15 acres, which tractor?

[ScottAR]

We've got 14 or so acres and have a gentlemen that hays it for the hay. So I guess it pays off. We still have to mow some of it, mostly around the edges as it's not fenced well and trees dot the field with a couple soft spots. The JD 1050 is about 33 pto hp with a 5ft cutter is about minimum if one is to mow the whole area IMO, as it takes 6-8hrs depending on growth.

 

[gerard]

Nothing really new here but here's my 2 cents anyway - We have 10 acres and 4 horses. Have an L2500 gear tractor. Bought it new with loader and boxblade for $14300 in 1999 delivered to my door. 25 hp and I wouldn't want less. There are times I would have liked MORE but it would have been a luxury, not a necessity. Have never wanted a smaller one. I would look for 25 -30 hp for your use as you will be putting in fence (need post auger), bushogging, maybe putting in an outdoor arena, moving baled hay, moving manure etc. HST is something I wished I had at times (mainly when doing loader work) but the gear was about $1500 less so that was my choice. I would also reccomend going with the R1's. I've never wished I had LESS traction!! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[riptides]

Well your sitrep sounds a bunch like mine. I ended up on an <font color=orange>Orange</font color=orange> B7800. We now have a horse, looking for more, ten acres, barn, etc. etc.

How did I get to the tractor, well I looked at this board for close to a year. There was BX fever back then. And I thought that was it for me. Until.... I went shopping. Until.... I started sitting on them, until.... I looked at my property numerous times and thought out what I wanted to do.
Move Manure - FEL and Spreader
Cut grass, Bushhog - Lawnmower and Bushog
Spread Stuff - FEL, Rake, Spreader, Blade
Plow snow - FEL and blade

Not kill myself - ROPS and seatbelt
Traction - 4WD
Power - 25-40HP
Price - 12 - 18k
Dealer - Unmatched quality

Final write off --------- wife.

Go not think about it for a while, then do the steps all over again. When I had the class of tractor nailed, I started going to dealerships in my area. The good thing you have done is read this board. The information is beyond compare.

Best of luck in your search. Remember IMHO a few thousand more over 20 years ain't much. Get what you NEED, get what you WANT. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Here is the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractorbynet.com/cgi-bin/compact/showflat.pl?Cat=&Board=owning&Number=225690&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=1#Post227882/> B7800 in Action</A> link.

HTH
-Mike Z.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hazmat-

I have not had a chance to test drive any tractors yet. Before I get to that stage I would like to have a pretty good idea of what models I should concentrate on.

Until we recently purchased the property, there was a farmer who collected hay off the land. If he is still interested in collecting it, I have no problems letting him do it on 10 acres. If not, I very well may have to mow / brush hog it myself. The property is very flat and rectangular. There are no trees on it, so mowing should be pretty easy.

Dan

 

[riptides]

Dan,

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

Just moved here from the city. Can I cut 15 acres with my push mower?

<hr></blockquote>



Of course you can, /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif question is do you want to?
Whereabouts in our great commonwealth art tho?

-Mike Z.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Mike-

I moved from the heart of Cascades (small yards and houses stacked on top of each other) to Purceville. We are having a house built which should be done in the next 3 months, so I am really starting to focus on what I will need to care for the property. The property has a 4 rail fence all around it, so that is one less thing I have to worry about.

 

[ScottAR]

<font color=blue>Can I cut 15 acres with my push mower?</font color=blue>

If your a *********, I suppose ya can... /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

all in fun...

 

[Casimir]

<font color=blue>Can I cut 15 acres with my push mower? <font color=black>

You probably won't want to do it more than once a year. By the time you get it cut once, winter will set in and you can start over next summer /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

With a new house, I would be willing to bet you will be doing some landscaping (flower beds, shrubs, walkways, etc.). The tractor will really come in handy with all of these projects and any more the wife can dream up. Once she sees how much you can do with it, she will be glad you got one too. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Woodbeef]

Gee I guess we'll have to say "Mow em Dano" instead of "Book em Dano" eh?

 

[frank_f15]

i am going to try and put this in it's simplest form, some may not agrre but is MHO. hp is only relevant to the physical size of the tractor. my b2400 has plenty of power, but due to the fact that they must design the hydraulic to match the size of machine,u can't lift more than is safe for the tractor. they could buid a b2400 with hydraulics that would lift more , but it would probably not be good for the machine. it would exert more force and strain than that size frame could handel. i know this is not very sientific, but i hope u will get my drift.