Looking for tractor to maintain 8.5 acres in NH

[IslandTractor]

So I visited my new home today to see progress on the house and take another look at the "grounds."

Still just dirt for now but I'm going to estimate 2.5 acres of flat lawn. The driveway is closer to 700 feet long. Maybe a little more moving of dirt and debris than I originally considered. The loader will get a lot of use.

Leaning towards a 3pt finish mower for the bulk of the lawn. Might not mow as fast or as well as a ZTR, but will get the job done and minimize complexity for me. And it's cheaper. More $$ for the tractor.

So yes I would like something that won't destroy my lawn. Will get turf tires for sure.

I'm going to try to visit Mahindra and LS dealers in the next couple of weeks to see those up close and chat.

The B2601 seems pretty much perfect for my needs except for the low loader capacity.

The XJ2025H doesn't have a 3-range HST but checks all the other boxes. Dimensions about the same as the B2601, loader much better 1277 @ pins, and the least expensive option by far. Here is my spreadsheet so far:

View attachment 459891


Still surprised at how much I need to learn to make an informed decision here. Would never have expected so many options to consider.

Can't buy til May so I've still got plenty of time to change my mind.

I noticed that you have specified turf tires in your chart. I think you'll find that unless you are only mowing, that R4 tires will be more suitable. R4s are definitely preferred if you will be working in the woods. Turfs may indeed be best for travel on lawns but I'd guess that most of us here on TBN have R4 tires and that we don't tear up our lawns. The key is to stay off the lawn when the sod is soaked and soft.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I noticed that you have specified turf tires in your chart. I think you'll find that unless you are only mowing, that R4 tires will be more suitable. R4s are definitely preferred if you will be working in the woods. Turfs may indeed be best for travel on lawns but I'd guess that most of us here on TBN have R4 tires and that we don't tear up our lawns. The key is to stay off the lawn when the sod is soaked and soft.

+1. Exactly what he said.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

+1. Exactly what he said.

+2
:thumbsup:

 

[pedzola]

So Turfs are better for grass, and I have read they are the best for winter plowing as well.

Why are R4's better in the woods, and why does this make them better overall?

Airbiscuit thanks for the spreadsheet ideas.

What are the 3pt stabilizer bars and extendable 3pt arms? Are these usually add-ons or do some of the tractors come with these? Are there different versions of 3pt hitch on these tractors?

Also I added the L2501 to the spreadsheet. Seems to me like the B2650 has better specs.

 

[IslandTractor]

R4 tires are MUCH tougher and puncture resistant compared to turf or Ag/R1 tires.

 

[4570Man]

R4s are are much thicker making them less likely to get punctured. They are more turf friendly ( than ags ). They work better on asphalt. They work better for loader work. R1s work better for plowing and other pulling task, but few compact tractors do that.

 

[airbiscuit]

Airbiscuit thanks for the spreadsheet ideas.

What are the 3pt stabilizer bars and extendable 3pt arms? Are these usually add-ons or do some of the tractors come with these? Are there different versions of 3pt hitch on these tractors?View attachment 459958

Tractor Mike has some pretty informative Youtube videos.

This one answers your 3 pt questions. These are standard on deluxe models and may or may not be options on economy models.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pH9Tmdtsgg

Here is one on tires:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkDkLEdeFss

 

[newbury]

I<SNIP>
For a lawn, my idea is if it's too big to mow with a walk behind, you've too much lawn. Unless you want to maintain a soccer or ball field, why mow more than 1/2 acre? Anyway, I've definite experience with belly vs. ZTR. A ZTR will cut mowing time by 1/2 vs. a belly mower IF you have much of anything to mow around (like trees). If you don't have much to mow around, the rear finish mower would do fine. Otherwise, it'd be a long whipping thing back there to keep track of where it is. (I've a bush hog on the JD, which is another long whipping thing back there.) If I wanted 2.5 acres of "lawn", I'd keep 2 acres of it as meadow and mow it with a "hog" once a year or once every 2 years. Then just mow the other 0.5 acre walking behind a nice walk behind naked as a jaybird like I do.

Good luck in your search.

Ralph

I agree, large lawns are fine if you have children playing lawn games, give large lawn parties or have sheep. My Grandfather had about 3 acres in Poughkeepsie, New York on which he eventually built 4 houses. He had grown up POOR and loved a lawn. He had a big commercial type lawnmower that you could ride on the back, and spent hours riding it. Every week.
When he and Nan moved to live with us in Vermont he and my Dad bought 30 acres and we built a house with about 1/2 acre of lawn, life was good I was 12. By the time I graduated from college he had expanded the lawn to about 3 acres. My Dad spent about half his free time in the summer mowing with a 15HP tractor.

No time for fishing, hunting, anything. Mow, MOW MOW.

Mow enough to keep the bugs down, the snakes/varmints (aniimal and human) away, and trees so they won't fall on the house.

So Turfs are better for grass, and I have read they are the best for winter plowing as well.

Why are R4's better in the woods, and why does this make them better overall?
<snip>

They dig in better and few of us routinely change our rear tires, like swapping tires on a car. Even SCUT rears are heavy.

What are the 3pt stabilizer bars and extendable 3pt arms? Are these usually add-ons or do some of the tractors come with these? Are there different versions of 3pt hitch on these tractors?<snip>

Both ways but one can normally put extendable, Pat's, or a Quick Hitch on.

 

[jeff9366]

R4s are are much thicker making them less likely to get punctured. They are more turf friendly ( than ags ). They work better on asphalt. They work better for loader work. R1s work better for plowing and other pulling task, but few compact tractors do that.

Generally speaking R1s and Turfs are four ply and R4s are six ply or eight ply. Plies are the number of independent layers of fabric + chord + rubber, laid in alternating layers, covering the tire. Not only do additional plies make the tire thicker, each independent layer tends to deflect intruders, organic or inorganic.

With todays's very advanced, puncture resistant tire materials (rayon, kevlar, aramid, etc.), layers are less of a sales tool to tire manufacturers than in the past but ply layer count remains highly important for tractors, and jeeps operated off-road, less so for road vehicles.

At high road speeds (>60 mph) six and eight ply tires can build heat, which is why vehicle road tires today are sold on materials rather than plies. This was not true during the 1946-1960 era when tire materials were just rubber and cotton fabric, later rubber and nylon, which was a miracle fabric at the time. Cars were also less powerful then and usually had three speed transmissions, so were driven slower.

I recommend R4/Industrial tires but consult with your tractor dealer about tires when ordering your new tractor.

 

[jeff9366]

Also I added the L2501 to the spreadsheet. Seems to me like the B2650 has better specs.

View attachment 459958

Until you have operated several tractors of various weights you cannot appreciate how valuable an extra 1,000 pounds of weight is to accomplishing tractor work. Tractor weight is as important as horsepower. That additional 1,000 pounds of steel is contributing to robust tractor strength.

Once you have operated a light tractor under load for a few hours, then move to a heavy tractor, the value of greater weight is a REVELATION.

The area around the L2501 Three Point Hitch is more open, making attachment of implements to the hitch and the PTO shaft to the tractor easier. Even though all the tractors you are considering have a Category 1 (size) three point hitch not all Category 1 implements will fit the small tractors. Moldboard plows and Cultivators being two examples. BX size tractors often require reduced size Cat 1 implements, B's sometimes require reduced sized Cat 1 implements, especially Moldboard plows. An L2501 is about the same size in the rear as the old Ford and Ferguson tractors, for which Three Point Hitch implements were originally designed. I am 97 percent sure any Cat 1 implement will fit an L2501 without interference with the tractor.

Note horsepower is max at lower 2,200 RPM with L2501 than other tractors. An L2501 will be quieter and have a lower frequency sound, which is less wearing to your nervous system over hours of operation. My four cylinder Kubota B3300 SU had a pronounced whine. I could not operate it without sound attenuating ear muffs. Three cylinder Kubota diesels are desirable over four cylinder Kubota diesels in the B's and L's.