Buying Advice Help me choose a tractor for mower / loader / driveway duties please!

[roadhunter]

Which could be zero tractor.

It's easy to spend other people's money. Get a ZTR, a tractor with a cab and trade in that VW for a 4wd truck. Then get a flat bed trailer to haul them.

Mowing with a tractor is slow going compared to a zero turn. I caught a cheap craftsman for $2,500 on sale and I would never go back to cutting with a tractor. It's just not what it was made for. So no I am not breaking anyones bank or spending their money. I am recommending the best solution the the mowing problem in my humble opinion. If you prefer to mow with a tractor that is your choice. I just don't' see that being efficient on that property that size and I have found for snow removal that the bigger machine seems to do a better job.



As you can see I am not the only one who recommended the zero turn. Maybe you should ask them why they think that as well.

 

[TSO]

Consider that a mid mount mower option will already cost half of what a good, new ZTR will cost. $2500 for a mower on a tractor, or $5k for a good ZTR.

Would be money well spent.

 

[GManBart]

Consider that a mid mount mower option will already cost half of what a good, new ZTR will cost. $2500 for a mower on a tractor, or $5k for a good ZTR.

Would be money well spent.

And there are even some pretty decent ZTRs for under $4K...not quite as nice as the $5K+ machines, but still way better than a tractor with a MMM or RFM.

 

[crazyal]

I don't think a sub compact tractor is going to give you a better feeling on that sloped mowing section near the pool. You could change your mowing pattern and just mow up the hill then back down, move over, and repeat. As others have said, if you want speed it's hard to beat a ZTM. Of course if your yard isn't smooth then a ZTM will bounce you like a bucking bull. If you want a tractor I would go with a sub compact with a loader and a rear blade. A Kubota BX sized tractor (lots of brands to choose from) would fit you fine. It's not going to be the fastest at grading your driveway but it would get the job done and still be small enough to do other tasks around your property.

 

[AxleHub]

First time poster here, calling upon the collective wisdom of TBN. Please help me choose a tractor that will meet my needs!

Anyways, on to the fun stuff. I'm looking for a tractor that could potentially replace the riding mower, ATV with plow, and add some more capabilities. Things I plan on doing:

Mow 1.5 acres quickly and neatly
Clear snow from my gravel driveway with steep grades
Smooth driveway with a box blade
Move 30 cubic yards of fill dirt into a mini-BMX track
Rip up a garden plot
Remove several old peach trees (8-10" trunks)
...

Limitations:

Needs to fit through a 72" gate in the pool fence
I can store it inside, but the area is 14' deep and has a 7' high doorway.



I have a JD dealer 18 miles away but a mild detour on the way home from work. I have a Kubota dealer 6.5 miles away.

Greetings myster,

Tons of people will tell you a ztr even when you tell them hills and slopes. In somes cases they just don't understand.

I have slopes (15 and 20 degree . . by the way degrees and % are 2 different things) . . I also have a zero turn TRACTOR (not a ztr). But a good tractor with 4wd is preferred over my zero turn TRACTOR because of snow and ice. I tested kubota bx on my hills and Massey gc1700 series and yanmar sc2400.

Here's what I did:

1. Massey gc1715. Rops are less than 7' and no folding.

2. Massey gc1715 has a 25 hp forward cooling engine.

3. Massey gc1715 with dl95 loader was a heay duty fel capability.

4. Great on hills and sidehills and slopes.

5. Wanted narrow access . . So got the massey 54 inch mulching deck (no side chutes at all). So 55 inches is width total requirement.

I will also add spacers to even improve sidehills more.

Other good considerations are the yanmar sc2400 and then reverse the rear wheels to get great sidehill stiction. Kubota bx choices aren't too bad either with some spacers.

Hire the tree root removal.

Slopes and hills dictate a different thinking than flat or near flat land. My quality of cut with the mulching deck is excellent (this is NOT a normal deck with a plug . . it has 6 blades ttl on the 3 spindles).

 

[Paystar]

Nothing there I couldn't do efficiently with my Kubota B2620. One tractor to buy and maintain and it will do everything you need. A BX or Massey GC would also do it well.