looking for hill climbing tractor

[art]

To have been using what you have I'd recommend going to a I1050 cub cadet zero turn as one of the better moves up with out spending a lot!

[JohnnyDB]

While my vote would also be for Ventrac, looking at what you were using before, I am guessing that would be a little bit of overkill if you were doing your "hills" with the lx178. Your budget is probably looking at something similar to the price range of the lx178, maybe a slight step up?
I would say that if you were doing your hills with the lx178, but you would like some more versatility, power and safety, you could look at the Ventrac 3000 Series.
My buddy has one of those for his acre lot and loves it. Uses it to mow a 25 degree hill, push snow and move material with the slip scoop.
Good luck

[jenkinsph]

I have had good performance using my x749 on hills and recommend you try one out on your lot.

[TripleR]

We have a BX and John deere 2305 both of which are very stable as is the new 1000 Series by John Deere. If you are looking more for a mower and not a SCUT as mentioned the JD 700 Series are really nice.

[bullbreaker]

Wouldn't that come under the heading of a bulldozer?
What a beast.

Don't think so,even has a 3 pt hitch.
YANMAR | T-80 Comfort Cab Edition
I'd hate to price one though.

Boone

[Gem99ultra]

Lots of good recommendatins already on good 'tractors' to handle your task at hand. But - if you simply want a mower... this year I bought a Husqvarna GTH26V54LS to mow about 5 acres of Georgia hills. Similar price to other large heavy duty mowers. 26 hp, 54" deck, hydrostatic w/canopy & wheel weights.

Add the wheel weights to the back and it'll climb a brick wall. I opted for the manufactured steel deck over the light weight stamped deck; I like to just run over sticks, limbs, whatever. The GTH model also will handle snow plows, tiller, etc., but I have a little Kubota L3400 to handle everything like that.

The Husqvarna will run under $3K whereas the same machine in Green color runs >$4K++.
I hope the Husky holds up like my other 38" Husky Rider 155. I have way over 2,000 hours on that one, and it still runs like new. But - the Rider 155 will NOT handle our 25 degree slopes, nor the weeds & sticks :-)

[RaydaKub]

Lots of good recommendatins already on good 'tractors' to handle your task at hand. But - if you simply want a mower... this year I bought a Husqvarna GTH26V54LS to mow about 5 acres of Georgia hills. Similar price to other large heavy duty mowers. 26 hp, 54" deck, hydrostatic w/canopy & wheel weights.

My son ran a Husqvarna for a neighbor this past summer. He said it took a mile to turn that thing around; wheels hit the locks way early. Don't know the model, but how is yours?

[whiskeyc]

Thanks for the input. I took the deere xl178 in, it will be about $150 to fix a pulley and it will get running again. I run it pretty hard, with chains, and pull a 10 cu. ft. wagon full of limbs, vines, rocks, etc all over the small property. We are currently remodeling the house and deck, so there is construction material all over the place right now. I have lots landscaping to do in the next year at this new property and don't know if the Deere will last long. Whether its me or the tractor that gets broke on the slope is another question.

Also, I went and looked at several 4wd tractors in the past few days.

Simplicity Prestige and Legacy XL. I think the legacy xl is in the price range of the deere x748 and kubota bx1860.

Ventrac 4000. The dealer was informative about the 3000 series though and recommended it for my type of application. It has a lot of attachments and is probably a bit more than I'd like to spend at around $12,000

Test drove Kubota GR2120 and BX2360. The GR2120 has a lot better turning capability than the BX platform. But you get a tractor with the bx which I don't think I'll need after next year. I'm lucky that my dad offered to let me borrow his Deere with a FEL if I have a weekend project.

The Prestige and GR2120 are probably front contenders for my needs. I used a phone app to see the slope angle that I had been cutting and hanging off the side of that Deere. A lot of 20 degree slopes and several 25 and 30 degree sections. The GR2120 diesel with ag tires looks like a winner but the cost is a lot for a mower. $8600 with 54" deck. The prestige was a little lower, but that kubota glide steer was slick and the turn radius was great, even comparing to the small deere.

Hooking up a Johnny Bucket Jr. to the Kubota or Simplicity would probably take care of 98% of what I'd like to do with the tractor.

[RaydaKub]

That looks like free-fall territory to me. Be careful!!!

[craigbaill]

"Also, I went and looked at several 4wd tractors in the past few days.

Simplicity Prestige and Legacy XL. I think the legacy xl is in the price range of the deere x748 and kubota bx1860.

Ventrac 4000. The dealer was informative about the 3000 series though and recommended it for my type of application. It has a lot of attachments and is probably a bit more than I'd like to spend at around $12,000"

The Deere and Simplicity will go for at least that much if not more. I was quoted $13000 for the Kubota BX1860 with a 48" MMM and a loader. The X748 was about $15000 for a a 7iron 60 MMM,3pt and PTO. The 1023E SCUT from deere was about $14000 for the same 7 iron manual connect and a D120 loader. I am not sure how much the attachments for a Ventrac cost and remember dealer support is a huge consideration. Enjoy the purchase and research phase.
Grandad4 is right...these pups quickly get to "new car"price territory but they are invaluable for work on those big hills. Sometimes the right tool costs a bit but is well worth the price.

2 cents ......converted to Turkish lira...