Buying Advice Compact for new 43 acre wooded property

   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #1  

jgoehri1

New member
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
17
Location
anderson, in
Tractor
none
The Mrs and I recently purchased a 43 acre property in Indiana. It consists of a 3 acres that needs mowed, 30 acres of woods that includes a 1 acre pond (old gravel pit that I'd like to clean up for my young kids to fish, felled tree hauling and, cash permitting, backhoe work) and 10 acres of old pasture that floods approximately 10 times per year. I'd like to bushhog the old pasture and plant deer food plots along with spruces for wind breaks. My driveway is about 1/4 of a mile and needs new gravel. The house is 125 years old with an addition that was not concerned with insulation and could use a wood stove for additional winter comfort. We certainly have the wood and I'll need something capable of towing out fallen trees and hauling cut wood. I'm a country boy who finally managed to get the land I've so coveted.

Please help a fella out with my best option. I'm leaning Kubota 3200 or Jd 2000 series. My question is will these handle the heavy tilling and backhoe work while still being able to handle a belly mower? What do you guys recommend? I'm fortunate to have a pretty good job to provide for the family, but it's not an unlimited well. I could probably swing about $25K, but am open to suggestions.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #2  
:welcome: to the forum.

The Kubota L3200 would be as small as I would go. It is not comparable to a John Deere 2000 series. It would be comparable to a 3032 John Deere. The L3200 does not have a mid pto option or the JD 3032 so you can't run a mid mount mower. You could go with a L3540. The Grand L Kubota has HST+ which gives you 2 speeds in each range, stall guard, and you can change the responsiveness of the hydro. It also has Auto throttle advance which basically links the throttle to the hydro pedal. It has a mid pto option but I think with a MMM and FEL you would be over 25K. You could go with a rear mount finish mower which would be cheaper and a MMM would not be in the way for other tasks. One drawback is L series is getting pretty big and heavy for mowing. You could also get a Kubota B3200 with a MMM and a FEL. It is comparable to a John Deere 2720. I belive you would benefit from a large tractor than a B Kubota or a 2000 JD. A kubota L4600 may also be another good option for you. It is bigger than a L3200/3800 and has a stronger loader but no mid pto.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property
  • Thread Starter
#3  
Thanks for the reply Bullitt. My 3 acres of mowing is "rough" as it consists of established trees in front of the homestead. My concern is having something to handle the mowing without tearing everyting up, but still being to handle to job behind the house in the woods. I know we can't have it all, but I'd like to get as close as I can without buying two pieces of equipment. I'd sacrifice on the mowing to handle the food plots and wooded acreage work.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #4  
It is very hard to get one tractor to do it all especially if you want to mow. I know for me personally I have a bunch of small areas to mow so I need something small but everybody has different needs. If you think you have plenty of room to maneuver a larger tractor around then a mower on the tractor may be a option for you. The Kubotas and most other brands have a removable loader so you can take it off in 5 minutes which would get rid of weight and make the tractor smaller for mowing. The 2000 series JD has a removable loader but I don't think the 3032 does. I have R4 tires on both of my tractors. They are more turf friendly than ags but you have traction than a turf tire. They are more puncture resistant than ags or turfs. They are a good all around tire. I keep my implements upon top off a hill. If it is wet i can drive up there with the L4240 and it barely harms the grass. 3 acres is alot of mowing to do so a mower on tractor would be nice but you may need something smaller for close to your house.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #5  
:welcome: I think your better off going with two machines.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #6  
I would go with a 3000 series John Deere. I have 56 acres about 14 or 15 mowed and the rest is woods. I have a J.D. 790 which is the same as the 3005. I also have a loader and backhoe for it. It works very well, I have a lot of steep hills so i went with a gear transmission instead of hyro. Also have a 5' tiller. I definately wouldn't want a smaller tractor, a little larger would be nice, however when i am in the woods with my tractor it is just the right size. A bigger tractor wouldn't work so well in the woods. Another deciding factor for me was John Deere is an american company, and I am an american, so i try to support my country. REMEMBER BUY AMERICAN OR BYE AMERICA!!
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #7  
I think I would opt for something a little larger in size. Like Bullet said the L3540 would be a good fit. It's about the same HP but more weight and a larger loader would come in handy. For a nice lawn the weight might be a detractor but it sounds like you don't have to worry about that. The weight and extra loader will help with the gravel driveway and the pond.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #8  
JD 2000 is definitely too small, 3000 or 4000 series to do what you are looking to do in the future.

Love to see a picture of your darling 125 year old house.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #9  
I would opt for something in the 40 to 50 HP range, maybe 35. Or two tractors of different complimenting sizes/configurations.
 
   / Compact for new 43 acre wooded property #10  
From my experience, just about any work you plan to do in the woods means you are going on rough terrain with ruts, rocks and roots, often in narrow quarters. That's not something you want to be doing with a belly mower hanging beneath your tractor... it will get hung up or something will be damaged. So if the tractor has to serve both functions, you're forever putting on and taking off that mower. Particularly with a tractor of the size you're considering, that gets old very quickly and I'm thinking a decent mowing unit of your preference would be a wise choice, leaving your tractor set up so you can do your land clearing and preparation tasks and other work more readily.

As others have noted, a larger-framed tractor in the 30-50 hp range such as the Kubota L or Grand L or the Deere 3000 or 4000 series would be a good match for your work. Both brands offer absolutely top-notch equipment in those model lines and there are other very good ones as well.
 
 
Top