What's the ideal tractor combo for my situation (14+ acres)

[Dr_Zinj]

I mow a half acre lawn (150ft x150ft) with a 22 inch walk behind power mower. (Need the exercise.)
CT230 (30 hp Bobcat tractor = Kioti CK30 = Daedong Co.) weighs 3000 pounds and compresses the soil too much to use as a mower.
I use it for grading the driveway, light digging, heavy lifting & dragging (boulders and trees), and snow plowing/removal. I have an FEL and a back blade for it. Package ran me about $18,000 new. I have about 21 acres of woodland and wetland overlaying glacial till with mostly a moderate slope and a could of steep areas on it.

 

[dave1949]

Good point on compaction--depending on the soil type.

One area you would never use a 25-35 HP tractor on is the septic tank and leach field, if that will be present.

 

[ruffdog]

Good point on compaction--depending on the soil type.

One area you would never use a 25-35 HP tractor on is the septic tank and leach field, if that will be present.

Around here, the septic and leach fields are deep enough a small tractor would never cause a problem. I can't even collapse a woodchuck den with it and they are only 6-18" below the surface.

 

[buickanddeere]

Ask a dozen people and you will recieve a dozen different answer of which most will be correct or close enough. Unless you like saving money by purcasing an old tractor and spend enough time and money on it that a new tractor would have been cheaper. Price out the econo version of the Deere 1 series.

 

[DavesTractor]

I have about an acre of what we might call formal lawn areas. Then 8 acres of organized weeds that looks like lawn if I keep it mowed down tight and you squint a little. I mow the formal lawns with a Exmark Navigator. It is fast and leaves a nice result. The field or park area I mow with a 10' Vrisimo flail behind and old 2wd 55 HP orchard tractor with wide turf tires. That tractor has no loader as that would just get in the way. It is ideal for mowing, and the mower never ever comes off of it. It is fast mowing 10' at a time. It has one purpose in life and it is always ready to roll. If we are having an event like a church picnic, wedding or whatever we will go over the entire back field with the Navigator to clean off the clippings the day before. We do that a few times a year and it takes a few hours.

You then need a loader tractor for doing loader work, rototilling, scraping, etc. You can get a ton of work done with a 25-30 HP CUT tractor and you can still drive it across the lawn if you need to move some topsoil or mulch or whatever. A skid steer is a great loader and you can get all sorts of attachments, but they are a little less comfortable to operate, they have poor visibility out the back and they are tough on lawns. You would probably be better off with a tractor.

I like the idea of multiple units. You can buy a really nice Massey 135 diesel or an IH 574 or similar for less than $5k and they are pretty reliable and simple. Everyone should have several tractors! Of course I sell tractors....

 

[milkman636]

I like the idea of multiple units. You can buy a really nice Massey 135 diesel or an IH 574 or similar for less than $5k and they are pretty reliable and simple. Everyone should have several tractors! Of course I sell tractors....

Agreed. Of course the wife was a little tougher sell on the idea. It was three or four years before she finally conceded that the second tractor was a good decision. She was kinda mad at me for the first couple months after I bought a second tractor a few years ago. She didn't really protest until I came home with a sales order and a delivery date though. I guess it was then that she knew I was serious.

 

[teg]

If I was going to do it again, I would wait for a good used tractor. I would buy the same HP, 30-ish... I have 28 acres but only 13 is pasture, cut it once or twice a year.

I bought almost all my implements used, 6' finish mower was $700. I use it around the house but have to have a rider to get close to things. Punching a hole in the tractor shed and you learn not to get too close... I also use the finishing mower for walking paths around the field.

Got a 5' bush hog used at $250 for cutting the rest. The plan was to use that one to find all the rocks and stumps... which it has dozens of times, darn thing will not break so I'm still using it 9 years later.

I got HST, hated it at first, got it for the wife... now, I love it! FEL is a tool like other implements that let you accomplish jobs with the tractor - can you live without it? Sure... but I'm glad that my wheel barrel hasn't moved in a long time!!!

Welcome to TBN...

 

[vanguard]

If I was going to do it again, I would wait for a good used tractor. I would buy the same HP, 30-ish... I have 28 acres but only 13 is pasture, cut it once or twice a year.

I bought almost all my implements used, 6' finish mower was $700. I use it around the house but have to have a rider to get close to things. Punching a hole in the tractor shed and you learn not to get too close... I also use the finishing mower for walking paths around the field.

Got a 5' bush hog used at $250 for cutting the rest. The plan was to use that one to find all the rocks and stumps... which it has dozens of times, darn thing will not break so I'm still using it 9 years later.

I got HST, hated it at first, got it for the wife... now, I love it! FEL is a tool like other implements that let you accomplish jobs with the tractor - can you live without it? Sure... but I'm glad that my wheel barrel hasn't moved in a long time!!!

Welcome to TBN...

We're in the very same mindset. Aside from the addition 15 acres of trees (I assume) our pasture/home situation sounds comparable too.

At the moment I'm thinking of a nice ztr mower and maybe a tractor like this JD 4600: JOHN DEERE 4600 HST DIESEL TRACTOR WITH LOADER . However, I'm still changing my mind daily so I guess it's not time to spend any money.

 

[jeff9366]

A large hydro tractor may be more expensive than a small one and an older big one UNTIL you start doing repairs on the older big one. Those repairs can up the cost quickly.

$1.50 per mile is a reasonable price to pay for tractor transport on dealer's HD trailer, pulled with an HD truck, driven by driver/mechanic with commercial insurance covering load. So a 40 mile haul for service will be, ballpark, 40 X 4 x $1.50 = $240, and that does not cover much profit for the dealer.

Some dealers charge for mechanic's time securing tractor to trailer with numerous straps + 2 X $30 = $60

 

[dave1949]

Around here, the septic and leach fields are deep enough a small tractor would never cause a problem. I can't even collapse a woodchuck den with it and they are only 6-18" below the surface.

I have those half-circle plastic hoop things in my leach field. I think they are about a 4' wide arch with no support inside, plus the rigid pvc connecting them. I wouldn't risk it with 1-2 tons of tractor. Same for the septic tank, although mine is about 20" deep. Dang things are expensive to replace/repair and there isn't much to gain by driving a tractor on them.