Buying Advice First Tractor purchase advice

[jeff9366]

So I appreciate any suggestions for dedicated mower models to look at

Do not go off topic in your own thread!

Instead, initiate a dedicated mower thread or search the T-B-N archive.

 

[AxleHub]

Cobaltsky,

If you recall in my 1st post I suggested a bunch of things to do about your land. I mentioned that I had done each and every one of those things myself. But what I didn't tell you is how I cleared 4 to 5 foot grass and burr brush and weed whipped and cut saplings with little equipment and a bunch of sweat. I stepped in chuck holes and slipped on hidden small swales and land tapers hidden in the tall tall tall grass. Then I took an old rider and started discovering the uneveness areas and any cans and rocks etc.. and I cut and thought all the time as I rode for a few weeks cutting to get my butt knowing where the contours were so I could plan where a house could fit the land.

Now I'm not advocating suffering . . But going out and buying a dedicated mower isn't it either. Your place is in far far better situation than what I dealt with. But the concept holds imo . . you could rent a dr brush cutter if needed to clear a couple acres. Cut a circle around your house of 300 or 400 feet in radius with the unit and then another one at 200 feet radius and then 100 foot radius and then start working out from the center clearing brush and tall grass (your pictures look like it would be very easy. Let your wife see the circles and as you start clearing close in. Get her opinions and input. 35 acreas is a good sized piece and 2 acres or so isn't a great amount of lawn when it surrounds a big house.

Then buy a cheap used rider and cut the area you and your wife think seems about right . Let your butt feel your land. Speed of cut is not the issue. You want to learn how big and how bad is the land at 3 inches tall.

Why don't I recommend buying a new 2500 dedicated rider ? Because you don't know yet what your land will tell you and what your wufe will say when she sees it cut to 3 inch height. Maybe you'll decide to get a subcompact with a mmm or a rear finish mower. Maybe you'll want to do some big ambitious projects and you'll want a small or mid sized cut. Maybe you won't want to take up storage space with multiple units when one will do it.

You mentioned getting a dedicated mower because most posters agreed on that. Still not getting the flavor of what I'm saying. Don't let me or anyone else on tbn make the decision for you.

Quick example. Smart person on TBN bought a $ 30,000 unit (tractor and some implements). It was a mid sized cut. He bought the size because he wanted to make sure it was going to be big enough. Then he had problems with it (it was brand new). Spent more time at the dealer's over a year than at his place. He was reading some of my search and find efforts and reasining about my Massey subcompact and its hidden abilities or features. He went out and lookedvat one, tested it and bought one and is working on the dealer taking back his big unit as a lemon

He tells me he can do more with the subcompact than he ever thought possible and more than he could do with his midsized cut. The point of the example isn't about me . . Its about putting poster's opinion in perspective.

My advice is still not brand choices . . Its about letting the land you have give up its secrets over the next weeks. Let your wife see (see) what a lawn size might be. See and feel your property's peculiarities and how you can shape them into your dreams . . once you know what your dreams are.

If you have a couple trail cams . . Put them out and see what kind of critter visitors you get at night. Fun is not something to be hurried. Its greening up? Great lol. That isn't a reason to hurry . . didn't you say it hasn't been cared for in 2 years?

 

[brasco426]

Axelhub has great advice bud. I personally looked at my own situation since last June about how to address most if not all of the challenges my property has. I went back and forth again and again. SCUT, CUT..........JD, Kubota, NH, Kioti, Branson LS, Mahindra. After enough time deciding all the jobs it will needed to be able to do, then matching the machine was much easier. Bigger was not better in my own situation. Some advice if you plan on finish mowing is weight, again bigger is not always better. Good Luck

 

[AxleHub]

Axelhub has great advice bud. I personally looked at my own situation since last June about how to address most if not all of the challenges my property has. I went back and forth again and again. SCUT, CUT..........JD, Kubota, NH, Kioti, Branson LS, Mahindra. After enough time deciding all the jobs it will needed to be able to do, then matching the machine was much easier. Bigger was not better in my own situation. Some advice if you plan on finish mowing is weight, again bigger is not always better. Good Luck

I get a generous quantity of people disagreeing with me about the "get bigger" concept . . its nice to hear I'm not always wrong lol

 

[brasco426]

I get a generous quantity of people disagreeing with me about the "get bigger" concept . . its nice to hear I'm not always wrong lol

Well everyone has an opinion lol. My tractor needed to finish mow as well and not tear up my lawn, so for me too much weight was an issue. I also didn't bother with loaded tires, as a ballast box is removable. I needed a loader too for moving gravel, dirt, manure, snow, and whatever else comes my way. Lastly to round it out we got a box blade with more stuff in the future. For now it meets and exceeds my expectations, I'm getting stuff done that I never could with my back, a shovel, and wheel barrel. To be honest I enjoy being out on my machine, I spent close to six months tryin to find my fit. A SCUT for us is plenty capable of what it needs to do. We have our 3 acres some of it wooded mostly grass, and my in laws up the street. My in laws have roughly the same and we also have horses up there. They are getting older and I need to be able to do more on my own. Between the 2 properties there's plenty of mowing, moving manure, grading, etc. Like you said and we both agree Bigger isn't always better. A smaller and in some cases more practical fit is better, believe me I looked at bigger lol. For what we need it to do a SCUT fit us just fine, and so far it's fitting in perfectly

 

[DK35vince]

Well everyone has an opinion lol. My tractor needed to finish mow as well and not tear up my lawn, so for me too much weight was an issue. I also didn't bother with loaded tires, as a ballast box is removable. I needed a loader too for moving gravel, dirt, manure, snow, and whatever else comes my way. Lastly to round it out we got a box blade with more stuff in the future. For now it meets and exceeds my expectations, I'm getting stuff done that I never could with my back, a shovel, and wheel barrel. To be honest I enjoy being out on my machine, I spent close to six months tryin to find my fit. A SCUT for us is plenty capable of what it needs to do. We have our 3 acres some of it wooded mostly grass, and my in laws up the street. My in laws have roughly the same and we also have horses up there. They are getting older and I need to be able to do more on my own. Between the 2 properties there's plenty of mowing, moving manure, grading, etc. Like you said and we both agree Bigger isn't always better. A smaller and in some cases more practical fit is better, believe me I looked at bigger lol. For what we need it to do a SCUT fit us just fine, and so far it's fitting in perfectly

The issue here is the OP has 35 acres vs 3.
Personally for 35 acres I would want 35-45 HP.
I have a 35 HP tractor for 15 acres and wouldn't want any less.
I also use my 35 HP tractor with loaded rear tires and an 84" rear finish mower to mow the lawn and it does a nice job mowing.

 

[brasco426]

The issue here is the OP has 35 acres vs 3.
Personally for 35 acres I would want 35-45 HP.
I have a 35 HP tractor for 15 acres and wouldn't want any less.
I also mow my lawn with the 35 HP tractor with loaded rear tires and an 84" rear finish mower and it does a nice job mowing the lawn.

Between the two we have six, not the point. He can buy a 100 horse tractor, however it wouldn't be practical. Just tryin to offer advice.

 

[murphy1244]

Do not go off topic in your own thread!

Instead, initiate a dedicated mower thread or search the T-B-N archive.

He can do what he wants with his thread.

 

[airbiscuit]

I am sure the drag works for you to fill in the potholes, but you always have a completely flat driveway surface.
With a flat surface, the water cannot run off, and more soggy/muddy/puddle areas form after each rain.
Putting some gravel on that driveway, and keeping it crowned with a blade, (to enhance drainage) would work a lot better for you.
I do realize that 1/2 mile of gravel would be expensive, but perhaps a few loads each year?
I have a 2200' driveway with a nice gravel surface ( a few loads each year, over 9 years). I never have mud, and I only need to grade it twice each year.

The drag actually maintains the crown pretty well. If you look at the pictures or video, you can see that there is a guide wheel that slightly elevates the left side of the drag, and that keeps a crown in the center of the road. It leaves a very smooth surface. That said, I have also attached a picture of my (old) secret weapon for establishing crowns and road contours. Those old pony graders are awesome!

I have been adding gravel to the road over the years, and that really helps. I have also been eliminating any place where water could pool (puddles), and making diversion ditches on hills to slow the velocity of water running along the side of the road during down pours. Good drainage makes for good roads. Easier to keep it up (the drag), than let things go and do bigger repairs. I hope that more fully explains.



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

 

[AxleHub]

The issue here is the OP has 35 acres vs 3.
Personally for 35 acres I would want 35-45 HP.
I have a 35 HP tractor for 15 acres and wouldn't want any less.
I also use my 35 HP tractor with loaded rear tires and an 84" rear finish mower to mow the lawn and it does a nice job mowing.

Greetings Vince,

If the property was in Wisconsin or Tennessee or the Carolinas . . I could see where a cut might be needed especially if therevwas woods involved. But I'm sure you saw his 8 pictures as I did . . and his pictures and seeing his original description tells us a ton of info:

A. He has no woods to speak of.
B. He told us the property has not been maintained for 2 (two) years
C. It is an arid area
D. This is Colorado . . a state of frequent rock and shale and numerous sections of higher altitude dryness
E. The pictures show virtually no tall grass or stray brush . . even after 2 years of no maintenance . . . There isn't much wild growth
F. The driveway is flat and straight and less of an issue than many streets in cities. No steepness to the slopes in general, wide open and easy access for clearing.
G. Pictures show easy slopes and open but attractive terrain.

For all these and more reasons my 4 acres is more challenging than this 35 acres from the pictures we see. Its pretty country but certainly not difficult country. And 3rd party cabs are available for any size scut or cut starting at 600 to 800 ranges.

His need to cut/mow the areas that are not irrigated . . Are 2 times a year by his own words and based on the pictures left unmaintained for 2 years . . I'd think 1 time a year might be enough for their needs . .
so most of his land is very easily maintained by anything on 4 wheels and a cutting mechanism.

My point is . . I don't see any cues that tells me that automatically they need 35 to 45 hp as a minimum. 35 acres of arid land is often less work than 1 or 2 acres of lush land. I didn't see any cues in his descriptions that describe projects of exceptional size.

What do you see that "automatically requires 35 to 45 hp ? Surely the driveway can't be the justification. They don't get lake effects and a pickup truck plow could do it easily much less a scut or even a utv/atv. But I'm certainly open to what you see that I missed . . Thanks.