Buying Advice Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment.

   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #1  

mahovy

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Messages
28
Location
davisburg MI
Tractor
gehl skidsteer HL360
Searching for buying advice on garden tractor, with 3 pt, rear PTO, strong enough to plow, no need for mower.
Can be used, or new.
 
   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #2  
LAWN & GARDEN category tractors are 95% 2-WD, have turf tires and do not have a TPH nor PTO. LAWN & GARDEN tractors typically weigh <1,000 pounds.

(Some of the top John Deere Lawn & Garden tractors, sold exclusively by John Deere dealers, are exceptions. $$$ )

How much land do you intend to moldboard plow? A typical LAWN & GARDEN tractor can adequately plow a garden that is cultivated every year. Few would attempt to use a LAWN & GARDEN tractor to break new ground / sod.

Do you need a Front End Loader? (FEL)
 
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   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #3  
3 point was an option on some older Deere X485 or X495 also X7** series. These also had option for rear PTO. X7** would be more likely to have both features. Most of these would probably also have mid mount mower.

Slightly larger is Kubota BX series. These come standard with 3 point and rear PTO. May or may not have front end loader and mid mount mower. Also has two range hydro static trans axle so better suited for ground engagement type work.

When you state plow, is this a mold board plow for turning dirt or a snow plow blade? Suspect mold board but verification would help.
 
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   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment.
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Yes moldboard plow, 1/4 acre
 
   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment.
  • Thread Starter
#5  
LAWN & GARDEN category tractors are 95% 2-WD, have turf tires and do not have a TPH nor PTO, typically weigh <1,000 pounds.

(Some of the top John Deere Lawn & Garden tractors, sold exclusively by John Deere dealers, are exceptions. $$$ )

How much land do you intend to moldboard plow? A typical LAWN & GARDEN tractor can adequately plow a garden that is cultivated every year. Few would attempt to use a LAWN & GARDEN tractor to break new ground / sod.

Do you need a Front End Loader? (FEL)
1/4 acre plow land, don’t need FEL
 
   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #6  
Searching for buying advice on garden tractor, with 3 pt, rear PTO, strong enough to plow, no need for mower.
Can be used, or new.

Look for a subcompact tractor. There are a bunch of them out there from a lot of manufacturers and they will all have a 3 point hitch and a rear PTO. Examples are the Kubota BX and John Deere 1 series. The only smaller "garden tractors" out there that have the option of a 3 point hitch and a rear PTO are Deere's fanciest units like the X700 series, which are not any less expensive than and not much smaller than a subcompact. The 3 point hitches on those are very limited in lift height as well.
 
   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #7  
1/4 acre plow land, don’t need FEL.

Has your 1/4 acre been broken / plowed before?

Are you intending a kitchen garden or permanent landscape beds which will require plowing only once?

KUBOTA WEB SITE:





 
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   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #8  
I don't think you're going to have much success using a turning plow with a "garden tractor".

You could go with a smaller tractor if you use a tiller attachment instead. If you match the width of the tiller and HP requirement to the tractor you can work ground making several passes as opposed to trying to pull a turning plow behind a too-light tractor that will either bog down or spin the tires.

After you PLOW this land it's going to be plenty rough. You'll need a tractor with just as much OOMPH in order to disc it up or drag it in order to get it smoothed out. What's the plan after it's plowed?

A tiller is WAY MORE useful and handy in the long run than a plow. After your 1/4 acre is done you'll have more use for a tiller than a moldboard plow, IMHO.
 
   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #9  
Look for a subcompact tractor. There are a bunch of them out there from a lot of manufacturers and they will all have a 3 point hitch and a rear PTO. Examples are the Kubota BX and John Deere 1 series.

Previoiusly owned Kubota BX pricing:

 
   / Looking for new or used garden tractor, something strong enough to plow, PTO, 3 pt hitch, don’t need mower attachment. #10  
Not saying the tractors sizes mention would not do the job but for pricing, look bigger. I have two older Kubotas, one a M6800 (about 65 hp) and the other is a B2710 (about 27 hp). I was considering selling the M6800 before covid and was told the B2710 would sell for as much or more most likely. Kept both. Depending on your expected long term needs my M6800 has much more clearance for cultivation than a compact tractor offers. Will also give you most likely more options in equipment. Not saying you need that much hp but real-life experience on my end would not want a small frame for MY gardening experience. One, I like to use what we call a one row tobacco setting to plant my garden. Both plants and seeds. For a garden rather have that than a planter.

But, you really need to think carefully about your long term wants and needs. Think as has been mentioned here about the long-term layout and use of beds or not. My next door neighbor moved here just over a year ago. He was use to small lot in town up north, NY. He has taken at least a 1/4 acre and had it tilled with full size tractor, then took the material used to prevent soil erosion on construction sites to make a grid of areas to plant about 8 feet wide and maybe twice as long. Never would you be able to use a tractor in it, not too much of a garden tiller. They till it by hand. Works for them. Plan you garden first and formost. Look around if need be to see what others are doing.
 
 
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