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New or used? Personally I really want an F450 for towing. The big advantage of the F450 and up over the 350 and under is that it has the wide track front axle - turning radius is ridiculously small for a long bed crew cab, it's amazing. No other manufacturer has this feature. Better brakes...

Some other thoughts... I agree with Jens that already having a BCS, adding a Grillo to your stable isn't going to be a headache free experience. Now, if the only thing you need it to do is run the sicklebar... Then you might consider a regular dedicated snowblower. I'm not sure how much...

Ferns are like tissue paper, they just dissolve. It also does a really good job on meatier growth like Japanese Knotweed and small trees. If you can get it to bend over far enough for a blade edge to touch, nothing stands a chance against the mighty flail mower! It's like suspending a wood...

August 2, 2025 - ~155 hours Mowed the paddock. Got the riding half done early in the morning. In the afternoon I finally got around to putting the 3-point hitch on so I could use the Heavy Hitch de-thatcher and landscape rake! Here I am testing it out on a couple spots on the lawn. I ran it...

On smaller two-wheeled tractors the procedure you're describing is called "bump starting". These smaller engines don't have a ton of torque or rotational mass to be able to dump the PTO clutch in one go without stalling when engaging some of the heavier rotational implements like stump grinders...

A flail mower would work nicely to knock down, cut, and mulch all the high growth. You might need to navigate around some of the larger 3” growth (depending on your flail) and come back for it with the brush hog later, but the flail will make quick work of the weeds and smaller trees. If it’s...

Yes, both the 1025R and 2025R use the 260B backhoe. Seat clearances might be a bit different though due to the different frame size - I'm not sure. I might just order one and see if I can make it work if they have a good return policy.

That looks nice, wonder if it would fit a Deere 260B backhoe. Flipping seats up and down is annoying, and I never use the "back" of the BH seat since I'm always sitting on the forward edge. If I could leave the tractor seat down, and a smaller BH seat down, without interference, that would be...

Congratulations on making a decision. I think you will be happy with the 1025R as a mower. One thing I will say, from personal experience, is look at every line item in your purchase. If there is an entry for mower setup, make sure it's done properly before you take delivery. I didn't know...

It's Bellon's version of the bush hog, I got everything from Earth Tools. Brush Mowers - Earth Tools I also have the Berta flail mower purchased from Earth Tools Flail Mowers - Berta, BCS, Bellon, Green Technik - Earth Tools. I notice there is a caster wheel option - I'll have to look at my...

Transportation, that's quite a different problem! In addition to the flail mower, I have the Bellon 28” Super-Duty Brush Mower. For me personally, one big advantage over the flail mower, is how much less it weighs! A bit of downward pressure on the handlebars and it's pretty manageable to get...

How bad a job does the bush hog do? $1500 is a lot for 3-4 hills, I'd probably keep hitting it with the bush hog and not worry too much about quality of cut. Use the push mower from time to time to improve the cut if it matters. I don't have experience with the Bellon. I have however...

Given this, ... who gets the new tractor?? I'd say that person's input should be most important in terms of ergonomics and preference. If your wife is going to be using it so you can get your tractor back, you want her to be happy. If you wife is taking your tractor and this new one is your...

I’ll go with a bent blade.

OK so weight's not an issue, you have what sounds like a nicely equipped 1526 that can go everywhere you need and do every job except mowing... what are you actual needs for this second small tractor? It's a lot of expense to fill the mowing gap, which you could plug much more effectively with...

What's your weight limit for mowing with tractor + MMM? That was a big factor for me, most of my property that I mow is in a flood plain. I came up with my weight limit and then found the biggest tractor I could within that limit, and it's worked out for me. I got a Deere 2025R and I know you...

7/16/25 - Bunch of delayed updates Finally got around to calling Heavy Hitch and they send over the missing parts for the dethatcher. I did a quick test by mounting it to the Artillian frame on the FEL. It was OK in that config, but I plan to run it on the 3PH while mowing to minimize weight...

July 3 - Mowing Madness - 150 hours OK first up, I'm happy to report that the "pull up on the pedal to go backwards" trick does work. It's not great, but at least the tractor isn't disabled if a pedal goes down. My replacement arrived (along with the autothrottle!) but I haven't had a chance...

I've got a top-tilt kit from FitRite. I've had a few issues (user error) and never thought to reach out. Sounds like everyone has had fantastic customer service. Maybe I'll give Brian a call... My biggest non-user-error wish is that I had more extension. Using the box blade, I can't extend...

June 14 2025 Wind blew a tree down in the paddock, right on top of the fence of course. Had the pallet forks on so was relatively easy to get it off the fence and out of the way. Since I also had the backhoe on (had stored TLB + MMM for space savings), might as well get the stump out. I dug...

May 25 2025, Memorial Maintenance and Mowing We've had an incredibly wet spring this year, the grass is growing like crazy, so I decided to mow early this year (we do "no mow May" for the bees and hummingbirds... and because I hate mowing, so it's a good excuse). First up though was some early...

Curious how progress has been? What have you done to maintain the land? What's it look like now? Most important - Did you get a 2-wheel tractor??

I was in the same boat, had F350 CC LB and now Ram 3500 CC LB. Towing and turning with a gooseneck takes miles and miles. Test drove an F450 and it was a dream with the tight turning radius and really wanted one, but circumstances placed me into the Ram. AFAIK only Ford offers this in the...

Spring 2025 Updates More rocks delivered. Need to touch up some areas around the run-in shelter and inside. I generally run the tractor at 2k RPM and with the turbo, it just keeps on chugging when driving into the pile and doesn't stall. Front hydraulics seem perfectly engineered to go with...

RIP "Katty Girl"

I converted an old car trailer to fit my Grillo by welding a round pipe to the top of the original bracket. It works OK on flat ground. Info here

I'm looking to get a landscape rake this spring as well for clearing fallen limbs and debris all over the yard, maintaining some new trails I've cut, as well as trying to improve our horse pasture. My research is pointing at the moment to the Ignite Attachments 72 Inch Tine Rake with the Wheel...

Couple hours seat time isn't ever really that bad ;). It was like an unlimited dirt pile that I got to play with moving around. Good practice! I'll get some more tomorrow cleaning up again, we've had a few inches of ice pellets since I cleared. Other implements would be far superior for...

How do you like the rear blade, is it for moving lots of snow or more for scraping down to the road surface? Seems like having to drive over the snow before you can hit it with the blade would limit the utility in deep snow. I have a habit of getting things stuck if it's at all possible - at...

Feb 16, 2025 - Snow Day! Update on the quick connector. After the dealer agreed to fix the connector under warranty, they sent a tech over a couple weeks later. The tech hadn't been briefed by the service department prior to being sent out, so I explained the issue. Unfortunately, since he...

Some encouraging news, I'd emailed my dealer about the leaking single point and I got a call from the service department yesterday. He said it was a known problem and would be covered. He then asked if I knew where it was leaking from, because if it was two or more ports, the entire connector...

Well thanks for the kind words! I would have liked a bigger tractor but most of our property is on a flood plain, the ground is very soft even during drought, so I went with the "biggest" of the small weight options I had. The performance hasn't let me down yet! Next upgrade might be the...

11/2/24 Pre-Snow Work This is one of the best times of year to get yard work done. I really didn't do much this summer except mow, it was a very hot summer for us here in NH and I didn't get much done. Now the trees have lost their leaves, we've had a few frosts which kills off the...

Not much tractoring this summer other than mowing, sharpening blades, balancing blades, more mowing, repeat ... it's been a HOT summer here in NH and I have not had much motivation to bake in the sun. Maybe a canopy is in my future... Mowed the large paddock yesterday. It's about 3 acres in...

July 2, 2024 - Trail Maintenence. Have had the tractor for just over a year now and 83.6 hours on the clock. Lot of mowing time the past couple weeks (should have taken some pictures). The trail I've been building is getting a bit out of control, we had a lot of trees come down this winter...

No, I didn't take any pictures of the damage. It fell forward off the pallet onto the PTO, from trailer unloading height, maybe 5'.

I canceled my order for the MCS. Pretty bummed about that but even more bummed about my dealer. They basically wanted to pretend that nothing ever happened and it's still brand new, despite falling off the forklift. And they offered me NOTHING to make it right. "Yeah we patched it up and I...

June 8, 2024 - Mowing Day I still haven't heard back from the dealer about the MCS. I'm very frustrated at this point because I'm in my second mow of the season now and the whole point was to have it for the first, to prevent that long first mow material from turning into big giant clumps. At...

Yep I remember your post and wondering how it could still be attached with the arm all bent. Now I know. This time, I only bent the TR107795: Front Draft Bracket, without breaking the draft arm. Looking at the parts catalog, I went to the hardware store to get a M10x55 carriage bolt and...

May 28, 2024 - MCS!! I put an order in a while ago and today finally everything came together. I ordered the MC2120 (Part number 0731XF Material Collection System) and a while back. The unit arrived, and it had the boot kit for the 54" deck, so I had to wait for the correct 60" boot. Price...

Moved a bunch of horse poo. Like, two dozen bucket-fulls. Smoothed out with the box blade. Then washed it. Need to get ready for mowing. Bent the damn front draft link again. Slow learner 🤪. Mentioned the problem to the dealer and said I've read online that it might be hitting the front...

Added the pigtail to my wiring harness and that was the easy part. I spent way too much time trying to get all the wires to fit underneath the console. JD could have made this very very easy, but it was an annoying struggle. Form over function unfortunately! Oh well, I'm only going to have...

Must be my lucky day! Everything I had ordered to wrap up my rear remote install showed up today, just need to run to the store and get some more 90* hydraulic fittings and I should be able to get this all in done over the weekend. Hose wrap and protectors from Outback Wrap. Here's the Tyco...

April 23, 2024 - Forks Took a drive today... Picked up the Artillian 3000 lb frame, 36" forks, and the backrest. My original idea was to get the lightest weight components possible to maximize the limited lift capacity of these smaller tractors, which would have been the 2300 lb frame and...

I did some more searching and came across the following part number: 1-1703498-1-PT This led me to Tyco 1-1703498-1-PT - Vormontierter 2 poliger gedichteter maennlicher MCP / MCON Stecker mit Kabel, Kodierung A It's the same female housing, but with a wiring pigtail already installed...

It was not explored in my other thread, I only mentioned that I found it. I started a new thread for collecting information in a visible way, for other members and future searches.

I've been looking for information about the factory power tap under the rear console on my 2025R (it's the updated console (2022?) with the 4 switch knockouts). In the parts catalog it's #5 here on the fender wiring harness: There are multiple PNs listed for this: Elec. Connector Housing -...

Apr 14, 2024 - Rear Remote Progress Spent some time getting the rest of the Summit rear remotes and Fit Rite top-and-tilt kit together. Most of the time by far was spent routing, test fitting, rerouting, repeat. First I pulled out the right rear fender and handle so I could get access to the...

Fit the Summit Hydraulics manifold to the ROPS. I installed the each of the male dust plugs with the corresponding female half, with the idea being that when I pull them out to put a line in, I'll have fit the male and female covers together and keep them clean. It's way too busy back there...

Got the manifold and all fittings put together finger tight last night - pretty straightforward. Getting those switches out, now THAT was a pain. First, inspection. Here's the grommit the wiring harness passes through (from the inside): Without the flash, there's a lot of daylight visible...

Upgrades!! March 25, 2024. After a long winter without much tractoring action, spring is in the air and I have a few upgrades to put in during mud season. First, nothing very exciting, but cheap insurance: I don't have any plans to use the tractor during winter so this should help keep the...

I inquired about the TKV20 back on 10/10/23 and for future reference here was what I was quoted:

They're here! I ordered these 5/24/23 and they arrived 12/26/23. I'd planned to do this as a late winter/early spring install but I might do it in January. It's been so unseasonably mild here in NH that there is no snow on the ground and I'm still using the tractor. I still need to do some...

I showed another sneak peak earlier, and here's the post on it. I didn't stop at the Hydros+ pump upgrade, I didn't stop at the Hydros+ cooler, and I went for the Hydros+ Turbo kit. I was more hesitant about this than the other upgrade because it fundamentally changes the tractor and increases...

Anything in particular you'd like to see? Already showed the installed version in post 22 above. Oh, one thing I didn't write about above is installing the Otis Axle Vent. When I had the front fairing off I ran the vent tube up through a hole into the engine bay. I believe older model years...

OK so I gave a sneak peek at the finished installation, but the "next big thing" I did was install the Hydros Plus Cooler. I had my eye on it early on but frequently thought "JD knows best and has sized the hydraulic cooler appropriately". Well, that may be true to satisfy their warranty...

A bit out of order, but I briefly wanted to mention a few things I've added to the tractor that I consider "quality of life" improvements. I've mentioned a few of these already but here is a special callout. 1. Heavy Hitch toothbar. I've been happy with the purchase and get a lot of work done...

Aug 31 - Sep 4 : Rocks I must have had a long weekend because I got a lot done. Prior to this, I had been struggling with getting things into the bucket, even with the Heavy Hitch toothbar. Big rocks tend to roll forward, especially when they don't physically fit in the bucket. And hooks are...

Thanks for the recommendation, they look like a nice unit, and simple! Plus Pat's doesn't require a set of pins for each implement. One thing appealing of the quick hitch is that I would be able to keep the hitch, arms, and cylinders as one single unit together when I remove it to put the...

Yes great point, I forgot to mention that I did shorten the top link as much as possible (looks like I had done it by the time I took that pic because the blade doesn't seem to be planted in the ground). The hydraulic top-link will make this adjustment much easier to accomplish, but I still...

July 22, 2023 - A Sticky Situation Day after the above work, I ordered the toothbar from Heavy Hitch. There was a great Tractor Toothbar Torture Test - Who Makes the Best Cutting Edge? comparison video as well as some others I watched. I went with the Heavy Hitch because: 1) it looked better...

July 8, 2023 - Fighting the Knotweed We have a section of land, about 1/3 acre, right up against the river that has a Japanese Knotweed infestation. It's an invasive species up here and very hard to eradicate. Its stalks are similar to bamboo, it grows quickly, tall (8'+), is thick, and has a...

June 28th, 2023 - Double Trouble OK, happy with the tractor, but not everything has been perfect. Let's take a step back from the mowing and provide some background... When I ordered the tractor, the dealer was very backed up. Despite sitting on and demo-ing the tractor that was eventually...

July 8th, 2023 2nd big job was improving the footing on our run-in shelter in the big paddock. 23 tons of rock was dumped and moved. I had already set up a wood frame and filled it with dirt, but it had been packed down, rained on, and heavily trodden on over a year or so. It turned...

June 15, 2023 First job I had for the tractor was mowing. I typically participate in "no-mow may" as we have a ton of wildflowers through the yard and neighbors have honey bees. The first mow is usually pretty heavy. I have been tackling it with the flail mower on my Grillo and it does a...

Initial Equipment I had some money saved for implements and upgrades and so put it to use right from the start. Since I plan to have this tractor for many years, it makes sense to get as much as I will use as early as possible, to get the most benefit from it right from the start. Here's what...

I do not have any ballast in addition to the weight of the backhoe (or box blade, which is about 350 lbs). For the type of work I'm using the FEL for, I have maxed the capacity of the loader and not felt a need for additional ballast. I might consider weights for the box blade to get some more...

Well you beat me to it, one of the things I was going to write up was how I broke my mower deck attaching it the first time! I had a very difficult time removing the deck. The right side released OK, but I could not for the life of me get the left side off. I ended up having to use a 2x4 for...

Hi all, I picked up a new 2025R this summer and thought I'd create a thread of my own to post updates about what I'm doing with the tractor, modifications, projects, etc. First, I gained a lot of information from various internet sources, posts, videos, etc and it has helped me a lot, so I hope...

I live in northern New England USA and encountering rocks is just a normal part of mowing. I've replaced my blades many times but I've never sharpened them. The idea of the dual sided blades seems nice, but I find that when a rock or other hard object gets kicked up, it bounces around quite a...

This is a nice pro to using a walk-behind that shouldn't be overlooked, depending on what you intend to do with the land once clear. I reclaimed land to put horses on, so mowed 8 acres with a 21" push mower... three times (this was before I had a 2-wheel tractor). It took forever but was time...

Unless walking behind a tractor is a physical limitation for you, I don't see any advantages to that Sherpa 4wd unit. Not knocking it since I've never seen or used one, but for clearing land there are a lot of downsides. A big advantage of the 2-wheel tractors with a flail (or any mowing...

I wouldn't want to push the brush, since the point is to run it over and mulch it. If pushing stuff around is a requirement the Orec would be the way to go; the 2-wheel tractors can do a lot, but landscaping isn't one of the jobs they are well suited to. You can get various front and rear...

I was mostly tongue-in-cheek regarding the hydro. I often desire having one, but no way I would ever pay the cost (up-front costs, power it eats up, and fuel consumption). There's a few times though where you want to be at max engine speed and go slower! Taller tires are more useful for...

A 2-wheel tractor with a flail mower will absolutely annihilate that briar patch. It's the correct tool for the job, no need to keep deliberating about it. If you don't want to buy one, I agree that renting or hiring someone for a day make a lot of sense, especially if you just want a...

They are both nice. I went for Grillo and have been happy. I liked the way the handlebars reverse and how it swaps the forward/reverse lever too. I don't think you'll go wrong with either, pick based on 1) price 2) features 3) local support (if that's a concern). Get the tallest tires you...

I wouldn't use a sulky on a 2-wheel tractor. The only time it would be suitable would be when mowing something like a golf course, or flat field for sporting events. And if you have one of those, chances are you have a better mowing machine (though the flail mower does leave behind a fantastic...

Can't speak to the other machines but I have a G110D with and a Berta 34" flail mower and, while it's always a bit tricky to gauge things from pictures, I am confident it would absolutely demolish that brush. I have walked many, many, many miles behind my G110 and thrown all sorts of...

Check out this post.

Haven't used the DR but I have a G110D with 34" flail mower, 28" brush mower, and 72" dual-action cutter bar. I use them all for regular lawn mowing, once-a-year type paddock maintenance, and clearing new trails. Here are some thoughts on each implement. Flail mower: hands down the BEST...

2 quarts sounds like way too much - I want to say the correct number is roughly half that amount. Manual says 1.5 liters with filter change. It needs to be filled on a level surface until the oil level reaches the bottom mark on the dipstick - no more. My guess is it's overfull and at higher...

Take a look here, I believe it's the Operator Presence Control on page 1. https://www.earthtools.com/pdf/Diesel_Engine_Parts_-_instructions_2013.pdf

It's the lever you push on the left handlebar to stop the engine (on mine anyway). I believe the cable runs to the front-bottom corner of the engine on the air intake side (which would be the top right area in your photo, but vertically at the bottom of the side of the engine). I can take a...

Check that the engine stop lever, cable, and the actual cam on the side of the engine have returned to the "run" position. Mine doesn't tend to "spring back" to "run" and I have to remember to manually return the lever to the correct position. Still fools me every now and again.

Looks like I need a new battery for my G110. I pulled the battery out and it's labeled "BM 307/A". The only thing I can find about this battery is from the manufacturer here: Batterie Trattorini Rasaerba: Batteria BM 37/A - FAM Batterie I brought the battery with me to an autoparts store...

I had an old auto trailer that worked great when I had a little pickup. Rather than keeping it sitting around I thought I'd try to get some use out of it, since I already had the tow coupler. I brought the coupler in to a hardware store and found a piece of pipe that fit nicely, and welded it...

We had 20 tons of rock delivered in order to build footing inside a horse run-in shelter. We took down a section of fencing so that the driver could get right up close to the shelter and dump next to it, but he took one look at the ground and said he'd sink right in and be stuck. We do live in...

I never liked the stock position for the ignition on the diesel, right up against the engine bumper guard it seems too prone to damage when doing brush work (snagging on branches and such). My ignition switch broke the very first time I used the unit, and that was just basic grass mowing. The...

Say a prospective purchaser was not in a hurry and had a full year's cycle to make a decision. When is generally the "best" time to buy? I realize best can mean different things to different people, so perhaps it's better to ask, what are the different pros and cons and offers that are...

Hi all, been doing my homework and am liking what I see in the Mahindra lineup. I am a bit confused about some of their series nomenclature, and the pros and cons of each. Of the following models, what sorts of tasks and sizes are they best (and worst) suited to? I don't feel the Mahindra...

Hello TBNers, I bought a 21 acre property and am starting to search for a tractor. Part of the trouble is, there are so many choices out there, and I don't have a strong idea of what I do/don't need, and what size is best for my needs. One thing I have learned, is to buy the best I can afford...

After running beautifully all summer (after replacing the stock mechanical fuel pump with an electric), my LX178 (with engine Kawasaki FD440V) one day simply refused to start. The engine cranks and cranks but refuses to start. I can smell gas, and the plugs are wet when I remove them, so it's...

Does anyone know if there's a way to figure out if a snow thrower will attach to my LX178, without actually physically trying it? It's been hard finding solid information, but as near as I can tell the critical piece of information is the frame the unit was designed to attach to... which is...

Hi all, first let me say this site has been great, I've learned a lot already searching through the archives and decided to sign up. I just picked up a non-functional LX178. Owner wanted it gone because it's shooting gas onto the exhaust. It started and ran for the quick drive up on the back...