Buying Advice Best subcompact for long mountain road

[wqh]

I have a gravel mountain drive in NC that is a mile long. It has a rise of about 800 feet in that mile. Slope is generally less than 8% with a couple of short sections at 15% grade. I have been trying to keep mowed with an old Troybilt lawn tractor that for obvious reason spends more time being repaired than running. I've decided it's the right time to break down and buy the right equipment.

Whatever I buy will probably be used 80% for mowing the the remainder for ditch cleaning, moving firewood, etc. I'd start with the mower and front end loader, possible adding a backhoe later. My view is my skills are limited and anything major, I'm hiring someone. Work can be dangerous on steep mountain slopes and I'm not into taking chances.

I've been looking at subcompacts from Mahindra, Kubota and Massey Ferguson but my eyes are glazing over with marketing hype. I want something that is powerful enough to handle the terrain without strain and can handle the occasional maintenance project. The dealers I've talked with all have opinions but I'm concerned whether they really understand operating in the mountains.

Opinions anyone? Also, would you go used or new? Used subcompacts seem hard to come by in my area.

 

[tman1020]

Low and wide for hills is always a good idea. Might want to compare those specs on your front runners. Plus make sure you read up on operating tractors on hills/slopes if have not already. There r right and wrong ways to deal with hills. Tractors are by design tippy.

 

[jeff9366]

Sub-compacts usually have only 9" ground clearance and around twenty horsepower. Neither are enough for the tasks you have outlined. A larger, heavier tractor will have a wider stance and will be less "tippy" both on hills and flat ground.

You have linked MOWING with the ROAD. Please clarify your mowing requirements.

For maintenance of a long gravel road a Land Plane should be your primary implement.

LINK:

Tractor Land Plane - Tractor Land Leveler - 3 point Hitch

 

[bcp]

If you are going to need a backhoe, buy it with the tractor. It's harder to add one later and do it right. Lots more complicated than buying another 3-point implement


Bruce

 

[jenkinsph]

Curious how you decided that a sub compact is the correct size? How much mowing will you need to do? A one mile driveway suggests to me that you may have enough acreage to utilize a larger tractor.

 

[94BULLITT]

It sounds like a SCUT is too small for your needs. They are not big enough to really handle firewood especially on steep ground. You will spend a good bit of time maintaining the road with a SCUT. It sounds like at a minimum you need a JD 2000 series or a Kubota B series size tractor. How do you plan on handling the firewood? How much wood do you use in a year?

 

[wqh]

Thanks for the comments. To clarify a couple of points.

The mowing of the road is actually very easy except for the grade rise. The Troybilt lawn tractor could mow in about 4 hours though it's clearly underpowered and with 2 WD not able to handle the terrain steadily. This is a not a year round residence and traffic is minimal so I road maintenance is minimal. Anything major I'll hire local folks who more knowledgeable about mountain roads (and reasonable on their price) to maintain the road.

For non mowing, most of the terrain is relatively level and any thing like firewood, would be cut wood, etc.

If I go larger, I'll definitely have to go with used equipment. Would you recommend buying used through a dealer or from someone local? I'm learning this is harder than trying to buy a car when in comes to choices/options.

Thanks for all the great comments.

 

[jenkinsph]

From your above post it seems you have plans for minimal work, mostly mowing and maybe a small trailer or carry all on the rear to gather firewood. A 4x4 sub compact should handle this okay. Not everyone wants or needs a larger tractor. I could do this with my x749 garden tractor and reduce the mowing time quite a bit compared to the 4 hours you mentioned. This should also be true for the sub cuts you are looking at.

Ground clearance would be an important factor in this decision but if your older mower didn't have problems the new ones shouldn't either.

 

[nikdfish]

If memory serves, you get a fair amount of snow in Sylva... would snow removal be a needed function? I ask because some backhoe subframes (like the one on our 1025R FILB) can make for clearance issues with tire chains which would be needed in your terrain in snow. Otherwise, even the 1025R could probably handle the activities you describe. You can add a belly mower, but a 3pt cutter/finish mower/flail are also options. Removal/replacement of FEL & backhow border on trivial exercises on the 1025R (you do have to remove/replace the 3pt lift arms when swapping between hoe & 3pt, though).

Nick

 

[tman1020]

New and used both have their advantages. As well as a dealer or private party. Personally I like new if you can swing it. unless something falls in your lap that seems exactly what you need. As far as private party or dealer if you have a dealer in your area I would definitely go check them out. It could be nice to have there experience working for u if they r good. Not to mention if u have any problems.