Buying Advice Buying the right tractor for 1.5 acres

[Poopdeck Pappy]

. . .

Garden - I had a tractor mounted rototiller, but now use a troy-bilt walk-behind. It takes a little more time in the spring when I do the whole garden, but I can till the weeds between rows during the growing season, put in the second season plantings easier, and do the piecemeal tilling in the late summer/fall. I would not go back to a tractor rototiller unless I was twice my current size. . . .

I have a serious question for you. Instead of using a walk-behind tiller between the rows to get the weeds, wouldn't it be a whole lot faster to just use a garden hoe and walk down the rows chopping the weeds out? I know we all love machinery, but sometimes old-tech / low-tech can be better.

 

[bspeedy]

I would be thinking about a Steiner or a Ventrac if funds permit,






As you see there is a lot of attachments.

Problem is - Steiner / Ventrac is just as expensive as a SCUT and less capable. Plus, attachments are specific to that type of tractor instead of generic Cat 1.

My father has a Steiner 430 max gasoline powered- he loves it. I've mowed and plowed snow with it and am not impressed. It's had a couple of design-related repairs needed, and the engine has had oil leaks and other issues with less than 1000 hours on the clock. Also, Steiner / Ventrac see to be a regional thing. Very popular in Ohio where I grew up, but you almost never see them here in SC. The only way I would own one would be for steep slopes. They excel in that terrain.

 

[murphy1244]

Problem is - Steiner / Ventrac is just as expensive as a SCUT and less capable. Plus, attachments are specific to that type of tractor instead of generic Cat 1.

My father has a Steiner 430 max gasoline powered- he loves it. I've mowed and plowed snow with it and am not impressed. It's had a couple of design-related repairs needed, and the engine has had oil leaks and other issues with less than 1000 hours on the clock. Also, Steiner / Ventrac see to be a regional thing. Very popular in Ohio where I grew up, but you almost never see them here in SC. The only way I would own one would be for steep slopes. They excel in that terrain.

No problem here, Maybe more a second machine as a first. The Ventrac 4500 series with Kubota diesel makes a great estate machine. Lots of landscapers here use them.

 

[bumperm]

I did have a dealer tell me that earlier this spring jd was offering 1500 off on purchase of two implements zero percent financing for 60 months and if you bought a 1025 they gave you a loader! That sounds like a sweet deal hoping they run another like that next spring.

This is mostly generic advice, and there would be exceptions:

As much appeal as "buying new" may have, if you are not in a position to make a cash purchase, then even a "sweet deal" turns a bit sour in the light of loan payments . . even "zero percent" loan payments.

Keep in mind that really there is no such thing as free no cost financing - there is always a cost buried somewhere and you will *always* pay one way or another - - the financing you get costs someone and that cost has got to be plugged into the equation at some level and passed down to you. If it's zero percent, then you are most likely paying more on the front end and not getting the same discount price as if you were offering the dealer cash. There is no free ride.

If money is tight, buy used and save your money, build a nest egg for emergencies. Buying new is good (and fun) too, but wait for later on in life when you have more money from all that saving and wise money management early on.

off the soapbox,

bumper

 

[Parkanzky]

Keep in mind that really there is no such thing as free no cost financing - there is always a cost buried somewhere and you will *always* pay one way or another - - the financing you get costs someone and that cost has got to be plugged into the equation at some level and passed down to you. If it's zero percent, then you are most likely paying more on the front end and not getting the same discount price as if you were offering the dealer cash. There is no free ride.

I had assumed the same thing you are. However, I just went through this and the cash price for the tractor I ordered would have been exactly the same as the financed price. The only cost buried in the 0% financing from JD is a loan initiation fee ($243, IIRC). That's basically nothing to get otherwise 0% financing on a fairly large purchase. I will definitely make that back with the interest I'll earn leaving my money in the bank.

For Kubota, they offered a $700 discount if I didn't take the 0%. That's a bit more, and I was struggling with whether I'd pay cash if I went that way. I ended up ordering the JD, so I never had to make that decision.

If money is tight, buy used and save your money, build a nest egg for emergencies. Buying new is good (and fun) too, but wait for later on in life when you have more money from all that saving and wise money management early on.

off the soapbox,

bumper

I agree with this 100%. Live frugally for awhile and get ahead of your finances. Then you can make a lot better decisions about what you spend your money on.

 

[bumperm]

I agree with this 100%. Live frugally for awhile and get ahead of your finances. Then you can make a lot better decisions about what you spend your money on.

Exactly. I told my kids to save and buy a used car, and soon as the car is purchased, start making new car payments to your savings account. Then when you have enough to buy a new car, do it for cash and then repeat making new car payments to yourself again. Never have to pay someone else interest.

I haven't owed a nickle to anyone since the late eighties.

bumper

 

[Happy Gilmore]

Exactly. I told my kids to save and buy a used car, and soon as the car is purchased, start making new car payments to your savings account. Then when you have enough to buy a new car, do it for cash and then repeat making new car payments to yourself again. Never have to pay someone else interest. I haven't owed a nickle to anyone since the late eighties. bumper

That my friend is a very good idea, but as Yoda would say "discipline it will take."

 

[NAVYSNIPER]

I have purchased a complete package deal in my area from a Kubota Dealer which included BX24 Tractor w/front bucket-backhoe, brush-hog mower,straight blade,6' rake,post hole digger,18' dual axle trailer for the my 3 acre property at a cost of 19,500.00 delivered. I've had this for many years and and should be all you should need for what you are looking for for many years of dependable service. I've used mine very extensively and sometime hard without no brake downs VERY RELIABLE AND EASY TO CHANGE IMPLEMENTS.

 

[Duwop]

I must be plum crazy, I've owned 6 acres for 13 years with just a 23 hp Craftsman garden tractor (glorified riding mower) ax, hoe, chainsaw, grub hoe,pick ax garden rake leaf rake and so on. Oh it just occurred to me I'm Poor!

 

[bruceha2000]

Questions for Matt (OP)
- 1.5 acres of lawn, any other property other than the house/garage?
- Veg garden plans (in or outside the current mowed area)?
- How many "obstacles" in the mowed area?
- What shape is the mowed area? Lots of curves, square corners, middle of the lawn planters or a large rectangle?
- How wide is the 75' driveway and is that from the garage door or are there "turn around" or other surfaces?
- How flat (or not) is the area to be mowed?
- How flat (or not) is the driveway?
- How much open space do you have to the sides of the driveway and is it flat out there or does it drop down or rise?

I started as you did, figured to get one machine to do everything. Lawn around the house, behind the barns and the "used to be a" riding ring is ~1 acre. Mess of plantings and fences, angles of course. Additional pastures are ~4.5 acres. My problem is "everything" includes future trips into the 20 acres of woods to cut firewood. A tractor big enough to do that would be too big and too heavy to mow a lawn.

A friend gave me a 1995 Yardman with 50" mower and 42" blower and I've used that (with some repair costs) the 3 years we have owned the place thus putting off the big decision (and expense). It mowed OK and blew snow OK as long as I didn't have to back up any sort of slope. If a front wheel starts to go down sideways, it can't be steered out, even in reverse, it just slides down farther. The blower (even though it was made for the tractor) is really too heavy for the Yardman on non level surfaces even though it has 50# rear wheel weights and a weight box in the back and chains on the rear tires. Which meant last winter I shoveled down to the barns in a foot of snow, then through the 3' feet that was deposited by the wind blowing between the barns to get to the bottom to let the chickens out one morning. Sure would have been nice to blow it!

The Yardman needs new rubber (one rear tire sidewall shot, doesn't hold air and the bead is bad), I can't get the rear wheels off (keyway and cotter pin) and I gave up on it for the summer. I figured to get a real tractor this fall with a front snow blower (I can't do it in reverse) that can also do whatever I might need in the future in the pastures and woods. I considered a Zturn for mowing since I have almost as many obstacles as lawn but there are some slopes and I've read they can be iffy on slopes and if you drop a front wheel, big trouble. I don't need the thing sliding into the pond behind the big barn. Plus the land, lawns included, are all kinds of lumpy where those front wheels could be "suspended" by the deck scalping the lawn so I got a 54" Craftsman Garden Tractor to mow with figuring I could get a rear tiller for it if I can get all the rocks out of the veg garden area first. The "additional" pastures were left wild (no animals to graze) until this July when I had a guy up the road sickle bar mow the 4+ foot tall vegetation. I have mowed them with the Craftsman a few times since. It is slow because there are rocks and ledge sticking up JUST enough waiting to attack the blades (and they have managed to do so almost every time I've mowed even being careful at max height of 4"). It takes about 1.5 hours to do the lawn, primarily because of all the things the Zturn could have done more quickly and about an hour per acre in the pastures. With no rocks that could be cut down substantially. The 54" would be just as fast as a Zturn due to the discomfort one would suffer going more than about 3-4 MPH anyway (the Craftsman can do 7 MPH forward).

I am not in a financial position to get the real tractor at this time so I am still in a quandary WRT snow removal this year. I can't put new rubber on the Craftsman without taking the wheels off (how do you think the bead got screwed up??), and it would cost a couple of hundred at least for rear tires anyway. The Yardman blower won't fit on the Craftsman and I don't want to fork over $1,300 for a new blower if it isn't going to be any better on the hill down to the barns than the Yardman (I don't really have any reason to believe it would). AND my wife leaves for work at 6:15 AM every day but Sunday and the guy that moves snow around here doesn't start working until the sun is up and he has had breakfast. I've got probably 3 times as much "driveway" surface to clean as you have so I'm not sure even a large walk behind would be a great plan. Plus anything big enough to do the job on the parking area would cost more than the blower for the GT AND not likely be wonderful going down to the barn and back up. Decisions, decisions.

You've had suggestions of front or back blades for snow handling. Where is the snow going to go and how are you going to wing it the second or third decent snowfall when the banks block the new stuff from going anywhere but straight into the road if you use a SCUT? Neither of those two would be run at a speed to move the snow out sideways very far and there is no wing capability so you would STILL be spending time moving it with the FEL. For the morning "have to get out times" you only need to clear enough space for 1 car and if early is too early, park closer to the road when a big dump is expected overnight; shoving snow off a car isn't that hard and you only need to blow out the snowplow banks and maybe 10 feet of driveway with a self driven 2 stage blower. Deal with the rest when you get home in the evening.

If you really aren't going to do anything with the property other than mow it, I'm sorry (not manly enough) I don't see a need for a real tractor. Sure, a FEL would be nice for moving stones or dirt around but if you don't have a need to do that soon, or not often, you'll be hard pressed to figure out why you have it. I got a dump cart with the Craftsman and though I have to muscle the stone, dirt, firewood into it, I've moved a lot of weight that I understand you REALLY should not do with a Zturn and would have taken a whole lot more trips in the garden cart via "Bruce power".