealership in Lawrence better than Topeka plus because I work over hear, it is easy to run down there at lunch if I need something.

Note that most of the tractor lines are still doing the 0% financing on their equipment. It is subject to renewal each month, so could always go away.

I use a rear blade and a FEL to clear my 450' drive. I am sure a blower and or a front blade would be more efficient, but I can't really justify it given the varibility in our snow. Last winter I hardly needed it. This winter I have went through two tanks full of diesel fuel. The wind is the killer here with the drifting.

 

[Soundguy]

belly mowers pretty much limit a tractor to mowing duties. in addition to reduced ground clearance, you have reduced side and front clearance ( due to the loader,, plus you would be toting the loader weight with you everywhere... not a great combo.

get the ztr and a tractor with a loader.. or if as a compromise.. get a rear mower for that loader tractor, and perhaps a quick disconnect bucket.

what kind of loader work will you be doing.. if not much a smaller loader may be fine on a 30ish hp machine with a rear mower. I'm kinda partial to older machines.. though some are more suited to loader work than others.. all depends on what you really want to do with the loader..

soundguy

We are about to move into our new house on a 3 acre lot. I'll be doing most of the landscaping. Its fairly flat other than its a walkout lot so there is a bit of slopped grading around the house. There is also a pond and an easement, but aside from that mostly flat.

I am considering buying a good fast mower, like a ZTR or similar, and then picking up an old used tractor with a loader to do the heavy work. Or the alternative is that I pickup a small kubota, mahindra, tym, cub/yanmar, which allows me to have a belly mower and a loader.

What would you recommend?

Also suggestions on both of the options are welcome, I am trying to keep it at the lowest end of all the manufacturers.

Thank you,

--Carlos

 

[BotaBigot]

Either way would work, and there are obvious advantages for each. I elected to go SCUT, and found my BX to be as good or better lawn mower than any garden tractor I've had. The FEL and BH come off quickly to put it in mower mode. It's no ZTR, and it's heavier than my previous mowers...so I have to be more aware of ground moisture. In TLB mode, it has done all I have asked. The disadvantage in TLB mode is light weight...the BH can push it around, especially if you dig aggressively. It will do most of what larger TLBs can do...but takes longer.

 

[TripleR]

I can take the loader off of my BX in under three minutes and the MMM in under five. I haven't found the MMM even on the BX to get in my way all that much; depends on what you are doing. I have a dedicated lawn mower that we haven't used in two years; probably sell it this spring.