SCUT for a 3/4 acre lot , am I nuts??

[Texas Dawg]

No you are not nuts. How many of us have tool in the garage that we had no need for until we bought it. Go ahead and get the tractor, it is a solution that will constantly be in search of a problem. You probably will also find new friends that you never knew you had who need to borrow you and your tractor.

 

[pinetree10]

Post a couple pictures of your lot. That might help the discussion a bit.

If you have a big garden you can put a tiller on the back and make short work of that task. If you're going to be mowing you can add turf tires and a mid-mount mower. If you have a lot of mulch beds you can get a front-end loader and make that task much easier. If you have a big driveway you can get a front-mount snowblower and crush that task in no time. There will also be those who argue that a walk-behind tiller, a zero-turn mower, a wheel barrow, and a walk-behind snowblower will also take care of those jobs for less money. It's all in what you want out of the machine. For what it's worth, I have just 2.5 acres and I bought a 31 HP compact utility tractor. Most of my land is densely covered with 100-foot trees so my main purpose for having a tractor is the FEL and the chipper hanging off the back. It's been well worth it already and I've only had it three years. Keep us posted.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

Nope, you're not nuts. We moved from a 1/2 acre lot and I'm on a little over 6 acres, but if we ever moved back to a subdivision lot (NOT likely!), my tractor would come with me. Just too darn many things you can do easier and faster with a tractor. My thinking is that even on a small lot, you should get the biggest thing you can get that can still reasonably be called a "lawn mower."

If I knew back then what I know now, I would have bought a BX25- or 1025R-sized machine for my 1/2 acre lot instead of a "traditional" riding mower. Yeah, it costs a lot more, but by the time I figure in the cost of hiring out labor to dig out a tree stump, clean up the snow, dig a trench, or whatever, it's probably not all that bad.

 

[The Suburban Farmer]

Plus, it's nice being the "hero" of the neighborhood when you have a ton of snow and you take care of all of your neighbors' driveways and roads for them, or when a storm blows down a tree across the cul de sac and you take care of pushing it out of the way so your neighbors can get to Starbucks in the morning. The neighbors all think it's "work" and you think it's "seat time." Having a tractor in a neighborhood is a great way to put a few deposits into the "neighbor favor bank" every now and then.

 

[Chvypowa]

Thanks guys! I am going to print this thread out and show the wife! lol

 

[IslandTractor]

Overkill or not? I feel like I'd get plenty of use out of it? Thoughts about having a tractor for such a small lot?

Depends a bit on what your land is like. If it is all manicured lawn then you could manage that with jusy a zero turn or lawn tractor. On the other hand, if you have gardens or brush or projects that involve digging or moving dirt etc then a SCUT makes perfect sense. If I had a small property that needed work, I think I would buy a used BX23/24/25. Do the work and if you don't want to keep it once all the dirt has been transformed then just sell it for almost exactly what you paid for it. 12000-17000 seems to be the price range. In the past ten years I've never seen even a BX23 sell for less than about 12000. Same price they have been selling for on CL the whole time.

 

[super55]

A scut is a perfect match for 3/4 ac lot depending on what your going to use it for. Think of it as being an extra set of hands and a portable power plant. Sure you can just mow with it but if you got a garden you can till with it. If you compost you can roll the compost with your bucket. You can snowplow/snow blow, run a wood splitter off the back or even run a PTO generator off the back.

I'm a big advocate of PTO implements over having one that is gas powered particularly generators and wood splitters. Main reason being is you do not have a motor that you hope starts after sitting for who knows how long. Today's ethanol blend fuel are extremely tough on carb components and even with stabilizers added don't seem to want to run all that well in single cylinder engines after 5-6 months from my experience.

 

[PILOON]

Heck, no. Albany?
you do have winter? it snows? garden? landscaping?.

Later on if you feel it is underused you'll always get a reasonable recoup as there is always a demand for good used.
Probably not 1st or 2nd yr but down the line the graphs cross especially with later designs and cuts.
Only with very recent units selling is hard to compete with dealer financing packages however 5-10 year well maintained lowish hrs is a no brainer.

Heck on my drive alone I save $1k just on snow, never mind all the other chores.
I do one client snow removal just to cover annual maintenance and repairs and for the fun tractor time.

 

[Will_C]

As others have said, if your just mowing, probably overkill. If you landscape, garden, or have much snow removal- it's the perfect choice.

Will

 

[mpham]

I have a little over an acre. Use my CK20 all the time.