Little tractor with belly mower

[F3506]

Thinking about getting a compact tractor with a belly mower for the wife to use. Will need a cab and AC. What are the good brands and ones to stay away from? I've seen belly mowers on John Deere, Ford, and recently Kubota tractors. Any other brands? Does New Holland/Case offer them still or just the old Ford's?

Also, if I get one with a front end loader, what's the smallest size recommended to be able to move 4 x 5 round bales? Smallest tractor I have currently is 70 hp at the PTO and it moves them just fine. So does the bigger one, but if she takes a liking to her new toy, she may want to use it instead.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I had a belly mower on a 25 pto or thereabouts JD. I moved away from it. It is a compromise. You drive over the grass with a good amount of weight before you cut it, so cut quality suffers.

That and, I never liked loosing all my ground clearance.

Just mentioning it for what it is worth.

 

[F3506]

I had a belly mower on a 25 pto or thereabouts JD. I moved away from it. It is a compromise. You drive over the grass with a good amount of weight before you cut it, so cut quality suffers.

That and, I never liked loosing all my ground clearance.

Just mentioning it for what it is worth.

How does cut quality compare to a trailed finish mower? Not really worried about ground clearance as I have other tractors for actual tractor work. Getting out of the heat/wind/grass blowing everywhere and sitting in the AC is the primary line of thinking here.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I guess a rear mounted one would be worse. Four wheels driving over the grass just before it gets cut. I suppose it all depends on how fussy you are about your grass. In truth, nothing cuts grass as nice as a push lawn mower and next up is a cheapie lightweight riding mower. Get into anything heavier and you have to spend a lot of money on specialized grounds care equipment to get back into that perfect cut again.

 

[Scooby074]

Think dedicated mower. My BX sucked as a mower for the reasons IT said above. Went to a ZD for mowing duties. Much better mower.



Something like a Kubota or Deere front mount with a cab and either factory or aftermarket AC is likely the best option if mowing is job #1, but this will cost about something like a B50 with midmower and loader. The Kubota B50 series tractors have cabs and AC, but they arent as good a mower and suffer the same (or worse) issues as above do to their increased weight.

Mandatory cab with ac complicates things and adds considerably to the cost. You havent mentioned budget, but this wont be cheap if buying new (think about $25-30k depending on many factors).

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

Hmmmm. Belly mower + cab/ac + moving round bales. I don't know of anything that meets all those specs.

I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I don't know of any tractor big enough to move round bales that offers a mid-mount mower option.

Edit: I assume you're talking about moving them with a hay spike on the front end loader. If you're talking about a 3 point mounted spike, that might be do-able.

 

[Morroder]

Hmmmm. Belly mower + cab/ac + moving round bales. I don't know of anything that meets all those specs. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I don't know of any tractor big enough to move round bales that offers a mid-mount mower option. Edit: I assume you're talking about moving them with a hay spike on the front end loader. If you're talking about a 3 point mounted spike, that might be do-able.

My NH Boomer 3040 can be configured to do it all. Optional belly mower and cab is wonderful. I handle 4x6 bales with loader. List price for that setup would be well north of 40k

 

[F3506]

I guess a rear mounted one would be worse. Four wheels driving over the grass just before it gets cut. I suppose it all depends on how fussy you are about your grass. In truth, nothing cuts grass as nice as a push lawn mower and next up is a cheapie lightweight riding mower. Get into anything heavier and you have to spend a lot of money on specialized grounds care equipment to get back into that perfect cut again.

If it comes to mowing with a push mower, I'd rather use a shredder. I'm willing to sacrifice that golf course look for the comfort. We usually set the mower deck around 3.5" - 4" tall in the summer anyway.

Think dedicated mower. My BX sucked as a mower for the reasons IT said above. Went to a ZD for mowing duties. Much better mower.



Something like a Kubota or Deere front mount with a cab and either factory or aftermarket AC is likely the best option if mowing is job #1, but this will cost about something like a B50 with midmower and loader. The Kubota B50 series tractors have cabs and AC, but they arent as good a mower and suffer the same (or worse) issues as above do to their increased weight.

Mandatory cab with ac complicates things and adds considerably to the cost. You havent mentioned budget, but this wont be cheap if buying new (think about $25-30k depending on many factors).

Still in the early stages of this and trying to work my way through it. Used with 500 hours or less seem to show up in the 20k range it appears. I've got a nice Hustler zero turn mower, but using it for road sides or fence lines isn't too fun, and she doesn't like to use the big tractors for the road sides or fences which means either I do it or she uses the zero turn.

Hmmmm. Belly mower + cab/ac + moving round bales. I don't know of anything that meets all those specs.

I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I don't know of any tractor big enough to move round bales that offers a mid-mount mower option.

Edit: I assume you're talking about moving them with a hay spike on the front end loader. If you're talking about a 3 point mounted spike, that might be do-able.

Rear 3 point is what I was thinking. Front end loader seems like a stretch. Even if it could lift the bale, I'd be scared of a bump or tapping the brakes.





So who are all the manufacturer's that offer a belly mower and cab? Looks like Deere, Kubota, possibly LS and Kioti. Any others? Any recommendations or brands to stay away from?

 

[Scooby074]

Hmmmm. Belly mower + cab/ac + moving round bales. I don't know of anything that meets all those specs.

I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but I don't know of any tractor big enough to move round bales that offers a mid-mount mower option.

Edit: I assume you're talking about moving them with a hay spike on the front end loader. If you're talking about a 3 point mounted spike, that might be do-able.

Missed the part about the round bales... That changes things again. Whats a 4x5 bale, approx 1000 lbs? depending on material.

 

[terryknight]

deere 3 series could do it on the FEL, but if you are doing rear mount bale spear lots of things would work kubota b series has a factory cab and is the smallest i can think of