GordonLightFoot
New member
Hello All -
My wife and I just recently purchased a 185 yr old, 35 acre farm in Ohio. It's mostly all flat, with about 2-4 acres of grass to cut, orchards and very elaborate gardens that the previous owner had established. The gardens are lined with stone walls and are pretty narrow, I won't have any choice but to use a push mower in these areas. There is a network of trails through the forest I'd like to keep maintained, again its predominately all flat. We also have a driveway that's about 60' and is a 3-5 degree slope - we live in the snow belt (60"-100") so keeping my driveway clear is imperative. Lastly there is a 60'x60' garden spot that I will need to till. So my price range is 3k max. and I'm willing to add more attachments on after the fact, we're currently furnishing the entire house and I'm hemorrhaging money.
My one fear is, If I'm thinking to big on a garden tractor and should taper down, get a separate rototiller, snow blower, and a cheaper riding lawn mower. The idea of getting these attachments dedicated to one platform unnerves me a bit. I don't know how cross compatible older models are with new etc...Not opposed to having one platform for all, I just need to be sure I'm doing the right thing. I've read 100's of reviews, gone to a few dealers/outlets (holy %$#! frustrating). Once I settle on a brand, I probe deeper and start getting swayed by bad reviews and horror stories.
For snow removal, I was leaning more towards a plow, I have areas I can push the snow and I work from home, so I can stay on top of it before any accumulation. The price of chains + plow seem more reasonable than a $1.5k blower attachment. As far as the grass goes, 65% approx is wide open, there are two orchards on a half acre a piece that would need a bit more care, so some agility in these areas is a must.
So far I've considered:
Craftsman GT6000 and 4500 - has been my #1 choice thus far. Very tight turn radius, decent power, good reviews.
John Deere x300 line - attachments are very $$ as is tractor itself.
Cub Cadet 1000 series, was looking at the top of the line in the 1000 series, good financing
Are these more than what I need? Should I be looking refurbs more?...
Thank you in advance for any help.
My wife and I just recently purchased a 185 yr old, 35 acre farm in Ohio. It's mostly all flat, with about 2-4 acres of grass to cut, orchards and very elaborate gardens that the previous owner had established. The gardens are lined with stone walls and are pretty narrow, I won't have any choice but to use a push mower in these areas. There is a network of trails through the forest I'd like to keep maintained, again its predominately all flat. We also have a driveway that's about 60' and is a 3-5 degree slope - we live in the snow belt (60"-100") so keeping my driveway clear is imperative. Lastly there is a 60'x60' garden spot that I will need to till. So my price range is 3k max. and I'm willing to add more attachments on after the fact, we're currently furnishing the entire house and I'm hemorrhaging money.
My one fear is, If I'm thinking to big on a garden tractor and should taper down, get a separate rototiller, snow blower, and a cheaper riding lawn mower. The idea of getting these attachments dedicated to one platform unnerves me a bit. I don't know how cross compatible older models are with new etc...Not opposed to having one platform for all, I just need to be sure I'm doing the right thing. I've read 100's of reviews, gone to a few dealers/outlets (holy %$#! frustrating). Once I settle on a brand, I probe deeper and start getting swayed by bad reviews and horror stories.
For snow removal, I was leaning more towards a plow, I have areas I can push the snow and I work from home, so I can stay on top of it before any accumulation. The price of chains + plow seem more reasonable than a $1.5k blower attachment. As far as the grass goes, 65% approx is wide open, there are two orchards on a half acre a piece that would need a bit more care, so some agility in these areas is a must.
So far I've considered:
Craftsman GT6000 and 4500 - has been my #1 choice thus far. Very tight turn radius, decent power, good reviews.
John Deere x300 line - attachments are very $$ as is tractor itself.
Cub Cadet 1000 series, was looking at the top of the line in the 1000 series, good financing
Are these more than what I need? Should I be looking refurbs more?...
Thank you in advance for any help.