rootytoot
Member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2008
- Messages
- 49
- Location
- Western Oregon
- Tractor
- Ford/NH Model 1920, Allis Chalmers Model G
Hi, I've settled on buying a Cub Cadet for general mowing and spraying duties at a rental house that I have on some acreage (crazy, I know, but that's a topic for a different day...).
Here's the situation: For mowing, there are some fencelines that I only get to a couple times a year, so when I go to mow them the grass is more than a foot tall. The main pasture I do with a tractor and rotary cutter, so I only need to line out the fences with a garden tractor. To get to the pasture I have to travel down and up a fairly steep slope - probably 4 to 5 per cent in places. Once out in the pasture it is quite bumpy and uneven - this ain't a golf course I'm running. In addition, there are couple of level yards around the house and an orchard to mow regularly. Mowed on a regular basis, there's probably an acre; mowed infrequently, a couple acres, mostly done with tractor, though I'd use the garden tractor on the slope of the hill where the big tractor makes me nervous if I could (right now I do the hill with a BCS sickle bar).
Then spraying... same pasture, only now I would be dragging a 25 gallon sprayer on a trailer over the ground. This pasture has been tilled in recent years, so it's not full of potholes, but it is wavy and bumpy in places.
I started out looking for an older 3 speed manual transmission Cub, but recently there have been some other interesting CC's on craigslist. One is an older 1650, which is hydrostatic. It has been gone through, with rebuilt engine, new spindles, new fluids and mowing belt. Guy is asking $1800, which is not bad for a tractor that is probably miles better than what I could get at Sears. Comes with a tiller and the IH badge for that price, too.
The other tractor is a 2550, bought in 2006, has only 91 hours on it, for only $1250. Seems like a deal, but it is seven hours away . Obviously the 2550 should have better parts availability, more power (22 HP), more bells and whistles, the ever-popular cup holder, etc. But I read reviews on the internet about heat issues, and the current owner tells me that he has to clean the air filter after every use. At the end of the day, I really want a machine that will hold up. What do you suggest? Which is going to be more durable on rough ground?
Thanks,
Kurt
Here's the situation: For mowing, there are some fencelines that I only get to a couple times a year, so when I go to mow them the grass is more than a foot tall. The main pasture I do with a tractor and rotary cutter, so I only need to line out the fences with a garden tractor. To get to the pasture I have to travel down and up a fairly steep slope - probably 4 to 5 per cent in places. Once out in the pasture it is quite bumpy and uneven - this ain't a golf course I'm running. In addition, there are couple of level yards around the house and an orchard to mow regularly. Mowed on a regular basis, there's probably an acre; mowed infrequently, a couple acres, mostly done with tractor, though I'd use the garden tractor on the slope of the hill where the big tractor makes me nervous if I could (right now I do the hill with a BCS sickle bar).
Then spraying... same pasture, only now I would be dragging a 25 gallon sprayer on a trailer over the ground. This pasture has been tilled in recent years, so it's not full of potholes, but it is wavy and bumpy in places.
I started out looking for an older 3 speed manual transmission Cub, but recently there have been some other interesting CC's on craigslist. One is an older 1650, which is hydrostatic. It has been gone through, with rebuilt engine, new spindles, new fluids and mowing belt. Guy is asking $1800, which is not bad for a tractor that is probably miles better than what I could get at Sears. Comes with a tiller and the IH badge for that price, too.
The other tractor is a 2550, bought in 2006, has only 91 hours on it, for only $1250. Seems like a deal, but it is seven hours away . Obviously the 2550 should have better parts availability, more power (22 HP), more bells and whistles, the ever-popular cup holder, etc. But I read reviews on the internet about heat issues, and the current owner tells me that he has to clean the air filter after every use. At the end of the day, I really want a machine that will hold up. What do you suggest? Which is going to be more durable on rough ground?
Thanks,
Kurt