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

[aczlan]

We have a B7500 with a loader, and a BX2660. For loader work or mowing much, those are a little small. I would say to go for a 30HPish tractor if you have to get into tight places, or a 35-45HP one one if you can fit it.
For perspective, Dad went from a 50HP 2WD Massey with a loader (an Industrial 35 with loaded tires, weights and chains) to a 40HP 4wd Kubota (L3650 with loaded tires). He said that the Kubota would outwork the Massey for ground engaging tasks (disking or loader work) and he didn't notice a difference when bushhogging (he was only using a 5' bushhog though).

Aaron Z

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Just a couple of points about tractors for acreage:

I keep 25 acres of seedlings and young trees mowed along with 2 acres of lawn. There's also a 25 acre woodlot on the 107 acre farm.

A 35 hp Massey Ferguson rides very well. It's less fatiguing over uneven ground than a 21 hp B-series Kubota if you have a lot to mow.

My 35 hp TAFE (MF 135 clone) with power steering has a loader, ROPS, better gears and cleaner exhaust than a MF, though, and the ride is just as good. It does the snow removal with chains, though its two previous owners traded it in for 35 hp 4WD Massey Fergusons with the same loader.

An old 35 hp 2WD tractor with a good loader can do much heavier work than a Kubota BX 4WD with loader, but the little one will use less fuel and get way more hours over the year.

Small HST tractors are loud and annoying unless they're working hard as they have to be revved up very high to work properly. A small gear tractor is much more relaxing for jockeying trailers. On the other hand, my noisy Kubota B7510 HST does the bulk of the work in looking after 25 acres. But I jockey trailers with a beloved 17 hp Bolens G174.

 

[aczlan]

Just a couple of points about tractors for acreage:
I keep 25 acres of seedlings and young trees mowed along with 2 acres of lawn. There's also a 25 acre woodlot on the 107 acre farm.
A 35 hp Massey Ferguson rides very well. It's less fatiguing over uneven ground than a 21 hp B-series Kubota if you have a lot to mow.

Excellent point. Our L3830 rides 10x nicer than our B7500 and the B7500 rides noticeably nicer than the BX2660.

Aaron Z

 

[bigcut]

I agree with boggen and milkman636; mowing 14 acres as lawn is not something I would do.

If you want any kind of pasture critters in the future it would be good to use the intervening time to develop good pasture with the right kind of forage plants. Get that underway, do some fencing of separate pasture lots, think about water for animals, etc. Your time will be better spent than mowing and you would be starting out miles ahead of people who get the animals first then try to catch up. This is meaningful to your overall expenses for vet care and feed.

If no pasture animals are in the future, I would keep some walking lanes mowed regularly but only mow the rest enough to keep it cleared. 14 acres of "lawn" amounts to an ecological dead zone. Think of the variety of plants and animals that could (and should) be living there.

Dave,
I echo your comments. 14 acres is a lot of lawn and for all purposes kind of dead zone. It only drives the cost of maintenance up and consumes one's time. Kind of reminds me of my in-laws from Chicago. They were always quite comfortable with concrete or asphalt. But, I guess to each his own.