Advice on tractor for 7.5 acres - Mowing pasture and general use - L3902? What flail mower?

[benmc_2000]

Hi all,

We moved to a 7.5 acre lot in NorCal last year. House is on the top of a hill and has around 6 acres of pasture (no real lawn) which runs down the hill. Property also has lots of mature tress and bushes. We inherited a Husqvarna gt52xls which has been great to mow the more intricate areas.

We have decided we need/want a tractor for the following

• Mowing the pasture 4-8 times per year
• FEL for general use and compost turning. We seem to generate 2-3 cubic yards of yard waste per month (more in the growing season) and no way to turn compost etc
• Chipper (PTO) - This is a luxury (Woodland Mills WC68) - There are always branches etc we have cut down and would simply like to chip them vs waiting and hiring a chipper once a year.

We have a local Kubota dealer who is highly recommended.

We started off thinking of getting a L2501 but after reading lots of threads decided that the hills meant that more power would not be a bad idea. So now looking at L3902.
ZTR - Again I have read hundreds of threads and not sure ZTR is worth it for mowing pasture 4-8 times per year and would end up being another less used machine vs the multi purpose tractor.
Mower for the pasture - Like the idea of a Flail mower but not sure the best size to match the L3902?
As some of the work is on a hill, wheel spacers and filled tires are a must.

Budget is ~$42k (inc tax) for tractor + chipper + mower.

Any thoughts or comments welcome as this is the first time purchasing a tractor.

Thanks
Ben

 

[airbiscuit]

The l3902 would be a great choice. I would also consider Kioti ( I like the NS4710). Woodmax is hard ti beat on price for wood chippers and flail mowers.

 

[jeff9366]

As some of the work is on a hill, wheel spacers and filled tires are a must.

Mowing the pasture 4-8 times per year.


A Kubota L3902 will be adequate with wheel spacers.

An MX5400 might price out favorably relative to a L3902 and give you much more tractor, specifically adjustable rear wheel stance and much larger wheels/tires.

KUBOTA WEB SITE: Tractors - Utility - MX Series | Kubota


Tractors are inherently unstable operating on sloped ground. Tractor rear wheel/tire spread, sometimes adjustable, is a critical factor increasing compact tractor stability working sloped or uneven ground. Rear axle is the tractor component on which rear wheels/tires mount. A 6" to 10" wider rear axle substantially decreases tractor rollover potential. Tractor width is an approximation of rear axle width.

Larger wheels and tires provide more tractive power pulling ground contact implements and logs, pushing a loader bucket into dirt and pushing snow. Larger wheels and tires permit heavier tractors to bridge holes, ruts and tree debris yielding higher operating speed with less implement and operator perturbation.

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

 

[MiniDonkey22]

based on my experience with my kubota ZTR i would not recommend that for the pasture with hills. Maybe with aggressive tires it would be possible, but ZTRs really struggle holding a line across a hill. On the stock turf saver tires it is completely impossible. Mine slides sideways down the hill (!)

 

[tradosaurus]

If you do go to a zero turn buy you the proper tires for traction:
Carlisle AT101

 

[Hughman]

Sounds like my property (7.5 ac of hills and grass in California). I went with a rfm which I think gives a better looking cut and takes less hp than a flail. Of course I had to first groom my property a little at a time with a box scraper looking for rocks.

 

[sea2summit]

Jeff mentioned already but I really think you should consider an MX. 39 is probably fine for flat ground but turning a flail mower on hills you'll be really glad you have the extra HP.

Not sure how much of the 7.5 acres you plan to cut but keep in mind that's going to be a significant event with a 5-6' cutter traveling 1-3mph.

 

[tradosaurus]

Jeff mentioned already but I really think you should consider an MX. 39 is probably fine for flat ground but turning a flail mower on hills you'll be really glad you have the extra HP.

Not sure how much of the 7.5 acres you plan to cut but keep in mind that's going to be a significant event with a 5-6' cutter traveling 1-3mph.

His $42K budget might not get him the MX5400 plus implements.

 

[Rdrcr]

It’s a budget killer but, here’s a ZTR for hills;

It’s a Cub Cadet Pro Z 560 s KW and runs around $12K. It’s built like a tank and mows hills quickly and safely.

Mike

 

[Rdrcr]

His $42K budget might not get him the MX5400 plus implements.

But, we’re experts at spending other people’s money!

Mike