Those of you with TWO tractors, which ones?

[Piston]

I know there are a LOT of people on here with multiple tractors, some with over 10 or 20 or so, but I'm really looking for input from the homeowner types that have two tractors, and also what you do with them.


Bare with me here....
Not long ago, I had a single dual sport motorcycle, it was too heavy for tight technical single track and too big for competitive racing, but at the same time, it was too small/uncomfortable for long road rides. I sold it, and replaced it with a smaller dirt bike for racing, and a larger bike for the road. I'm 100 times happier now, the last one was good all around but not great at anything. Replacing one with two opened up so many more opportunities for me. (I still need a 3rd).


I'm often finding that my tractor (Kubota L series) is a little too big and heavy for some of the "landscaping" jobs I want to do (For the moment, I'm ignoring the fact that it's also too small for a lot of the "woods" work I do.)

I keep looking at those little subcompacts and think how handy it would be to have one. I could never get by with just a subcompact as they just can't do a lot of what I need, but as a second tractor, I think it would fill a huge void that my current one can't fill.

I'm referring to things like small garden tilling, planting trees/shrubs, mowing the lawn, spreading mulch, picking up random debris etc. now that LandPride makes a grapple for the BX, I'm a lot more interested in them



So for those of you who decided that one wasn't enough, what did you start off with? What were you doing that made you want another tractor? And what second tractor did you buy! And what do you use the second one for?

Share your stories if your so inclined, as always, pictures make a post 1k times better.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

The wife has an l3400 and I have my 5083e. She can't drive a clutch and needed a loader tractor and I knew I was going to be haying and heavier farm work so it was a pretty easy decision. I actually wish I would have went a bit bigger though on the jd. I don't know that there is much more to the story though Except I had to have a cab!!

I guess I should add that my fil's 4020 gets alot of farm work done for me as well.

 

[Will_C]

Not two tractors, but I have a tractor, a RTV, and a zero turn. Started off with a garden tractor for mowing and snow removal (with a front blade), and then went with a BX with a MMM and a FEL. Used that for every thing you could think of-mowing, snow removal, towing implements, and loader work.

I bought a ZTR for the mowing and a year later bought a B2620 with a FEL. The Z is used for around 8 acres of mowing. The tractor is used for snow removal, bush hog work, landscape rake use on 3 driveways and loader work. The RTV gets most of the towing duties-lawn rolling, pulling a chain harrow when I put food plots in, carrying tools when I do big trimmer jobs, and carrying firewood out of the woods.
In addition, my brother next door has a Grand L that I use with a roto-tiller when I break ground for food plots.

Will

 

[nybirdman]

We have a Kubota L4240 HSTC and a L3000DT(gear).The L4240 is the primary for snow removal,ground work and heavy lifting.The L3000DT is our woods tractor but is also handy for any tight work needed.
My son owns the L3000DT and really likes it;I am spoiled by the HST transmission.
We started with 8N and 9N's,graduated to a L3130 HST Kubota open station.That particular tractor would have stayed if I had purchased one with a cab.
I have used a B7800 HST with a back-hoe but find them too small for my taste.
Perfect tractor;35-40 HP,FWD with a cab.

 

[TripleR]

If I absolutely positively had to get by with only two they would be my BX2660 and M8540HDC. I have too much land to maintain without the 8540 and 10' cutter and there are times the FEL on my 5740 just won't hack it. I can also cross deeper washouts on the 8540 and the ride is much smoother. I can mow the yard and run a tiller with the 2660 and get the 2660 with FEL and 4' cutter in places the 8540 won't fit.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I started out with a Yanmar 4220D (greymarket ) and while it was a great tractor at 42 HP with 4 WD and FEL, I wanted something with a cab. After searching and pricing MF, NH, Kioti, Mahindra and Kubota (well actually the Kubota dealer never would call me back with a price) I found the LS P7010 with cab. I paid about the same for it as NH wanted for their 40 HP with cab and for the same price as a MF 1652 with cab. I liked the power and did some awesome jobs of moving stuff with it, but found it a bit large for many task like fine grading since with the cab visibility is a bit restricted.
A year or so later I came upon a great deal on a used Kubota B 26 TLB with only about 60 hours on the clock. It really suited my needs for a compact tractor with a backhoe that I have found to be the most useful of my two. I like the cab with heat and AC for mowing so I don't have to worry about stirring up a yellow jacket or wasp nest nor the dust nor the limbs whacking me in the face but my go to is the smaller tractor for most of my work. The backhoe makes just about any task a pleasure. I rarely have to lift anything anymore, just let the backhoe with the hydraulic thumb be my strong hands and back. At least once or twice a year I have to remove a dead pine tree with the backhoe, it is quick work to get up stump and all. Then I can lift sections off the ground for chain sawing into manageable pieces without getting my blade in the dirt. Every spring it is rock gathering season and the back hoe makes that job much easier. The smaller frame is so much easier to get up and down on than the utility with its 3 steps up to the operators platform so on and off is much simplier and the physical size limitations of the P 7010 limits access to many places that I can get the B26 in with ease and without taking out any building parts or trees.

I use my utility tractor for mowing, disking, rowing, tilling and moving large quantities of dirt and rock when needed. Also good for moving large downed trees, pulling or pushing over smaller trees sometimes.

Having two tractors means I can leave the backhoe on the one full time so there is not any transposing to be done even though it is a simple task to do with the B26, it still takes time and effort and crawling around to get the 3 PH arms back on. Much better to just be able to turn the key and go about my task and then park it and wait for the next one.

Not part of topic, but I also have two zero turn mowers. One I have bar lug tires on and it is my wetlands mower. I can go thru wet spots that the turf tired one wouldn't think of going. I have quite a bit of area that during the spring rainy season stays wet and sometime with standing water that I can just mow right on thru and then water hose off the mud when finished. This year has been raining at least once a week and lately every day for a couple of weeks. The grass would be waist high if I didn't have my mud buggy mower. Even still, I have some weed eating that has to be done but not nearly the amount that would be required without my R1 tired ZTR.

 

[Sprinklerman]

I dont have pics ,but I started with a bx 24 ,and a bobcat skid steer . I mainly do residential irrigation and lots of customers . I increased my services with the bx . I have dug drainage , aerated lawns, graded small lawns, roto tilled entire lawns , bush hogged sections of customers lawns just because of the small size and weight of the BX . Jobs the bigger stuff was to big for . I found it a bit small on occasion , but liked the tractor so much more than the skid steer I sold it and bought a 30 hp New holland a buddy had . It gets used for the bigger stuff. I found a nich market with the tractors , everyone around here has skid steers , they tear up existing lawns . The tractors are a bit slower but dont tear up the lawns I have to cross .

 

[xtruckerbob]

I We have a L 2600, and a Ford 3000 but like you We needed something different. So we bought my wife a BX 2670 FEL/MMM. She mows alone side me on my L model while we mowing 12 acres ever week. The BX is used mainly to mow because it does not rut up the yard like the L model. Plus while landscaping our yard the loader was great addititon. W even used the BX and loader to help dig our 3/4 acre pond. The BX is also used on the lake bank where it is steep the 4WD works great. The BX is a little lite for heavy work and it is not 40 horse tractor but giving it time it is a work horse.

 

[sixdogs]

These are difficult questions but I would say you need at least two and possibly three tractors for a large rural lot or farmstead style setting. You need the Kubota L4610 that you already have. Then you need either a separate backhoe or something small like a Kubota B25D TLB. This is small enough to fit into the nooks and crannies of a house lot and yet is big enough to do some serious work. The B25 TLB is really the perfect household machine for the typical rural homestead. Then you need a lawnmower.

Sure you can get by without extra tractors but then you always jerking around putting a backhoe on or off and it's never ready when you need it. Same with a small loader. if you only have one tractor, that's fine. But then you spend time taking the loader off when the tractor is too big for the yard or not having it on when you need it.

 

[gwdixon]

Started with a AC WD45, graduated to a Kubota L3650, and realized what the OP has found.

Consequently, see my signature.