What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres)

   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #11  
That crossed my mind but a large hydro tractor is actually more expensive than a small one and an older big one. Then again, maybe it's better and I think it's easier to clear with The Boss (my wife).

It also keeps more space in the barn for other toys :)
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #12  
Gonna mow the lawn with a 35HP tractor?

I mow about 5 acres and my tractor with the MMM leaves the best finish and rides the smoothest because of the large tires. It is so easy to drive my wife could do it while reading a book. The x744 fits between the trees and flower gardens better but if I had to just keep one, the NH would stay.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #13  
If your just starting out with buying one thing, I'd also go with the 35hp compact tractor recommendation. There is a good supply of used implements available out there for category one hitches that will make the tractor infinitely more useful. Personally I would find 14 acres alot to mow on a weekly basis with a ztr. My preference would be to use a 6' rotary cutter behind my 35 hp tractor and just mow the bulk of it about 3 times a summer, and use a finish type mower to keep a couple acres around the house trimmed up weekly. I'd choose the specific brand and type by watching the classifieds. The rest of the time the tractor could be used for other stuff, like running a 6' tiller to make short work of getting the garden in.

An MF 135 or Ford 3000 would be a great budget purchase to start with that might even be found with a mower in a package deal. But if you get one of the deluxe newer compact tractors you'll find they have become a little more comfortable to operate and offer more hydraulic capacity, and you may be less inclined to get back on the older one.

I'd hold off on the zero turn until you've figured out how much lawn you're actually mowing and the estimated time it'll save you, then scale that investment/purchase accordingly.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #14  
Gonna mow the lawn with a 35HP tractor?

I mowed my 2+ acres of lawn this summer with a 35hp tractor and a 6' Woods RD7200 rear discharge finish mower. It was fast and did a fine job, but it was a little tough on some of the tree branches:punch:.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres)
  • Thread Starter
#15  
It also keeps more space in the barn for other toys :)

This man knows what he's talking about. :D

Actually, I really like this forum. I've read advice like, "Get the HST, your wife will be able to operate the tractor while you're in the bucket trimming a tree."

That's exactly right. Or she can raise shingles to me while I'm on the roof. Or who knows what? It just seemed smart. Another piece of wisdom was, "Wives hate open field. The always want to fill them with things you have to mow around."

Yep, I can see that too. I'm learning from the guys that have walked this path already. :)
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #16  
I started another thread but I wanted to come at this from another angle.

The Situation:
  • I bought a house with 14+ acres, mostly lawn (of varying height) at the moment
  • The future may hold a barn, horses, a good sized garden (1/2 acre?)
  • I am new to tractors but I'm no stranger to turning a wrench, welding, light fab work, etc.

The Question:
I might not be able to buy it all at once but what would your (within reason) ideal set of tractors, implements, and lawn mowers would be. For extra credit, what order would you buy it in?

I'll start the list but it's really your opinions that matter, I'm a rookie.

  1. 72" Commercial Grade ztr mower
  2. 25hp compact utility tractor with front loader for odd jobs, bush hogging, etc.
  3. Old/cheap Massey 135/175 class tractor for the occasional heavy job.

Ok, now you go. :)
I think your plan is ideal. The Zero Turn is a no brainer (to me). I like having a small tractor for your 'every day' type of stuff. Maybe 'compromise' on a little bigger machine and cut your machines from 3 to 2. If you will be working around and close to structures and tight spaces, having too big tractor will be frustrating I would think. I am amazed at all of the miscellaneous tasks I do with my SCUT and the places I can get into. Maybe a CUT and then see if you really need a big guy. I would think that is going to depend on how many 'big' jobs you have and the time you have. If you aren't in a hurry a smaller tractor with the appropriate implements will do most anything you want to tackle. You can always rent or hire a big guy for that odd one time type of job.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #17  
keep a small finished yard 1 to 2 acres. and go for tractor. that way you can make repairs and do various maintenance stuff around the property, get yourself the implements, etc... for tractor. that will make life easier vs fighting it all. they yard around house may not look great for some time, but overall you will be able to keep the 14 acres under control vs letting it get out of hand, as ya wait and save up the cash for a second unit.

you will have to wait for the yard to dry out before driving on to it, to mow it but... *shrugs*

a tractor, going to help with snow, to putting in fence lines, to maintaining driveway, to generic landscaping stuff, to little bit of everything else.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #18  
I agree with boggen and milkman636; mowing 14 acres as lawn is not something I would do.

If you want any kind of pasture critters in the future it would be good to use the intervening time to develop good pasture with the right kind of forage plants. Get that underway, do some fencing of separate pasture lots, think about water for animals, etc. Your time will be better spent than mowing and you would be starting out miles ahead of people who get the animals first then try to catch up. This is meaningful to your overall expenses for vet care and feed.

If no pasture animals are in the future, I would keep some walking lanes mowed regularly but only mow the rest enough to keep it cleared. 14 acres of "lawn" amounts to an ecological dead zone. Think of the variety of plants and animals that could (and should) be living there.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #19  
I agree with getting a zero turn mower, if you stay under 3 acres of actual yard a 48" commercial grade will do just fine. You can mow much more than that, but who needs that much yard. Go with the 35+ HP HST tractor with FEL, there is just so much you can do with it and the attachments. Rather than buy another tractor spend the money on a few key implements; box blade, brush hog (do not need a finish mower), nice tiller and you mentioned possibly horses, so get a post hole digger because you will be building fence. You will need your acreage for pasture and possibly hay in the future, so plan ahead now and consider working the ground and planting a good pasture grass mix or hay mixture. Worst case if it is a few years before you might get horses you can either just keep it mowed with your brush hog or I am sure you can find a local farmer who would pay you to bale the hay off the property. Seat time on a tractor is a lot more enjoyable than sitting on a mower mowing grass, amazing how many things you will find to be done on a tractor. Congrats on the purchase and prepare to enjoy it for many, many years.
 
   / What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres) #20  
That crossed my mind but a large hydro tractor is actually more expensive than a small one and an older big one. Then again, maybe it's better and I think it's easier to clear with The Boss (my wife).

A large hydro tractor may be more expensive than a small one and an older big one UNTIL you start doing repairs on the older big one. Those repairs can up the cost quickly.
 
 
Top