Buying Advice First time on 5 acres - tractor selection?

   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #21  
My tractor is 24 HP with a backhoe. It would be adequate for all the jobs you have listed.

A backhoe comes in as very handy. There so many things that can be done with it including getting your self unstuck. Trying to line up all the backhoe work fora one time rental may be hard to do.
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #22  
It sounds to me like you could skip the backhoe attachment. They are expensive, heavy, and a pain in the 3-point to put on, remove and store when not in use. Having a flat, level paved area to set it on when storing it off the tractor will help, but then that is taking up valuable space while just sitting there gathering dust.

You mentioned "sheep" and feeding hay. The biggest question I have for you is what kind of bales are you going to be working with? Round bales? Square bales, large or small? If your source for hay only comes in large (read *heavy*) round bales, then you are not looking at near big enough tractors to handle moving large round bales. If you're going for small square bales, are you confident you have a reliable source provider for these small square bales? Most Ag's around here don't/won't produce small squares because it's not worth their time. So it's normally large round bales being produced and sold here. The key will be finding a reliable hay producing source that is willing to put up small square bales every year. Do you have a space to put up square bales under cover, out of rain/snow, etc?

For a mower, a belly mower will drastically reduce the amount of ground clearance your tractor has while it's on. Yes they can be taken on and off, but on most designs, it is not super simple or easy. Not near as bad as taking on and off a backhoe, but it may make you not take it off maybe every time you should, or hesitate to put it back on when you kind of need it. And a belly mower won't take much abuse from heavy brush or rocks or other small debris that a true rear mounted brush hog style cutter will breeze over and take in stride.

A brush hog style mower will not give you a park or golf course like cut appearance like a finish mower will. But for pasture work, they are more robust and will take the occasional rock (and brush cutting) in stride where a finish mower may blow it's guts out on you. The cutting blades on a brush cutter spin slower, are larger/thicker/heavier and they are also dull (on purpose) for chopping and hacking, not truly slice cutting the grass like a knife blade.

A finish mower is made for cutting grass, and that's it. They won't tolerate brush cutting for long (or very large brush at all), and they don't take impacts well with uneven ground or rocks and other debris. The blades are smaller, thinner, lighter and they are sharp like a regular lawn mower blade. They do require sharpening from time to time as they dull from normal use. They also spin at a much higher speed. All this is what gives them that park like clean finishing cut, but it does make them much more prone to damage from foreign objects.

Hanging a 3 point hitch style rear mower, either finish or brush, off the back of your tractor will make it hard to maneuver around obstacles, buildings, cars, etc while you're mowing. A belly mower would be easier to mow around obstacles with, but it will still be difficult to get close to walls, sprinklers, flower beds, etc. You'll need some kind of secondary mower for getting around "stuff" in your yard and around the house. Either a push mower, or a riding mower will be needed, as well as some kind of string trimmer/weed eater for getting the last finish work done.

We're just under 4 acres here presently, but I mow about 6 acres (neighbor's pasture too). I mow all the pasture area, road ditches and rough places with the 3 pt rear brush hog mower. And I mow the "lawn" areas around our house and out buildings with a plain old riding lawn mower. I also use a string trimmer around the house, trees, fence and flower beds that are immediately around the house and back yard. I don't worry about trimming around the out buildings, lean to, or pasture fencing.

Funny my backhoe is actually as easy as putting on any 3 piece attachment and in some cases even easier to attach.

I also find that I can cut closer to things with the 3 point finish mower than I ever could with any belly mower I ever owned including smaller ride on mowers.

I would have to say if you can稚 get close with a finish mower on the rear then you have a property cluttered with things not open property like is pictured.

My push mower and string trimmer might get started once per season since I went with a full time rear mower but when I still had a belly mower they got ran every time I cut the grass!

By the way I would really like you to name the belly mowers out there that are not as hard to mount and dismount?
I have dealt with many over the years and even attaching the old style backhoe that required me to climb underneath and take off the 3 point arms were still easy compared to the contortionist positions I had to get into to disconnect those god forsaken belly mowers!
 
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   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #23  
Funny my backhoe is actually as easy as putting on any 3 piece attachment
Yes, same here..
My backhoe isn't much different than any other attachment to remove/install. (including loader and 3 point attachments)
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #24  
I won't say mounting/dismounting a four point subframe type BH is 'easy', but it isn't overly difficult either.
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #25  
A small tractor with a backhoe is the best piece of equipment you can purchase. I would wager that all those saying dont get it because it is too expensive have never owned one. Renting any piece of equipment is money that is thrown away and could be part of your equipment buy.
The only time I have had my backhoe off is when I bought it and was shown how easy it was to remove and install. I keep it on and find lots of uses for it even after 10 years on my property, I still find many uses for the TLB. I have dug up many trees with mine and piled the trunks using my backhoe (it has a hydraulic thumb attachment so I can pickup, hold or place objects as small as a softball with ease. It is also great for planting, no more shovel work to set a tree or shrub. Dig a trench for expanding your water system with ease. For me, I use it to remove rocks that come up every winter as well as keeping my stream cleaned out. I wouldn't do with out it.
As for mowing, get a zero turn commercial duty unit and it will last you a lifetime. With a zero turn mower, you rarely need to use a string trimmer and a low end commercial duty mower like my Ferris IS 700 is not a lot more money than a belly mower attachment. With a dedicated mower, you wont be constantly hooking and unhooking something from your tractor.

As for tractor size, a compact size equivalent to a Kubota 26XX series with a backhoe with subframe is all you need. You can likely find a good used one and save several thousand bucks. I got mine with only 68 hours on it (much of it using a bushhog) and saved over $10K.
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #26  
My fiance and I are first-time property owners on 5 acres outside of Bellingham, WA.

There are several incomplete french drain projects around outbuildings - these were left open, with pipe in place but no gravel. They need completed digging, then backfill with gravel.


[*] There are several incomplete french drain projects around outbuildings - these were left open, with pipe in place but no gravel. They need completed digging, then backfill with gravel.
How many feet? Dig with a spade. Fill with tractor Front End Loader. (FEL)
You can easily lift out pipes with chain between the pipe and FEL.

MTCONNOL: Backhoes excel at trenching.

How many feet of french drain do you have and is this discrete project capable of reasonable completion with a spade?

Is it worth $7,000 to complete trenching with an optional Backhoe?

It seems completing french drains is the only trenching work you foresee on your five acre property.
 
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   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #27  
Funny my backhoe is actually as easy as putting on any 3 piece attachment and in some cases even easier to attach.

I also find that I can cut closer to things with the 3 point finish mower than I ever could with any belly mower I ever owned including smaller ride on mowers.

I would have to say if you can稚 get close with a finish mower on the rear then you have a property cluttered with things not open property like is pictured.

My push mower and string trimmer might get started once per season since I went with a full time rear mower but when I still had a belly mower they got ran every time I cut the grass!

By the way I would really like you to name the belly mowers out there that are not as hard to mount and dismount?
I have dealt with many over the years and even attaching the old style backhoe that required me to climb underneath and take off the 3 point arms were still easy compared to the contortionist positions I had to get into to disconnect those god forsaken belly mowers!

Can't tell if you're serious, or trying to be "funny".

JD makes an auto connect drive over mower deck for at least the 1025 and 2025 series. Not sure if they make it for others.
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #28  
MTCONNOL: Backhoes excel at trenching.

How many feet of french drain do you have and is this discrete project capable of reasonable completion with a spade?
Is it worth $7,000 to complete trenching with an optional Backhoe?

It seems completing french drains is the only trenching work you foresee on your five acre property.

"Backhoes excel at trenching"... over what? A shovel? Certainly not an excavator.

Many years ago I rented a small tracked excavator for a weekend rental to put in a 24' x 32' x 4' deep foundation for a garage/barn. I had never operated an excavator before that day. I dug 112' of 4' deep trench 3' wide for the foundation in less than 2 hours, removed dozens of small trees 4" in diameter, and returned the excavator with only 4 hours on it for a half-day rental VS thinking it was gonna take all weekend.

Excavators are way better at the task than backhoes. Positioning is faster, you can get them into tighter spaces, you can rotate 360 degrees, etc...
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #29  
OP, also note that many of the folks recommending you get a backhoe either have multiple tractors or TLBs. They have multiple tractors so they don't have to switch implements because it's a pain in the rear, or the smaller unit isn't capable of doing larger tasks, things like that. A TLB is not a compact tractor and is way overkill for the jobs you are considering on just 5 acres.

If you're looking for just one machine, get a tractor with loader with quick attach on it, a nice bucket, forks, a brush cutter, and a land plane to maintain the driveway, not a box blade. Get a cheap, small, riding mower for the 1/6 acres of lawn. Plan out your french drain project and rent a small excavator for a weekend or two. You can backfill with the bucket and blade on the excavator, or use the FEL bucket to get it close and the landplane to smooth it out.
 
   / First time on 5 acres - tractor selection? #30  
Can't tell if you're serious, or trying to be "funny".

JD makes an auto connect drive over mower deck for at least the 1025 and 2025 series. Not sure if they make it for others.

Not trying to be funny at all. The new drive over decks might be easy when new but just wait till the get old. My older JD has a drive over with manual connection points and it is one **** of a chore to connect or disconnect.
So Unless the hole ndustry has gone to the auto connect drive over deck I would have to say that most aren’t that easy! Since I helped my friend disconnect his deck on his one year old kubota last week and it wasn’t nearly as easy as connecting or disconnecting my backhoe I would assume that since we only have one suggested that is easy to connect my statement is mostly accurate.

I have to wonder how out of date your experience with the backhoe attachment is compared with the actual ease of connecting them today.

Dont feel bad as I read your post I also couldn’t determine weather you are nuts, joking or just don’t know how to drive. It’s time like this when I wish I knew how to get pictures to post so I could cut close to something with a belly mower, take a picture and then show how much closer I can get with the finish mower and post both pictures so the people could actually see the truth.

I even tried cutting around some stuff with my JD yesterday that I get right up to with the Kioti just to try to disprove myself. What I ended up with was a scratched forehead and about a foot and a half farther out then with the finish mower, have to move the small trailer that I can usually cut right up to and actually put the finish mower under making moving it unnecessary. When I tried cutting along side the old Jeep it seems no matter which way I approach the belly mower has about 3 feet of ground it can’t cut but the finish mower is able to be backed in and cuts right to the bank. It also can slightly run under he bumper meaning again it’s very rare I have to move it or trim with the string trimmer
Out on the bank I was able to adjust the 3 point in just 1 minute and cut over the side at a much greater angle with the finish mower that the belly mower was not cape able Of doing because it’s tied into the center of the machine and instead of the mower going over to cut and the tractor staying on top the tractor would have flipped trying to cut over that far. Going around the small pines even with the JD being the smaller of the two machines again he finish mower was able to get right up and under without putting my face into the trees or catching branches and ripping them off if I got too close.

My guess on how much faster to cut with the finish mower compared with an equal size belly mower would be about an honest hour longer with the belly mower and that also leaves much more significant trim time.
 
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