Is a sub compact useful when you already have a compact.

[willysmb]

I need some help deciding if a sub compact should be in my future. I have 1.5 acres where I live and a 40 acre hunting property.

I have a Massey 1736 already but keep coming back to times where I feel like a sub compact would be useful for chores around the house but I just cant quite sell myself on it. The 1736 is more than enough to handle the larger chores around the property so a sub compact would not be needed for the larger to do items. This limits a sub compact specifically to tasks where it would be better than the 1736. Obviously I could use it for mowing but I have trouble convincing myself to mow with a 10-15k piece of equipment when a $3000 one will do the job.

I did not buy a back hoe for my 1736 because it was so expensive so I could get a backhoe with the sub compact which would be cheaper and certainly would get use around the property. Today I was digging out a garden and I was thinking that perhaps a sub compact would do less damage to the lawn than my 1736 does however maybe I am wrong with that. Would the smaller tractor do more damage because it has less weight and more likely to spin tires?

What other uses would a sub compact have that I couldn't do with a regular compact tractor?

 

[MossRoad]

We have a very small machine.... a Power-Trac PT425 like this...
T8 Class

It weighs less than 1500#, fits in the bed of a standard pickup truck, fits through a 48" fence gate, can lift 800#, and has 40+ attachments available. I use it to mow our 1.19 acre yard with the 60" mower, haul mulch, rocks, etc... with the 10 cubic foot bucket, plow our driveway with the 60" power angle snowplow, and move stuff around with the pallet forks.

At our remote 20 acre's, I use the 48" brush cutter to keep about 2 miles of trails cleared, the forks to harvest firewood, and the buckets to move dirt, debris, etc....

Sometimes a smaller machine is the right tool for the task. We sold our IH2500b (50hp tractor loader with cab) after the largest tasks were done at the rural property. Frankly, this thing is much easier on the terrain, can get in and out of the woods without causing damage, and could run circles around the larger machine in tasks such as moving loose material, mowing, plowing, etc....

 

[2ndhalf]

I would make a list of the things you want to do that the compact isn't well suited for and then decide. 1.5 isn't a lot to mow in my mind but there may be other things you want to do and maybe you would want a powertrac or maybe just a $3k ZTR.

 

[Goose69]

When I bought my tractor. My original plan was to buy a new small tractor for most of my uses, and then buy an older used tractor for the field mowing and hay work we do. ....
.. I ended up with the Massey 2706E, in an attempt to be able to do most everything with one tractor. I like it, and for all the field work, small hay operation, food plot work, and such it is a great tool.
. BUT As soon as it is in the budget, which may be never, but if it is, I'll be getting the GC1720, or different color equivalent, ( but I really really really like my Massey dealer, so would probably stay Red)
I'm all the time wishing I had a Baby tractor for yard and barn work.
. Today was hauling manure out to put on the garden, which involves driving across the yard, tight squeeze between house, and drop off slopes, then around the pool, really wish I had a little tractor then. Would have been more trips, but easier to navigate.
... Tilling up an area in our chicken run to plant new grass/clover/millet mix for chickens, would be much easier with a smaller tractor, as it is all fenced in, and I spent more time maneuvering then I did tilling.

Cleaning out barn, moving trailers, landscaping around the yard, doing fence maintenance where our fencing is in the woods, cutting trails thru the woods for food plots, and shooting lanes . lots of times I wish I had a smaller tractor.
. And would like the backhoe for lots of little jobs, culverts that need dug out and replaced, lots of trees needing transplanted, small water hole dug near the big food plot for deer. Some drainage ditches that have filled in and need cleaned out . the list is endless
. I would probably use it as a mower as well, I do have a nice new Snapper Z400, but it is rough on my back, and I could sell it to recoup some of the money to put on the tractor.

. So YUP, makes sense to me, and as soon as it makes sense to my wallet, I may have one. LOL

 

[Goose69]

While I was typing MossRoad's post beat me. So,,, On second thought, that Power-trac seems darn practical, for a lot of the things I would want a baby tractor for.

 

[4570Man]

My B7200 sees a lot of work, and I have multiple compact tractors. If I was wanting to spend more money on a nicer machine with a loader I'd buy a tracked walk behind skid steer.

 

[California]

See my profile pic, below. I superseded the small one with another identical that has a loader and power steering.

I use the 18 hp one 10x times as much as the 24 hp one. In fact I use the loader forks, rotary mower and rototiller I bought for the larger one on the little one instead. Most everything except a box blade I never use, and that backhoe which it can't lift.

The difference between them isn't just size. The 18 hp has Powershift (shift underway same as an a/t, a real productivity improver) while the larger one has a ROPS that won't fit under my orchard trees.

If I didn't need the backhoe, or could find a smaller one, the little tractor would meet all my needs.

 

[MossRoad]

One thing to note.... for less than the price of just a mower deck for a CUT or SCUT, you can get an inexpensive lawn tractor that'll cut an acre in an hour once a week for 15-20 years. That's something to think about.

 

[dragoneggs]

One thing to note.... for less than the price of just a mower deck for a CUT or SCUT, you can get an inexpensive lawn tractor that'll cut an acre in an hour once a week for 15-20 years. That's something to think about.

Agreed... I have a JD garden tractor that is 25+ years old that mows a 1/2 weekly. Rear hard clamshell bagger... always enjoyed it. Never a major issue. Typical maintenance only. Should have crapped out long ago. Now that said, my renter will probably be calling me in the morning about a death in the family.

 

[MossRoad]

Yikes! Tractor death or human?