Newbie needs a tractor

[metalbender]

Agree on a large size compact and a dedicated mower. Found out the other day my Massey 1742 won’t lift 1800 lbs. I spend 3 1/2 hrs mowing with a 60 inch zt mower, wouldn’t want to do that with the tractor.

 

[JNA]

From what you describe I would look for a used L series Kubota with a FEL, don't think a B series will pick up that weight safely.
A self leveling FEL would be perfect, you don't have to look behind you to operate the tractor, suggest you pick a tractor (tractordata.com is a great guide) with 50 percent more lift capacity than you expect, and make sure you have rear tires filled plus rear ballast. Alternatively, you would have to add a lot of suitcase weights up front on your tractor to balance out a heavy rear load with that fancy fork lift attachment.

Most folks here have found that buying a separate lawn mower/zero turn works out better than trying to get a do everything tractor that also mows. You may like the simplicity of one machine but functionally, a separate lawn mower usually results in a happier owner.
I also suggest you get a model with a hydrostatic transmission for doing loader work, less jerky and much easier learning curve.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.

I agree with daugen
Get a spread sheet listed with All requirments . I have a fairly large tractor and sometimes i have a hard time dealing with heavy pallets.Check specifications on several tractors.

 

[jbrumberg]

I agree with daugen
Get a spread sheet listed with All requirments . I have a fairly large tractor and sometimes i have a hard time dealing with heavy pallets.Check specifications on several tractors.

���� The goal is to have a tractor that meets one's current and future needs.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

The pallets I will be moving will be stacked with IT equipment (routers/switches), and the packing/strapping on the pallet(s) is often just barely adequate for riding in the truck. They need to be held as perfectly level as possible to avoid damage. My plan for ballast was to load the FEL bucket with ballast when needing to lift heavy pallets (probably only 2 or 3 times a month). A separate mower is out of the question. I can justify one or the other to the fiance, not both.

I hate to say it, but to get a compact tractor big enough to do the fork lifting you want, and to be much use at all for dirt work, it won't be very practical for mowing around the house. The first time you knock the corner off of the kitchen with it, your fiance will think differently. Better yet, have HER try to mow around the house with it, so she can see for herself that you're not just trying to "scam" her into more cool tools.

You don't have to spend a ton of money on a commercial grade zero turn mower, either. Just a plain old riding mower will do the job. I use my riding mower for my actual "lawn" around the house, and I use my CUT with 6' brush hog for the rest.

 

[ericm979]

Rear mounted forks can only lift 12-18" (whatever the 3pt lift range is on the model you get). That'd be fine if you're picking then up off the floor and moving them around but not if you're unloading them off trucks. If you're moving the pallets around on a hard surface you can use a pallet jack instead of a tractor.

With pallet forks on the FEL it can be difficult to keep the pallet perfectly level as you raise and lower it. Self-leveling loaders are rare in CUTs especially smaller ones. The pallet level will change some with the 3pt pallet forks too, and unless you have a hydraulic top link you won't be able to compensate as you're raising the pallet. You can change the geometry to lessen the effect some by moving the top link to the upper hole on the tractor.

I'm also in the riding mower for mowing the lawn camp. My tractor's too heavy to run on the lawn except when it's really dry.

 

[hiddentacocatneddih]

Like you I wanted loader capacity and mowing while trying to spend less than $10,000.

I wound up with an older 2wd non synchronized trans machine in the 40-50hp range. Does it have bells and whistles? No but it has a 72" wide bucket and lots of lift capacity. I have a 3 point bush hog but for around the house and backyard I have a used $400 riding lawnmower. Is it "nice" pretty stuff? No but it gets the job done

Self leveling is something I wish I had but it is what it is.

I paid $5000 for my tractor with forks and a bush hog. I don't think you can touch a modern scut for under $7500 used

 

[shooterdon]

Heed the advice to get a riding lawn mower for the grass cutting. BTW, I like the 3pt forklift idea you posted. Pricy but permits the use of a smaller tractor to get the job done.

One option is to reduce the pallet weight by manually stacking some of the product onto a second pallet. I can't imagine taking more than 15 minutes to split the load onto a second pallet.

Another option would be to build a ramp to a loading dock and use a carry all on the 3pt. You likely only need to up about 3 ft as the 3pt will have about a foot of travel.

 

[Jchonline]

My fiance and I are about to purchase a new (to us) house on a 3.6 acre lot in Denison TX. I will also be moving my part of the family business into the outbuilding on the property, which will sometimes require a forklift for unloading and loading pallets from freight trucks.

I will need a tractor for mowing, moving rock/dirt, repair/maintenance of the gravel driveway, and to double as a forklift to move pallets (up to ~1000 lbs). I would rather stick with a mid mount mower deck since I will be mowing around fences, driveways, flower beds, and a pond.
I also think I will probably have to buy a rear forklift attachment like this to handle the weight of the pallets:
(Sorry, I haven't reached my 3 post limit to post links)

I have been researching equipment on the internet, and have narrowed my choices down to either the Kubota B series, or John Deere 2 or 3 series. Hoping to find something used rather than brand new, I'd rather not finance if I can avoid it.

Am I on the right track?
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks

Financing with Kubota or Deere really isnt financing. You going to pay very close to the cash price, and if you finance it will be 0% interest over 4+ years. The only downside to it is that you must carry insurance. You might want insurance anyway, so it could be mute.

Now now on to the machine.

1. How high do these pallets need to be lifted up or down for loading and unloading? If you are spending hours a day moving pallets a rear lift is going to be a pain and front forks arent very maneuverable. If only once or twice it will probably work.
2. Self leveling loader is harder to find in the smaller machines. I am not sure they are offered on any of the compact machines....Grand L included. I looked at the L3560 and lower and didnt see them.
3. As others have said...1000lbs on a B series is really pushing it. If you are lifting it 2 ft off the ground maybe. If you are going higher, it just isntgoing to do it safely if at all. It isnt just about lifting it. It is about stability when you move with the load and overall tractor stability when lifting or lowering the FEL with the weight on it.
4. To me your real decision is FEL lift capacity vs MMM. You arent going to get both of these in 1. If you really need the lift, then you will need to skip the MMM. Lots of other great suggestions here...a ZT or riding mower or even RFM + push mower for tight spots could work.
5. You can get a good riding mower or maybe a ZT for the price of that rear fork lift.
6. If you have access to a reasonable and large enough dealer you might look at LS, Branson, Massey, RK, Kioti. Some will have larger lift capacities than Kubota (although the actual numbers and how they come up with published capacities is always a point of contention). At a minimum they are reasonable choices as well.

 

[Kevin 73]

Heed the advice to get a riding lawn mower for the grass cutting. BTW, I like the 3pt forklift idea you posted. Pricy but permits the use of a smaller tractor to get the job done.

One option is to reduce the pallet weight by manually stacking some of the product onto a second pallet. I can't imagine taking more than 15 minutes to split the load onto a second pallet.

Another option would be to build a ramp to a loading dock and use a carry all on the 3pt. You likely only need to up about 3 ft as the 3pt will have about a foot of travel.

I guess you all have convinced me that I will have to get a ZT for the mowing

Yes I would always consider the option of breaking down the pallets into multiples of lesser weight if needed. Another option I would probably have (with the forklift attachment I posted) if I knew I was expecting a pallet heavier than my tractor could handle (which would probably be a rare event) I could borrow my brother in law's John Deere 4044 (about an hour drive to pick up) and use the forklift attachment on it.

A ramp is out of the question since any loading/unloading will be done either in the gravel driveway, or on the street.

Financing with Kubota or Deere really isnt financing. You going to pay very close to the cash price, and if you finance it will be 0% interest over 4+ years. The only downside to it is that you must carry insurance. You might want insurance anyway, so it could be mute.

Now now on to the machine.

1. How high do these pallets need to be lifted up or down for loading and unloading? If you are spending hours a day moving pallets a rear lift is going to be a pain and front forks arent very maneuverable. If only once or twice it will probably work.
2. Self leveling loader is harder to find in the smaller machines. I am not sure they are offered on any of the compact machines....Grand L included. I looked at the L3560 and lower and didnt see them.
3. As others have said...1000lbs on a B series is really pushing it. If you are lifting it 2 ft off the ground maybe. If you are going higher, it just isntgoing to do it safely if at all. It isnt just about lifting it. It is about stability when you move with the load and overall tractor stability when lifting or lowering the FEL with the weight on it.
4. To me your real decision is FEL lift capacity vs MMM. You arent going to get both of these in 1. If you really need the lift, then you will need to skip the MMM. Lots of other great suggestions here...a ZT or riding mower or even RFM + push mower for tight spots could work.
5. You can get a good riding mower or maybe a ZT for the price of that rear fork lift.
6. If you have access to a reasonable and large enough dealer you might look at LS, Branson, Massey, RK, Kioti. Some will have larger lift capacities than Kubota (although the actual numbers and how they come up with published capacities is always a point of contention). At a minimum they are reasonable choices as well.

I will probably only have pallet deliveries once or twice a month at most. The highest point they would have to be lifted is about 55" (to remove from the truck). This would literally be a matter of a couple of times a month getting deliveries of multiple pallets that are usually 1000 lbs or less each, unloading them from the truck, moving them down the gravel driveway (100 yards if unloading from the street, or 5 yards if the truck backs into the property), and setting them down on a concrete pad outside the shop. A pallet jack is then used for moving them inside.

As shooterdon suggested I can (and will) break apart any pallets that I think are too heavy for my tractor to handle.

After reading all of the replies here I am convinced that the mmm is probably not the best solution, so I will look for a zero turn mower first, but that will allow me to consider a larger tractor to do the other jobs I need it for.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

 

[SirMaxwell]

I guess you all have convinced me that I will have to get a ZT for the mowing

Yes I would always consider the option of breaking down the pallets into multiples of lesser weight if needed. Another option I would probably have (with the forklift attachment I posted) if I knew I was expecting a pallet heavier than my tractor could handle (which would probably be a rare event) I could borrow my brother in law's John Deere 4044 (about an hour drive to pick up) and use the forklift attachment on it.

A ramp is out of the question since any loading/unloading will be done either in the gravel driveway, or on the street.



I will probably only have pallet deliveries once or twice a month at most. The highest point they would have to be lifted is about 55" (to remove from the truck). This would literally be a matter of a couple of times a month getting deliveries of multiple pallets that are usually 1000 lbs or less each, unloading them from the truck, moving them down the gravel driveway (100 yards if unloading from the street, or 5 yards if the truck backs into the property), and setting them down on a concrete pad outside the shop. A pallet jack is then used for moving them inside.

As shooterdon suggested I can (and will) break apart any pallets that I think are too heavy for my tractor to handle.

After reading all of the replies here I am convinced that the mmm is probably not the best solution, so I will look for a zero turn mower first, but that will allow me to consider a larger tractor to do the other jobs I need it for.

Thank you all for the suggestions.

YOu have plenty of tractor ideas, so I'll leave that atm. However, I will say this. Stock up on those Saran/Plastic wrap spools. They are inexpensive. very fast and work a treat.. Get your pallet, give it a tight wrap (even when you 'think' its not necessary). You will be much happier. Don't ask how I know. :laughing: Tractors jolt the pallet around quite a bit, even a forklift going up and down a gravel driveway is going to shake things up.