Dakota Joe
Member
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2020
- Messages
- 29
- Location
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts
- Tractor
- Kubota L2350DT; Gator XUV 825i S4
Please help me size my new tractor!
I am a noob, alas, but have greatly enjoyed learning from you all over the past months reading your very interesting posts and advice to others.
We have 165 acres in Western Massachusetts, just under the Appalachian Trail, shared by three families. About 50 acres of meadows, 15 acres of scrub/border land, 60 acres of forest, 10 acres for houses, 30 acres runs up the mountain to the Trail and is too steep for a tractor.
The house lawns get cut with a Cheetah.
For the last 25 years, the walking trails (3 miles around the meadows, 8-9 feet wide, which get cut with a finish mower once a week during growing season) and forest trails (2 miles, 6-8 feet wide, bush hogged a few times a year) have been maintained by a caretaker with a 1995 Kubota L2350 pulling a 5 foot bush hog and a bush hog finish mower. The 60 acres of meadows have been cut by local farmers with their big tractors--but we envision taking back care of those in a few years and just bush hogging them 1-2 time a year, as currently happens with scrub/border land.
I don't expect a ton of FEL work, but in addition to the mowing above, would expect applications to be:
Moving stones (not too huge)
Maintain 1/4 mile of gravel driveway, every two or three years
Moving piles of brush
Moving downed trees from lawns and from walking trails
Regrading grass and dirt trails to deal with impaction, erosion, wet areas, etc
Possibly plowing drives in winter, but the snow amount is dropping fast as things warm
As things warm, the precipitation is picking up and the trees are growing mossier and the soil is damp more often. The L2350 has turf tires and I think I would stick with those. (The L2350 has been great, but in retrospect was probably too small this whole time.)
I would like to buy one tractor that can last the next 30 years. I don't have much experience driving or operating one, but as I move closer to retirement I hope to take that over.
On the one hand, I'd like it not to tear up or compact the trails too bad given how things can be more damp here now, and I'd like it to work in the forest trails (through which the Kubota L2350 just fits with a 5 foot bush hog).
On the other hand, I only want to buy one tractor and to have it be sufficiently powered and not to have any regrets.
I expect we'll probably get a Kubota again.
What size do you think I should get?
Thank you so much.
I am a noob, alas, but have greatly enjoyed learning from you all over the past months reading your very interesting posts and advice to others.
We have 165 acres in Western Massachusetts, just under the Appalachian Trail, shared by three families. About 50 acres of meadows, 15 acres of scrub/border land, 60 acres of forest, 10 acres for houses, 30 acres runs up the mountain to the Trail and is too steep for a tractor.
The house lawns get cut with a Cheetah.
For the last 25 years, the walking trails (3 miles around the meadows, 8-9 feet wide, which get cut with a finish mower once a week during growing season) and forest trails (2 miles, 6-8 feet wide, bush hogged a few times a year) have been maintained by a caretaker with a 1995 Kubota L2350 pulling a 5 foot bush hog and a bush hog finish mower. The 60 acres of meadows have been cut by local farmers with their big tractors--but we envision taking back care of those in a few years and just bush hogging them 1-2 time a year, as currently happens with scrub/border land.
I don't expect a ton of FEL work, but in addition to the mowing above, would expect applications to be:
Moving stones (not too huge)
Maintain 1/4 mile of gravel driveway, every two or three years
Moving piles of brush
Moving downed trees from lawns and from walking trails
Regrading grass and dirt trails to deal with impaction, erosion, wet areas, etc
Possibly plowing drives in winter, but the snow amount is dropping fast as things warm
As things warm, the precipitation is picking up and the trees are growing mossier and the soil is damp more often. The L2350 has turf tires and I think I would stick with those. (The L2350 has been great, but in retrospect was probably too small this whole time.)
I would like to buy one tractor that can last the next 30 years. I don't have much experience driving or operating one, but as I move closer to retirement I hope to take that over.
On the one hand, I'd like it not to tear up or compact the trails too bad given how things can be more damp here now, and I'd like it to work in the forest trails (through which the Kubota L2350 just fits with a 5 foot bush hog).
On the other hand, I only want to buy one tractor and to have it be sufficiently powered and not to have any regrets.
I expect we'll probably get a Kubota again.
What size do you think I should get?
Thank you so much.
