Buying Advice Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture

   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #1  

steamtrain

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
17
Location
Idaho
Tractor
Bobcat CT235
We bought a new place last summer that has a three acre grass pasture that we need to take care of. Last year we had a neighbor swath and bale it in return for the hay, but I know it wasn't worth his time and he was doing it just to be nice. We don't want big animals, yet anyways, so I am thinking that I will just mow it down. Of course, I WANT an eighteen thousand dollar Kubota, but my desired price range is more like a sixteen hundred dollar craftsman. :thumbsup:

Reality must lie somewhere in between! What is the smallest tractor (ie pricetag) I can sensibly use to mow a three acre pasture? It is corrugated, thus pretty rough. I believe it is orchard grass, so pretty clumpy and dense. I think it would be silly to get something that didn't have a front end loader. I have been watching craigslist, but in several months I haven't seen anything that was appealing. I don't know enough about tractors to feel comfortable analyzing and pricing used, so I would rather get something new anyway. SO... is there such a thing as a tractor for around $6000 that would meet my needs? I have more time than money, and I *hate* hiring it out, or renting equipment. (It erodes my sense of independence!!) BUT I need to make the correct economical decision, and it wouldn't make sense to have a $20,000 tool doing a few hundred dollars worth a work per year. I have lurked enough to know I should buy the biggest tractor I can afford, but what's the biggest tractor I SHOULD afford!

Thanks!!
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #2  
First welcome to the furum steamtrain,


I think you need to align your wants with your needs and budget. A good new tractor and fel with brush mower isn't available for $5000. There are lots of good used tractors and mowers available to handle 3 acres for less than $5000 albeit without a fel in most cases. I feel differently than most of the guys on this forum in that I don't think everyone has to have a fel on every tractor and riding mower. I would recommend you find something used for less than the $5000 and have room for a small budget to fix it up and change filters and fluids.
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #3  
There are two ways you can go to mow something like that:
1. Older 2wd tractor, Massey Ferguson 35, Ford 3000, etc (an example: Ford 600 tractor with loader) Cost $1500-6000 depends on the deal. Plenty of HP, but 2WD with a loader can get exciting in the mud
2. Older 4wd asian tractor. Jinma, Mitsubishi and many other brands. Many around and very versatile, but low on HP (most can only handle a 4' mower) and some parts aren't available (an example: Ford 600 tractor with loader) Cost $1500-6000 depends on the deal.

Aaron Z
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #4  
First welcome to the furum steamtrain,


I think you need to align your wants with your needs and budget. A good new tractor and fel with brush mower isn't available for $5000. There are lots of good used tractors and mowers available to handle 3 acres for less than $5000 albeit without a fel in most cases. I feel differently than most of the guys on this forum in that I don't think everyone has to have a fel on every tractor and riding mower. I would recommend you find something used for less than the $5000 and have room for a small budget to fix it up and change filters and fluids.

A used JD 2305 or similar size and brand with 500ish hrs (tractor loader mower) can be had around for $9000. It would be a nice machine and very capabable. An old(196? or 195?) ford 8n or 9n with a descent bushog will more than do the trick. You can likely pick that up in good condition for $2000-3000. Those old tractor have lots of life left in them. Or finance a new machine. A craftsmen type machine with a belly mower won't last if it's really rough going, you'll ruin the deck in no time. Good luck and welcome aboard!!


Obviously price veries by region.
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #5  
Touch base with your local dealers,tell them what you have in mind and can afford.My be a good used tractor coming in on trade.
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #6  
Well, for $1600 you could probably pay someone to take care of it for a couple years....
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #7  
a nice MF 35/135/Ford 3000 would be my direction
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #8  
If you've got the time a scythe would be the cheapest :)
1999-0506-b-scythe.jpg
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #9  
If you've got the time a scythe would be the cheapest :)
View attachment 296329

I was going to say weed wacker, but you're right, scythe would be cheaper to buy and run.

I would forget all about buying new unless you can swallow hard and accept a minimum $15,000 price tag. Some may be cheaper, but unless you have that mind set, you won't be able to compare and find what's best for you. Over the life of a tractor, a couple thousand either way isn't much.

As far as used goes, I was in your shoes 4 years ago when I was buying my first tractor. You really have no idea what's a good tractor, bad tractor, good deal etc, and you're finding it hard to look at tractors that aren't John Deere or Kubota for fear of buying inferior junk. Use this thread and post some of the options you come up with, you'll get LOTS of help/opinions. The one thing you can expect is nobody will agree on anything, but that's OK, you'll get lots of good pros and cons to help you make your own choice. A lot of people know a lot about tractors and you'll learn a lot here, as I have. Hopefully you'll be able to expand your comfort zone for manufactures as well, there are actually very few bad tractors. Good luck
 
   / Minimum $$ investment to mow 3 ac of pasture #10  
$1500 would be about as low as you will fine crude tractor/bush hog. Locally last year I could have bought a nice old JD for $1200 that the guy just used to bush hog a few acres but through the family he came up with a little MF I think and did not have a shed for both.
 
 
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