Tractor Buying Advice for 1 acre Lot

[airbiscuit]

You would love having a SCUT! This is one of those times when a SCUT is the perfect size for all the things you want to do. I even think it will do the trick for filling in that old pool ....

 

[LMychajluk]

... Last year it broke the mower deck weld that held the adjuster for deck height on one side. I rewelded it over the winter and readjusted it again. It's been holding up ok with my Harbor Freight 80amp welder job (they work but are pretty low on the heat for welding). ....

Don't the decks on the Simplicity ZTRs have lifetime warranties? I'm fairly certain the decks for the ride-ons do.

 

[stevem5215]

Oh yeah, it's still under the 3 yr bumper to bumper warranty but it took me 30minutes to take it off reweld fix it and then put it back together and make it usable the same day (not needed that day but still) The idea was I could fix it myself for no cost and the time was less than having to deal with any dealer appointment, pickup and drop off and them ordering parts and blah blah blah. Now if the engine breaks or something major then yes. I'll take it in.

Steve

Don't the decks on the Simplicity ZTRs have lifetime warranties? I'm fairly certain the decks for the ride-ons do.

 

[rngrrymd]

rngrrymd mentioned that the mowing deck on the john Deere is better than the Kubota and I would be curious why so when I am looking at the tractors I can give a fair comparison. I have already looked at the tractors in person and mostly looking at John Deere and Kubota, the other brands such as LS, Massey Ferguson, Mahindra there really is no dealer near me.

When you say you looked at the tractors do you mean you just walked around them or gave them a test drive and tested the functionality? I am recommending that you take a 1025r with loader and auto-connect mower deck through it's paces. Have the dealer walk you through the process of removing the loader, removing the mower deck and then put the drive over mower deck back on and put the loader back on. Do the same with the Kubota BX model so you can experience the difference between the 2 models. Play with the loaders. Lower and raise them - if the dealer has any dirt piles you can use the loader on then do so. Make sure you try out the Deere model with the auto-connect PTO. Once you've tried them out you can price shop the 2 of them against each other and decide which way you want to go.

 

[Stussy1035]

Thanks everyone for your input and help. thanks for setting me straight with actually trying the tractors. I have looked at many different brands the LS MT125, Massey Ferguson GC1715, Mahindra eMax 20S, Kubota BX23S, John Deere 1025r. I test drove several the Massey Ferguson, Kubota and John Deere. Some of the others there is no dealers nearby and only saw them at county fairs. The Mahindra I did not like the construction it looks not as well built as the others. The LS is nice but again not many dealers, and also concerned about getting parts in the future. I operated the Kubota and did not like pedal design, and also it would coast to a stop compared to the others that stopped more quickly. Also there is few Massey Ferguson dealers nearby. Some of these dealers LS, Massey Ferguson, Mahindra is 70 miles away from me. I also looked at some of the tractor spare parts such as mower blades, air filters, etc and the John Deere and the Kubota BX was the easily found and other 3rd party suppliers such as mower blades so I do not need to get a OEM part.

I have gotten several quotes and have been also looking at new and used equipment. Since I am frugal I am struggling to justify the cost of the tractor since it is such a large expense and will I be continually using the tractor in the future. It is difficult for me because for the cost I could buy a car, which I do not need a car now. It would be easier to justify the cost if I had a larger lot. But even a person with a larger lot would need to justify choosing a larger or smaller tractor.

I own a house and a car which are both big expenses so owning a tractor is hard since it is another large purchase item and am I going to get the use out of it. It goes with any thing else such if you buy a camper how often are you going to use it, how much enjoyment or usefulness are you going to get for the expense. Or it like trying to justify a car when you live in a big city and can take public transportation.

I have also looked at renting a tractor and that can be a pain. Trying to find a place, hoping the rental is available and the weather is good, etc. And in the end paying a lot of money and have no equipment in return. I like the idea of owning because I can work on project when they come up and when I want and I am able to keep the tractor in the end and use it for more future projects.

Since I have never owned a tractor it is harder for me to imagine all the possible uses that I can use the tractor for.

So how do you justify the large expense of a tractor?

 

[atsah]

I agree with you on many points.. If it were me I would keep a close eye out for something in good shape and low hours, it is hard to justify a SCUT for the money they want for them.

I justify mine because of snow removal, I could pay someone to plow but my place needs a loader to remove snow in my large fenced in area and the snow that's comes off of my roof. 15,16,17,20 thousand dollars is a lot of money for most people. In my area I see a lot of older JD 755, 855, 955 tractors in the $7000 range, if you could find something like that, I would think it would suit you well for what you need to do..

 

[HickoryFarms]

I am looking for some buying advice and if a sub compact tractor will be to large for my needs now and in the future. I tend to buy things that keep them for life. I am wondering if a sub compact tractor will be overkill and I should get something such as a John Deere X700 or X500 series. I currently have an old Craftsman 1994 GT6000 garden tractor and I was looking for a loader / Johnny Bucket to do the work below. I came to the conclusion that I could not find a loader for the tractor and it would still be limited in that it does not have a locking rear differential and not 4 wheel drive.

So I started to look at Sub compact tractors and trying to justify the cost and if it will fit my needs now and in the future. I would like to own more land in the future. It seems like I am always working in the yard and not much is getting done because I am trying to do it with manual labor and I have a lot of projects that I would like to complete. I had some quotes for the landscaping, just to remove the debris from the above ground pool area, and bring in dirt and remove the deck, rock and dirt they quoted $8,500. This does not include any of the actual landscape work which will be approx $15,000 which will total about $23,000 if I were to hire someone to do all of the work.


I have the money to spend, but trying to justify the cost and will I get my use out of the tractor. Is a sub compact tractor to large for a 1 acre lot in the future. I tend to wrench on my own tractors, cars, do oil changes, and maintenance. I am not looking forwarded to another item (tractor) to keep up, repair and maintenance, so not sure how much work or how often the tractors break and require repairs? I would like to have an all electric tractor with electric attachments as it seems simpler and less maintenance but there really do not exist yet and it will probably some time. So it would be new for be working on diesel engines, dealing with hydrostatic trans and fluids, etc.



Any advice would be greatly appreciated with the size of tractor to fit my current lot size and needs below.

Lot Size: 1 acre, would like to own more land in the future but not sure if it will happen.
I live in northern IL so we get some snow. I currently have a newer Ariens snow blower for our 75' driveway.

Current needs and projects:
1. Move and fill in above ground pool that was removed and turn it into a vegetable garden. There is about 30 yards of rock, dirt that needs to be moved and compost / soil that need to be brought in to turn it into a vegetable garden.
2. there is a above ground deck that needs to be removed, and rocks under deck that need to be removed, to make room for a patio.
3. Landscaping around house bushes and rocks need to be removed, ground needs to be regraded and new landscaping installed.
4. I have several trees that need to be removed, large logs of 30" dia that need to be split and wood piles that need to be stacked

Long Term Needs:
1. Mowing most of the lot. the lost is mostly grass with 10+ trees, landscape bushes, etc.
2. Moving tree trimmings and brush to the front for our annual brush pickup.
3. vegetable garden work (size 30' x 30' currently), maybe using a Brinly-Hardy Plow, cultivation disks, etc
4. Laying down mulch around landscape
5. any future projects


thanks again for any advice and help.

I’m in northern IL, too, and am trying to get rid of an X530. I needed to get something larger when I moved. If you’re interested.

 

[Stussy1035]

I currently have a 1994 Sears Craftsman GT6000 which is similar to the x530, so I appreciate the offer but I am looking for something larger.

My tractor currently runs good, I started this whole journey looking for a front end loader for my tractor because they use to sell it for my tractor. Since it is so old could not find anything so I started looking at a Johnny Bucket with all of the features that I would want would be near $2,000 but still limited in capacity and lifting height. I then started to look at the DIY loaders from CADPlans and buy the time I get the kit, look for a weld shop, etc that would be probably $3,000+ and I still would be limited with the tractor. I also want a rear differential lock to help with my garden plot, current tractor does not have a locking rear differential lock. So I started to move up look at larger John deere tractors such as the X700 series which used were around $9,000 then add on a CTC loader for approx $3,000 and you are near $12,000 which is near the used John Deere 1025R. Then I just kept going because I could see using a backhoe which now ups my price even more approx $19,000. I have been looking at used John Deere 1025R TLB with mid mount mower for past 1 month and not that many good deals, It seems for about additional $3,500 you are at a new unit. So that is the path that I have taken from starting out with a johnny bucket to a sub compact TLB.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

I currently have a 1994 Sears Craftsman GT6000 which is similar to the x530, so I appreciate the offer but I am looking for something larger.

My tractor currently runs good, I started this whole journey looking for a front end loader for my tractor because they use to sell it for my tractor. Since it is so old could not find anything so I started looking at a Johnny Bucket with all of the features that I would want would be near $2,000 but still limited in capacity and lifting height. I then started to look at the DIY loaders from CADPlans and buy the time I get the kit, look for a weld shop, etc that would be probably $3,000+ and I still would be limited with the tractor. I also want a rear differential lock to help with my garden plot, current tractor does not have a locking rear differential lock. So I started to move up look at larger John deere tractors such as the X700 series which used were around $9,000 then add on a CTC loader for approx $3,000 and you are near $12,000 which is near the used John Deere 1025R. Then I just kept going because I could see using a backhoe which now ups my price even more approx $19,000. I have been looking at used John Deere 1025R TLB with mid mount mower for past 1 month and not that many good deals, It seems for about additional $3,500 you are at a new unit. So that is the path that I have taken from starting out with a johnny bucket to a sub compact TLB.

I have done the same journey. I have a garden tractor that I decided to equip with a Johnny Products sleeve hitch, which allows me to electronically raise and lower a rear implement. (Unfortunately, it turns out my garden tractor did not have a strong enough frame to accept a Johnny Bucket.) I now also have a real tractor.

Some thoughts. If money is no object, buy the toys you want and enjoy them. However, if you need to justify the $$$, that may be difficult with just one acre. The pool infill sounds like a one-time job better hired out unless it costs the same as a tractor.

The Johnny Products implements will do more than you think. I have done many jobs with my garden tractor + sleeve hitch + box blade that folks here STILL say can't be done. Takes a bit of time because it must be done in smaller bites. When I bought the real tractor ($16.7k) I thought I would sell the garden tractor + sleeve hitch (cost around $4.5k) but find I still need it (or want it) for small quick jobs, or where I don't want to destroy or compact turf, or in tight spaces where the big tractor can't easily fit, plus it MOWS well. I have 15 acres. If I only had 1 acre I'd probably be happy with a Johnny Products - equipped garden tractor. Folks here will disagree but tractors are not the best mowers for standard, nicely landscaped lawns. I hate to take my tractor on my *lawn.*

All that being said, one of the smallest *real* tractors--LS MT125, Massey Ferguson GC1715, Mahindra eMax 20S, kubota BX23S--are a kind of swiss-army-knife that I would enjoy having on a small property. Light and small enough to mow well (although I still think you need to remove the FEL for mowing around the house) but still capable enough to do a lot of tractor tasks. YMMV but I found the new Deere tractors inferior to other brands in every way except price. JMO, I was shopping with zero brand loyalty at the time.

Finally, I don't own the Johnny Bucket, but several years later I am very happy with the product quality and customer support from Johnny Products for my electric sleeve hitch.

Life is short. If your dream is to own a real tractor and you can afford it, do it. If you change your mind, you can always sell it.

 

[dodge man]

A couple of thoughts. Skip the back hoe. It’s an expensive add on. I wish I had one but don’t need one.

Justify the cost? That is a tough one. I’m 56 years old and my body will not take the manual labor like it used to. I have had my BX for about 10 years and have about 750 hours on it. If you figure a 40 hour work week that is almost 20 weeks of full time use. For me it’s an invaluable tool.

Another point, after you buy it you might end up spending more money. You will find projects to do that you otherwise would not do. Of course this will also improve your property.

My main reason for buying the BX was mowing. My rougher yard was just tearing up lower cost riding mowers. I have used the FEL a lot more than I thought I would.

It all really comes down to if you think you can afford it. You can always put some projects off until later.