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I've been very tempted to get a wood chipper, it's on the list but I need to fully use what I have first before I try and convince the wife we should get more toys. Of course if I do, then I have to learn to properly use the three point hitch & the PTO, but I'll get there. Currently I'm using...

No pins on this design, I'll take some pictures and see if I can show you folks what I'm talking about.

In this case it's not the pivot bolts, it's the ones that look like they're supposed to be "hand loosened". They're impossible to turn by hand and even with a large wrench were annoying to remove. I don't know, maybe I'm supposed to take them out and put 4in1 oil on them or something? With...

You're a bit late on that comment but the good news is that I went with an L3302 so the advice was listened to.

Yeah, I actually want the ROPS up the majority of the time but in the current configuration it's like a 10 min job to switch so if I took it down the temptation would always be "well, I'm not really doing that much maybe I don't need it this time". I'll have to think about swapping out the...

Oh yes, we definitely live there.

Follow up posting as promised. The wheel spacers and cutting blade are still on backorder but the tractor with bucket and grading scraper was delivered yesterday: I got the brief intro training and then delivery guy headed out. Parking it in the lean to in the back of the barn was more...

6 Mile trip to the gas station, I think that's an hour round trip on a tractor? Doesn't sound time efficient and I doubt my neighbors would appreciate me clogging up the two lane road for that long. Might be fun once just for the experience. My gas can...

Mower is running great, it's a blast to drive. It handles most of the slope pretty well but there are definitely sections that are too dangerous for it. Over time I'll probably need to do some projects to: 1) Prune low branches so the mower can fit under all the trees 2) Install safety rails...

Out putting it to use in the lower field area:

New mower arrived this weekend:

Mostly just reading a lot and watching videos. I'm sure there will be plenty to laugh about when I first start trying to use the thing.

I'm getting a Grading Scraper, a Box Blade seems redundant at least initially. Maybe I don't understand the difference enough? Bush Hog is on my list, not sure I need it right away but I'm thinking eventually yes. Would allow taking down anything the ZT can't handle. Grapple is very cool, I...

Hah, I don't doubt it, who doesn't like playing with their new toys? Well as long as we're waiting around for delivery, what are some other attachments I might want?

FYI, chatted with the Dealer some more today. I had mentioned my stability concerns when shopping and they were going to move the tires out to max width, but apparently they couldn't do that with R14s and I didn't want R1s for my application. We talked it over and he's going to add 3" spacers...

Only the steepest portions of my property look like that, and they're small areas, most of it is less aggressive.

I briefly considered it since we have some pretty big warmbloods but I don't think I have the patience to mess with that. Oh and to the poster earlier, the horses, and thus the wife, are staying so that cost saving option is out. (Funny though)

You guys are awesome, really enjoying the discussion. I went to the local Kubota dealer on Friday, got a good impression of the salesman. I gave him plenty of opportunity to sell me things I don't need but he didn't take the bait. Good reviews online and my wife reports two of her co-workers...

That's good feedback on the thumb, makes sense. What about the backhoe in general?

Fascinating. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that tractor owners have different opinions just like any other group. Buying one machine to do it all was my original plan. I don't have any experience with ZTs either, so not much opinion yet one way or another. What other brands should I...

People do seem conflicted on that issue. I agree storage space could be a problem. I haven't ruled out a B2601 / LX2610 with a MMM as of yet, just also considering the L2501 + ZT combo as an option. Plan is to go in to the dealer tomorrow afternoon, see what they have, kick the tires and try...

I was just trying to do a between models comparison, the NCHA discount would apply to any choice. I haven't done nearly enough ZT research, originally it wasn't really on my radar, that may not be the right one. I'm now looking at the L2501HST which is a fair bit cheaper than the L3902.

Thanks for the relevant feedback, it's good to hear from someone who has been in a similar situation. For all those who recommended I look at the L series, I'm listening. No point in coming here to ask for advice and then not paying attention to it. The two big things I need a tractor for are...

Fortunately I don't need to move 1 ton hay pallets, that's not one of my requirements. We get hay once a year, usually delivered. Even if we did it ourselves though, it would be far cheaper to just put it on a flatbed and hire some muscle for the day to get it stacked in the barn. I was just...

Thanks, that helps a lot. Ok, in that case the L3902 is the widest one I'm looking at with a width of 65" on R1 tires (so some variance with R14s I'll likely end up buying). The biggest bucket I'm looking at is for that machine 66". So it looks even if I buy the largest one on my list it...

Hmm, good question. Here are the LX Specs: I'm guessing that I made some poor assumptions on what those terms meant.

Ok, so our gates are surprisingly non-standardized considering they're all commercial panels, but the smallest is 86" post to post. The largest wheelbase (out of the B, LX, L) is the LX at 65.6" so that shouldn't be a big deal for anything I'm looking at and I don't plan to buy any huge...

Good comparison thanks. For trucks we have a 2004 Dodge 3500 1 Ton Long Bed with the Laramie package. That replaced our old F250 Heavy Duty that was struggling a bit with our heavy trailer and Warmblood horses, especially uphill. Yeah, I think I need to go in and kick the tires, sit in the...

I'm leaning towards getting it with the thumb option. While I might not always be digging, I can think of lots scenarios where I'd want to lift or hold up something heavy. The ability to do some trenching and moderate digging / leveling work sounds pretty handy. I would probably do any of the...

Hah, yes I think that's a fair statement. Honestly I'd like to keep it quite a bit less than that if possible. $30k-$50k maybe? I don't need to shave every dollar, but $10K increments are real money for me. Mowing is mostly the house area, paths near the pastures and the bottom section. For...

That reminds me of a requirement I hadn't mentioned before. The tractor should fit through a standard horse gate, anything wider than that would be pretty inconvenient. I should probably go out with a measuring tape and figure out how wide that is.

That's a great explanation thanks! I hadn't thought about it quite that way.

About 4 acres of it are in Horse pasture, main task there is putting in gravel on the muddy spots, the horses do the rest. Yeah, it's an easement. They use the same driveway through most of the steep portion. In the past the owners shared that expense/work, but we bought this place and the...

What do you use instead, and how much area are you mowing?

That makes sense, any easy way to estimate which tractors are more stable than others? I've seen some folks talking about wheel spacers or filling the rear tires as possible mitigation.

Yeah, it doesn't really show in the Redfin pictures but it's definitely on a slope. The contour map I posted probably does a better job of showing it. No need to haul rounds, we don't use them. Gravel most definitely is in the plan though, going to be moving that frequently. If we do...

I've been thinking more in terms of a Swiss army knife given my limited needs. I hadn't, that's an interesting idea. Pricing wise it seems like the B, LX and L are all within a reasonable range. The issue is that with the L I'd have to use a pull behind mower or buy a separate mowing machine...

Fair point. I could buy an MX if I really wanted one but I don't think it would be a good use of funds, lots of other stuff to buy around here. The tractor itself is reasonable but when you throw in implements it got over $70k. Not mention I was already in sticker shock over the smaller sizes...

The MX is certainly a bad ass tractor, but I priced it out and it just doesn't make sense for my budget. We're only planning to have three or perhaps four horses here at the most so realistically we can feed using a two wheel wheelbarrow without too much effort. I need a tractor, no question...

I'm on the fence as whether I should get the backhoe or not. It seems like it would be really useful, especially with a thumb, but it's not exactly a cheap attachment. I need a tractor that covers 90% of what I need, everything else can be hired out.

The L3901 seems like an awful lot of tractor for my use case. Buying both that and a Zero turn mower is going be a large chunk of change. Other than "bigger is better" I'm not sure I understand the justification for that. So far, gravel washing to the bottom hasn't really been an issue for...

You know, that's a pretty good point. I'll keep that in mind.

Ok, tried to address all of the above comments. I appreciate the feedback. Location is Saint Helens Oregon. Elevation is around 350' but we get some wind coming up the valley from the coast so snow is more than normal for Western Oregon. Still, even with that, It'll likely be less than a...

I've recently purchased a six acre horse property. Previously we were at boarding facilities but now with our own land I'm going to need equipment in order to take care of the numerous other property maintenance tasks. Definitely not something I want to try and handle with a push mower...